get a flat tummy

[indreamsyouare]

i have done my part of the whole slimming shebang. i have cut down sweets (not entirely) fast food and decided to eat healthy.

i lost the weight quite slowly. three months, 11 lbs. from around 130 lbs i am down to 120 lbs. but somehow i lost the weight but not the tummy.

i have done squats and curl ups. my waist shrunk but my tummy is sticking out.

i am 5ft tall medium built asian girl.

 

[fire_breeze]

i have done my part of the whole slimming shebang. i have cut down sweets (not entirely) fast food and decided to eat healthy.

i lost the weight quite slowly. three months, 11 lbs. from around 130 lbs i am down to 120 lbs. but somehow i lost the weight but not the tummy.

i have done squats and curl ups. my waist shrunk but my tummy is sticking out.

i am 5ft tall medium built asian girl.

Belly fat cannot be spot-trained, unfortunately; what you need to do is to reduce the fat overall, and that is through cardio. The usual suggestion is to do 3-5 times a week of moderately intensive cardio session of between 30-50 minutes and then to work out your entire body, and not just focusing on your abs and ass. You need to counter-balance your weight-training and work all major muscles.

I'm a huge fan of my gym, so I go there and work with a trainer, but most health magazines have good workouts that are easy and cheap to complete. You may want to check that out or even google HIIT for workout ideas that focuses on strengthening the core. Pilates and yoga may be another option.

However, I'd like to point out that a completely flat, washboard abs may just not be in your cards - genetics play a role as well as whether or not you were pregnant.

Good luck.

 

[indreamsyouare]

Belly fat cannot be spot-trained, unfortunately; what you need to do is to reduce the fat overall, and that is through cardio. The usual suggestion is to do 3-5 times a week of moderately intensive cardio session of between 30-50 minutes and then to work out your entire body, and not just focusing on your abs and ass. You need to counter-balance your weight-training and work all major muscles.

I'm a huge fan of my gym, so I go there and work with a trainer, but most health magazines have good workouts that are easy and cheap to complete. You may want to check that out or even google HIIT for workout ideas that focuses on strengthening the core. Pilates and yoga may be another option.

However, I'd like to point out that a completely flat, washboard abs may just not be in your cards - genetics play a role as well as whether or not you were pregnant.

Good luck.

thank you! i am already thinking of going to the gym too but sadly at the moment i do not have much time. prolly around april.

i think i have reached my desired weight more or less and probably will take it slow from here on.

 

[GrrlFriday]

What do you think is causing the non-flatness of your stomach? Is it a 'spare tyre' of fat, poor posture, or just the natural, relaxed, projection of your stomach?

If you have a look at the figure study photos here: http://www.the-clitoris.com/female_flat_stomachs you'll see that when she's standing in a relaxed pose, even though she's not overweight, her stomach naturally projects out a bit.

You can also see in the 'shower scene' images here: http://www.the-clitoris.com/female_body_image_2 that the stomach has been flattened and the legs have been shrunk as well as the clothes taken off (the actress doesn't do nude scenes).

It might be worth going through your routine with a personal trainer and asking them if there's anything that you're neglecting for a full-body routine, (back exercises? core exercises? pelvic floor exercises? arm exercises?) but some natural roundness to the belly is expected if you're standing in a relaxed pose.

 

[indreamsyouare]

What do you think is causing the non-flatness of your stomach? Is it a 'spare tyre' of fat, poor posture, or just the natural, relaxed, projection of your stomach?

If you have a look at the figure study photos here: http://www.the-clitoris.com/female_flat_stomachs you'll see that when she's standing in a relaxed pose, even though she's not overweight, her stomach naturally projects out a bit.

You can also see in the 'shower scene' images here: http://www.the-clitoris.com/female_body_image_2 that the stomach has been flattened and the legs have been shrunk as well as the clothes taken off (the actress doesn't do nude scenes).

It might be worth going through your routine with a personal trainer and asking them if there's anything that you're neglecting for a full-body routine, (back exercises? core exercises? pelvic floor exercises? arm exercises?) but some natural roundness to the belly is expected if you're standing in a relaxed pose.

i think its extra fats that are sticking out

 

[stickygirl]

People often say if you 'pinch an inch' of flesh with your fingers then you have a weight problem but even if you've cured that, you can still have internal fat that takes a bit more patience to shift - but you WILL DO IT. BTW well done for your hard work - now you're in the groove keep going! Make it a lifestyle. Woop!

The gym work - cardio stuff helps overall but someone mentioned Pilates and I'd defo confirm that for women. You don't need tight muscle and a six-pack - you need long muscle and pilates promotes working a muscle group, especially the core ( the troublesome tummy ) and stretching it. It's also a good way to put yourself in touch with your body - a bit meditative and doing it with a group at the gym will mean you get encouragement and make friends - double win But the key to pilates is finding a good teacher: if someone lights a frigging scented candle and only has you exercising for 50% of the time, find a better teacher.

Keep going though. Once you start a regular fitness routine you'll wonder why 'you never found time for it' before.

 

[indreamsyouare]

i think i can still pinch a bit of fat around my body but in my tummy its a whole lot to pinch looool more than an inch i think.

 

[stickygirl]

i think i can still pinch a bit of fat around my body but in my tummy its a whole lot to pinch looool more than an inch i think.

Be patient and persistent!! You've already made great progress.
Curl-ups only work the big movement muscles - I mean Olympic weight-lifters are incredibly strong but have big tums. Women need an alternative to crunching big muscles & Pilates works all the secondary muscles we use for balance and twisting and support, so it's a different type of strength. I'm sure it would help that stubborn bit!
I bet you already feel proud of what you've achieved - and you should! Feeling fit affects every aspect of our lives. You're on track

 

[indreamsyouare]

Be patient and persistent!! You've already made great progress.
Curl-ups only work the big movement muscles - I mean Olympic weight-lifters are incredibly strong but have big tums. Women need an alternative to crunching big muscles & Pilates works all the secondary muscles we use for balance and twisting and support, so it's a different type of strength. I'm sure it would help that stubborn bit!
I bet you already feel proud of what you've achieved - and you should! Feeling fit affects every aspect of our lives. You're on track

oh yes, i started with the basic all veggie and fruit diet then reintroduced a bit of carbs and meat for breakfast as i still have to function as a human who keeps a 7am-10pm schedule.

to cut the long story short i am just happy that i lost it in a better way than i would before. i have been fighting an eating disorder for a long time.

 

[Leigh81]

I've been in great shape all my life until about 4 years ago.
I find 130ish is the perfect weight for me being 5' 9" tall. I was at a horrible 165lbs which made me feel both mentally & physically yucky.
I took gymnastics growing up until the end of high school, then after I got married I got into karate.
You have to totally cut off the sweats until your where you want to be.
I work out almost daily with stretching which includes lots of ab work. Have a great elliptical and my husband has a Bowflex. I don't use that a lot. I also love working on a heavy bag with kicks and punches 15 - 25 minutes a day.
I'm pretty much a constant 128-129lbs.
Plus I can't have children so that doesn't apply for myself. I have favorable genetics on my side which is a bonus.

L

 

[drinkz]

Hey NightL, whine much?

 

[drinkz]

Hey NightL, whine much?

 

[jehoram]

i lost the weight quite slowly. three months, 11 lbs. from around 130 lbs i am down to 120 lbs. but somehow i lost the weight but not the tummy.

i have done squats and curl ups. my waist shrunk but my tummy is sticking out.

i am 5ft tall medium built asian girl.

There are a lot of men, me included, who think that your figure is absolutely perfect just as you are, tummy roll and all. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[indreamsyouare]

Just so you know... That's a terrible diet. You'll lose weight because of being starved, but the lack of protein will cause loss of muscle tissue. That means even as you lose weight, you get flabbier, and not the firmness you're looking for.

oh i eat carbs and proteins too, i said so in a reply to one who commented. you are right, i am flabby haha mostly its water weight.

 

[GrrlFriday]

A lot of the time, when we look at our bodies, we don't see them as other people do, but in an exaggerated way.

Have you considered going to your doctor and asking them for an eating and exercise plan? That way, you can be sure that you're doing this in the healthiest way possible - which includes building muscles for strength and health.

You can also find pilates DVDs at your local library, but it might be worthwhile trying to find a class first, in case doing it wrong could hurt you.

 

[SmlGrlDrkThghts]

Pilates is fantastic, as others have mentioned, and strengthening your core is definitely the way to go.

As far as diet goes, instead of just cutting calories and focusing on fruits and veggies you ALSO need to make sure you're getting plenty of protein. Skimping on carbs is usually okay but you will NOT build muscle without enough protein, and just losing the fat without building some good muscle in there will leave you with some gross-looking loose skin. Trust me, I know. So make sure you're getting at least 50g a day.

Some good lean proteins include soy stuff (edamame, tofu, etc.), egg whites, nonfat yoghurt, and some types of fish. If you're counting a burger as your protein you won't get far as it's a wayyy higher fat to protein ratio than you want. Compare the nutrition facts and go for the maximum protein, minimum fat. Egg whites are fantastic because they're only like 17 Calories per egg white, no fat, and something like 3.4g of protein per egg white. You can basically eat as many as you want as long as you're getting good exercise. I like to use salsa, mustard, or other spicy sauces on them because those sauces really don't add much calorie wise (unlike mayo, etc.) but they're really yummy.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll love your flat belly when you get there!

 

[indreamsyouare]

Pilates is fantastic, as others have mentioned, and strengthening your core is definitely the way to go.

As far as diet goes, instead of just cutting calories and focusing on fruits and veggies you ALSO need to make sure you're getting plenty of protein. Skimping on carbs is usually okay but you will NOT build muscle without enough protein, and just losing the fat without building some good muscle in there will leave you with some gross-looking loose skin. Trust me, I know. So make sure you're getting at least 50g a day.

Some good lean proteins include soy stuff (edamame, tofu, etc.), egg whites, nonfat yoghurt, and some types of fish. If you're counting a burger as your protein you won't get far as it's a wayyy higher fat to protein ratio than you want. Compare the nutrition facts and go for the maximum protein, minimum fat. Egg whites are fantastic because they're only like 17 Calories per egg white, no fat, and something like 3.4g of protein per egg white. You can basically eat as many as you want as long as you're getting good exercise. I like to use salsa, mustard, or other spicy sauces on them because those sauces really don't add much calorie wise (unlike mayo, etc.) but they're really yummy.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll love your flat belly when you get there!

i dont think i have come to a point where i counted calories. basically dieting is not so hard to do (especially in this side of the world)

i eat fish and chicken mostly. i eat it in soups or steamed with coconut milk and ginger. as for carbs i eat steamed rice (being asian)

i work from 7am - 4pm then go to class 5pm-9pm. i try to jog for 30 minutes after class but honestly i spend less time around 20 minutes.

 

[njlauren]

A lot of the time, when we look at our bodies, we don't see them as other people do, but in an exaggerated way.

Have you considered going to your doctor and asking them for an eating and exercise plan? That way, you can be sure that you're doing this in the healthiest way possible - which includes building muscles for strength and health.

You can also find pilates DVDs at your local library, but it might be worthwhile trying to find a class first, in case doing it wrong could hurt you.

If there is anything you do, don't talk to a doctor, they are some of the worse sources for diet and nutrition and exercise advice out there, they live by the BMI tables (that among other things, claim Lebron James is obese), and they basically have nearly zero training in nutrition (only 50% of Med schools even make med students take 1 course in nutrition, which is pathetic, given that a lot of issues we face are diet based). Doctors are still pushing the idea that eating fats, even in moderation, causes cholesterol buildup and heart disease, when that has been blown out of the water (not saying living on fatty foods, saying that dietary fat and cholesterol levels in the blood are not tied directly to diet; doesn't mean eating fried foods or eating a lot of fatty meat is healthy for you). I had the cardiologist I use telling me I should be eating low fat, that eating things with fat (even healthy oils!) lead to high cholesterol levels, that I should be looking for low fat meals and such (and mentioned lean cusine and the like, which are atrocious; lot of low fat products like that are loaded with sugar and salt and all kinds of chemicals)

The first rule of fitness is that 80% of it is nutrition, that no amount of exercise alone is going to make you fit and healthy, period. Saying "Oh, if I only got to the gym, I would be in shape" is a myth, most of it is done when you eat.

The second thing to look at is what you are eating and more importantly, the proportions. Eating fruit and vegetables is great, but fruit, while despite what some morons say is not the same as drinking soda, still have sugar in it, there are people eating diets where they eat a lot of fruit, and are not in shape. There also isn't one miraculous way to get in shape and get fit or achieve what you want, but there are some general guidelines I found work.

To achieve what you want, it isn't about weight (friend of mine is a trainer, he says first thing he tells his clients is to throw away their scales), it is about lean body mass /body fat percentage. The stomach is one of the hardest places to lose that pooch pouch, and the only way to do it is to drop your body fat percentage. Things like crunches don't work because what happens is you tighten up the muscles under the fat, rather than get rid of it. To lose that body fat, you need to eat right and also exercise the right way (I am not a trainer, so I won't be giving specifics).

Diet:

One of the nutrition sites I like does it via a proportion model. To lose body fat, you need to eat foods in the right proportions. Carbs like vegetables are at the root of it, with lean protein and then carbs from whole grains, and healthy fats, are in the mix.

To envision what a typical balance would look like, they use measurements like:

Vegetables- Several fistfuls
Lean protein-a palmful or two (depends on body size and also your hunger), this could be chicken, fish, beans, lean meat (grass fed beef is wonderful), and so forth
Simple carbs- Palmful or less (grains)..some are better than others, quinoa is not the same as eating bread.
Healthy oils- Thumb sized portion.

So for example, a big salad with vegetables, beans and grilled chicken with olive oil and vinegar would work. Grilled veggies, a piece of grass fed beef or chicken (or some sort of protein), then maybe some rice would work out fine.

If this isn't enough, then don't go hungry! Small portions of nuts are good as snacks, or dried fruit, the key thing is that you don't want to go hungry, but eat in proportion.

Fruit is good for you, but you don't want to eat too much either, because of the fruit sugar. The fiber in the fruit is key, an apple is loaded with fiber, so are berries, so it balances out, but you want to keep it in control in terms of portions. It is better to eat more fruit on days you are working out and limit it on days you don't.

Most nutrition guys will tell you that the key to eating is to eat what is on the outside of a supermarket, which usually is vegetables, meat and dairy products, and stay away from the middle aisles (processed foods).


In terms of working out, cardio is not the best way to lose fat, one of the problems with cardio is that it actually can burn muscle as well, that whole do an hour of cardio is one of the pieces of crap that doctors still promote. You need to do strength training to build muscle, along with eating a clean diet that is relatively high in protein, to do that. No, you don't have to do heavy lifting (though contrary to conventional wisdom, you don't bulk up like a body builder doing that, takes wacked out diets and probably steroids to look like the hulk), there are a lot of body weight exercises (I count Pilates in with that, or some forms of yoga), done with light weights, that done as part of an exercise routine, are effective.

This includes things like planks (feet in pushup position, forearm on ground, lift and hold up torso), lunges, squats, rumanian deadlifts, rows, all can help build muscle and lose fat. They don't take going to a gym, many can be done at home with either body weight or dumbbells. Also doesn't necessarily take hours, that is another myth, the program I am using, called turbulence training, combines these kind of strength training with what they call intervals, and it is designed to take no more than 45 minutes, which is good for me, because I don't have a lot of time to go to the gym and such..and it works, least it has for me....the program I use can be 3x a week, for 45 minutes, or you can split the strength training and the intervals into two days, so work out 6 days for about 20 minutes or so...

If you insist on doing cardio, do it after doing strength training, but do both, cardio will help you lose weight but it won't necessarily get rid of fat. The thing about building lean muscle mass is that building muscle helps burn more fat, because of how fat operates. Also, the more lean muscle you have, the easier it is to have grains and simple carbs in your diet, muscle burns them off easier.

Also, sorry gals I see around the gym guzzling vitamin water and sports drinks, they are a no no, stick to water. Diet soda or 'diet' vitamin water have aspartame and other such wonders in them, and cause all kinds of issues with hunger and such. One of the things I found when I cut out sweeteners and grains is that my blood sugar leveled out and I don't get as hungry as I used to, it cut out a lot of the need to snack or eat larger portions. I recommend cutting out any kind of sweeteners (if you have to, use Stevia), it makes a big difference.

To sum up, if you want to try and get rid of the pooch pouch, it isn't about weight, it is about muscle mass and getting rid of fat. Based on your description, you are probably about 25 % body fat, and will need to get down to around 20 or less to get rid of that. One thing to note, you can gain weight putting on muscle mass, since muscle weighs more than fat, it is why the scale is not necessarily your friend. If you eat clean and build muscle that pooch will eventually go away, one of the sad parts is the body fights to keep that fat in place, it is the most difficult to lose.

One other note, if you do anything, don't follow a rigid extremely low carb diet (like 5% carbs), like the idiotic atkins diet. This isn't about a diet, it is about eating right, and extreme low carb diets are a disaster area, they cause ketosis and can literally put people into a pre diabetic state, the body needs carbs, and especially vegetable carbs are good for you.

A couple of sites I have found useful, with my comments:

precission nutrition, www.precisionnutrition.com. They are a commercial site, they offer coaching and such, but there is a lot of free info on the site that is really pragmatic. Guy who runs the site has a Phd in nutrition, and also in his 40's has a body fat percentage around 5% *lol*. Seriously, the stuff is very pragmatic, they don't preach a particular diet or exercise, they give a lot of alternates. I recommend signing up for their 5 day e-mail program (it is free), they send you an email each day for 5 days with a video, that talks about eating, and exercise and portion control and so forth, it is really valuable. They also include a basis body strength program that I found worked really well......the only cost is they will give you the soft sell for their services and such, but they also send articles and such via e-mail that are really valuable. I joined the site (it was like 50 bucks I think) and got their nutrition guide with it, which allowed me to read the forums and gain access to exercise programs and such there, but you don't need to do that. I like the pragmatism and that it isn't dogmatic.

nerd fitness, www.nerdfitness.com. It is free, and has a lot of information from the members on the site. They offer professional products, books, coaching and so forth, but the forums are totally free and they offer a lot of advice and information. The one downside to the site is a lot of people on it are into the so called paleo diet (which basically means taking grains out of your diet, eating only vegetables, fruit, and lean protein) and some are a bit shall we say dogmatic about it, but most are not, and you can get a lot of info from it (plus it is goofy, as well, it is very nerd oriented. .

Wish you luck, here is to vanquishing the common foe, belly fat

 

[Elixxxher]

Dealing with body fat is generally pretty straight forward. Definitely need to manage caloric intake vs. what you are using up so watch what you eat and do some physical activity. One thing to keep in mind is that the body uses different sources of energy for different activity. Low impact low heartrate stuff by doing power walks or using an elliptical, treadmills etc. are great for burning fat. High impact stuff like aerobic workouts and runninng burn sugar. (Note the result of burning sugar for these high impact activities is lactic acid which makes your muscles stiff if you don't work it out after, so don't forget to cool down and stretch.

Watch out for the carbs because too much combined with low physical activity will have them packed on to your belly in no time.

Good luck.

 

[L8tnIt]

Dealing with body fat is generally pretty straight forward. Definitely need to manage caloric intake vs. what you are using up so watch what you eat and do some physical activity. One thing to keep in mind is that the body uses different sources of energy for different activity. Low impact low heartrate stuff by doing power walks or using an elliptical, treadmills etc. are great for burning fat. High impact stuff like aerobic workouts and runninng burn sugar. (Note the result of burning sugar for these high impact activities is lactic acid which makes your muscles stiff if you don't work it out after, so don't forget to cool down and stretch.

Watch out for the carbs because too much combined with low physical activity will have them packed on to your belly in no time.

Good luck.

I completely agree with this. I also suggest starting slow with target-area exercises. 5 4-count crunches (begin in the sit-up position; go up to have your elbow touch your opposite knee; return; go up with both elbows touching their respective knees; return; go up and use the opposite side)
Start with 5 a night (or whenever you have free time), and when you get comfortable doing 5, move up to 10.

 

[Acktion]

njlauren's post was awesome!

However, I'd like to add just a teensy little bit that I felt like she glazed over.

H2O

Now, there might be people out there who drink enough water. But, statistically, probably not many. I know that was the biggest problem I had. A simple way to tell is the color of your urine. If it's not clear, you aren't getting enough water. If you're too fastidious to check the color of the liquid waste your body is getting rid of, check your hands, feet, elbows, and knees.

A little trick I picked up to make myself drink enough water. I bought a 32 ounce fountain drink and saved the cup. I made myself fill that thing with water twice a day and drain it. Once in the morning when I first woke up. And once at lunch.

Then came the hard part. I could drink things like coffee, tea, or cola. However, I then had to fill the same glass with water twice and drink it. Keeping it simple, that's two ounces of pure, unadulterated H20 (with no flavoring or sweetner) for every ounce of caffeine IN ADDITION TO the initial sixty-four ounces.

Note; The body has a way of storing what it doesn't know if it will get later.

Considering you are almost half my size, indreamsyouare, you may not want to go that big if you try my little trick with a cup of water. You still should do the same amount, but spread it out more. Try a twenty-four ounce glass three times a day (just before meals). If it makes you dizzy or nauseous, back it off to twelve ounces four times.

 

[drinkz]

Hey NightL, whine much?

 

[9pool]

Hi, I'm late to the party. Awesome posts by njlauren and Acktion.

There are a few things I'd like to add to the discussion. Like others here I'm neither a trainer nor a nutritionist, but I'm into athletics.

It's natural to lose weight from parts of your body other than the belly first. Try not to let it frustrate you too much. You need to get into shape before you can do the kinds of workouts that will really take fat off in a meaningful way.

Regarding diet, I have a couple of recommendations to add:

1. Make lunch your big meal instead of dinner.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-small-dinner-really-IS-key-keeping-trim.html

2. Include cheat days. Your body metabolism only takes two weeks to adjust to your current diet. If you spend two weeks or more on a diet then the moment you include all the foods you used to eat, you're just going to balloon back up to whatever weight you were.

 

[Felix_Jones]

Forget it. Abs = gay.

 

[drinkz]

Hey NightL, whine much?