Exercise and maintaining

Lildarlinz

Hello everyone
I know you can’t spot reduce…but I want to maintain my weight but lose my belly podge.
I have been doing crunches, and some ab workouts aswell as walking 10,000 steps a day.will this be enough?

But embarrassing but I’ve tried some hiit workouts on YouTube like jumping Jacks and mountain climbers but I have big bussoms and find it hard to do.I am waiting for a referral to the hospital so a fitted bra is out of the question.I can only wear it for 5 mins and have to take it off due to the sores they give me xx

Any advice would be appreciated xx
Thank you xx

Lietchi

You have the answer yourself: you can't spot reduce. So those crunches and ab workouts will strengthen your core, but won't get rid of belly fat.

Neither will 10000 steps a day, although it's good for your health of course.

What you want to do (lower bodyfat while maintaining weight) is called recomposition. What you need to is follow a progressive strength training program while making sure you're eating sufficient protein.

boilerdawg2009

@Lildarlinz Well I certainly don't have any advice for the last part there...but there are some standing ab exercises that can be more beneficial than standard sit ups and crunches.

Lildarlinz

boilerdawg2009 wrote: »

@Lildarlinz Well I certainly don't have any advice for the last part there...but there are some standing ab exercises that can be more beneficial than standard sit ups and crunches.

Thank you I will have a look at them on YouTube

Lietchi

Lietchi wrote: »

You have the answer yourself: you can't spot reduce. So those crunches and ab workouts will strengthen your core, but won't get rid of belly fat.

Neither will 10000 steps a day, although it's good for your health of course.

What you want to do (lower bodyfat while maintaining weight) is called recomposition. What you need to is follow a progressive strength training program while making sure you're eating sufficient protein.

More info on recomposition:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

Lildarlinz

Lietchi wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

You have the answer yourself: you can't spot reduce. So those crunches and ab workouts will strengthen your core, but won't get rid of belly fat.

Neither will 10000 steps a day, although it's good for your health of course.

What you want to do (lower bodyfat while maintaining weight) is called recomposition. What you need to is follow a progressive strength training program while making sure you're eating sufficient protein.

More info on recomposition:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

Can I ask another question lietchi
My bmi is 22….my ideal weight is 8 stone 1 and 11 stone I think
I’m 10 stone now so I could possibly lose a bit of belly fat if I lost a bit more weight
But I do like my curves that’s what I’m scared of losing.

I’ve done a bit of that.I do squats…I’ve done some leg press at the park you know they have them gym things there.
I do have a set of dumbbells but find it hard to do lunges with them.maybe it’s all about practise
I do try to eat lots of protein aswell as I love mince meat or a Bolognese without the spaghetti of course xx

Lietchi

Where you lose fat is something you can't choose and it varies from person to person. So losing a bit more weight might help your belly, or you might lose from the hips (or a combination), hard to predict.

Building muscle in your legs can perhaps, to a certain extent, compensate for 'lost curves'?

I would recommend an established training program though (that trains your whole body), not just doing some squats, leg press and lunges.

sijomial

Lildarlinz wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

You have the answer yourself: you can't spot reduce. So those crunches and ab workouts will strengthen your core, but won't get rid of belly fat.

Neither will 10000 steps a day, although it's good for your health of course.

What you want to do (lower bodyfat while maintaining weight) is called recomposition. What you need to is follow a progressive strength training program while making sure you're eating sufficient protein.

More info on recomposition:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

Can I ask another question lietchi
My bmi is 22….my ideal weight is 8 stone 1 and 11 stone I think
I’m 10 stone now so I could possibly lose a bit of belly fat if I lost a bit more weight
But I do like my curves that’s what I’m scared of losing.

I’ve done a bit of that.I do squats…I’ve done some leg press at the park you know they have them gym things there.
I do have a set of dumbbells but find it hard to do lunges with them.maybe it’s all about practise
I do try to eat lots of protein aswell as I love mince meat or a Bolognese without the spaghetti of course xx

Losing weight is by far the quickest way to lose fat of course and you might find just a few pounds makes quite a difference. Your ideal weight is very personal to you and might not be the same weight as it used to be (mine wasn't!). Being "scared" about experimenting might stop you finding yours. If you lost too much weight for your tastes that's completely reversible.

Abs and core exercises don't of course target fat around your abs and core but you may get some visual benefits in terms of posture if you currently have a weak core or poor posture.
Your curves are a mix of your skeleton/frame (which you can't change), your fat (which you can reduce but not in a targetted way), muscles (which you can target with exercises) and the proportion of breast tissue to fat in your "big bussoms".

But if you are serious about improving your body composition through adding muscle just doing a few random exercises isn't going to be effective. "A bit" and "some" isn't going to cut it. You need to challenge your existing capabilities with sufficient volume at an appropriate intensity, consistently and long term.

Don't mourn not being able to do "hiit workouts on YouTube like jumping Jacks and mountain climbers" - they don't seem to fit your goals in the slightest. You can use your exercise time and effort much better than that.

charmmeth

I can't do jumping jacks and so on, but have really tightened up my core by using the BodyFit by Amy core and more programme, and subsequently the workouts in the BodyFit Athletic Club. Her free videos are here: https://bodyfitbyamy.com/abs-and-core-workouts/. If you want the four-week programme it is here: https://bodyfitbyamy.com/shop/ (towards the bottom of the page). This has really changed things for me.
Also I have an MFP friend who had amazing results for her core from doing a plank challenge. I think it was something like this one, but she did it three times each day, morning, lunchtime evening: https://timeinthemarket.com/the-beginner-30-day-plank-challenge/.
However, I have come to realise that a bit of lower belly bulge is also part of life for women, as we have to have space for our internal organs, especially our uterus. There is a great thread about anatomy here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1.

spiriteagle99

Where your body stores fat is largely genetic. My mother had a big belly, so do I. I am thin (BMI of 20) and my upper body is bony, but I still have a round belly though I never had children. I have a hernia so am cautious about doing core work. Mostly I just accept that I do not have a perfect body and that's okay.

SnifterPug

Does your bust get in the way of/cause discomfort doing planks? They are a great core exercise.

Alternatively, hollow body holds are great, and you do those lying on your back.

IllustriousBee

I know the struggle. I'm a pear shape (if I were to gain significant weight anyway), but I definitely have a "spare tire" or muffin top that accumulates in my lower abdomen/lower back area when I put on weight/fat. It is ALWAYS the last bit to go when I lose said weight and fat. Usually I think my weight is just fine, but the spare tire is still there. Well, unfortunately that just means you need to get your body to burn more fat, which means losing a bit more weight. You can gain this back in muscle later, so don't fret. I was actually in the best shape of my life when I cut down to a BMI of about 18, and then did intense strength training with a slight calorie surplus to get back to my "happy weight" but with a different/better physique.

Lildarlinz

IllustriousBee wrote: »

I know the struggle. I'm a pear shape (if I were to gain significant weight anyway), but I definitely have a "spare tire" or muffin top that accumulates in my lower abdomen/lower back area when I put on weight/fat. It is ALWAYS the last bit to go when I lose said weight and fat. Usually I think my weight is just fine, but the spare tire is still there. Well, unfortunately that just means you need to get your body to burn more fat, which means losing a bit more weight. You can gain this back in muscle later, so don't fret. I was actually in the best shape of my life when I cut down to a BMI of about 18, and then did intense strength training with a slight calorie surplus to get back to my "happy weight" but with a different/better physique.

thank you Bee xx
My bmi at the moment is 22.6 I believe
I’d like to get it down a bit as I have asked the doctor for a breast reduction and I want to be seen to be trying my best, even though my bmi is below the requirement (has to be below 27) but I thought I’d I could lose a bit more weight, I might lose some of my bussoms naturally
I will take your advice on board x I will keep trying xx

Lildarlinz

SnifterPug wrote: »

Does your bust get in the way of/cause discomfort doing planks? They are a great core exercise.

Alternatively, hollow body holds are great, and you do those lying on your back.

Hi snifter
I can do planks not a problem…they just dangle and touch the floor hahahaha!
It’s when I try to do anything that requires jumping up and down on the spot that I kinda struggle with.I can’t find a fitted bra as they hurt me so much because my boobs are really big…so when I jump up and down I can only say they give me a big whack on the face 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ Haha!

SilverJem77

My 2 cents is to look at your diet. Alcohol can cause belly bloat even if you are below your calorie goal. Not sure if that could be a factor for you or not, but I thought I'd share. Good luck!

ivanawalsh3070

Lildarlinz wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

I do have a set of dumbbells but find it hard to do lunges with them.

Try and get a kettlebell. These are easier to handle for lunges.
As mentioned above, I'd highly recommend strength training. The Fit Father Project on youtube has a lot of practical tutorials.
Best of luck.

springlering62

I wouldn’t worry too much about losing curves.

For any I’ve lost, I’ve found new - and usually improved- ones.

Your body isn’t going to stay static and just deflate. It rearranges itself quite well.

mjglantz

I always had bigger hips & thighs - even as a kid when I was on the thin side. When I lost weight I lost pretty evenly except those hips and thighs. After losing about 60 lbs I started in on cardiac rehab and added real cardio plus strength. I not only kept losing another 25-30 lbs but my whole body shape changed. Lost the hips and thighs and realize that I don't have a medium frame, I have a small frame. Go figure. Still astounds me when I try on clothes and some sales assistant says " well since you don't have any hips...."
OTOH at age 71 I don't think I'll ever get rid of that little roll around the middle.

Beautyofdreams

I have lost weight every where. However my upper belly is so huge it enters a room before I do. Discovered that I had an upper diastasis recti that is quite large. The suggested exercise for this is to do stomach vacuums to strengthen the transverse abdominal muscles. Exercises to avoid are full push ups, full planks bicycle crunches and most crunches in general.
The test for this is quite simple. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Put one hand on the midline of your belly and push lightly until you feel your abdomen. Raise your head up while keeping shoulders on the ground, look to see if your belly domes up. Feel along your midline for any separation between your stomach muscles. A one finger separation is considered normal but anything greater is diastasis recti. It is common in women after pregnancy or in men and women that have lost weight. It can range from lower abdomen middle, upper or entire abdomen. The separations can take from 6 to 12 months of stomach vacuums for 10 minutes a day to heal. There are other exercises suggested too but the stomach vacuum is the most well researched of them and considered the most effective with current data.