Too slim but belly too big. Advise please

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Novayolande
Novayolande Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’m female, 5’8 and 125lbs what should I do to reduce my 30” waist size without losing any more weight?
I can tell my waist is actual fat not bloating. I was previously at 145lb and lost weight but belly fat seems to be slow to go down. Measurements 36” 30” 35”
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  • Novayolande
    Novayolande Posts: 9 Member
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    Recomposition article seems appropriate as I can tell my belly roll is fat (thighs too). I have no children. I have a small frame (small rib cage) bust 32ddd. Every image I’ve seen a person at my height and weight doesn’t seem to have waistline as large as mine.
  • tonyaab8
    tonyaab8 Posts: 1 Member
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    Boring answer, but your best bet might be to talk to your doctor. Each person has their own body shape that may not have too much to do with weight or fat. You sound like you are in pretty good shape! Your waist size overall isn't as important as your waist/hip ratio: https://www.verywellfit.com/waist-to-hip-ratio-and-examples-3496140

    Also, age and gender can be a factor (I'm 46, F and it took a significant diet change and exercise to get rid of just one inch). I'm not a health provider, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt. What has worked so far for me is to follow an anti-inflammatory (Mediterranean) diet with only whole grains (no bread, crackers, anything with flour in it, etc.) and moderate exercise (running 3 days per week and daily yoga).
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Why do you believe a 30" waist is large?
  • Novayolande
    Novayolande Posts: 9 Member
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    It’s normal but large for my small frame. I haven’t seen anyone at my height and weight with a 30”
  • Novayolande
    Novayolande Posts: 9 Member
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    tonyaab8... I did the weight hip ratio and it’s .86. Which is high risk! Yikes.

    WHR for female Classification
    0.80 or lower Low health risk
    0.81 to 0.84 Moderate risk
    0.85 or higher High risk
    Based upon a waist measurement of 30 inches and hip measurement of 35 inches.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 693 Member
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    Novayolande wrote: »
    It’s normal but large for my small frame. I haven’t seen anyone at my height and weight with a 30”

    How on earth would you know? Can you tell the difference of an inch or two by eye?

    If you're unhappy it sounds like recomp is your best bet, it can make a difference to a person's figure, but will take time.
    It might not though, there is only so much we can do to change our fundamental shape.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Recomposition is your best bet. Core exercises may also improve your appearance by strengthening the muscles which hold your gut in.

    Just in case get a checkup and make sure there’s nothing else going on, since there are several metabolic illnesses such as PCOS and Cushing’s syndrome which cause fat storage around the waist. Tell the doctor your specific concerns and ask about these in particular. When I had Cushing’s syndrome due to a tumor it should have been very obvious to everyone - I had all the symptoms - but I was just told I was fat, until after the tumor was discovered in another way. So you do have to advocate for yourself.
  • Novayolande
    Novayolande Posts: 9 Member
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    littlegreenparrot1 I google searched my measurement so reading posts and images.

    The weight is also on my thighs. It feels like fat. I don’t think it’s a disease just have high fat percentage.

    I would’ve stopped losing weight at 133 but now I’m just curious to see how much weight do I have to drop to lose fat roll :)
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Novayolande wrote: »
    littlegreenparrot1 I google searched my measurement so reading posts and images.

    The weight is also on my thighs. It feels like fat. I don’t think it’s a disease just have high fat percentage.

    I would’ve stopped losing weight at 133 but now I’m just curious to see how much weight do I have to drop to lose fat roll :)

    The absolute lowest end of your healthy BMI range is 122 pounds, which is three pounds from where you are now. You really should not be trying to lose more weight.

    I would encourage you to stop googling and reading random things on the internet. There is a lot of bad information out there. It sounds like you are comparing yourself to things you saw online, which may or may not be good standards to compare yourself to.

    If you are worried about potential health risks, then you need to ask your doctor to evaluate you and give you a professional opinion.

    If you are only worried about appearance, then recomp is the best option for you.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    edited January 2020
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    Stay at a midline healthy weight and do the recomp as advised. I'm straight up and down in the waist and hip area but if I drop pounds from where I am (133 at 5'5) my arms and shoulders lose size and you can see my ribs in front on my chest. Belly and hips just hangin' out same as ever. Makes my arms look really long haha. There's zero guarantees and being underweight and continuing to restrict in your position is just going to mess with your head more and be physically and mentally difficult for no reason.

    Try the recomp.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,224 Member
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    Novayolande wrote: »
    tonyaab8... I did the weight hip ratio and it’s .86. Which is high risk! Yikes.

    WHR for female Classification
    0.80 or lower Low health risk
    0.81 to 0.84 Moderate risk
    0.85 or higher High risk
    Based upon a waist measurement of 30 inches and hip measurement of 35 inches.

    These simple ways of evaluating risks are intended as screenings, to identify people who should follow up with a doctor for personalized advice. The underlying idea of this waist/hip one is that visceral fat has a higher health risk, and people with more visceral fat are likely to have a relatively high waist measurement compared to the rest of their body.

    It is not the case that everyone with a larger waist measurement has high visceral fat. Sometimes, it's just a body shape. With the ratio you mention, it would be a good plan to discuss your concerns with your doctor. S/he can help you figure out whether you actually have visceral fat that would be concerning, or just a further-from-average overall body shape, which can also happen.

    You'll want to be seeing your doctor anyways, since as rhedd says, there is some possibility of an unusual medical condition, and it will be good to rule that out.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Novayolande wrote: »
    It’s normal but large for my small frame. I haven’t seen anyone at my height and weight with a 30”

    How do you know everyone's waist measurement???
  • Novayolande
    Novayolande Posts: 9 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    Novayolande wrote: »
    It’s normal but large for my small frame. I haven’t seen anyone at my height and weight with a 30”

    How do you know everyone's waist measurement???

    I did a google search.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Google is an idiot, it’s true.
  • estherpotter1
    estherpotter1 Posts: 137 Member
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    do stomach toning exercises

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