Losing a belly!

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  • ScoutSerra
    ScoutSerra Posts: 9
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    yeah think i'll just follow youtube videos randomly so that i can figure things out... technical bits i'll never get...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRDtQ7Zmp6c
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    It is really simple.

    To lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. That is a calorie deficit.

    To maintain your current muscle and strength you should do full body resistance training. Resistance training can be body weight exercises or weightlifting.

    This will leave you with the body composition most people want once they lose weight. A lot of people get down to their goal weight and wonder why they dont look like they did the last time they weighed that much. It because they lost a lot of muscle while dieting and only doing cardio.

    There is no amount of ab or core exercises that will help you lose fat any faster in those areas. Any video or person that tells you different is misinformed or lying to you. There is nothing wrong with adding some of them in for strength and endurance purposes or the small calorie burn they provide though.
  • cylence82
    cylence82 Posts: 14
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    As a couple people have said already-reverse crunches. they are easier than regular crunches and work the muscles better IF you do them right. Also, anything that gets the obliques, such as bicycles.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    ScoutSerra wrote: »
    see the only problem with the article is that i have absolutely no clue what it is talking about as i am completely uneducated about working out. i dont understand what you mean by caloric deficit, so i was just asking for a completely basic suggestion of "do 20 jumping jacks and 10 push ups" or something like that because i dont have a clue what i am doing... and suggesting i follow something that says " I suggest the TDEE-20% method." just immediately makes me shy away because i have aboslutely no clue what that means or most of what the post says... treat me like a child. give me "for dummies" advice. Treat me like i am stupid because i need things spelled out. I really just want an idea of what i should be doing, not what i SHOULDNT be doing.

    Okay, things you should be doing:

    Eat at a reasonable deficit. Either learn about the TDEE - 20% method (this site has a search feature) or set MFP to lose no more than 1 pound per week and eat back at least half of your exercise calories.

    Start a strength training routine. Preferably something that works your whole body. This is more than just random videos and crunches. Routines are helpful because they are going to continually but gradually increase the amount of resistance in your exercises. You want to keep pushing your muscles to do harder exercises. You can build a routine out of random youtube videos if you'd prefer
    but you're going to lack the progression. Strong Lifts was the really good step-by-step routine suggested in the link above, or bodybuilding.com if you prefer something free.

    Eat plenty of protein. Something like .6-.8 grams per pound of body weight. For you that's 114-152 grams of protein a day.

    Do cardio if you want.

    Have patience.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    ScoutSerra wrote: »
    yeah think i'll just follow youtube videos randomly so that i can figure things out... technical bits i'll never get...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRDtQ7Zmp6c

    Doing that will basically ignore all of the advice we all just gave you.

    Isolated ab exercises won't reduce the fat around your midsection. Your body burns fat from wherever it wants, no matter the exercise.

    Moderate Caloric Deficit = eating a little bit less than you burn each day. I burn 2500 calories per day, eating 2000 would be a moderate deficit.

    TDEE - How many calories you burn each day through being alive, doing your normal daily chores, etc... If my TDEE were 2500 calories, eating TDEE-20% would be eating 2000 calories.

    Read Diane's post above, Keep your deficit in check + Do cardio and find a full body resistance program + have patience.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    cylence82 wrote: »
    As a couple people have said already-reverse crunches. they are easier than regular crunches and work the muscles better IF you do them right. Also, anything that gets the obliques, such as bicycles.

    And how would that help "loose a belly"?
  • ScoutSerra
    ScoutSerra Posts: 9
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    i think i get it but still pretty lost on it... i have 0 education on any of this and i can read up on it but i am also in a super tight budget and dont know how much more i can afford grocery wise, eating less might be the only option i have because really i can hardly afford groceries lately... and with my job i def do not have time to actually cook anything to eat most of the time. what ive been doing is a slimfast in the morning, sandwich or something for lunch, a couple 100 cal snacks between, and a 500-600 cal dinner... i have a fairly active job where im on my feet all day, ive been doing 2mi walking and i just dont know what else i can do...
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Isolated crunches by themselves are not going to give you what you need but people need to stop giving the impression that they are worthless. Go to a kickboxing/boxing class than includes 10 mins of ab work and then tell me how worthless they are.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    ScoutSerra wrote: »
    i think i get it but still pretty lost on it... i have 0 education on any of this and i can read up on it but i am also in a super tight budget and dont know how much more i can afford grocery wise, eating less might be the only option i have because really i can hardly afford groceries lately... and with my job i def do not have time to actually cook anything to eat most of the time. what ive been doing is a slimfast in the morning, sandwich or something for lunch, a couple 100 cal snacks between, and a 500-600 cal dinner... i have a fairly active job where im on my feet all day, ive been doing 2mi walking and i just dont know what else i can do...

    Eat below your calorie requirements, stay active, add strength (whether weights, body weight (squats, push-ups, reverse crunches, planks, etc) and be patient.
  • markiend
    markiend Posts: 461 Member
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    eating less and regular exercise worked well for me at the start ... then i moved onto lifting.

    so far so good. Diet and exercise are key to reducing body fat imho. Lifting will help immensely too
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    At some point people simply cannot spoon feed you anymore. Many people have tried to explain it to you. You may need to go hit up Google and find a site that explains it so that you can understand it.

    Essentially your TDEE is your BMR (how much you burn laying in bed all day) plus your NEAT (how much you burn at work and daily activity) plus your exercise.

    BMR+NEAT+Exercise=TDEE

    Mine looks like this:
    1800+400+300=2500
    So, an appropriate intake is TDEE-a percentage (lower percentage if you have less to lose, I suggest people start with subtracting 20%). For me I am currently at 15% below my TDEE or around 2150 calories.

    I'm the one who wrote the thread below, so if you have further questions send me a PM and I'll try to explain in a way that makes sense.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    Isolated crunches by themselves are not going to give you what you need but people need to stop giving the impression that they are worthless. Go to a kickboxing/boxing class than includes 10 mins of ab work and then tell me how worthless they are.

    A whole 10 min of ab work.... That's what we're saying, about 10 min is all you need. Nobody said isolated ab exercises are worthless, they are good for core strength but isolated ab work itself is quite inefficient when it comes to dropping BF%. It's great as a part of your routine, but if you're trying to "flatten your stomach", they shouldn't be the cornerstone.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you are losing fat/weight but want to tighten up your core so you look slimmer.

    Same here. You can "lose" 2-3 inches in your profile just by tightening up that "beer gut".

    The same fat will be there until its gone, but you can make yourself toned to help hold that gut in.

    I use Pilates. My core is still kinda weak even with free weights and step aerobics with lots of knee lifts. Pilates really hits those core muscles that are really under the ab muscles, to help pull your stomach in. A good beginner dvd, the one I use, is Pilates for Weight Loss. It shows a couple of different modifications so you can work at your level. I did it just once a couple of days ago, and ab muscles I forgot I had are certainly a bit sore. The routine focuses on your breathing and making sure you really target those muscles that other workouts have been failing to target.

    http://www.amazon.com/Pilates-Conditioning-Weight-Suzanne-Deason/dp/B00006473D

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