20.7 BMI female, still feel chubby?

eardabac18

5’6, 126 lb female who’s 18. Lost 25 pounds, but I still have a bit of pooch. Why isn’t my stomach flat at this BMI? What can I do? Should I loose more weight?

malibu927

Have you been doing any strength/resistance training during your loss?

dwilliamca

I too am 5'6, and although I barely remember it, 125-130 was my best weight....under 120 and people started telling me I needed to gain weight. As for the poochy abdomen, have you tried exercises that work on abdominal core muscles like Pilates? I bet if you did the exercise they call "the hundred" in Pilates twice a day you'd soon have a flat tummy and strong abdominal muscles in no time.

Beaudom91

At my smallest (100lbs) I still had a pooch. People used to tell me I looked unhealthy thin but I guess it's just where my body likes to store what little fat I had. Core targeting exercise is your best bet

Orphia

I reckon everybody has a pooch.

The hottest fitness models are all posing in their Instagram photos.

I bet you look amazing when you strike a pose.

sardelsa

Were you strength training as you lost your weight? If you aren't happy with your body composition look into recomp (essentially, eat at maintenance with progressive resistance training)

AnnPT77

On top of good comments above about recomposition/strength training, how's your posture?

Even a slightly slump-y posture can exaggerate the appearance of a pooch by letting perfectly normal levels of torso tissue have a cosy little meet-up right there on our midsection.

spiriteagle99

I also find that certain foods tend to cause my stomach to bloat more than others. My BMI is 19.5 and I still have a tummy. Some days my stomach looks flat, but if I eat a lot of sugar or drink a lot then it is there.

Arizona_C

Most of us store some fat on the stomach, but the roundness is more often a result of weak abs, though. And it can be, as mentiones spiriteagle, bloating caused by food or drinks.

To get a flatter stomach, work to get your abs stronger. Planks are great. There are a whole bunch of abs exercises out there, but different kinds of planks are a good way to start.

Avoid sugary and fizzy drinks as well as food that can cause bloating. At last, try be aware of your posture; to sit straight and stand tall gives you an overall better silhouette and makes the stomach seem less important

lesockie

I'd say a little pooch is probably normal. Perhaps your pooch isn't much at all and you are judging yourself more than others would? Otherwise, the comments above seem great!

TavistockToad

eardabac18 wrote: »

5’6, 126 lb female who’s 18. Lost 25 pounds, but I still have a bit of pooch. Why isn’t my stomach flat at this BMI? What can I do? Should I loose more weight?

Recomp would probably be your best bet

RoseJaneNB

U less we’re doing heaps of fitness training I don’t think the female stomach is meant to be flat. That’s made up by the media. A natural stomach is slightly rounded. We have organs and wombs and all sorts going on in there. Don’t aim for the unnatural. you are healthy and doing great!!!

Alatariel75

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

eardabac18

Thank you for the replies! While I’m at in... any advice on restarting after a thanksgiving binge? I ate 3000 calories...

janejellyroll

eardabac18 wrote: »

Thank you for the replies! While I’m at in... any advice on restarting after a thanksgiving binge? I ate 3000 calories...

Just get back on your plan. Make sure to drink enough water, get a walk in if you feel like it.

brendanwhite84

I was a man (well, I still am that at least) with an 18.75 BMI / 7.5% body fat before I started bulking for weightlifting, and even at that lowest weight I only had a flat-ish stomach with the tiniest hint of possible abs. Getting a drum-tight abdomen is a lot of work.

Which is not to discourage you from doing that work per se - just mentioning my personal experience.

malibu927

eardabac18 wrote: »

Thank you for the replies! While I’m at in... any advice on restarting after a thanksgiving binge? I ate 3000 calories...

I wouldn't say that was a binge. It was a holiday, you (presumably) enjoyed yourself. It's about as much as I ate for the day. Just get back to what you were doing prior to yesterday.

saintor1

Short answer: yes (and possibly resistance training exercise)