Need tips on losing belly fat

anwade01

Hello!
Last year, I was considered obese. Today, I am only 5 pounds away from a healthy BMI. However, I still have a “muffin top” that I am eager to get rid of. If you have any recommendations, please share.

TavistockToad

keep losing weight, get better fitting trousers

kommodevaran

The best tips, I think, is understanding that "belly fat"="fat on your stomach" and that you can't spot reduce, but you lose fat all over, in a pattern you can't decide, when you're in a consistent calorie deficit.

malibu927

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

BridgetPrzy

Losing belly fat is a huge goal of mine, and I've been slightly frustrated that I have lost the least inches around my midsection. But, I know that from previous weight losses, this is the place my body likes to hold fat the most. I have noticed smaller wrists/ankles (of all places, I mean really lol), upper arms and hips. Give it time! It'll happen, unfortunately we don't get to choose where we want fat removed unless we pay someone to physically suck it from our bodies.

LaidaPwn

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Work on getting strong abs and obliques but cut out sugar and starches. Sugar and starch are quick energy sources but if not used right away are converted to fat and stored primarily around the abdomen. Continue working on overall weight loss and see those lines smooth out.

AnvilHead

LaidaPwn wrote: »

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Work on getting strong abs and obliques but cut out sugar and starches. Sugar and starch are quick energy sources but if not used right away are converted to fat and stored primarily around the abdomen. Continue working on overall weight loss and see those lines smooth out.

^ Not this.

There is no net fat storage from anything when in a caloric deficit. Physiology 101. And no particular food, food group or macronutrient is "stored primarily around the abdomen". Fat gain/loss is determined by your genetics.

Maintain a caloric deficit and the fat will eventually come off. But you can't choose where it comes from / "spot reduce" from any particular part of your body. No diet, workout or supplement will do that. We lose fat according to our genetic fat distribution patterns, and for many people the midsection is the last place you'll lose it from.

steveko89

FIFY:

LaidaPwn wrote: »

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Work on getting strong abs and obliques but cut out sugar and starches. Sugar and starch are quick energy sources but if not used right away are converted to fat and stored primarily around the abdomen. Continue working on overall weight fat loss and see those lines smooth out.

Like all metrics, BMI has limitations; it only takes weight and height into account. Body composition plays a much bigger role in aesthetics. In 2015 I weighed 170lbs or less, but was at 18+% body fat. Today I weigh 172 lbs but at <14% body fat. BMI is fractionally higher but I've traded ~7 lbs of fat for ~10 lbs of muscle and look much better for it.

AmberGlitterSparkles

AnvilHead wrote: »

LaidaPwn wrote: »

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Work on getting strong abs and obliques but cut out sugar and starches. Sugar and starch are quick energy sources but if not used right away are converted to fat and stored primarily around the abdomen. Continue working on overall weight loss and see those lines smooth out.

^ Not this.

There is no net fat storage from anything when in a caloric deficit. Physiology 101. And no particular food, food group or macronutrient is "stored primarily around the abdomen". Fat gain/loss is determined by your genetics.

Maintain a caloric deficit and the fat will eventually come off. But you can't choose where it comes from / "spot reduce" from any particular part of your body. No diet, workout or supplement will do that. We lose fat according to our genetic fat distribution patterns, and for many people the midsection is the last place you'll lose it from.

I think at least for me, the danger in the sugar and starch isn’t as suggested, but rather, it’s just wasted calories. I have to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, but if I keep eating things that’s aren’t filling me up, and aren’t satisfying my body, then I’m constantly hungry and continue to eat. I think a lot of people fall in to this pit fall. They think these things are bad and they are gaining weight because they are eating them. When in reality, the are gaining weight because they are eating them on top of everything else. A bag of m&ms isn’t going to do anything for me. But it will cost me a couple hundred calories. Then I chase it with some Cheetos, couple more hundred calories, and I’m still hungry, and so on and forth. When in reality, if a had a very small portion of Cheetos and a very small potion of m&ms and made myself something sensible that would actually fill me up I could eat it and still lose weight. But instead of moderation people demonize the sugar or the carbs or whatever, when in fact will power and self decline are the problems. I can say this, because I know I have been very guilty of it in the past.

VUA21

1. You cannot spot reduce fat. We all wish we could, but that's just not how the body works. Our bodies will pull fat as energy from wherever it feels like while eating at a calorie deficit.
2. There are no magic foods that can cause you to gain or lose fat faster or slower. Some foods can lead to higher or lower water retention, but as that is not fat don't worry about is. As a woman, we are all too familiar with water retention; about once a month we deal with it.
3. Eat at a calorie deficit and you will lose fat. Now, while spot reducing fat cannot be done, spot muscle development can happen. Increasing strength in various parts can help one "look slimmer", even if the weight is the same. Generally good posture can make a stomach look flatter, and core strength has a very strong correlation to posture. Most exercises work core strength, not just abdominal specific workouts. This includes cardio exercises.

Just keep eating at a deficit. Incorporate exercise for better health, conditioning, and better results.

AnvilHead

AmberGlitterSparkles wrote: »

AnvilHead wrote: »

LaidaPwn wrote: »

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Work on getting strong abs and obliques but cut out sugar and starches. Sugar and starch are quick energy sources but if not used right away are converted to fat and stored primarily around the abdomen. Continue working on overall weight loss and see those lines smooth out.

^ Not this.

There is no net fat storage from anything when in a caloric deficit. Physiology 101. And no particular food, food group or macronutrient is "stored primarily around the abdomen". Fat gain/loss is determined by your genetics.

Maintain a caloric deficit and the fat will eventually come off. But you can't choose where it comes from / "spot reduce" from any particular part of your body. No diet, workout or supplement will do that. We lose fat according to our genetic fat distribution patterns, and for many people the midsection is the last place you'll lose it from.

I think at least for me, the danger in the sugar and starch isn’t as suggested, but rather, it’s just wasted calories. I have to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, but if I keep eating things that’s aren’t filling me up, and aren’t satisfying my body, then I’m constantly hungry and continue to eat. I think a lot of people fall in to this pit fall. They think these things are bad and they are gaining weight because they are eating them. When in reality, the are gaining weight because they are eating them on top of everything else. A bag of m&ms isn’t going to do anything for me. But it will cost me a couple hundred calories. Then I chase it with some Cheetos, couple more hundred calories, and I’m still hungry, and so on and forth. When in reality, if a had a very small portion of Cheetos and a very small potion of m&ms and made myself something sensible that would actually fill me up I could eat it and still lose weight. But instead of moderation people demonize the sugar or the carbs or whatever, when in fact will power and self decline are the problems. I can say this, because I know I have been very guilty of it in the past.

Valid point. Many "treat foods" are calorie dense and offer low satiety, which leads to eating more food, which leads to higher calorie intake, which leads to weight gain. No dispute there. But the contention that sugars and starches are converted to fat and stored preferentially around the abdomen is 100% false. In fact, when you learn about de novo lipogenesis, you discover that it's actually fairly rare for sugars to be converted to fat at all, except in very extreme overfeeding situations.

It's also worth mentioning that many "treat foods" are also high in fat - not just sugar. Check the nutrient info on M&Ms, or a piece of chocolate cake, or a donut or cupcake or whatever.

diannethegeek

This is one of the best guides to lose belly fat that I've ever seen: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1