Help! My belly fat is discouraging me!

K

KittyMama

Active Member
Hi everyone, I am working out and trying to eat right but my belly area doesn't seem to want to go away! It's discouraging me in the worst way and I don't know what to do. On one hand I want to try the low carb, Atkins style diet that I hear can help eliminate this fat, but is that just a temporary fix? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!!
KittyMama
 
I am not Cathe,.. but this is what I did about 6 months ago and fixing to start again, cause it helped.... work the abs everyday upper and lower ab exercises, AB hits is great..... work them to fatigue........ this is what helped me, maybe it will help you too..... Rhonda

p,s, when I firt got AB hits last MAY, and the winsor pilates for ABS I worked my abs every day till I fatigued them, I was determined to get my ABs back to pre-baby, and I am 44..........:7
 
I hear you! I eat pretty well (I'm a vegetarian), exercise regularly and the pudge won't budge x( If I had the money, I'd probably have liposuction (even though I find that pretty gross, the belly fat is pretty gross too)! I refuse to try fad diets. Yeah you will lose the weight on a diet at first but maintaining it is the key. I do believe weight watchers is a good thing though I have never tried it myself. But that is more of a lifelong lifestyle change rather than limiting yourself to certain foods as with other diets. It is discouraging, when I feel like I'm doing everything right with exercise and eating healthy, and I still have the "problem" areas. Sometimes it is tempting to try a quick fix, but I know it won't last. Just know you are not alone, and as long as you are trying and doing the best you can that is what matters. Also, as they say good things come to those who wait and patience is a virtue, etc.!
 
Belly fat the problem here also, so would love any ideas to try out. On top of ab workouts, has anybody found cardioworkouts that also work the core (say kickboxing, perhaps?) helpful? I've also heard opinions on jogging being helpful, though I don't exactly know how that helps with the middle section...? I suppose keeping your core good and stable through all kinds of cardio and weight training is important, I'm really trying to work on that one right now, it's actually harder than you think when you really concentrate on sucking in the belly. Don't know how much visible results to be expected there, but at least it will help posture if nothing more.

Any advice/ideas on the subject would really be appreciated! I just had my second baby 7 weeks ago here, so I'm not expecting any miracles here. You got to start somewhere, though...:) :)

Have a nice week, everybody,

Maria S
 
Belly fat does seem to be so hard to get rid of! I've always had a "pooch," and I don't think I could ever be totally "poochless," but being consistant with a clean diet (which for me means whole food, avoiding empty calories), cardio and weight work helps keep it to a small pooch. Kickboxing helps with the core and abs (but doesn't hit the pooch as much).

There is a lot of new info about cortisol, a stress hormone, causing the body to store fat in the belly region. If that is the case, something like hatha yoga or meditation or some kind of relaxation method would be a good addition to a "pooch buster" program.
 
I am naturally thin but carry excess fat in my abs esp after 3 kids in five years. I just had a baby 10 months ago. I have found planks to be very effective. Work out in front of a mirror in a two piece workout outfit is helping me to see how to properly hold my core region during any of the exercises. I have also down WW with great results, I would recommend it to learn how to eat "clean" on a daily basis, even for those who might be within a recommended weight range for their height....you might not have very low body fat, even if you are in the right range. Abs might be genetically where you store it...it might be the last place to "go".

Jen
 
You know you might try asking Bobbi for her "pooch reduction" strategies. She always talks about this "problem area" and is a pro at developing rotations and strategies to deal with it.

Clare
 
Whenever I seem to lose weight, the boobs are the first to go and the belly is the last, and even then, the belly skin remains loose and "poochy" looking even though the muscle beneath it is strong! Bleh!

I would be interested in whatever info people can share.

Susan L. G.
 
Clean eating along with exercise works for me. When I say clean eating, I mean no empty calories...pretty much complex carbs, whole wheat, fruit. NO JUNK FOOD.
 
Cardio, cardio, cardio!! It works really well for the stomach area. (better than anything else I have tried!)
 
I have no belly fat, but butt blubber is just as annoying. In addition to what others have suggested, remember camoflage. I look mahvelous in tight jeans, spandex shorts and capri pants. No jiggles, no lumps, no visible horror. When push comes to shove, strap it down and cover it up.
 
Ha!Ha! Strap it down and cover it up. :) That's funny! I did one year of workouts, running & ab work, 6 days a week. It got a lot better but it didn't go away. So...I had a mini tummy tuck and that DID work. Its not as expensive as you might think.
 
How much did a mini tummy tuck cost if you don't mind me asking because I have seriously considered it, mine is so bad it looks like I am 5 months pregnant on some days and I have been so depressed about lately.
 
Mine was an extensive mini-tummy tuck with internal muscle tissue repair. (That stuff that holds the muscles close together was tightened.) It was $4000 + 3 weeks of pain. :) I could start mild exercise at 4 weeks post and restart gentle ab work at 6 weeks. I dropped from a size 8 to a size 4, which I actually wasn't expecting. I'm now 6 months out and my tummy is FLAT! Even without sucking in. :) I couldn't be happier with it! Now...I just need to work on those thighs, but I'm going the "natural" route there.
 
I can tell you that Atkins does work on the belly

I did basically just the first 2 weeks of Atkins strictly and lost 2.5 inches off my waist and 4 in. off my stomach(at the belly button). I was thrilled and am now able to fit into smaller sizes that I couldn't before.:) And I lost 16.5 pounds in 17 days(waaaaaaaaaaaaay too fast mind you but lost it nevertheless). I am not doing it strictly anymore, but due to having cut out sugar and most white flour I am continuing to lose inches though my weight has stabilized. I am still hoping to eventually lose 10 more pounds.

Hope that helps some:)
 
Hi Kittymama! You already know to eliminate all white flour & sugar from your diet. There's really no rocket science to this at all. Make sure your diet is balanced. You must make sure to consume at least the same grams of protein as your weight. For instance, if you weigh 110#s you should eat approximately 110 grams of protein + 30 grams of fiber. Consume a large salad with a large variety of veggies in it + either tuna or any fish of your liking or chicken for lunch. At breakfast consume either oatmeal w/protein powder or omelette w/veggies + 1/2 baked potato + salsa & then for snacks fruit + handful of nuts or FF cheese stick + fruit & then for dinner mix it up w/brown rice/chicken/veggies. I would want you to eliminate at this point all bread & pasta. If you can (& this isn't for everyone) make sure to eat 5-6 small meals a day.

Now I'm going to talk to you about your workouts to go w/this eating plan. Make sure your lifting as heavy as you comfortably can putting intensity into your weight lifting at least 4x a week w/split routines. Don't have this time? Then do upper body one day/lower body the next. Cardio must be intense; do IMAX2 (my FAVORITE!) 1x a week + kickboxing 1x a week. If there's time, throw into the mix an endurance total body tape (ME or PH or C&W). Ab exercises must be varied; use medicine ball one day; do those dreaded PIKES another day; pilates another day; just make sure your ab exercises are different each time you do them. Do ab exercises 3-4x a week. Also please throw in yoga 1x a week to keep your muscles very stretched & flexible. If you'd like a rotation, just give a holler. HTH, Kathy:D
 
Kathy,

I would love to see your rotation. Would you mind posting? I tried e-mailing you but it didn't work.

Janna
 
KathyH--your rotation, please?

Kathy,

I tried to send you an email, but I don't know if it worked or not. Would you post your rotation here? I'm very interested in it. If you prefer not to post it, could you email it to me?

Thanks! Your posts are always very helpful and very much appreciated!
 
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