Hi, i just went on about this on someone's thread and realized i should ask this here....
This is about my DH. He does powerlifting and mixed martial arts many, many hours a week. He probably lifts heavy for about 1.5 hours every other day, and on the off days he does stuff like kettlebells and heavy bag, etc. based workouts. He does martial arts for at least 4 hours at a time, 3 or 4 days a week as well.
He has a large build, and lots of muscle, but also has too much abdominal fat, which he just can't seem to lose. He weighs between 255 and 265. He eats low carb most days of the week. He's started to track calories (a little) but i still think he might be eating too much at dinner... I think (!) he eats around 2500- 3,000 calories a day. But still, he works out sooo much, i know he works out enough to burn off a lot of what he eats. It confuses me to heck why he doesn't lose more weight, quicker! He also takes supplements and high blood pressure medication, as well as extra protein shakes around his workouts.
I am wondering if there's anything that comes to mind that i can do to help him lose more weight.
I was also wondering if it's because he's so intent on the strength training; if he can't lose fat because his body is building so much muscle. Can we lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
Any advice at all would be appreciated, as i want DH around as long as possible!!!!

Hubby sounds like a big boy! god bless em lol!

When you say low carb, how low are we talking?

For those who are carb sensitive, even low carbing can keep one from losing weight. Near zero carbs are needed in certain instances..myself included. He could also cycle his carbs or do an only carb meal every 3 days..a meal like a baked potatoe or a yam or a bowl of oatmeal(only by itself) to replace glycogen

2,500 cals sounds ok for a man his size, he needs that much (at least) to maintain muscle mass.

Strength training requires lots of rest between sets for maximum effort. Maybe he should do a 6-8 week fat loss type of training regimen. Little rests between sets and some type of HIIT cardio. He can still use big body movements like deads,squats and benches(those burn the most calories and fat)

As big as he is, it would be cool to see what is under that layer of adipose tissue! I bet he would look rude!(good rude lol)

I would say he probably has between 30-50 grams carbohydrate most days.
How do I tell if he's carb- sensitive? I've thought he might have a problem with them before (beyond just loving food...) but I don't know exactly how to tell what "carb sensitive" is.
He does HIIT with kettlebells and on the elliptical. He's pretty set in his workout routines; i doubt very much i could convince him to change what he's doing. I can only really enforce dietary changes, and it's hard!!
Yes, he would look great! i know it's frustrating (for him) to do so much work and not be able to see it in that 1 spot.

Well the #1 sign for insulin sensitivity is belly fat..

Maybe he should have an oral glucose test. I feel they are better than fasting glucose because it gives you a better idea on how your insulin is working.

30-50 is pretty low. Why not have him eat just meat and egg for a week and see how he does? He may see an instant drop in weight if indeed he as insulin issues.

That amount of carbs is not what's keeping him from losing the weight. I'm guessing he's affraid to eat less for fear of not gaining maximum amount of muscle, or worse, losing what he's already gained.

His calorie intake is probably much higher than what it appears as well. I bet if he dropped a meal or two, he'd probably see that fat loss. Better yet, find a way to consistenly burn more calories.

I have read before that on average, a person under reports their calorie intake by 25% and over reports activity by the same. This can make a huge difference in results.

Thank you both!!! all of your suggestions make perfect sense. kbfunTH, part of my confusion as to my DH's problem is that I'm absolutely positive that he burns enough energy through his exercise. Sometimes I think he is over training. I don't see any way he could work out more than he does now- without banning sleeping. I do think he eats more than i am aware of, at work possibly, but i know it isn't too much more, if even at all. Yet even if, he's very commited to the low glycemic way of eating at all times.
Gostryder, i don't know if he's had an oral glucose test yet, but i will definitely mention it. Thank you so much for your input.
Hope (my real name, by the way!)

Hope ,withall due respect to Kbfunknth who seems very knowledegeable, carbs for those who are sensitive (and for alot of those who are not), will cause the body not to burn fat. Insulin can halt lipolysis..no question and there is alot of research that says so.

Now if someones bodyfat is below 12% or lower, I then think that's when calories can be a huge issue and not just low carbing alone for losing weight.

(Thanks for the respect ). I agree! Once carb intake gets low enough though, insulin is usually not ever high enough to make a difference.

In addition to the glucose test, he can also get an RMR test done. With this, he'll know where to begin with calorie intake. RMR x 1.55 for an average person, should give him an upper limit to work with as well.

If he really does have that hard of time losing body fat, then something for sure is out of whack.

kbfunth.

what are you htoughts regarding protein requirements for fat loss and muscle gains?

I for one think people need to take a gram of protein per LEAN body weight. I think that is also a great way to cut calories and avoid gluconeogenesis.

I've done 1-2 grams per bodyweight in the past and never magically put on any extra muscle.

thoughts...sorry

My opinions:
I think most anyone can gain muscle mass on 1-2 grams or protein per lb. of bodyweight provided overall calories are not in too much a defecit. This is to say that fat loss and muscle gain simultaneously does not come easy, or at all for most.

For me, I try and find that happy place in the middle somewhere. I level of fat and muscle I can live with. My all time bf low was 6% at a bodyweight of 168 lbs. I was 21 years old.

I also think it's better to lose weight by consuming plenty of food and increasing activity enought to get the weight off.

Just my opinion, but that belly fat covering the abs is a storage pool of energy. The deeper abdominal fat has more blood supply and is more easily tapped into for fatty acids. I think you have to use up most of that deep stuff before you'd notice a shrinking spare tire. Ketosis plus exercise will shrink the total amount of body fat fastest but the stuff covering the abs is the last to go. Use a skin fold caliper instead of a scale to have a true idea of percentage body fat.

In the past few weeks using HIIT I've taken 3 or 4 inches off my waistline but still have the same inch and a half of subcutaneous fat at my navel that I had in January.

I think I've reduced much of that deep fat. I assume the superficial stuff goes next. I used to have a zigzaging 6-pack. I can feel them but can't see them yet.

Good for you! I'm female and have had a heck of a time losing weight from certain areas, but in the end (which is now) it's actually going away. I just can't believe how hard it is for DH to lose from that spot! I'm assuming it's one of the most common hard areas for men to lose weight from- grrrr.

Can you explain your thoughts on this in more detail?
In the past couple of months i have seriously cut down my strength training, and have been losing weight at a pace i NEVER did while training hard. I cut back training in the first place because my shoulders and abdomen were getting huge (solid, muscle-y huge, and broad) and this was NOT what i wanted from my training. I was willing to give up some strength to lose the hypertrophy. Sad, but true. I didn't expect that i would start to lose weight so easily.

You need plenty of calories, especially protein to support muscle gains. For most people to lose the unwanted body fat, calories have to drop significantly before that happens. Because of that, lbm doesn't usually get what it needs. This is especially true the leaner you get. Playing with diet composition to favor more protein and consuming calories closer to maintenance might minimize muscle loss in as much as is possible.

Try doing low volume singles, doubles or triples for your strength training to maintain strength without the hypertrophy. Pavel's PTP would be perfect for what you want.