What’s everyone’s stance on milk? There is so much negative writing about milk these days, that i’m starting to wonder whether it may be responsible for the subcutaneous fat and/or water retension in my mid section. I’m not really sure what is going on.
I have a good deal of muscle definition in every part of my body, except my abdomen. My strength to bodyweight ratio is higher than all my training partners and my definition is greater in every area except my abdomen. Almost all of my training partners have quite defined abdominals, and yet i cannot even see mine (never have really). My abs are far stronger than their’s and i do more work for them as well. Even though my waist is incredibly small for someone my size (5’10" 93kg with a 32") and my shoulders are the broadest in the group (i have a very good v taper), i have very soft fat around my mid section. This really is starting to annoy me now.
I have reduced my food intake by decreasing slightly the amount i eat at each of my four daily meals (i have been doing this for many months now) and i have increased my activity steadily over many months. I have started adding extra sprints to my training sessions, and in the mornings i’ve been running 4 x 800 metre sprints with 2 minutes rest imbetween. I really did not want to start running any distances over 200m, but i thought the increased aerobic activity may kickstart the fat loss. The result is that i have gotten even more defined in every area, apart from, you’ve guessed it, my abdomen which remains the same. More importantly, because of a high level of activity and a reduced calorie intake, my sprint and strength training have started to suffer.
My conclusion is that this cannot be anything to do with the balance of calories taken in, compared to the amount expended. It has to be something to do with a certain food i’m consuming, namely milk. I have noticed among my friends (both trained and non- trained) that those who consume the most milk tend not to be lean in the mid- section (and they are usuually fatter all over). Conversely, almost all of the black guys i train with have great definition in the abdomen and they don’t drink milk because they say they can’t stomach it. There are another two white guys in the group who have very good abdominal definition, and they both said that they drink next to no milk. Could this be the link? Should i cut out milk from my diet, or am i confusing cause and effect?
I really enjoy the taste of milk and can drink 2 pints at a time without any adverse side effects. Normally i drink about 3 pints per day. It is a cheap source of protein (good for students, like myself) and is so easy to consume after training when i am too knackered to prepare a proper meal. I think i really would miss it if i eliminated it from my diet.
Other people i have spoken to about this say that because my genetic make- up is Northern European (with light skin, red/brown hair, and a good deal of body hair), i have a greater tendency to store bodyfat around my abdomen area. What’s more, Northern Europeans are the group that consume the most milk. What should i do to gain abdominal definition? Does anyone know whether there is a connection between milk/dairy consumption and a lack of abdominal definition?
