Help me lose a few stubborn pounds/critique my diet

[Scottyboy]

I started lifting seriously about a year and a half ago. Before that point in my life I had always been very skinny, 6'0 150 pounds with a completely flat stomach. Now I am up to 180, and most of what I've gained is muscle, but I've also added a slight belly in that time. Last time my bodyfat was measured it was 9.5%, which is pretty low, but the problem is that it's all in one area. My arms and legs are very cut and defined, but almost all my fat is right on my gut. I have a nice 4 pack which then disappears around my bellybutton. I want to lose the fat on this area so that I have a 6 pack, and so that my chest sticks out farther than my stomach when I inhale. Here is my routine/diet.

I hit the gym about 5 days a week for around an hour each time. My schedule is fairly intense and I am almost always out of breath at the end. Sometimes I work in some cardio, but it's brief and irregular.

My diet is pretty good. On workout days I get around 200 grams of protein, and on most days I am at around 50/60 grams of fat. My diet mainly consists of chicken, seafood, and lean beef. I do give myself occasional cheat days when I order pizza or chinese, but even then I am fairly good about it, ordering chicken or thin crust chicken pizza. Even on my cheat days I doubt I am eating over 90 grams of fat.

I don't take any supplements besides a multivitamin and flaxseed oil.

I stay very active, I do a lot of yardwork and housework. I generally don't sit around for a long time unless I get caught up in a video game, but I have problems doing cardio for a long time because I just get bored. I need some stimulation.

Any advice, or request for more info is welcome. Help me get that 6 pack.

[CiteCollegiale]

i have a solution for your cutting problem. BULK

[boxingtigger]

From what I am reading, I would one say that your bf% is off. If it were truely that low, you would have the 6 pack. Second, is it fat or just retained water? How much water do you drink and what is your sodium intake like? Third, no matter how small of a cheat, it will affect if your 6 pack shows. I would say for starters, stay away from the cheats for 6 weeks and that alone should help some. Also, try doing some weighted lower abs. You may just not have the muscle to show, but I am guessing that it has to do with your diet. Last, you are not getting enough protein. You should be at 270-360 grams per day. What is your carb breakdown?

[Built]

I agree - I eat 200g protein a day, and I'm cutting - you outweigh me by almost 50 lbs.

Higher fats can actually be helpful for cutting. Higher carbs - depends on the person.

[Scottyboy]

I want to get bigger eventually but not pro bodybuilder huge. My ideal body type is Terrell Owens.

I drink a ton of water. At least 80 ounces a day. It's the only thing I drink besides protein shakes. If you saw me, you would understand how I can be around 10% and not have a 6 pack, it is seriously all in one tiny spot around my waist right where my lower abs would be. I'm ripped as hell everywhere else, I suppose that's part of the curse of having a very small frame. I do some weighted exercises for my lower abs, but I think the main reason they don't show is that there is too much fat on top of them, not that they are underdeveloped. I know my protein intake is low but that has nothing to do with the problem at hand, does it?

[Scottyboy]

Oh, and I know that the body stores fat if it doesn't get enough fat/calories. Can anyone comment on my fat intake? Like I said before, it's generally between 40-60 grams a day, mainly from beef, dairy, and oils. Is that too low, too high, or just right?

[Scottyboy]

And lastly, any supplements you guys would recommend? As I said before, I've never used any besides multivitamins and flaxseed oil. A friend of mine recommended Bio Heat, I know nothing about it or any others.

[Unholy]

80oz is not plenty, I can down that in one shot.

[boxingtigger]

I noticed that you addressed every thing but the one major thing that could be affecting your stomach, the cheats. You may need to simply get rid of the cheats. And yes, 80oz of water is not enough. Water will actually help you, try to get 1.5-2 gallons a day. Believe it or not, not enough protein could be part of the problem.

[Built]

I like my fats on the high side - usually around 80g daily, sometimes considerably higher, rarely lower.

[Scottyboy]

Well, the last 2 posts in this thread are totally contradictory. I have 1 person telling me to remove the cheats entirely, and another telling me I should be eating as much fat as I do on my cheats every day. So....which is it?

[boxingtigger]

I believe what Built is trying to say, is make sure that your fats are good fats. Make sure they are EFA. I could be wrong, but I hardly think she would tell you to get your fat from cheat food.

[Scottyboy]

Well like I said, my cheat food is mostly chicken cooked chinese style. I'm not going to Hardees or anything, I really don't eat anything terrible for me.

[boxingtigger]

For example, I get about 100g of fat daily. However, they all come EFA. Like salmon, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, flaxseed, olive oil and lean red meats.

[Scottyboy]

So specifically what changes should I make to my diet so that I'm eating less bad fats and more good fats?

[Built]

Perhaps drop your carbs down a bit and eat those calories in the form of natty pb, raw nuts, olive oil, avocadoes, butter, egg yolks...

[Built]

Well, the last 2 posts in this thread are totally contradictory. I have 1 person telling me to remove the cheats entirely, and another telling me I should be eating as much fat as I do on my cheats every day. So....which is it?

I didn't say eating fat was cheating. I said there's no reason to limit your fats, given your caloric requirements are not being exceeded.