why do i find it so hard to lose fat?

[Deek]

i eat well i do weight training and cardio i lose muscle by eating less but not fat, if i try to eat mmore to bulk i just put on fat but not size, i try tio lose fat amd just lose muscle, what am i doing wrong? what should i be doing,
i have poridge and a protein shake for breakfast,fruit tuna or chicken for a snack, salad with chicken tuna egg for lunch, fruit for afternoon nack then dinner veg chicken egg something of that nature, i train hard in the gym im 5,9 94 kg 17% bodyfat according to the pt the clipped me last week however im sure its more then that as i look fat with no top on.i train 5-6 times a week weights every other day with cario in between, so acan anyone point out where im gouing wrong? the only time i was able to lose weight was when my ex left and i lost 2 stone in 1 month but more muscle then fat was lost and i want top keep the muscle but lose the fat, amy help form yopu guys would be great, if u want any more info from me just let me know

thanks in advance

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Quote

i have poridge and a protein shake for breakfast,fruit tuna or chicken for a snack, salad with chicken tuna egg for lunch, fruit for afternoon nack then dinner veg chicken egg something of that nature. So can anyone point out where im gouing wrong?

Let's see...

Is the porridge/protein shake made with water/semi/skimmed milk? Is the tuna packed in water/brine? Is the chicken skinless breast? You seem to eat a lot of fruit as well. I'd say where you are going wrong is that your diet is principally protein and carbohydrate with little to no fat. Your metabolism is too reliant on glucose and so you have difficulty in burning fat so your body just stores it and holds onto it. If you continue to eat the same types of foods but decrease the amount (restrict total calories) in order to lose fat, your body just starves for its currently preferred energy substrate (glucose) and breaks down muscle tissue in order to make its own glucose.

You have to break this cycle before you will see any results. First you need to confirm exactly what and how much you are eating. What are your typical total daily calories and what percentages of those calories come from protein, carbohydrates and fats?

[Deek]

the tuna is in brine or spring water never sunflower oil as i hate it, poridge with semi skined milk+ protein shake, any other shake through out the day is with water and chicken breast skinless, what sort of fat should i be having? im just worried about fat as it makes me think ill end up putting on more, id say im getting around 1500 calories a day yet iv put on 4kg in the past 3 weeks some how im not really sure how, i cant imagine iv put on 4kg of muscle but maybe a mixture of fat muscle and water?? only thing that makes any sense really.

most calories comes from protein to be honest as thats waht i try to eat most of, very little carbs, i have poridge for break fast then some times rice at luch with meat/ tuna/ egg with salad and somethimes potatoes with dinner normal mash or boiled new potatoes but not much as worried about carbs in the evening, due to traing and work i dont eat till 8-8.30 most evenings

[emma1903]

get more fat, from oil like coconut oils, nut butters are good, eggs. iv put on 3 lb in the last month but have lost body fat, have you taken your measurements at all to see if they have changed?

[Deek]

no not taken measurements apart from arms but no change there and my body fat was only done last week properly, iv used the machines and on the machines my weight has gone up but body fat hasnt, but i know the machines are rubbish which i why i had my body fat done by a pt, i would say looking at me tho that the 22% the machine says is closer then the 17% the pt measured but i dont really know.

nut buuters? like peanut butter? i have a hand full of nuts every so often and coconut oil? not heard of that before, do u get that from the super market? i take it you cook with it?? i have a bottle of cod liver oil which i was advised to have a spoon ful of a day once but didnt relly do it, is that a good idea? will it help at all?

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Well it looks like I summed up your diet pretty well and this is the reason you are struggling with fat loss. No diet should be almost wholly protein and certainly not lean protein.

You say you are avoiding carbs but seem to be snacking on fruit and having the worst of the starches such as white potatoes and rice!

By avoiding most sources of dietary fat you are condemning your metabolism to reliance on glucose as an energy substrate and it is likely that a sizeable proportion of the protein you are consuming is going into glucose synthesis. Also, by avoiding fat, you are down-regulating the expression of genes that synthesise the enzymes you require for fat metabolism. I would not be surprised if the combination of lean protein, fruit and starch consumption is keeping insulin elevated and blocking fat release from adipocytes.

You need to drastically rethink your diet. First of all you need to re-educate yourself out of the fear of dietary fat - especially saturated animal fats. You are right to avoid sunflower oil - almost all seed/vegetable oils are unhealthy. Only extra virgin olive oil has any benefit. Any other fats used for cooking should comprise, butter, ghee, lard, beef tallow, palm or coconut oil* (a couple 'plant fats' that are high in saturates).

Generally you should not be consuming fats as a separate entity but as part and parcel of your whole protein foods: red meats with visible fat left intact, dark-meat poultry with skin, oily fish (for omega-3 essential fats), full-fat dairy produce (if tolerated), whole eggs, and small amounts of nuts and seeds. You can eat as much green veg as you desire but limit fruit to small portions of berries and avoid the starchier veg (potatoes) until you get a better handle on how these foods affect your metabolism and fat loss goals. It is best to avoid most grains and legumes as well.

* Don't make the mistake of making coconut oil your only source of dietary fat. While the medium chain saturated fatty acids it contains have many health benefits, they do not up-regulate the synthesis of the enzymes (look up 'carnitine shuttle') necessary to shuttle all fatty acids (including those from your body fat deposits) into the cells to provide energy.

[profi]

I totally agree with NU_nutrition_TS. I just want to add that if you overdo with your workout, you body will go in emergency mode and release more cortisol. Cortisol prevents fat oxidation.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

I agree, profi. I restricted my advice to diet so I'm pleased you picked up on the exercise component.

Expanding on that, I feel diet is the most important factor in fat loss. Exercise comes into its own when you are looking to gain/retain lean mass and improve fitness and conditioning in general.

Exercise, especially cardio, is pretty much useless for fat loss. As profi says, any exercise that is overdone can be counter-productive. If you are looking to shed fat while retaining/gaining healthy lean mass, I would personally ditch cardio (except occasional brisk walks) and concentrate on resistance exercise for muscle conditioning/growth. This will probably indirectly benefit your fat loss goals as long as you do not over-train and get the diet right.

[Ben]

OP, I have the same problem as you - I find it very hard to get rid of body fat. I eventually got so frustrated that I went to see a very well renowned PT here in London who gave my diet and training a complete overhaul. In four weeks I have lost 10 kilos of body fat, increased lean muscle and have never looked or felt better. I've gone from a 36 waist to 34 all due to a complete eradication of starchy and refined carbs, an increase of dietary fat and a calorie deficit.

[Billv0]

Pics to help with a better assessment of your body fat percentage.

The personal trainer could be right and your suffering from a bit of body dysmorphia.