Burning Belly Fat

leroyal100
leroyal100 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I struggle to burn fat around my stomach. I was wondering should I increase my cardio and decrease weight training or vice versa?

Replies

  • fool5833
    fool5833 Posts: 1 Member
    I was going to ask this very question
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Calorie deficit, you can't spot reduce
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Calorie deficit, you can't spot reduce

    IN the Long term, increasing your strength training and muscle mass will help more with your appearance than cardio does
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Calorie deficit, you can't spot reduce

    ^^ That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Your body will use up fat stores from whatever part of your body it feels like first (for me it was my face and arms first) the type of exercise you do won't influence where the loss occurs.

    Typically cardio expends more energy in a given period of time than strength does, personally I'd suggest doing both.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited March 2018
    Short answer: you don't get to choose where you burn fat from, and no food, exercise or supplement will change that.

    Longer answer: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    TrueHealth8 wrote: »
    It could be adrenal imbalance,

    ^ Ignore this woo.
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
    Just keep doing what you’re doing and it’ll go.

    It seems to be the last fat stronghold for me (and probably many others) too.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited March 2018
    Increase your patience.

    Assuming correct stress dosage, decreasing weight training makes you weaker. Why would you want to be less strong?

    Increasing cardio could be beneficial let's say if your waist is over 40" if you were to keep cals the same. Not knowing how much cardio you have adapted to is the question I turn to you.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    I look like I have single digit body fat in a tank top, then when my shirt comes off I don't really have abs. That's where I store the last of my fat as well. There is nothing you can do be keep getting leaner until that fat is gone.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited March 2018
    chrissy201509 wrote: »
    Reduce calorie in take and do more cardio! To lose more fat in the stomach area !

    Nope! You can't spot reduce! There's no such thing! Cardio won't do it!
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    chrissy201509 wrote: »
    Reduce calorie in take and do more cardio! To lose more fat in the stomach area !

    Wait. But if I have fat cheeks what do I do to get rid of that?! Or fat hands. What do you do then?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited March 2018
    jessef593 wrote: »
    Wait. But if I have fat cheeks what do I do to get rid of that?!
    Chew more gum! Or eat lots of celery!

    jessef593 wrote: »
    Or fat hands. What do you do then?
    Play more patty cake! Or take up knitting!
  • sarodriguez372
    sarodriguez372 Posts: 21 Member
    Everyone looses fat differently.... fat loss is fat loss we can’t really tell our body where to lose it more than other areas on our body. I now at 53 have stubborn belly fat that I have never had before most likely due to hormone changes. I recently starting doing more HIIT type cardio and watching my calorie intake much more strict and I have noticed some loss. You can go onto YouTube and look up that type of cardio and see if that helps I do some workouts at home then at the gym.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    edited March 2018
    But yes. OP moral of the story is you can't spot reduce. I walk around at about 12% body fat most of the year. I have cupped shoulders. Bicep veins. Chest separation and even noticeable abs. Yet I have always had and will always have a significant muffin top. It's the first place my body stores fat. I honestly hate it. If an exercise could get rid of it. I would be doing it everyday. It's so bad that if I do up a belt comfortably it looks like I'm overflowing out of my pants.

    The only way I've ever even come close to getting rid of it was when I was doing a mock contest prep and dropped to 7% bodyfat. Which is not maintainable and as soon as I passed 9% it was almost immediately noticeable. Sometimes life just ain't fair my man.

    But keep up the hard work and see just what you can do.

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