Flat belly

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Katerina9408
Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Can anyone help me with some exercise tips for flat belly ?
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  • WoWkat
    WoWkat Posts: 48 Member
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    Losing weight all over will help you obtain a flat stomach
  • brason2013
    brason2013 Posts: 1
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    Lots of crunches
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 909 Member
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    There is no "magic" exercise that's going to give you a flat belly. You just need to keep lowering body fat. You do this by maintaining a moderate calorie deficit while incorporating weight training to minimize muscle loss.
  • ROFLwaffle82
    ROFLwaffle82 Posts: 205 Member
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    You have to work the entire body. There's no such thing as spot reduction.
  • jesiann2014
    jesiann2014 Posts: 521 Member
    edited February 2015
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    ↑ No
    Read this...
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

    Please forgive me... The 'No' was to Brason
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited February 2015
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    brason2013 wrote: »
    Lots of crunches

    Nope, that's not how it works. A flat stomach comes from lower BF% and there's no such thing as spot reduction. You can do 10,000 crunches a day, but if there's fat on your arms your body wants to use before the fat on your stomach, it will.

    OP, a flat stomach comes from:

    Moderate caloric deficit, Work (cardio and progressive full body lifting routine), and patience. You can get there with just the moderate caloric deficit and patience, but would probably be happier if you put in the work as well.

    One thing to keep in mind, few individuals on here with flat stomachs don't have isolated ab exercises as a cornerstone to their workout. They're great for core strength, but as a part of a total body routine.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    Yep - you might find that if you do nothing but crunches, you're adding muscle under the fat that isn't going away until you work your whole body! Your pants may actually get tighter. So ... be patient, work hard and eat smart.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    lgutches wrote: »
    Yep - you might find that if you do nothing but crunches, you're adding muscle under the fat that isn't going away until you work your whole body! Your pants may actually get tighter. So ... be patient, work hard and eat smart.

    That's not necessarily true either. If an individual is in a caloric deficit, they won't significantly grow muscle. The crunches would be great for some core strength, but the muscle wouldn't necessarily be getting any bigger.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited February 2015
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    brason2013 wrote: »
    Lots of crunches

    No. An overall reduction in body fat will produce a flat stomach, eventually. Stick to a calorie deficit and lift weights for your whole body.

    The number of crunches I did to get to this point
    <---- : Zero. None.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    Interesting - I didn't know that. So, when I see my abs starting to take shape, aren't they growing just like my quads and my triceps and other muscles that are obviously growing?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »
    brason2013 wrote: »
    Lots of crunches

    No. An overall reduction in body fat will produce a flat stomach, eventually. Stick to a calorie deficit and lift weights for your whole body.

    This
  • CamoGirl1985
    CamoGirl1985 Posts: 41 Member
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    I agree with both posts by RGv2.... You can't "spot treat" an area. I know from experience too :( However, strengthening your core muscles will help burn some calories. I like to do planks all the time and have noticed a stronger core because of it. Give some a try and good luck!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    lgutches wrote: »
    Interesting - I didn't know that. So, when I see my abs starting to take shape, aren't they growing just like my quads and my triceps and other muscles that are obviously growing?

    If you are eating in a calorie deficit (losing weight), your muscles aren't growing. None of them (barring some initial new to lifting gains).

  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    okay thanks.
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
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    Thank you all for the replies ! :) I am 163 sm and weight 50-51 kilos ( I say approx because my scale always fluctuates, my waist is 63 sm and I want to lose 3 sm ) how much cal should I eat ?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Katerina9408 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the replies ! :) I am 163 sm and weight 50-51 kilos ( I say approx because my scale always fluctuates, my waist is 63 sm and I want to lose 3 sm ) how much cal should I eat ?

    The link that you were given above (twice) includes a link to a calorie calculator. Have you had a chance to take a look at it yet?

  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    If I figured your ht/wt correct, you're middle-low end of a healthy weight. Enter your stats into a TDEE calculator and eat at about -5% to -10%. It sounds like you don't need to lose weight, but do a recomp.
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
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    diannethegeek wrote: »
    Katerina9408 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the replies ! :) I am 163 sm and weight 50-51 kilos ( I say approx because my scale always fluctuates, my waist is 63 sm and I want to lose 3 sm ) how much cal should I eat ?

    The link that you were given above (twice) includes a link to a calorie calculator. Have you had a chance to take a look at it yet?
    Ahh I see ok thank you :)

  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    RGv2 wrote: »
    That's not necessarily true either. If an individual is in a caloric deficit, they won't significantly grow muscle. The crunches would be great for some core strength, but the muscle wouldn't necessarily be getting any bigger.

    Unless they are in that state where they really are pushing themselves getting in less than 100 crunches total (And when they start getting able to do that adding on weighted & decline crunches). This will only happen for like the first 6-8 months, and we are talking something like 0.5lbs max of added muscle per month, which is pretty hard to notice on someone who is dropping 2-3lbs of fat in that same month.

    The only way we know it happens is studies in which they did high end measuring before, during, and after the study. Lean body mass went up, while fat went down. Things like starting at 200lbs, with 30% BF (140lbLBM+60lbBF), and 6 months later being 185lbs, 22% BF (144lbLBM+41lbBF). 4lbs of muscle added on, while losing 19lbs of fat.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    lgutches wrote: »
    Interesting - I didn't know that. So, when I see my abs starting to take shape, aren't they growing just like my quads and my triceps and other muscles that are obviously growing?

    If you are eating at a deficit, they aren't growing. They may look like they are increasing in size, but that's because you are diminishing the fat that's covering them. So by default they will show better, and look bigger. But gaining muscle on a deficit is like adding onto your house with no lumber or nails--it just can't happen. There's no materials there to build with.

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