9 stone but stubborn belly podge!

loobylou2704

Hi, I'm 5"4 and in the last 3.5 months I've lost a stone and am now bang on 9 stone which I'm really pleased with.

The problem I've got is this stubborn bit of belly podge fat which I just can't shift! I'm a teacher and was wearing a maxi dress today and one of my kids even asked if I was pregnant!

Any help or advice in terms of diet or exercise would be appreciated. I do a range of abs exercises, crunches, planks etc 4-5 times a week and do cardio either by running or a class a couple of times a week.

queenliz99

Have you read this sticky??

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

Good information

ETA: Typo

middlehaitch

To get rid of the belly fat you would have to continue losing until you were pleased will the amount of belly fat you had.

To strengthen the abs a good whole body lifting or bodyweight programme where you engage your abs to complete each move would be more benificial than just abs specific exercises.

Even doing cardio, running, etc, with good abs engagement can improve the core muscles.

Good posture works wonders on how ones belly can look.

I have decided I am happy with the belly I have as losing anymore weight would put me at a too low BMI, and my arms and legs would look waif like even though I do lift heavy.

Cheers, h.

Carnhot

If only it were possible to target where the fat goes from - but it isn't. The hot weather is showing me that I could stand to lose a bit more tummy, but experience has shown that any further loss will hit my boobs. I will sacrifice tummy flatness for boobage.

Christine_72

I'm the same, I'm pretty happy with my weight but still have the stomach podge. The general advice i'm always hearing is start weight lifting.

girl_inflames

Carnhot wrote: »

If only it were possible to target where the fat goes from - but it isn't. The hot weather is showing me that I could stand to lose a bit more tummy, but experience has shown that any further loss will hit my boobs. I will sacrifice tummy flatness for boobage.

I'm currently starting to run into this issue...Boobs vs. tummy flatness. I have another 13 pounds to lose I'm hoping I don't lose my boobs.

Carnhot

I keep considering lifting, but I don't think I am sufficientl hard core / commited; my shape is fine for my usual needs and this is England - flesh flashing weather is rare.

scoii

Lifting isnt for Arnie lookalikes. The muscle burns calories and the posture improvement will help with the bump.

5ft4 and 9st may mean the belly goes in 3lbs, maybe 6. You haven't got much left to lose

swift13b

middlehaitch wrote: »

To get rid of the belly fat you would have to continue losing until you were pleased will the amount of belly fat you had.

Unfortunately if you're anything like me, even at your lowest (and an unhealthy) weight you may still have a flabby stomach. If so, it's not safe to continue losing weight just in hopes of losing the flab.

Posture definitely plays a part, I have very poor posture and weak muscles in my back and shoulders. I've just started strength training in the last few weeks and I'm hoping that it will help improve my overall posture and therefore how my stomach looks.

dizzieblondeuk

swift13b wrote: »

middlehaitch wrote: »

To get rid of the belly fat you would have to continue losing until you were pleased will the amount of belly fat you had.

Unfortunately if you're anything like me, even at your lowest (and an unhealthy) weight you may still have a flabby stomach. If so, it's not safe to continue losing weight just in hopes of losing the flab.

Posture definitely plays a part, I have very poor posture and weak muscles in my back and shoulders. I've just started strength training in the last few weeks and I'm hoping that it will help improve my overall posture and therefore how my stomach looks.

I was just about to say the same thing about posture - the way you stand can make the world of difference to whether your belly pokes out. But that can be corrected, without needing to lose more weight - you can change your body shape through exercise. Of course, post-natal women may never regain the type of stomach they once had, after they have children, but there are definitely ways of addressing your core strength to improve how your stomach area looks.

I still have plenty to lose, but I'm a bit of a pilates devotee, and it's made so much difference to my core strength, has eliminated my back pain completely, and is actually allowing me to do more strength training anyway. If you're not keen on weight training, I'd sincerely advise you try pilates. By the way, it takes a loooong time to learn how to correctly breathe and engage your core muscles whilst doing pilates exercises - 'engaging your core' isn't just sucking it in!

Something to also consider is that you may have a slightly distended stomach as a result of certain foods that you eat. I know that a heavy carb meal makes my stomach swell up like a balloon, as I do have mild IBS. I'm not massively interested in completely eliminating carbs from my diet, but I know that by controlling the amount (and kind) of carbs I eat, makes a difference to the way my stomach looks.