Need suggestions on food to lose stomach fat

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Dkittery
Dkittery Posts: 82
in Food and Nutrition
For two years I have worked hard at losing my weight from having my kids, it was a long time coming. In the beginning it was extremely easy to lose the first 20 pounds, did it in three months. :) Eat right and exercising. I felt great. Because I saw the results I have been obsessed with losing more. As of right now I have 30% body fat and I want that down to at least 20%, most of it is in my butt and stomach area.. I’m frustrated because my stomach isn’t going away.

I know that the stomach is the last spot to lose the fat and I also know that the more cardio you do and with a good diet, it will go away eventually. I also know that you should eat your carb’s before noon.

I work out three times a week, 20 minutes on the elliptical set at an incline of 15 to work just my butt at resistances of 10. Then I move to the treadmill for another 20. This is at an incline of 15 and at the speed of 3 to 3.5 miles per hour. This reduced my butt within 3 weeks. Yeah me…..  I also do an hour of weight training, I work the major muscles. For my ab work outs, I do 5 different crunches, it’s a killer work out, and I hate it but love it at the same time… LOL

So I’m thinking my problem is the diet, I need to know what I can eat so I can really work on reducing the fat in that area.

Any suggestions? Want to hear them all please. :smile:

Replies

  • LindseyC87
    LindseyC87 Posts: 178 Member
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    Watch your carb and sodium intake... I am on a diet of 50% protein 30% carbs and 20% fats.. Its working wonders for me on loosing my stomach fat. I do alot of cardio and alot of weight training as well.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
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    I agree with Lindsey C87. I also see from your diary that you like popcorn. Watch the following video about why popcorn is bad. The jist is that "when you puff or pop a grain, the quicker it turns to sugar".

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=598KCyPutIU&feature=related
  • s00sh
    s00sh Posts: 91
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    you can't spot-lose weight. it comes off where it comes off, there's no way to trick it into coming from certain places. if you exercise certain areas of your body you will build muscle in those areas, but that doesn't mean the fat on top will come off. it isn't really fair, i know ;)
  • hamiltonba
    hamiltonba Posts: 474 Member
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    Hello, I looked at your food journal and you have over-eaten by a lot of calories almost every day (some days overeating by 1,000 calories - 1 lb is 3500 calories). Also, I noticed that you have 5-6 tsp. of sugar in your coffee every morning. You also have a lot of processed foods in your diet. Maybe you could try to change something in your diet once a week until you are able to make healthier choices.
  • aanddplusoanda
    aanddplusoanda Posts: 189 Member
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    I have a lot of fat left in my stomach. Just this last week I cut a lot of fat out and have done 100 sit-ups (chest touches knees) a day and I have lost 1 inch off my stomach....in just 1 week. I was shocked! I did this on top of 30 Day Shred. This is really the only thing I can think of since it has worked for me. I also eat a lot of fruits and veggies and I hardly have any salt and sugar.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Just continue to diet and lose fat and your stomach fat will eventually disappear. I would lower carbs down a bit and add in more protein. You may also try eating the majority of those carbs in the evening rather than before noon.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    My suggestion is to cut those carbs, I took a quick look at your diary, and IMO your carbs are pretty high. Of course I’m a low carb advocate, so I lean that way. Some simple things you can do is cut back on the number of processed foods you eat, stay away from anything with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and cut back on the amount of grain you eat, bread, pasta, you get the idea. If you see the results you want and want more information on this lifestyle I would be glad to point you in the right directions.
  • SoUnaware
    SoUnaware Posts: 85 Member
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    Studies show that people who eat a high protein diet are skinner, and have less fat percentage than other people, even if they aren't trying to lose weight. I found this in the book The New Rules of Lifting, for Women. So, my suggestion would be to eat a diet that is higher in protein than carbs and fat.
    Egg whites are high in protein.
    Almonds. (But they also have high fat content, so pay attention to that.)
    Chicken breast
    Cottage cheese
    Most beans
    Look around. Just try to get more protein and less carbs and fat into your diet. It should help, if you're working out right :)
  • MissKim
    MissKim Posts: 2,853 Member
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    Meat, Veggies, healthy fats, minimal fruit
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I agree with your the other posts. Your calorie intake is higher than what MFP allowed you, specially carbs and sodium. I will suggest you to review your diet, eat more simple meals and much less processed food, and increase your lean protein intake if you want to see better results.

    It is not easy but it is duable. Good luck!
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 749 Member
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    Wow! 1 inch in 1 week! That's AWESOME! :)
  • ladyviola
    ladyviola Posts: 21 Member
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    In my opinion you are eating waaay too much sugar and waaay too many carbs. I would stick to 1-3 servings of fruit a day and get the rest of your carbs from green leafy vegetables. Cut out the pasta, popcorn, crackers and the other processed foods and I bet you'll see a difference :)
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
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    No such thing as targeted weight loss besides lipo, unfortunately. No magic food, no special tricks, no nothing.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
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    Checking the diary out as others have as well...

    * Ditch the extra sugar i.e. granulated sugar. Natural sugars found in nuts, fruit, and veggies is OK.
    * You Don't worry about low sodium unless it's doctor-prescribed. If you're taking in too little sodium your body will actually retain excess water in an effort to hold on to what little sodium you're giving it. Sodium is NOT, I repeat NOT a bad thing as you've been trained to believe. You can sweat out as much as 2,000mg Sodium per hour during heavy exercise. So make sure you hit that 2,500 a day and make sure you replenish after exercise by eating healthy natural foods like peanut butter and cheese.
    * You're all over the place on your calories. Unless you're trying a Zig-Zag program, you need to pick a number and hit it each and every day.
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    I know that the stomach is the last spot to lose the fat and I also know that the more cardio you do and with a good diet, it will go away eventually.

    No you don't!

    http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/The_Final_Nail_in_the_Cardio_Coffin.cfm

    Cardio does not equal fat loss. Though there are plenty of exercises that do! :)
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I know that the stomach is the last spot to lose the fat and I also know that the more cardio you do and with a good diet, it will go away eventually.

    No you don't!

    http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/The_Final_Nail_in_the_Cardio_Coffin.cfm

    Cardio does not equal fat loss. Though there are plenty of exercises that do! :)

    Great article, thanks for posting.
  • ResilientWoman
    ResilientWoman Posts: 440 Member
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    Two suggestions:

    1. Buy or borrow from your library Sarah Fragoso's brand new cookbook, Everyday Paleo. She is a mom to three sons and provides a monthly menu plan, weekly shopping lists, two weeks worth of school lunches as well as an education on nutrition that is busy-mom friendly. Hers is a no fail whole life program for transitioning from your current lifestyle to one that will eliminate the need for dieting. Listen to her wisdom and you'll be stronger, leaner and healthier than you've ever been.

    2. Get Lauren Brooks DVD or iPhone app, Ultimate Body Conditioning with Kettlebells.

    Busy moms like you and I don't have time to hang out half our lives in a gym, besides I'd rather play with my kid. I've lost over 91 lbs of belly fat (along with other assorted fat) and gained a lot of functional muscle from the principles found in these two resources. I spend approximately 4-20 minutes 3 times per week on strength training. That's all.

    HW: 352 lbs
    MFP: 276 lbs
    CW: 262 lbs
    GW: 192 lbs or whatever works.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    Wow, great suggestions from everyone! That's what I love about MFP! @ResilientWoman - I'll have to get that book, "Everyday Paleo". Sounds like something that would help me plan meals better, esp. with the kiddos. Thanks!
  • Dkittery
    Dkittery Posts: 82
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    I am truly amazed on the feed back I received... Thank you everyone, you have helped me in so many different ways on so many levels, learned a lot today... I love this website... :)
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
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    My suggestion is to *really* cut down on simple carbs and sugar. Try to eat as wholesome as possible.

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