Help! My belly fat is discouraging me!
- Thread starter KittyMama
- Start date
Kathy, thank you so much for taking the time to provide me with such helpful information! After reading your reply, I feel encouraged that I can do this! I would love to see the rotation that you offered, I tend to get stuck doing the same exercises which, from your reply, is not the best for me right now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Kittymama
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Kittymama
RE: I can tell you that Atkins does work on the belly
Annette,
Thanks for your reply! Was it very difficult to follow Atkins for the two weeks? I was hoping to try it to kick start my weight loss again. I have been on a plateau for about a year after losing about 32lbs. and I feel like I am starting to reverse all my hard work! I would like to lose about 30 more lbs. and I almost feel hopeless about it. I got some wonderful advice from KathyH as well, but I am so curious about the experience you had doing this.
Thank you so much for helping me.
Kittymama
Annette,
Thanks for your reply! Was it very difficult to follow Atkins for the two weeks? I was hoping to try it to kick start my weight loss again. I have been on a plateau for about a year after losing about 32lbs. and I feel like I am starting to reverse all my hard work! I would like to lose about 30 more lbs. and I almost feel hopeless about it. I got some wonderful advice from KathyH as well, but I am so curious about the experience you had doing this.
Thank you so much for helping me.
Kittymama
so ab hits is a good video to get? so many ab videos don't work them out good enough for me- i need excersizes that really work them...i'm happy if the next day my abs hurt after a workout- if they don't I feel discouraged. it seems they are pretty strong even though you can't really see them but they need difficult workouts and more weight i guess..ugh
Jenne
Cathlete
I just wanted to say I have the same issue. I could even live with being my size (a 14-ish) if it weren't for this gut. The gut alone is what puts me in a size 16. I worked out 301 times last year, and slimmed down my legs and arms, but did NOTHING to that gut. It is depressing. I'm giving up caffeine, white carbs, and sugar for Lent and hoping to have a physical bonus. Good luck if you decide to try Atkins. I'm doing the South Beach diet starting next week.
RE: KathyH--your rotation, please?
Hi Lisa! Here's my rotation:
This one is for when you have more time:
Sat: Yoga (can be either 30 or 60 min.)
Sun: PS chest/shoulders/tris + abs from ME
Mon: IMAX2 (try to go all out on this put a lot of intensity into
it)
Tues: PS back/biceps/abs from Ab Hits
Wed: PS Legs stop tape at bodybar section & do PLB stability ball
Thurs: Pilates or PH
Fri: Rest
This doesn't have a lot of cardio which is why I stick in IMAX2; go all out w/your intensity. If Pilates or PH doesn't suit you, feel free to stick in another cardio; I feel it should be kickboxing for x-training but that's just me.
Short on time? Then do this one:
Sat: Yoga (30 or 60 min.)
Sun: PUB in its entirety
Mon: PLB in its entirety
Tues: KP&C or IMAX2
Wed: Pilates
Thurs: This can be either cardio or Circuit Max or C&W whatever
you like
Fri: Rest
This rotation also balances it out quite nicely. I usually don't like to workout for more than 1 hr. Also you're getting enough variety to working your abs. HTH, Kathy
Hi Lisa! Here's my rotation:
This one is for when you have more time:
Sat: Yoga (can be either 30 or 60 min.)
Sun: PS chest/shoulders/tris + abs from ME
Mon: IMAX2 (try to go all out on this put a lot of intensity into
it)
Tues: PS back/biceps/abs from Ab Hits
Wed: PS Legs stop tape at bodybar section & do PLB stability ball
Thurs: Pilates or PH
Fri: Rest
This doesn't have a lot of cardio which is why I stick in IMAX2; go all out w/your intensity. If Pilates or PH doesn't suit you, feel free to stick in another cardio; I feel it should be kickboxing for x-training but that's just me.
Short on time? Then do this one:
Sat: Yoga (30 or 60 min.)
Sun: PUB in its entirety
Mon: PLB in its entirety
Tues: KP&C or IMAX2
Wed: Pilates
Thurs: This can be either cardio or Circuit Max or C&W whatever
you like
Fri: Rest
This rotation also balances it out quite nicely. I usually don't like to workout for more than 1 hr. Also you're getting enough variety to working your abs. HTH, Kathy
Hi Kittymama! Stay focused; keep eating a varied well balanced diet (YOU CAN DO THIS!) & putting variety into your exercises & it'll all come together. Visualize a flat tummy! I know it sounds weird, but sometimes when you envision yourself looking different you can become more motivated. I would want you to take measurements of your waist, abdomen, bust, hips, thighs & even calves as well as your biceps before you start this. However, DO NOT take measurements until a full 4-6 weeks is up. I don't want you to weigh yourself either. Stay committed for the full 4-6 wks. Take measurements again & see if anything changed. If not, then its going to be time to tweak either the diet or the exercise routine; we might have to add in more cardio. Keep me posted! Kathy
PS: Over the years, I've also given meal plan ideas to follow but would have to know if you're allergic to any particular types of food.
PS: Over the years, I've also given meal plan ideas to follow but would have to know if you're allergic to any particular types of food.
Hi KittyMama! Thank you for the kind words! IMHO I wouldn't work your abs every day; you'd only burn out your abs & you wouldn't see any results which is known as overtraining; we've had many discussions on this topic if you do a search. I think 3-4x a week is sufficient; the key is all in balance & that's what I've tried to give you. Let me know how it goes after the 6 weeks is up. Good luck! Kathy
PS: I sent you a PM.
PS: I sent you a PM.
Hi Rhonda! But don't you feel that what Cathe gives us in all her different ab exercises that its enough to work them 3-4x a week? I feel the exercises are intense enough & I couldn't possibly work my abs every day. I can only vouch for myself though. My abs get so sore (but in a nice way) its the last thing I want to do is to work them every day. The abs are just like all the other muscles in your body. You wouldn't work your biceps 2 consecutive days would you? So why work your abs every day? Where the chance of your abs ever recovering & repairing? I'd be very interested in knowing what medical material you've read. TIA, Kathy
KathyH, its not that I totally disagree with ya, I think your advice is great, its just that I have gotten advice from reading from another trainer, I love cathe's exercises, but I am not looking to build muscle mass, and definately not in the tummy. The advice in the book I read was that if I want a flat tummy I could exercise it as much as I want. My body will tell me when my tummy has had enough. I am working the Freestyle Training, and so far its going great. Its NOT for everyone thats for sure, but some of us don't want muscle mass, just to be fit and slim and trim :7 .....
I just wanted her to know that she could work her abs everyday if she wants too, when I first started exercising with AB Hits last May that is exactly what I did, for about 30 to 45 minutes everyday, till my abs told me to slow down :7 ... my waist got smaller pretty fast doing that ... now I am at it again :7 ... but I do still love your advice :7 ............ Rhonda :7 :7
I just wanted her to know that she could work her abs everyday if she wants too, when I first started exercising with AB Hits last May that is exactly what I did, for about 30 to 45 minutes everyday, till my abs told me to slow down :7 ... my waist got smaller pretty fast doing that ... now I am at it again :7 ... but I do still love your advice :7 ............ Rhonda :7 :7
Hi Rhonda! I thought you were doing Freestyle Training. I have heard of it but I never incorporated it into my own way of training. I think I'll try this method myself; you never know I may get better results. That's what I love about these forums we're always learning!! Thanks Rhonda! Best, Kathy
This is just me, but I find it pretty much impossible to work my abs every day. If I do a killer ab routine involving pikes on the ball and/or using an 8 lb. med ball, I simply cannot do abs the following day with any kind of good form. I could probably do a less intense ab routine one day after the other, but I feel I get better results doing a very intense ab session every other day or so. So you just have to experiment and find out what works for you!
Hi Kathy!
Hi Kathy!
Hey Gretzky! I know what you mean; Cathe's so intense I don't know if I'll be able to do abs again the next day due to soreness; let alone doing one session 30-45 min.!!! If I'm too sore I'll skip it & try for the day after. I'll experiment & see how it goes.
Have a great weekend! Kathy
Have a great weekend! Kathy
jocelyn2004
Member
RE: KathyH--your rotation, please?
Kathy,
Thanks for posting your weekly routine. I never knew that I shouldn't stick with one video. Someone really need to put a rush on the new DVD so I can start adding different routine to my daily exercises (hahaha) .
Thanks
Jocelyn
Kathy,
Thanks for posting your weekly routine. I never knew that I shouldn't stick with one video. Someone really need to put a rush on the new DVD so I can start adding different routine to my daily exercises (hahaha)
.Thanks
Jocelyn
LovingLife
Cathlete
This is always my prime area after each baby (and I'm working on losing the final 12 right now) but some information I found last time when I got to my goal weight, but still had the lower ab pooch seemed to make a difference.
One was an article that Paula Z included in her monthly newsletter (she may have an archive at www.exercisevideoreviews.com) by a man who had to a presentation at some fitness gathering on losing lower belly fat and he said that he thought he would do research and go deliver the best exercises for the lower ab. But what he found (and presented) was information stating that foods with chemicals and preservatives contribute to fat deposits in the lower ab either developing or not leaving. So that's something to consider with clean eating.
The other was a post at the old FIRM forum on someone finally finding the answer to getting rid of the lower ab fat. She read in "Peak Performance Fitness" that during all exercises (especially ab work) you must "zip" up your abs, which means to suck them in from the lowest part up to the top like you would if you were lying down on your bed trying to zip up a pair of really tight pants (I know I've done this before and the visual really works). So she said that she started doing this in her workouts and throughout the day to continually train her transverse abdominal muscles to contract instead of pooch out. This worked wonders for me when I was at that point of my lower ab being the only area left that needed work. At first I was a little too enthusiastic and got sore glute muscles from contracting so instensely , but it became a challenge to do this whenever I was sitting at the computer, driving the car, standing and cooking in the kitchen, etc.
But I add these to what everyone else has said -- varied intense workouts, clean eating, yoga/pilates, a bit of everything to combat this stubborn area!
One was an article that Paula Z included in her monthly newsletter (she may have an archive at www.exercisevideoreviews.com) by a man who had to a presentation at some fitness gathering on losing lower belly fat and he said that he thought he would do research and go deliver the best exercises for the lower ab. But what he found (and presented) was information stating that foods with chemicals and preservatives contribute to fat deposits in the lower ab either developing or not leaving. So that's something to consider with clean eating.
The other was a post at the old FIRM forum on someone finally finding the answer to getting rid of the lower ab fat. She read in "Peak Performance Fitness" that during all exercises (especially ab work) you must "zip" up your abs, which means to suck them in from the lowest part up to the top like you would if you were lying down on your bed trying to zip up a pair of really tight pants (I know I've done this before
and the visual really works). So she said that she started doing this in her workouts and throughout the day to continually train her transverse abdominal muscles to contract instead of pooch out. This worked wonders for me when I was at that point of my lower ab being the only area left that needed work. At first I was a little too enthusiastic and got sore glute muscles from contracting so instensely , but it became a challenge to do this whenever I was sitting at the computer, driving the car, standing and cooking in the kitchen, etc. But I add these to what everyone else has said -- varied intense workouts, clean eating, yoga/pilates, a bit of everything to combat this stubborn area!