Very active and can't lose belly fat

jnovotny12

Hi everyone,

Before I started using MFP, I weighed 230 lbs. I managed to lose 18 lbs in 6 months and then I tried MFP and nothing has worked like this. I've lost 21 lbs in a little over a month. I eat well and exercise a lot. I burn around 1200 calories in the gym every day. The old high school athlete in me is coming back. I've lost weight in my face, neck, chest, waist, and thighs. The only place I can't lose it is in my belly. While I have lost some, it doesn't keep up with rest of my weight loss. I've cut out sugars and fats in my diet and I don't eat past 8PM. I also do crunches, push-ups and pull-ups. Will my belly eventually catch up or do I need to do something different? Does anyone have any suggestions or personal experiences?

Some info about me that may help

22 yr old Male 6' 3"
Current weight: 191.4lbs
Target weight: 180 lbs
Average 1,200 Calories consumed per day
Average 1,200 Calories burned in gym per day (Running, Biking, Elliptical)

deannarey13

You are eating as much as you burn?

You should really be eating about 2400 calories if you burn 1200 at the gym.

Your body will store fat if you are not eating enough. I had the same problem and as soon as I adjusted appropriately, the belly fat has finally been coming off!

amicklin

You only intake 1,200 calories per day and you burn 1,200 alories in the gym?

Oh my gosh. THAT is why you aren't losing the weight around your middle hun. You have to 'fuel the fire'. I would suggest reading/ searching for Posts by a member called 'SHBoss1673'. He has made alot of posts about this same thing.

schaapj2

one word.......P90X.......gets rid of a LOT of body fat so I've heard....people who have used it love it...I have not personally, but I've seen people's results from doing it and that would be the quickest way to start slimming down that stubborn belly fat.

raelbee

From what I've heard, and in my own personal experience, the belly fat is the last place to go. Keep doing cardio to burn the fat, and your belly will eventually slim down and flatten out.

Natural

this is also my question. i recently read that the way - after you lose the weight - to get rid of belly fat is strength training and lowering your [bad] carb intake. i don't know what else to do myself. i can't lose any more weight after i get rid of these 4 pounds and just have belly fat left. so i will try weight/strength training and hope it burns the deep fat. there's nothing left anywhere else on me but there.

anyone?

osupike35

You've got to eat more than that. Got to build up muscle to burn that fat and if you don't eat enough you won't build muscle. Oh, and Let's Gooooooooooooooo Mountaineers!

Dellie22

Fat you've had longer will take the longest to go as it is more compact. Think of it as sugar. If you place ordinary sugar into water, it will dissolve quickly but if you place a sugar cube into water, because it is more compact, it will take longer to dissolve. Just keep going. It will eventually come off

ErinMarie25

I am slowly, but surely losing my belly fat. I don't have nearly as much as before I started my weight loss journey in June. I have a "pudge" so people like to say. It's not big, but I am still working on it! It does suck that belly fat is pretty much the last thing to go! Wish it were the first!

trejon

Try 21 Days of LIMITING the following within your diet and you should see results - READ, READ, READ the ingredients:devil: - do not trust the labels :noway: !
1. LIMIT Anything with "Enriched" in the ingredients - you want whole grains.
2. LIMIT Anything with "High Fructose" in the ingredients - natural sugar is better alternative (cane, agave, honey)
3. LIMIT Anything with "Partially Hydrogenated" in the ingredients - natural fats are better alternatives (olive, canola)
4. ADD Whole fruits, veggies and juices.
5. LIMIT eating packaged items as much as possible.

This really worked for me. I cannot say the same for anyone else - I am two cans from having a six pack.....

toniz63

You need to take in more calories. If you burn too many calories over what you a consuming your body goes into "starvation mode" and starts storing away calories instead of burning them. Look at your BMR. This is the amount of calories that you would burn if you need nothing but get out of bed in the morning. Add the 1200 that you are burning at the gym and that's the total that you are burning in a day. Subtract your 1200 that you are eating and that is your net deficiency. A pound if weight is 3500 calories so if you are deficient 500 calories a day you will lose 1 pound a week. Deficient of 1000 calories a day and you lose 2 pounds a week. If you are deficient of too many calories your body will think it is starving and will burn calories more slowly .

erickirb

1200 cals is the min a woman should eat, a man should not eat less than 1500 plus exercise calories. You will still lose weight eating that much. You must have lost a pile of muscle mass as well as fat only eating 1200 cals. Your muscles need way more fuel than that.

Eat more and make sure you are getting enough protein.

Edestiny7

Women lose belly fat first. Men lose belly fat last. Either way, the only way to lose it is to lower your body fat percentage, specifically through cardio exercise and eating healthy.

jnovotny12

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll start eating more. Should I space out my meals? Eat more small meals?

erickirb

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll start eating more. Should I space out my meals? Eat more small meals?

.

The more often you eat the better. I typically eat 6 times a day, every 2-3 hours (Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Supper, Snack)

clipsychic

Great post... Tagging for later.

ka_42

Women lose belly fat first. Men lose belly fat last. Either way, the only way to lose it is to lower your body fat percentage, specifically through cardio exercise and eating healthy.

Women lose belly fat first... is this true? I've lost over 50 lbs and have lost inches everywhere but smallest loss is around the waistline.. The belly flab seems to be hanging on for dear life.. I thought that is was the last to go as some of the other posters suggested.

toniz63

You should be spacing your meals out throughout the day. Instead of 3 big meals you are better off with 6 half meals. Also, make sure that your last meal/snack is at least 3 hours before you go to bed. When you sleep your body processes food more slowly so youo don't want to go tot sleep with food still digesting in your stomach.

pfenixa

Women lose belly fat first. Men lose belly fat last. Either way, the only way to lose it is to lower your body fat percentage, specifically through cardio exercise and eating healthy.

Women lose belly fat first... is this true? I've lost over 50 lbs and have lost inches everywhere but smallest loss is around the waistline.. The belly flab seems to be hanging on for dear life.. I thought that is was the last to go as some of the other posters suggested.

I think it's based on the idea that women tend to keep fat stores in the hips/butt/thigh area while men are more prone to keeping it in the midsection. That means that women don't necessarily lose it first, but they'll lose it before the fat in the lower area. The belly is typically the trouble area for men. And that's generally speaking, since there are always exceptions.

heathersmilez

YOU ARE STARVING!!!

Like others have said, you are under eating (min intake for males is 1500 calories its women that the minimum is 1200 and you are 6'3 so your minimum is probably 1800) and you are burning 1200 which means your body is completely starving!!!!

The minimum calories required for your body to function is calculated AFTER you take into account what you are burning off (your net) which means you need to eat 2400+ calories in order to lose weight.

You have basically developed (or are hanging onto for dear life) an Ethiopian pot belly; it’s what all the starving children have there not because they are fat but whatever muscle mass or fat they do have on their body gets placed around their midsection to protect their organs.

Grokette

Hi everyone,

Before I started using MFP, I weighed 230 lbs. I managed to lose 18 lbs in 6 months and then I tried MFP and nothing has worked like this. I've lost 21 lbs in a little over a month. I eat well and exercise a lot. I burn around 1200 calories in the gym every day. The old high school athlete in me is coming back. I've lost weight in my face, neck, chest, waist, and thighs. The only place I can't lose it is in my belly. While I have lost some, it doesn't keep up with rest of my weight loss. I've cut out sugars and fats in my diet and I don't eat past 8PM. I also do crunches, push-ups and pull-ups. Will my belly eventually catch up or do I need to do something different? Does anyone have any suggestions or personal experiences?

Some info about me that may help

22 yr old Male 6' 3"
Current weight: 191.4lbs
Target weight: 180 lbs
Average 1,200 Calories consumed per day
Average 1,200 Calories burned in gym per day (Running, Biking, Elliptical)

Cutting out fat is not going to keep you from losing fat............

You have to eat fat to burn fat!!!!

Also, cut the grains. Focus on Proteins and green leafy veggies. You will be amazed in your results in a short period of time.

ErinMarie25

Women lose belly fat first. Men lose belly fat last. Either way, the only way to lose it is to lower your body fat percentage, specifically through cardio exercise and eating healthy.

Women lose belly fat first... is this true? I've lost over 50 lbs and have lost inches everywhere but smallest loss is around the waistline.. The belly flab seems to be hanging on for dear life.. I thought that is was the last to go as some of the other posters suggested.

IMO, women lose weight in the belly and arms as one of the last. I have also read that in a lot of places.

Grokette

Women lose belly fat first. Men lose belly fat last. Either way, the only way to lose it is to lower your body fat percentage, specifically through cardio exercise and eating healthy.

Women lose belly fat first... is this true? I've lost over 50 lbs and have lost inches everywhere but smallest loss is around the waistline.. The belly flab seems to be hanging on for dear life.. I thought that is was the last to go as some of the other posters suggested.

IMO, women lose weight in the belly and arms as one of the last. I have also read that in a lot of places.

I believe it depends on the person.............

I am losing in my butt, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, neck and face.............

My arms and legs are losing more slowly and the arms and legs are what is keeping me in a larger size so my clothes are all fitting very weird.

Motleybird

Last on, first off, or first on, last off. Also if you've had a big belly for awhile the skin might be stretched. At 22, you're probably still young enough to recover from that one though.

Also, double check your goals to make sure they're not too ambitious. Only people with a lot to lose should be doing 2 pounds a week. The closer you get to a normal BMI the less per week you can safely lose without sacrificing muscle. If you're almost to your goal, you should have it set to half a pound a week.

edorice

I was able to see great progress in my lower stomach with the Insanity workout. I eat every three hours and started jogging. This is a lot of progress from someone that is 40 years old, had a C-section and still at 25% bodyfat.

ka_42

Thanks to those who responded to my question... I'm hoping the "first on, last off" idea will hold true for me

Grokette

YOU ARE STARVING!!!

Like others have said, you are under eating (min intake for males is 1500 calories its women that the minimum is 1200 and you are 6'3 so your minimum is probably 1800) and you are burning 1200 which means your body is completely starving!!!!

The minimum calories required for your body to function is calculated AFTER you take into account what you are burning off (your net) which means you need to eat 2400+ calories in order to lose weight.

You have basically developed (or are hanging onto for dear life) an Ethiopian pot belly; it’s what all the starving children have there not because they are fat but whatever muscle mass or fat they do have on their body gets placed around their midsection to protect their organs.

OH Lord, please do not try and say that an American with food plentiful is even comparible to a starving Ethopian child. You CAN NOT even compare the 2.

I can guarantee that the OP is NOT STARVING..................Please Give it a rest already, Starvation Mode is the Myth of all Myths!!!

JDMPWR

Eat some or most of your workout cals. Secondly ab workouts will grow the muscle not decrease the fat. Lastly and most importantly your body will lose fat the way it put it on. So if you have had the belly the longest it will be the last/hardest to come off....

TheNewJessieMae

YOU ARE STARVING!!!

Like others have said, you are under eating (min intake for males is 1500 calories its women that the minimum is 1200 and you are 6'3 so your minimum is probably 1800) and you are burning 1200 which means your body is completely starving!!!!

The minimum calories required for your body to function is calculated AFTER you take into account what you are burning off (your net) which means you need to eat 2400+ calories in order to lose weight.

You have basically developed (or are hanging onto for dear life) an Ethiopian pot belly; it’s what all the starving children have there not because they are fat but whatever muscle mass or fat they do have on their body gets placed around their midsection to protect their organs.

Holy COW!!!! VERY inappropriate!!!!!!

chrissym78

Inappropriate indeed!

Ge0rgiana

The Ethiopian belly is NOT caused by lack of calories; it's caused by poor diet. Read the article.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/kwashiorkor.aspx

With that said... first on, last off. Oh, and the OP should probably eat more. I believe you are male? Males shouldn't go below 1,500 cals a day. With the exercise you're doing, definitely eat more. But eat more protein if you don't want to develop Kwashiorkor. :happy: