Sport craving a 6-pack! need help!

Sport Fitness
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drumstyk1

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let me start off by saying that i have been a reader for a while and appreciate the wealth of knowledge offered here! thanks to everyone that shares!!

where to start? i am a 20 year old college student that has been dieting since christmas in hopes of getting that much covetted 6-pack. i am 6'2 and 204 lbs (as of this morning) with an 11% BF (according to my parents crappy scale almost 2 weeks ago). i usually go out for a 3-ish mi. run about twice a week and i walk to classes everyday (2 miles per day total). i do a lot of traditional crunches and flutter kicks a couple times a day, usually in front of the tv. i usually shoot for about 5 sets of 100 of each with about a minute or so rest between them.



My diet usually looks something like this:
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Breakfast: 7a.m. banana and cup of kroger yogurt and 1 liter of water

Lunch: 12pm turkey sandwich on potato bread (cuz i like it) with yellow mustard, pickles, slice of kraft singles cheese, and another liter of water

Snack: 3-4pm banana OR apple

Dinner: 6oz. can of tuna in water and a full can (14oz. i think) of green beans OR mixed veggies. another liter of water.


i cant say that i am perfect though, i usually end up with a little minor cheating (ex: quiznos 6 incher) maybe once a week or so. since christmas, i have slowly lost 9 pounds but have not lost anything the past 2 or 3 weeks. any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!
 
Ok 1st you don't need to work abs as much. If you pass 25 reps you've gone to far. You shouldn't focus on ab exercises they will do barely anything, its a common misconception. You should focus on getting overall fat down and lean body mass up.

Your BF isn't 11%. Its higher.

You should weight train and do compound full body exercises. Squats, lunges, rows, deadlifts, bench press, etc. and no your muscles won't get huge like a ripped bodybuilder if you start.

Your diet. You should eat more. I doubt thats breaking 1600 cals. Which tells your body your in starvation mode and stores fat. You can't outsmart thousands of years of evolution. Eat 5-6 meals a day. Add nuts. Add more veggies. Add oatmeal. Is that tuna str8 from the can :0.

Overall, just try to raise your metabolism and remember if something doesn't feel like its working, then its probably not.

Oh yeah, GJ on the 3 mile runs!
 
Champ is dead-on.

Try spreading the water throughout the day instead of in three clumps.

Run 3 days per week instead of 2. And, instead of miles, think in terms of time. Try to get in 40+ minutes of running each session.

Hit the weights bro and target large muscle groups.
 
I disagree with Rip about the time. I would think in terms of intensity and 40 mintues is too long. Im thinking along the lines of 20-25mins.

Metabolism
 
well, i didn't mention that i also take a 1L water bottle with me to classes and probably go through a total of about 5 liters per day. i dont know if you can overdo it with the water but i know that it helps me control food cravings ALOT! whenever i finish that sandwich and start feeling that doritos or pretzels "void" a couple good, long chugs of water makes me feel much more satisfied.

champ, great idea with the oatmeal... hadn't thought of that. yes i pop open a can of tuna, drain it, sprinkle a lil tony chachery's creole seasoning (salty and hot), and stick a fork in it. what kind of other "small meals" would you recommend?? i can understand 6 meals a day when you are weight training and trying to "pack it on" but when you are trying to cut your BF i just feel guilty eating when i am not hungry.

also, i thought weights and cardio were not exactly complimentary of each other. if i am cutting calories to trim down, wouldn't hard weight training be not only frusteratingly more difficult but maybe even bad for my body if i am not getting enough nutrients to fuel and replenish my muscles? i don't take any supplements other than calcium (my multivitamin makes me feel kinda nausious so i quit:( ).

i could try adding another day of running. i kinda dread it right now but i have been trying to find a running buddy to keep me motivated. i have a hard time getting to the gym because i am temporarily without a car. i try to compensate by doing pushups and simple dumbell exercises now and then. i will have to read up on circuit training and i will post any progress!!

please post "small meal" ideas! what are your favorites? anything quick and easy sounds delicious to me :D
 
i do weight training for my abs at the gym once or twice a week but i also do sets of 50-75 for cardio, i hear people saying its a waste of time to do ab exercises with so many reps, but is it ok to do both and wont i get some cardio exercise from doing lots of reps on crunches and leglifts?
 
just an update,
i started eating more frequently and subbed in the oatmeal instead of the fruit. i also got some fat free plain yogurt for some "small meals". the first thing i noticed was my energy went up during my runs. i added another mile to my runs (4-ish miles) and now run 4 times per week. i am not seeing much of a difference on the scale, but i am seeing some more definition in my lower abs (the V) which is very motivating.

thanks for all the help thusfar and keep the suggestions rolling!! i hope to have some more good news to share next week!!
 
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