another belly fat issue

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HIITMe
HIITMe Posts: 921 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Im down 125-ish pounds....

now at 23.1 BMI

I cannot pinch any fat at waist

I have visable abs... well I have a 4 pack... the top 4 are very visable... its the bottom set of 4 that is covered my fat/ residual skin...

I run 3 times a week, swim 3 times a week...do StrongLifts 3 times a week....
I do not really want to lose much more weight, if any.... 22 BMI is the lowest I feel looks good on me

since we cannot spot reduce, WTH can I do besides have a tummy tuck??

ANNOYED.COM

Replies

  • deedzzz
    deedzzz Posts: 220 Member
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    Congrats on the weight loss! I am pretty sure you look awesome!

    Maybe increase weights on the stronglift program? Or change weight lifting programs?!
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
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    their are ALOT of tummy exercises that just work THAT area. Just google them--I did and I am looking much better
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Your %BF is not quite low enough. If you don't want to lose overall weight, you'll want to do a body recomp. Ask this question over in the weight gain forum. They'll have good advice for you.

    ETA - did not see the bit about residual skin. If you think it's excess skin and not fat, then you can't do anything but wait for the skin to tighten up (can take up to 2 years to finish, supposedly), have medical intervention, or build up your lower abs so they show through. Not sure that last is possible for you - depends on much/little is hiding the definition.
  • johnhubbs
    johnhubbs Posts: 33 Member
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    Keep Cals the same. Carb cycle and up protein
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    You can target lower abs with hanging leg raises (straight leg and bent knee) and other abs work but if you have a covering of fat and/or loose skin then they may not show.
    Depending on age & genetics your loose skin may or may not improve in time.

    It's a balance of being the weight you want to be for health, fitness & strength versus wanting a six pack for aesthetics. Very much a personal choice.

    Your exercise routine sounds great by the way.
  • CountryGirl8542
    CountryGirl8542 Posts: 449 Member
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    Do bicycle crunches... and reverse crunches... etc... google lower ab excercises or go to www.freetrainers.com and browse through their exercise routines. Another good place is www.bodybuilding.com
  • Spiritrose
    Spiritrose Posts: 7 Member
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    Congrats on your new habits and reaching your goal weight! Those are big things to be proud of, don't let the little lower belly fat distract you from that!

    If it makes you feel better, I've never been overweight and I get that little pooch pretty damn easily. In fact, the only time it's NOT there is when I'm training for a half-marathon when my mileage increases & my workouts are more varied. We're women, unless we're models it's there & there for a reason. :) Personally, I don't mind it & I'm sure you won't either after your skin tightens up and you'll see it's just another natural curve. For now, I can totally understand your impatience, after all your hard work, to see the body you've been envisioning this entire time.

    So, I can offer you some suggestions to maybe try out & tweak to make your own if they sound good to you:

    1. Vary your workouts. Throw intervals into your runs/swims once a week. Run a hilly course once every other week. Do your weight routine backwards. Your body is an amazingly efficient machine. Trick it every couple of weeks by throwing something new and it'll wake up and start burning again. You'll find yourself less bored, too!
    2. Consider foods that might be making you bloated. For me, it's processed sugar, bread & milk. When I replace those with other whole foods (like fruit, oats & almond milk) I notice my tummy looks MUCH flatter.
    3. If you are eating diet foods/processed foods, try to replace them with whole foods. The unnatural ingredients in processed foods wreak havoc on your hormones causing all kinds of chaos, including storing fat.
    4. Are you over-stressed? With all that exercise, maybe not lol. But if your work, your life, maybe even your focus on weight loss is causing too much stress, you'll notice the effects on your belly (another hormonal response).
    5. Check your posture. Maybe you don't have as much excess fat as you think, but if you slouch the skin & fat bunches up right there.

    Keep going! Be strong & healthy first! You're an inspiration!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,039 Member
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    I am on month 16 of maintenance and I can promise you you will see a difference in your body over time if you stick with maintaining your calories, exercising and getting enough sleep... that said, it is easier said than done!
  • markiend
    markiend Posts: 461 Member
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    When my belly was out of control the lower abs ( somewhere I couldn't see ) had expanded so far, I knew it would be a long hard road to get it back into shape. Now the weight has come off over a good period of time, it still seems to be the area that will be last to get back to normal. I thought it would be down to the amount of expansion (39" at worst) that happened won't alter for a while.

    The lower part is now down to 33 1/2 ish but a poster above mentioned posture... and I think that is a good point, mine is bad but has got better. Also all my family carry their excess weight in this area

    Carry on carrying on with your good results. Look back at where you were for encouragement... that's what keeps me motivated
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    You are amazing. I'm going to guess that in a year your problem will solve itself by itself.

    Don't you HATE waiting?

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