Need help with belly fat

elliemom

elliemom

Cathlete
Hi Everyone,

I'm going to be really brave and post a pic of my body. I can not seem to get rid of my belly fat. I am doing cardio, step and weights and NOTHING HELPS. This seems to be the only area that I can't get to trim down. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
I'm 45, 5'2" and weigh 120. I had 2 c sections at 37 and 40. BTW I HATE ab work, but i read that doing abs doesn't help if you don't get rid of the overling fat first?????

ellie
 

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A friend of mine looked pretty good after she had her two kids but even two years after having her 2nd one, she had ALOT of belly fat but was very tiny every else.
She just found out the other day that she was pregnant with the 3rd and was devasted. She had no intentions of having anymore and was using birthcontrol. Thats when she said to my friend," you know, its only lately that I have been feeling like myself again" She cleaned up her diet and lost all of her belly fat. Now she as to gain it all back! She is one of those people who eats b.c they are pregnant!
When I get a little bloated its usually b/c of what I have been poking in my pie hole!:eek:

Lori:)
 
Personally, I think you look just fine, but I know we all have places on our bodies that we're not happy with.

Btw, I hate doing ab work too.
 
Okay Ladies, help me in the kitchen!!!!

I don't eat too much, and I eat fruits and veggies and lean protein. I do splurge occassionally, especially with cereal in the evening. But honestly, somedays, I don't eat enough. I am busy running around and i grab a banana for lunch and maybe some quick chicken for dinner. Give me some ideas on what I need to be eating and waht to stay away from.
I am NOT giving up my Frosted Mini wheats!!!!

thanks
ellie
 
article of interest

Personally, I think you look great. My problem area has always been my belly, even before having two kids. I blame it on genetics, you should see all the women on my mom's side of the family, and on my eating. Since having my son in June, I have been working out six days a week, and my problem area is still my belly. By the way, i am 31, and my belly, much worse than yours :). I read this article in Fitness magazine a few months ago. I tried some of the food suggestions, and I must say I am finally seeing a difference. I was never big on eggs and milk, but it has worked. here is the link:

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/plans/diets/foods-for-flat-abs/

I hope you find this helpful!
Kristin
 
Ellie,

I think you look great!

I wish I had your legs! My problem area is the lower body. I find I have to limit starchy carbs to one serving a day.You don't have to ditch your mini wheats, eat them post workout(within 2-3 hours).
 
Could look at Eat Clean by Tosca Reno

You could have a look at the eat clean book by Tosca Reno. She has a website too. Basically eat 6 times a day (smaller portions). Protein and complex carbs at each meal and skip processed foods, white flours and white sugars.

I am working on this issue myself. You look great by the way. She says you appearance is 80% nutrition...

It's actually a very satisfying way to eat.
 
Ellie,

I just picked up the Flat Belly Diet book because, like you, that is a big trouble area for me (although it looks fine under clothes). I like it, it's easy and I actually stay satisfied. I'm not following it to a T, either, as I just can't at dinner time. It has easy meals for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, all of which contain MUFAs (mono-unsaturated fatty acids). There is also a chapter with a bunch of recipes if you like to cook (not me) and have the time to really cook a meal (again, not me LOL). See if your library carries it and you can get an overview. I had followed it for several days (until we found the mouse in the kitchen) and I actually lost a pound during that time! I may have to readjust the calories when I start working out regularly again and add another snack (it calls for just one large one) but that's easy to do.

In my opinion, the stomach really boils down to diet. I doubt I'll ever have completely defined abs as I'm not quite that dedicated to clean eating, but it does make a big difference. I hope you find this a little helpful and I'm sure you'll get all sorts of replies...it's nice to have a variety of ideas and you can find what works best for you. BTW, I love frosted mini wheats! Although I buy Malt-o-meal brand (in the bag) because it doesn't contain HFCS like the others do.

And I hate traditional ab work, but kickboxing has always done wonders for my midsection.
 
Why don't you eat your cereal earlier in the day instead of in the evening? That may make a difference.
Im actually thinking about cutting down on carbs in the night time to see what will happen. I don't really have any belly fat but like i said, when I eat to much, I tend to bloat. We have a trip booked for Fl in april and I would like to feel totally comfortable in a 2 peice:rolleyes: Im just not sure I can't stick to it. I have to have something sweet after dinner, so no carbs maybe a bit tough to do. I suppose I could try it for a week just to see how I feel?

Lori:)
 
Ellie: I think you look great too! Agreed though, we all have to have something to strive to get better, otherwise what's the point if you never see any progress! Maybe, even though you don't LIKE abs workouts, you could invest in the STS Abs workout DVD separately! there are 8 (I think) different workouts from 10-20 minutes in length... start out with shorter abs workouts, clean up that eating (I should be taking my own advice here) and see if that won't help... Also, I agree with Jill that KB workouts, especially the punching in plie squat position and the twisting side to side with either arms up in-guard or with a weighted ball really target my abs...

again, YOU LOOK MAAAAAAAHVELUS!!! (yeah, I know I spelled it wrong! HA! :))
 
You look great. 99% of women in the world would pay to look like that - the other 1% would consist of people who just don't care and the Ms. Olympias! That said, we all have parts of our bodies that we want to improve. I was going to say what everyone else has said - diet. That will make the biggest difference. Lots of water, be sure to eat enough, limit carbs (I would never cut them out - love them too much - but make smart choices on them, making sure they are high in fiber). You like the Frosted Mini Wheats -those have a lot of calories and sugar. Rather than giving them up, could you eat them mixed with something? Or if it is late at night, have Cheerios instead? At night, if I want sweet and crunchy, I will eat some plain Cheerios with the smallest amount of sugar (I use non refined sugar) added - probably about 1/8 of a tsp - enough to taste. And do the ab work - find something that you enjoy. Also, concentrate on every move you do with weights and cardio - you will be doing ab work while doing other moves too if you just focus on that part of your body. I will often touch my abs to make sure they are engaged, or if I can't physically touch them, I will do it mentally! You will want to sculpt those muscles so that as you begin to slim down your belly area to where you are happy with it, those muscles will be ready and waiting for their preview ;) Again, you really do look super!
 
Thank you all for the nice compliments.

I am just getting really frutrated because i have been working so hard and getting nowhere. My workout manager page is full from all the stuff I've done this month. Plus, I've been to Cathe's 3 times. :eek::eek::eek::eek:

I heard that stress can cause cortisol levels to rise, thus storing fat in the belly. Maybe I need to chill out a little.
I will try the Clean eating and less carbs at night. I do drink lots of water and am very active with my boys.

Breakfast- oatmeal and 1tsp PB
Snack-babana
lunch- yogurt and fruit
dinner- chicken and veggies (sometimes potato)
snack- bowl of cereal

That doesn't sound sooooo bad does it. Could I not be eating enough!!! I read that somewhere too. Maybe I'm just hoping!!!!

Thanks
ellie
 
Actually, it doesn't look like you have a lot of fat on top of the abs (I can see the outlines of a six-pack) and you don't have a 'pooch' (that pad of accumulated fat low on the abdominal region).

It looks more like something BEHIND the abdominal wall is pushing out (were you 'puffing out' your abs for these photos? bloat?). Maybe the type of fat that accumulates around the organs (the riskier kind, as we age especially, as it is associated with heart disease and diabetes).

I'd say slightly cleaning up the diet, adding an interval workout 1 day a week, and doing some kickboxing and plank work might be beneficial.
 
elliemom said:
Hi Everyone,

I'm going to be really brave and post a pic of my body. I can not seem to get rid of my belly fat. I am doing cardio, step and weights and NOTHING HELPS. This seems to be the only area that I can't get to trim down. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
I'm 45, 5'2" and weigh 120. I had 2 c sections at 37 and 40. BTW I HATE ab work, but i read that doing abs doesn't help if you don't get rid of the overling fat first?????

ellie
Click to expand...

Are you freakin' kidding me? You look amazing! People pay tons of money to plastic surgeons to look as good as you!
 
Ellie...I'll tell you what worked for me like nothing else, and I'm kicking myself from going off of it, and that was Weight Watchers a few years ago when they had a program called Fat and Fiber. I was really into it, and very pleased..I completely lost my beer belly...and actually gained some definition in my abs.

Obviously, in my case, it all went to hell, that's why I'm recommitting to WW tomorrow...I don't think you need to, though, from seeing you several times and these pics, you certainly don't need much work at all (if any, IMHO).

You've alread got Cathe as your fitness leader..can't do better there...but the diet part is key..if you applied 1/4 off the effort that you give to raising your family to your diet, you'd have a smokin' six-pack!!

Luv ya!!!
 
elliemom said:
Breakfast- oatmeal and 1tsp PB
Snack-babana
lunch- yogurt and fruit
dinner- chicken and veggies (sometimes potato)
snack- bowl of cereal
Click to expand...


Okay, I apologize in advance for being a bit harsh here. That is definitely not enough food for an active woman doing any of Cathe's workouts. I have seen worse, but you could be fueling your body much more efficiently. You are not getting enough protein and you should be adding a mid-afternoon snack. Your lunch should also be more substantial and focus more on protein and complex carbs. I would also add another protein source to your breakfast, like a hardboiled egg. I don't know how you get through the day on that kind of food intake - I certainly couldn't. How can you achieve your fitness goals if you don't give your body the fuel it needs to do the job? Would you expect your car to run only on fumes?
 
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