Need this belly pooch gone!

dayval12

Well hello!
My name is dayana I'm a mom of two lovely children.
I am 23 currently 153lbs and 5'3
I have a goal weight in mind but if I gain due to muscle im not worried about it im just worried about my pooch. I have had lots of progress but it just feels like now theres no way! I do cardio and weight train.... I just started doing ab workouts Saturday...Like plank and mostly lower ab workouts. Should I keep doing this? Or up my cardio which I do twice a week with leg day and the rest of the days are weights.
If anyones with these same goals feel free to add me and we can help each other on this journey!

Spliner1969

Ab workouts are great, and you should definitely keep it up, however, to lose the belly you need to lose fat/weight. So use the tools MFP gives you, eat at a calorie deficit and keep up the exercise. You'll get there. Ab workouts alone won't do it though.

LessCookiess

I've read posts on here where people mentioned abs are built in the kitchen. Working out is great, but the best thing you can do is also ensure you're in a deficit, and watching your caloric intake. I personally don't count calories or weigh my food, but I know for a lot of users this helps them out.

malibu927

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

JeepHair77

Keep doing both - the cardio and the ab workouts. Like @Spliner1969 says - you have to lose fat to lose the pooch, so your workouts alone may not get you there if you're not eating at a calorie deficit.

Also, your pregnancies almost certainly played a part in that pooch, so be patient. You CAN lose it, but IME, the belly fat on women post-baby is extremely stubborn and will probably be the last thing to go, and your ab muscles may take a long time to tighten. Some women have muscle separation, post-pregnancy - I'm sure someone else can better explain that and how to work on repairing it, but it's relatively common and can make that area even more difficult.

dayval12

I eat healthy and track what i eat also I lowerd my calorie intake just a bit more I have lost 14lbs in this year already. I am very proud of my body.In my self. Its just getting harder now. I have a major sweet tooth. I guess i just need to be strict on my self a bit more.

AmbitiousButRubbish

malibu927 wrote: »

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

This 100%

psuLemon

To get abs you need lower body fat and adequate body composition. So patience and a good workout program is going to be ideal. So what kind of lifting program are you doing? I generally find that to be a big issue with many.

Spliner1969

dayval12 wrote: »

I eat healthy and track what i eat also I lowerd my calorie intake just a bit more I have lost 14lbs in this year already. I am very proud of my body.In my self. Its just getting harder now. I have a major sweet tooth. I guess i just need to be strict on my self a bit more.

I hear you on the sweet tooth. I get started on chocolate anything and it's game over for the day. Makes it hard for the abs to come into focus lol. This month it's been girl scout cookies (they are the devil!). As a male, I'll probably have to hit 10% or lower body fat to completely reveal my abs, as a woman you might have to go to 14-16% or lower. I'm not there yet, I hover around 13%-14% at the moment. Time to shift gears and chip away at it for the summer. I do planks, crunches (regular, reverse, and side) and hanging leg raises among other exercises that incorporate the abs on almost every workout weekly. The abs are definitely there, just hidden at the moment. It's annoying.

CasperNaegle

Nothing you do will target the tummy pooch. Your body will lose fat over time based on genetics. Unfortunately the tummy is many times the last to go.. My love handles the same way. You just have to stick to your program and over time it will go.

winejunky143

The fat on your stomach and around your hips has a lot to do with the amount of sugar and what kind of fats you eat. Try to stay away from added and artificial sugars and also stay away from any kind of fat that is not saturated fat. Not only watch your calories but keep a very close eye on your macros. You might be under your calorie goal but over your limit on things that should be eaten in moderation. I know it sucks but try to really read the nutrition facts on packaged food products. Pay attention to total fat and make sure the fat is only saturated fats and also pay attention to the total carbohydrate. Carbs are good but excessive sugar is not.

psuLemon

winejunky143 wrote: »

The fat on your stomach and around your hips has a lot to do with the amount of sugar and what kind of fats you eat. Try to stay away from added and artificial sugars and also stay away from any kind of fat that is not saturated fat. Not only watch your calories but keep a very close eye on your macros. You might be under your calorie goal but over your limit on things that should be eaten in moderation. I know it sucks but try to really read the nutrition facts on packaged food products. Pay attention to total fat and make sure the fat is only saturated fats and also pay attention to the total carbohydrate. Carbs are good but excessive sugar is not.

Not it's not. Fat storage is based on genetic propensity. Also, why would anyone stay away from PUFA (essential fats) and MUFA (highly beneficial fats). Even SFA are starting to be demonstrated as ok fats, especially from whole sources. Artificial sweeteners have no impact on body fat since they don't have calories.

PaulaWallaDingDong

winejunky143 wrote: »

The fat on your stomach and around your hips has a lot to do with the amount of sugar and what kind of fats you eat. Try to stay away from added and artificial sugars and also stay away from any kind of fat that is not saturated fat. Not only watch your calories but keep a very close eye on your macros. You might be under your calorie goal but over your limit on things that should be eaten in moderation. I know it sucks but try to really read the nutrition facts on packaged food products. Pay attention to total fat and make sure the fat is only saturated fats and also pay attention to the total carbohydrate. Carbs are good but excessive sugar is not.

I've bolded the things with this that I know for sure are incorrect and should be ignored. The rest, I can't really say, but if there's that much blatant falsity in one post I'm not inclined to trust the rest of it.

cathipa

winejunky143 wrote: »

The fat on your stomach and around your hips has a lot to do with the amount of sugar and what kind of fats you eat. Try to stay away from added and artificial sugars and also stay away from any kind of fat that is not saturated fat. Not only watch your calories but keep a very close eye on your macros. You might be under your calorie goal but over your limit on things that should be eaten in moderation. I know it sucks but try to really read the nutrition facts on packaged food products. Pay attention to total fat and make sure the fat is only saturated fats and also pay attention to the total carbohydrate. Carbs are good but excessive sugar is not.

Please provide data to support this.

dayval12

CasperNaegle wrote: »

Nothing you do will target the tummy pooch. Your body will lose fat over time based on genetics. Unfortunately the tummy is many times the last to go.. My love handles the same way. You just have to stick to your program and over time it will go.

Yup I guess so. I guess all in time.

winejunky143

I took a foods and nutrition course in school. I guess it would all be in the textbook from class which I no longer have. Funny the things our school systems teach are so wildly incorrect. Well all I can say is that I followed these things and it helped me drastically. The best of luck to you.

dayval12

Thank you everyone! Im def going to stay away from sweets as much as I can. Ill def keep puting my hard work in. I will be changing up my gym routine.

PaulaWallaDingDong

winejunky143 wrote: »

I took a foods and nutrition course in school. I guess it would all be in the textbook from class which I no longer have. Funny the things our school systems teach are so wildly incorrect. Well all I can say is that I followed these things and it helped me drastically. The best of luck to you.

That stuff was in a textbook? You had a textbook, for learning, tell you to eat only saturated fat? The evens I can't with that...

Then the issue of sugar/carbs/sweeteners causing belly fat: that's not textbook stuff. That's Dr. Oz/women's magazine stuff.

PaulaWallaDingDong

dayval12 wrote: »

Thank you everyone! Im def going to stay away from sweets as much as I can. Ill def keep puting my hard work in. I will be changing up my gym routine.

Everything in moderation. Sweets don't cause belly fat, but you want to get balanced nutrition. Especially in a calorie deficit, too many calories going to sugar can get in the way of that if you aren't mindful.

Rebecca0224

winejunky143 wrote: »

I took a foods and nutrition course in school. I guess it would all be in the textbook from class which I no longer have. Funny the things our school systems teach are so wildly incorrect. Well all I can say is that I followed these things and it helped me drastically. The best of luck to you.

Modern scientific research disproves the information in the textbook. I'm sorry your school is using out of date material.

rsclause

Anything to build core strength will help tone and improve posture but abs are more about reducing body fat than anything else. Your target should be 15% or less if your ab area is your fitness goal.

psuLemon

rsclause wrote: »

Anything to build core strength will help tone and improve posture but abs are more about reducing body fat than anything else. Your target should be 15% or less if your ab area is your fitness goal.

As a female, and depending on where she stores body fat, it's possible she might achieve at a higher body fat percentage than 15%. The issue with going lower is you start to get into essential fats and can cause hormonal issues.