getting skinnier but still have a big belly. please help

believer1988 · December 2013

Hi everyone, today is my first day on MFP!! :drinker: my friend recommended this site and said that it has helped her track calories and that there are good tips here. So let me start of by saying that I've started my 'diet' August 20th and was my heaviest at 145-146 (i am only 5'0 so that was considered overweight) I remember the reason i started was I went to a family friend's house for a bbq and was asked if I was pregnant! I almost cried right there! So from then on I watched what I ate and drank lots more water, and way less soda. I managed to lose 20 pounds just doing that. Now i noticed that my arms, legs, thighs,breasts,and even but are way smaller and thinner, but the one thing i wanted to lose the most was still big. (though it did go down quit a bit compared to before) now here's the thing. I don't have a 'goal weight' but i don't want to lose too much and be at a low weight, and now being at 122 I don't want to be less than 115. can anyone tell me any tips on how i can slim down my belly?? I started the 30 day shred and am on day 3 level 1. (i don't like exercising, but i hate having a big belly even more lol)

shierrarobin · December 2013

I feel your pain, but unfortunately you can't spot reduce. You can build up muscle in that particular area, but you cannot make the fat reduce in that particular spot. Just keep doing what you're doing, eat well, and lift weights, and it will go away. The belly is one of the worst places to try to reduce, so it will take a while. I've been working out for a year and a half now and my belly still isn't gone. Keep working at it, though, and it WILL go away.

nehushtan · December 2013

It's the last part to go. But it goes. Oh yes, it goes!

Mirabelle345 · December 2013

Same here! I wish there was something we could do about it

I just joined yesterday but have lost around 15 pound v v gradually over the past year; but barely any of it was off my belly! I'm just hoping now I've joined and am paying closer attention, the weight will come off my stomach...

Good luck to you, sounds like you've done really well already!

AmyRhubarb · December 2013

Great job on the weight lost so far!

Echoing what was already said, sadly we can't spot reduce - fat comes off where it wants to come off. My tummy has always been my problem area too, my biggest problem, or so I thought, until my tummy got smaller and I realized my butt is the LAST place I'm losing fat! LOL

A small calorie deficit is best for fat loss. Slow going, especially since you've already lost the initial weight, but worth it in the long run. Start taking measurements now, and some photos from different angles - these will be great encouragement for you on days when you may feel like you're not making progress.

When you set up your MFP account today, you didn't set your loss goal for 2lbs a week, did ya? If so, go change it to .5lbs a week. This will give you more cals, creating a smaller deficit to lose that fat. And also understand that the deficit is built into your daily goal, so when you exercise and log those burned calories, they will be added back into your daily goal - you want your net cals to be at or very near goal each day. Otherwise you're leaving yourself with a much bigger deficit.

Welcome to MFP - and good luck!

believer1988 · December 2013

thank you everyone!

Spiderkeys · December 2013

I'm only 8kg away from the ideal weight, and whats MFP's version of ideal, if I still got my belly fat?

I'm happy the ideal weight is in sight, but sadly I feel i'm gonna be slightly disappointed.

Fullsterkur_woman · December 2013

Time for body recomp. Just walking ain't gonna cut it anymore, my friend. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Spiderkeys · December 2013

Yeah its almost time for me to start pumping iron at the gym.

lisajsund · December 2013

Muscle, muscle, muscle! Start weight training if you don't already!

stealthq · December 2013

If you're only 5', you may very well need to get below 115 lb to get your belly to your satisfaction if you try to get there with just diet. It would be a perfectly healthy weight for you, though I understand completely why you wouldn't want to drop that low.

I'm 5' 3" and currently aiming for 115 lb myself (original goal was 123). At this point, I'm reasonably sure I won't be totally happy with my belly and will need to do some recomposition or a bulk/cut cycle or two to get where I want to go. You might consider doing that yourself if you find that you're not happy when you reach goal.

HornedFrogPride · December 2013

Have you tried planking? If you plank everyday and do other core exercises/workouts, lift weights, it helps. give it a try. Good luck!

QuietBloom · December 2013

You're only 5', so you might still not like the results at 115 if you are small boned. But fear not - you belly will shrink as you continue to lose. You sound like you are an 'apple' shape and they hold weight in the midsection, and it is the last to go when losing. Just keep at it. :flowerforyou:

QuietBloom · December 2013

*sigh* People (IMHO) should not be made to feel they HAVE to lift heavy in order to reach their goals. I get so tired of this being applied as a blanket solution to everyone. And a recomp is only achieved after extensive effort and training with bulk and cut cycles. Not exactly something very many people are willing to do.

Sreneesa · December 2013

I ran on the treadmill, did tabata on treadmill, and never used weights and I got a little definition in my stomach. Never did a sit up or used a weight. Running with correct form will help with your stomach. I'm living proof of that.

It seems on here, and I have fallen into that trap even though my little progress says otherwise, lifting is the standard for everything.

Good to see another view on this.

lisajsund · December 2013

Building more muscle helps to 1) look lean - which it appears you are trying to do. 2) Keeps your metabolic rate up so you're burning more calories all of the time. 3) Actually allows you to eat more food, because of #2.

Weight loss is 80% nutrition, 10% exercise and 10% genetics. A good diet with lean healthy proteins will help build muscle.

I didn't say you had to lift heavy, only to add weight training - it really is all about muscle. More muscle means you have less body fat. If you don't know your body fat percentage, you should find a gym or trainer that will do a caliper test for you. It's good information to have. A healthy body fat for women is 18-25%.

Read this article if you have a few minutes. There are pics of more toned women and their weights.
http://sophieologie.me/2013/09/26/1200-calories/

Sreneesa · December 2013

Oh and my post isn't saying that you shouldn't use weights. I thinks its ideal.

I just wanted to provide another side based on my personal experiences.

I have a long way to go before I can start spitting out concrete knowledge as I'm nowhere near my goal! LOL

clambert1273 · December 2013

While I agree with you, people here also have unreasonable expectations about gaining that "super" body without doing the training it takes to get it... so from what I have seen the lifting gets thrown in to the mix when people start the "I want the super amazing body" theme.

I have no grand idealizations about what my body would look like just losing weight (and that thought is NOT a pretty one) and NOT doing the training.. I also know the body I want and that it takes the training to get it so that is what I will do

RGv2 · December 2013

A) A sit-up won't do anything for "your belly"

Running didn't necessarily give you definition in your stomach, the caloric deficit created did.

C) The reason people bring up lifting so much is cardio is normally the 1st form of exercise a person turns to and without the lifting portion you can reduce your LBM along with losing fat.

Edit: I'm not trying to debunk anyone's progress. Just pointing out how important a good combination of both cardio and lifting is.

lisajsund · December 2013

I run as well. In fact, I lost mostly fat during my last training program for a 1/2 marathon. Lost 7% BF - on running alone.
Great job! I think it was post above yours that I was commenting on.
Keep up the great work!!!

20Grit · December 2013

I think that area is the first to show up and the last to go.....you need more time Captain!

Sreneesa · December 2013

I really need to read up more on b) as I'm quite ignorant of this. Its like everything I believed is not true once being on here! LOL

I am truly grateful for what I am learning from everyone.

Thank you for pointing that out and curing my ignorance.

RGv2 · December 2013

Hopefully you're sincere, as after I re-read it I thought I might have sounded like a donkey.

Running/Cardio is a great calorie burner and great for you. It doesn't specifically do much from your abs specifically, per se.

I always thought it did myself too.

stealthq · December 2013

No, they shouldn't. But if the belly is not the way the OP wants at 115 lbs (and it probably won't be on a 5' woman), and the OP is not willing to drop below 115 lbs, then the only other option to get there would be bulk/cut cycles. Otherwise, she could get there by dropping more weight.

Sreneesa · December 2013

No way! You sounded fine to me. Not at all like a donkey. lol

I'm sincere. I just have a habit of always lol, cuz for the most part I'm easy going and happy. lolllll,,,, Think I will try and start using emoticons instead. I can see how me doing that often may throw people off in my sincerity... :flowerforyou: See I'm learning! hehehe

RGv2 · December 2013

Jestinia · December 2013

My belly went last and came back first. Working on making it go bye bye yet again.

Meanwhile, my poor face! If the rest of me was as angular as my face, I'd look like Twiggy in her heyday.

PawnchYoFace · December 2013

having lost about 25ish pounds in the last half of the year(not much, but they were all fat, i started around 153) and tripling in strengths, i should tell you that a lot of belly "fat" is actually just water retention, cut back on sodium and chug away on water(i recommend at least a gallon a day), try walking around every 20-30min so water doesnt accumulate in that area

Microfiber · December 2013

I've given up on ever having a flat tum (sigh) :frown:

Fullsterkur_woman · December 2013

I was really just speaking directly to my friend. I wasn't trying to make a general statement about all people. :flowerforyou: I want to encourage him to start the weight training now so that he will retain more of his muscle mass and not lose too much of his BMR. I was trying to help him take action now to avoid the dreaded "skinny fat" rather than have to completely turn the ship around at the end. Easier to make a smaller course correction right now, today.

getting skinnier but still have a big belly. please help

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