Flabby Arms & Tummy Pooch

Tingababoo

Hello!

I've finally lost 20 lbs and I am very happy where I am in terms of how I look and feel everywhere BUT my Upper Arms and Tummy (which was my original concern to begin with). I am currently a size 4/6 down from an 8. Everyone says I should stop here with weight loss. But when I look in the mirror I see a thick upper arm and I still have a tummy roll. Is there a way to get rid of these without losing any more weight all around? Would light weights and high reps make my arms smaller? Heavy ab exercises help my stomach? Do I need to continue intense cardio?

I also have a low protein intake (30-50/day), is that really all that important? Because I was on the calorie counting mentality, I eat a lot more veggies then anything else.

Any tips would be helpful, thank you!

usmcmp

Protein and heavy lifting help with preserving lean mass. Ab exercises aren't going to help reduce stomach fat. Lots of arm exercises won't target arm fat. You need more protein and to lift heavy.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach

Tingababoo

So no more heavy cardio (as seen in you post)?

Stage14

So no more heavy cardio (as seen in you post)?

You can keep the cardio, but add more heavy lifting. If you want to recomposition your body, the fastest way to do it is to lift heavy (for you) weights at low reps. Look at a starter program like StrongLifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women.

ETA: Keep the cardio if you LIKE it, but you don't really need it for what you want to do.
Also edited to remove random all caps.

usmcmp

So no more heavy cardio (as seen in you post)?

I suggested including cardio a couple of days a week. Lifting is going to improve body composition and the cardio will help with the calorie deficit. You just don't have to go crazy doing cardio and lifting every day during the week.

terbusha

If you don't want to lose more weight (I'm in that boat too), increase your calorie intake so your weight remains constant. At the same time, switch the major focus of your workouts to weight lifting/resistance training. You can still do cardio once or twice/week, but lifting will help you to increase muscle tone and reduce your body fat.

Allan