Has anyone found success in increasing visceral or general fat loss through dietary additions like capiscum or apple cider vinegar?
Since first discovering TR and beginning structured training in Autumn 2018, I have seen some good changes in physique which definitely improved my general health. Thanks to the TR team for this forum, inspiring podcast (Which is how I found TR in the first place) and fantastic software.
One thing which has not changed at the same rate as my weight and overall body fat percentage is visceral abdominal fat and as it’s the cause of a lot of health issues, I’d like to tackle it. I have a good diet and training regimen and am at a good weight/fat percentage overall for my height, and have no problem taking a long-term approach to solving this - No need for magic bullets. Any tips welcome!
My experience a number of years ago having dropped over 100lbs, I lost fat all over but the belly felt like the last to go and really hung in there for a long time. I would periodically reevaluate what I was doing, find ways to fine tune my diet, habits, and training anytime I found myself in a plateau.
Maybe you can give some more detail about your current diet and training?
As said, not looking for a magic bullet, not looking for something that will spot reduce fat. Looking for things that have helped others shift fat that is proving hard to shift despite good overall progress on weight loss. If you’re trying to actually refer to something with your comment, please identify it, otherwise, thanks for your valuable input!
Thanks for jumping in! I am training on the bike 3-4 days a week, roughly 10 hours total, all interval training with one extended endurance ride after the intervals. Went from 70kg in autumn 2018 to 65 in summer 2019 thanks to Racing Weight diet, and from 68kg to 64 from winter 2019 to now using the same method. I’m 168cm.
Current diet is pretty much standard racing weight, all whole foods except when on the bike, minimal alcohol, pretty varied. Would just love to get rid of the remaining fat around my abdomen to ensure I avoid issues with diabetes/cholesterol etc down the line!
I have seen quite a few studies that show capsicum increasing weight loss, and am wondering if it’s worth adding chilli or capiscum supplements would help with this process.
I didn’t mean anything by it. I think we would all take the magic bullet if it existed. With your current diet, it sounds like you are doing everything right, but how much fiber do you eat?
Here’s an interesting study that finds a link between visceral fat loss and fiber.
My own n=1, after losing over 8 stone, was that the belly fat was the last to go. I thought it was “loose skin”, but I dropped another little bit, and the loose skin seemed to disappear.
There’s no supplement you can take, and you can’t target weight loss at specific areas.
It’d be best to consult your doctor for the final word, but based on your height, weight and time spent training, I have my doubts that you’re at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
I’d also wager you have a little bit of excess subcutaneous fat around your belly and less likely that you have much visceral fat. Quick and dirty check, is it soft and squishy or hard as a rock? The later points to visceral fat as it sits behind your abdominal muscles. If you’re not convinced you can look into getting a DEXA scan, that would break down your body composition into more detail.
If your weight is fluctuating a bit through the year perhaps more consistency is needed in your diet, training or both? You also mentioned alcohol, even in moderation it can hinder progress. If it sounds doable, try cutting it completely for a month and see how it goes.
Beyond that you can try incorporating some other forms of training outside of cycling. For example a bit of strength training can help shift your body composition and bring improvements to your cycling as well.
I’ve lost ~60 lbs in the last 5 years, and the time my weight loss accelerated the quickest was when I was doing fasted rides in the morning before breakfast for more than 30 mins but less than an hour. Most of them were outside, and if I wasn’t going to be able to train that day, I would ride them hard (I.e. normalized power somewhere in the sweet spot range) and if I was going to have a proper training session later in the day, I would go really easy…mid-to-low zone 2.
My advice - while acknowledging everyone is different and I don’t know the specifics of your diet, etc. - is that just like with FTP, weight loss hits plateaus as well. When you hit a plateau, it’s time to “shock the system” so to speak. For an FTP plateau, you might do huge block of endurance work or Vo2 intensity. For weight loss, I think it’s kind of the same thing…mix it up and keep your body off-kilter so it’s always trying to adapt and respond.
A phrase I think about often for situations like this is “what got you here won’t get you there”
Cortisol has been linked to belly fat. Depending on your current lifestyle you could try more sleep, meditation, relaxation breathing, etc. to see if you get any benefits.
I had to drop my overall fat% to 8% to get rid of the little “fat belly”.
After not so long this resulted in a huge drop in FTP.
So even though it looked good, my body wasn’t happy with this small amount of fat.
So I gained 2Kg going back to 10-11% and my old FTP came back.
So did the belly, but function over fashion for me.
For a lot of men the belly and lower back are the last places to go, but it really comes down to genetics. Some guys retain more fat in their legs and can get a 6-pack at higher BF percentages than others. One of the better analogies I’ve heard is it is like emptying a pool of water and belly fat (for many men) is like the water at the bottom of the deep end. You can’t just drain that area and need to drain the entire pool before you can really drain that area.
I’m similar weight but a little taller (178cm.). Belly and back seem to be the last places to retain fat for me and I still have a little belly but have quad veins popping out and good definition and vascularity in my arms and legs and chest. I can also see a 2 or 4 pack under the right conditions (angle, lighting, etc.). I think to get to a 6-pack I need to be under 63kg, which is really challenging for me. I would look super diced though and I’m sure my calves would inspire fear on group rides, so there is an upside. But I will not do it at the cost of performance.
I’ve been watching some body building focused youtube channels as they help give me some perspective on what it takes and body composition in general. They aren’t all directly applicable and aren’t focused on getting lean while maintaining endurance sport performance but I have some some of the techniques useful. Paul Reveila and Greg Doucette have been getting a lot of my recent views. Greg has been kinda high drama for my tastes recently though, but he does Zwift so I cut him some slack.
Alcohol intake is very low, once a month or two and pretty minimal amounts, and most of the fat it is definitely visceral! Thanks for the input, hopefully a Dexa will be possible soon.
But I will not do it at the cost of performance.