Effective ways to lose one inch skinfold bodyfat ?

[MAXXply]

Can anyone suggest the most effective ways to shed the one inch (2.54cm) of bodyfat that currently sits around my waist, as measured by a rough skinfold test?
I play about 5hrs of tennis a week and do not much else exercise.
I am partial to interval sprint training if that will speed up the fat-burning.
Thanks for any tips.

[Nuke]

Well it sounds like you're somewhat active, so the obvious answer is eating less calories. You reduce overall weight, not just the fat around your waist.

[MAXXply]

^ I am conscious of my calorific intake, and do my best to cut down on sugar. Heck I'm even onto Diet sodas. Cutting out the carbs during snacktimes is something I need to do. It's so easy to grab a pastry or donut.

[NE1for10is?]

Eliminate fried food, anything with fructose corn syrup, and 'white' carbs. Switch to more dense whole grain complex carbs like brown rice and whole wheat. Eliminating alcohol also makes a big difference, especially beer. Also, do a daily food diary with the LoseIt app or Calorie King or FitPal.

Tennis, unfortunately isn't very aerobic and won't shed fat much. Interval training is IMHO most effective.

[0d1n]

Eat less cr4ppy food ???!???

[floridatennisdude]

Originally Posted by MAXXply

^ I am conscious of my calorific intake, and do my best to cut down on sugar. Heck I'm even onto Diet sodas. Cutting out the carbs during snacktimes is something I need to do. It's so easy to grab a pastry or donut.

Sounds like you know what to do and just need to be disciplined enough to execute it. Changing diet sounds easy, but habits can be tough to break. Swapping fries for fruit. Whole grain instead of white. Nuts instead of a candy bar. It's simple, but challenging.

Additional excercise is encouraged, specifically on core muscles where belly fat accumulates. However, excercise alone won't reduce a waist line. If you eat high fat foods, the fats will seek out the easiest place to reside. That's the belly for a man and hips for a woman.

[MAXXply]

^^ Yeah, I just need to find the discipline to make the change. Admittedly, cr#ppy food is something I should cut out more. It does make up a significant part of my diet, which I should change.

[anantak2k]

Originally Posted by NE1for10is?

Tennis, unfortunately isn't very aerobic and won't shed fat much. Interval training is IMHO most effective.

I do nothing but play tennis and it keeps me in good shape. I eat a lot of junk and crap but I don't eat cheese at all and I don't eat oily food or fried food too much simply because I do not like them. Other than that, I eat crap... ton of ice cream (1000+ calories of just that) daily too! If I did not play tennis and ate that same amount, I would most likely be at least 50lbs over weight.

[Vlad_C]

You already know what to do:

Eat less, Move more.

Calories in < Calories out.

We all know that's the only (natural) way to lose weight, but we don't like it...
Unfortunately there's no easy way - unless you want to consider liposuction.

[peoplespeace]

Since u dont seem to have the discipline to make a major diet change (which u should!) the just do the minimum to acheive ur goal; If ur weight is currently stable, just cut one bad food a day eg one donut or the like. That is about 500 calories, which is 15.000 calories a month or 2 kg/4 .4 lbs fat a month. Monitor every 2 weeks that ur weight is going down by 1kg/2.2 lbs.

However, beware that it may look like u are loosing more fat in the beginning (first two weeks or so), but that will be an illusion as it will be mostly water.

[Thud and blunder]

Here's a suggestion; make a food diary. Write down everything, and I mean absolutely every single thing, that you eat. It takes discipline to do this, and it instils a much greater awareness of what you're actually eating.

It may sound weird, but just writing it all down can help you clean up your diet, assuming that's your aim to begin with. It's especially good for knocking compulsive snacking on the head; knowing that every time you grab a handful of popcorn, you're going to have to write it down, can knock that urge on the head.

It's also quite educational to see what you're eating at what times of the day etc....recommended.

[NTRPolice]

1) "spot" reduction is a myth. You lose fat all over more or less at the same time. You think you're not losing fat because you keep pinching your "waist". Pinch and measure all parts of your body. Your muscles have fat in them too, so even if you "skin pinch" it may appear that you've not lost anything, but the reality is your muscle shrank.

PS: there is no "best" way to measure fat loss.

2) The fact that you drink "diet" sodas tells me you're not eating right. Diet sodas are not healthy, they just contain no calories. Instead of doing what most people do, you should do it the right way.

Instead of eating a little of junk food (hence, diet soda) why dont you just eat a lot of healthy food? (drink 16 oz. of water)

3) Whole grain and not whole grain have the same caloric counts as each other. Most of that is insoluble fiber anyway, so unless you're having problems taking a poopie theres not much point. Get your fiber from vegetables.

4) Dont bother with these "modern diets". If you cant do it for the rest of your life the weight loss is going to be temporary and when you gain it back you'll probably be fatter than ever.

Eating healthy is a lot of work. For me personally, I have to cook a lot because for me to eat that kinda food it has to be relatively fresh. If you have a homemaker of a wife or something, that makes eating healthy a lot easier.

If you start replacing your do not "needs" with vegetables, fruits and WATER, you'll find that you'll become dramatically more healthy in an instant.

"Pizza" is not a "vegetable". "Juice" does not count as "fruits". Drink water.

I honestly have no idea... how people... dont drink water.

[fuzz nation]

I have a much easier time staying away from the junk when I keep healthy snacks handy. Apples, bananas, sometimes some nuts, but NO cookies or candy - if it's not there, I can't sneak it. I like ice cream, but only have one dose a day if it's in the freezer. I'm over and done with chips and other salty stuff just because I can't stand how it makes me feel. Stack the deck so that you have healthy things handy.

My general tennis fitness gets a big boost from riding a bike at least twice a week. It helps to keep me generally more lean, but it also makes my legs especially happy, probably because there's no pounding on my joints. I prefer to run when I have a tennis ball to chase, but that's mostly it. Cycling makes a substantial difference for me.

[floridatennisdude]

Originally Posted by fuzz nation

I have a much easier time staying away from the junk when I keep healthy snacks handy. Apples, bananas, sometimes some nuts, but NO cookies or candy - if it's not there, I can't sneak it. I like ice cream, but only have one dose a day if it's in the freezer. I'm over and done with chips and other salty stuff just because I can't stand how it makes me feel. Stack the deck so that you have healthy things handy.

My general tennis fitness gets a big boost from riding a bike at least twice a week. It helps to keep me generally more lean, but it also makes my legs especially happy, probably because there's no pounding on my joints. I prefer to run when I have a tennis ball to chase, but that's mostly it. Cycling makes a substantial difference for me.

Biking is wonderful for me too. Never been a runner, but going on a bike for an hour is relaxing and a good workout at the same time. My knees are starting to creak as I bend them these days, so running is out and biking/swimming is in.

Great advice on healthy snacks.

[chrischris]

Quit all sugar and white bread and pasta. eat nuts and fiber and drink more tap water. Bike a lot and do push ups and situps when the commercial breaks are when you are watching the tube.

[Povl Carstensen]

I second lowering your intake of carbs, especially the white, processed (empty) ones (sugar, white flour, etc.). Too much carbs boost the hormone insulin, which in turn upregulates fat storage and downregulates fat consumption.
And of course eat healthily overall, which is very well in tune in avoiding too many quick, empty carbs. The advantage to this strategy, in my experience, is that you do not have to count calories or starve yourself. It is a long term, doable change in eating habits, not a quick fix diet.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Originally Posted by NE1for10is?

... Tennis, unfortunately isn't very aerobic and won't shed fat much. Interval training is IMHO most effective.

Not necessarily true. If all of your rallies are very short and your time between points is on the longish side, you may not be accessing your aerobic system very much. However, elite singles players and high intermediate players can easily derive 40-60% of their energy needs from the aerobic system. The rest is from 2 anaerobic systems -- glycolysis and the immediate (ATP-PC) system. The latter is employed for very large/burst demands lasting for only 20-30 seconds.

Interval training would also tend to employ both the aerobic system as well as the anaerobic systems. It is not a bad idea to incorporate cardio that is primarily aerobic as well as cardio exercise along the lines of interval training.

However, the best way to promote increased metabolism (including fat-burning) is with muscle/strength development. Increasing muscle mass will increase the BMR even when not exercising. Add some weight lifting and plyo to your exercise regimen.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Here is another excellent tip from Dr Oz on increasing metabolism:

http://bcove.me/znh34p1s

.

[MAXXply]

Thank you everyone for your advice; it's very helpful and encouraging. I'm inspired to shape up this (southern) summer and my diet will be the first to change. My careless diet has been the primary factor in my problems.

Re: interval training, I said I was partial to it because I'm regarded as pretty fast around the court, Kriek/Chang style, and I relish being the go-to guy in my doubles team to chase down drop shots etc. I love to run them down

[MAXXply]

Originally Posted by NTRPolice

1) "spot" reduction is a myth. You lose fat all over more or less at the same time. You think you're not losing fat because you keep pinching your "waist". Pinch and measure all parts of your body. Your muscles have fat in them too, so even if you "skin pinch" it may appear that you've not lost anything, but the reality is your muscle shrank.

PS: there is no "best" way to measure fat loss.

2) The fact that you drink "diet" sodas tells me you're not eating right. Diet sodas are not healthy, they just contain no calories. Instead of doing what most people do, you should do it the right way.

Instead of eating a little of junk food (hence, diet soda) why dont you just eat a lot of healthy food? (drink 16 oz. of water)

3) Whole grain and not whole grain have the same caloric counts as each other. Most of that is insoluble fiber anyway, so unless you're having problems taking a poopie theres not much point. Get your fiber from vegetables.

4) Dont bother with these "modern diets". If you cant do it for the rest of your life the weight loss is going to be temporary and when you gain it back you'll probably be fatter than ever.

Eating healthy is a lot of work. For me personally, I have to cook a lot because for me to eat that kinda food it has to be relatively fresh. If you have a homemaker of a wife or something, that makes eating healthy a lot easier.

If you start replacing your do not "needs" with vegetables, fruits and WATER, you'll find that you'll become dramatically more healthy in an instant.

"Pizza" is not a "vegetable". "Juice" does not count as "fruits". Drink water.

I honestly have no idea... how people... dont drink water.

^^ Lots of healthy mantras here that I shall adhere to - thanks