"love Handles"

[old] Mark Keating · Post by **[old] Mark Keating** » December 18th, 2004, 2:41 pm

I have been rowing semi-regularly for about eight months now, and am starting to feel some real benefits. My weight is down to 76 kg from 85, and I have gained some good muscle mass and toning as well. But the love handles are still hanging on pretty tight and while I am guessing that patience is the ultimate key to losing this bit of blubber, I was wondering if there any specific exercises that I should be working into my erg routine. Mark

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 18th, 2004, 3:12 pm

no such thing as spot reducing. Love handles are among the last bits of fat to go along with the deposits in your upper arms and upper thighs... just keep erging, lifting weights - to keep you from losing too much muscle as you try to burn off the "handles"- and reduce your carb intake - I'm not talking Atkins but try to hit a 40-40-20 ratio of Carbs-Protein-Fat - make sure the bulk of your carbs come from low glycemic sources like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice and throw in some fruits and green veggies for balance...stay away from pasta, white bread, white rice, regular potatoes... bad stuff if you're trying to lose fat.. Oh yeah be sure to throw in some high-intensity speed work in with your long distance pieces... good luck, D

[old] Atorrante · Post by **[old] Atorrante** » December 18th, 2004, 3:49 pm

May I ask? Wath is "love handles"?

[old] JRBJR · Post by **[old] JRBJR** » December 18th, 2004, 4:29 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (DIESEL @ Dec 18 2004, 07:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> no such thing as spot reducing. Love handles are among the last bits of fat to go along with the deposits in your upper arms and upper thighs... just keep erging, lifting weights - to keep you from losing too much muscle as you try to burn off the "handles"- and reduce your carb intake - I'm not talking Atkins but try to hit a 40-40-20 ratio of Carbs-Protein-Fat - make sure the bulk of your carbs come from low glycemic sources like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice and throw in some fruits and green veggies for balance...stay away from pasta, white bread, white rice, regular potatoes... bad stuff if you're trying to lose fat.. Oh yeah be sure to throw in some high-intensity speed work in with your long distance pieces... good luck, D  </td></tr></table> Diesel, Good suggestions. I do take issue with your recommendations about avoiding high-glycemic carbs like white rice and potatoes. If you don't slather them with butter or sour cream, their bad rep comes not from their high caloric content but rather the contention that they lead to a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, which in turn stimulates feelings of hunger and the urge to continue eating.

[old] jus gray · Post by **[old] jus gray** » December 18th, 2004, 5:19 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (Atorrante @ Dec 18 2004, 02:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> May I ask? Wath is "love handles"?  </td></tr></table> Hi, love handles are the fat wobbly bits just above either side of your hips, horrible things that once got they are very hard to get rid of.

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 18th, 2004, 5:27 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Diesel, Good suggestions. I do take issue with your recommendations about avoiding high-glycemic carbs like white rice and potatoes. If you don't slather them with butter or sour cream, their bad rep comes not from their high caloric content but rather the contention that they lead to a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, which in turn stimulates feelings of hunger and the urge to continue eating. </td></tr></table> Yes, you are correct, but this would be good once he reached his goal weight. For the purposes of weight loss higher glycemic complex carbs should be avoided like the plague. The key during weight loss is that you don't want to spike your insulin levels too high - this leads to increased production of triglycerides and is couterproductive to the immediate objective.

[old] JRBJR · Post by **[old] JRBJR** » December 19th, 2004, 12:18 am

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (DIESEL @ Dec 18 2004, 09:27 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Yes, you are correct, but this would be good once he reached his goal weight. For the purposes of weight loss higher glycemic complex carbs should be avoided like the plague. The key during weight loss is that you don't want to spike your insulin levels too high - this leads to increased production of triglycerides and is couterproductive to the immediate objective.  </td></tr></table> I was not aware that eating high-glycemic carbs increased blood triglycerides production. Even though my wife and I are at are our appropriate weights, it looks like it' may be time to go back to brown rice and to cut back on the baked potatoes.

[old] Mark Keating · Post by **[old] Mark Keating** » December 19th, 2004, 2:16 pm

thanks Diesel, that is more or less what I had been thinking - more meters, more patience and less chocolate!

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 19th, 2004, 3:31 pm

Hi JRBJR By all means don't kill the baked potatoes and other higher-glycemic carbs from your diet. No need to deprive yourself. Just eat them in moderation. This is part of the beauty of exercising regularly - it gives us the luxury of indulging in our favorite foods once in a while. Here's a simple test you can use to find out if your insulin got "spiked" after a meal. If an hour or so after you eat, you get that woozy "I want to take a nap feeling" - you overloaded on high-glycemic carbs... your body is going into overdrive trying to bring the blood sugar levels down - and the byproduct of that process is the increased production of triglycerides that go right into your adipose cells - this pretty much explains why if you eat a lot of cake, chocolate, or all that other sugary stuff we love so much, we get fat.

[old] grams · Post by **[old] grams** » December 20th, 2004, 4:06 pm

Us ladies have a similar problem, but right in the middle, not on either side. Abdominal fat is the last to go, and the first to reappear. Its natures way of getting us through a hard winter(?) Re: high-glycemic stuff. I avoid it if I am not going to erg in the near future. Ie: if I have rice or potatoes the night before, then I know I have to erg the next day. Hint: basmati rice seems to not give a glycemic 'spike' like other rices do. My husband is diabetic and basmati rice doesn't drive his blood sugar to a sudden peak like other kinds. Regarding the love handles: I have an unscientific method. I know I have to erg at least 40 minutes before by body starts using fat instead of the energy stored in my muscles. I feel a low point about then when my metabolism shifts over. So after I pass that point I know I'm working on the fat. I visualize ripping those fat molecules off the offending part of my anatomy and sending the energy to the muscles that need it. I don't know if that is actually happens, but the visualization helps me to keep going. Finally, if I'm trying to lose a couple of pounds (vacations are death on us lightweights) I don't eat after I erg. I just have some fruit juice with a gelatin packet dissolved in it, and wait till dinner and have a big salad. And one beer in the evening is ok. Sounds pretty spartan, however the positive strokes you will get from your friends and family about how good you look is worth it. "slow & steady is my body's pace" grams 62 years, barely lightweight after Thanksgiving

[old] gaffano · Post by **[old] gaffano** » December 20th, 2004, 4:09 pm

Diesel..since you seem to have knowledge in this area.... I am trying to keep my Triglycerides level low....what I have read is that it is elevated by increased carb intake..especially refined such as high fructose corn syrup. Should I assume that elevated levels are due to intake of carbs w/o using them...which results in fat...which produced triglycerides? Should I just stay away from refined carbs and excercise?

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 20th, 2004, 4:27 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Us ladies have a similar problem, but right in the middle, not on either side. Abdominal fat is the last to go, and the first to reappear. Its natures way of getting us through a hard winter(?) </td></tr></table> Nope. Natural padding for childbirth. Hi Grams, <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Regarding the love handles: I have an unscientific method. I know I have to erg at least 40 minutes before by body starts using fat instead of the energy stored in my muscles. I feel a low point about then when my metabolism shifts over.  </td></tr></table> This isn't necessarily true. There is no set time when fat metabolism shifts over. It is individual to every person. In actuality, it's somewhere closer to 20-25 minutes depending on your intensity level, fitness, genetic factors, and the amount of glucose you presently have in your bloodstream. <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Finally, if I'm trying to lose a couple of pounds (vacations are death on us lightweights) I don't eat after I erg. I just have some fruit juice with a gelatin packet dissolved in it, and wait till dinner and have a big salad. And one beer in the evening is ok.  </td></tr></table> Not eating after you erg is a bad, bad idea. That's precisely when you should be eating. Your body has to repair itself - you should be eating something with some protein, some simple carbs like fruit juice and little to no fat if possible. Fat hinders nutrient absorption by the body. Eating immediately post-exercise keeps your body from eating muscle to cash in the body's request for nutrients in this crucial post-exercise period. What happens is that you are losing weight - but you are losing muscle mass NOT fat - remember the scale on tells you half the story. If you erg in the afternoon, it's better to drink a sports liquid after exercise that contains both protein and carbs, wait an hour then eat a meal with some protein and low glycemic carbs - for example a grilled chicken or fish and some basmati rice. That will keep your metabolism humming along, and will not only keep your body lean and fit but you will probably lose more weight in the long run (and not to mention look better) than starving yourself.

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 20th, 2004, 4:34 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> I am trying to keep my Triglycerides level low....what I have read is that it is elevated by increased carb intake..especially refined such as high fructose corn syrup.  </td></tr></table> Well, sort of -the increased production of triglycerides is a byproduct of the body's reaction to elevated blood sugar levels. Elevated insulin production is caused by excesses in simple sugars - like high fructose corn syrup. <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Should I just stay away from refined carbs  </td></tr></table> not unless you're a diabetic. If you are exercising regularly you can enjoy them in moderation. I do. No need to live like an ascetic. <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> and excercise? </td></tr></table> obviously, it literally is the fountain of youth!

[old] gaffano · Post by **[old] gaffano** » December 20th, 2004, 4:51 pm

Hmmm....my blood sugar level is always OK (I have blood tested 3/4x/yr). Can triglycerides be elevated in non-diabetics? From occasional use? ( I do drink soda, beer, eat pretzels, white bread, etc)

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 20th, 2004, 6:47 pm

That's where you start to lose me - as I am not a doctor - merely someone who tries to educate himself on how the body works vis-a-vis athletics and nutrition. Based on most texts I've read, I would assume that if you exercise a lot, especially CV exercise, your body becomes more efficient in handling its blood sugar spikes than a sedentary person. So, I would assume, that yes the risk is always there, but the risk would be reduced for athletes. I would also figure that your genetic history would also have something to do with it. Maybe some of the MDs on this board can chime in....

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