Why won't my stomach EVER slim down?

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2

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  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    Thank you everyone, i'll just have to keep at it. I'm a fairly clean eater anyway, with the occasional treat. I do think carbs have a lot to do with it, but that's the main energy source I have. I'll try to add more protein and up dairy a little, but I'm pretty stuck on the carb front (I LOVE bread)

    I hear ya! Carbs are my downfall, it's taken me awhile to wean myself down to keeping it under 100 gr a day but ever since I have done that I feel tons better, more energy less tummy trouble and my tummy is shrinking! The carbs I do eat come only from fruits and veggies. It hard to resist breads etc but when I cave in I pay for it!
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    BUMP FOR LATER
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    bump for later, too
  • KrisKros6212
    KrisKros6212 Posts: 17 Member
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    I read an article about this a while back. Make sure you're doing a significant amount of Leg weights - do squats or lunges (and all that other aweful stuff that I hate doing...ugh!). Still do the ab workouts, but a combination of those things plus cardio should help :)
  • Abigailblue39
    Abigailblue39 Posts: 212 Member
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    I posted this before - TOning up the entire body will affect abs and you can get rid of excess fat:
    Cardio, in particular kickboxing, boxing, some ab work outs and a strict diet within your suggested range (I do high protein & complex carbs). Be conscious throughout the day to contract your abs, say sitting at the office desk. It works!

    P.S. Complex carbs - e.g. German Vollkornbrot/Mueslibread (Wholefoods) - helped my skin elasticity, so I got my 6-pack back 2 months after I gave birth to my daughter and C-section!!

    P.S. 2 If there is lose skin it may be extremely hard to get a visual six pack (ask a doc). I have a friend who got a tummy tuck (also aerobic instructor) after the birth of her kids and she still doesn't have a 6 pack (bummer, wasted all that money and had to recover forever).
  • LLaDonna
    LLaDonna Posts: 126
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    You are NOT alone! I've had 4 children, 2 by C-section...and sometimes I think I look like the Michelin Tire Man! I've been tracking my food for 9 days now and I noticed after the 3rd day that I don't have hardly as much bloating as I've been used to. MFP is helping me so much. Stay encouraged and try lots of stuff... and remember that we're out here, trying this stuff too!
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
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    I feel your pain! I've had a fat roll below the belly button since I was about 6 years old, was actually underweight for my height, and had such a lean torso that you could see the outline of my ribs. As I got older and was at a normal weight and then overweight, the belly fat roll got worse and worse. Like you, I've always wondered how all of these women with big hips, arms, legs, and face, can have a slightly soft looking but basically FLAT belly. I had emergency abdominal surgery when I was an infant and they made a big incision and cut through lots of muscle. I've sometimes wondered if that's why I have such stubborn belly fat. I'm about 6 pounds from my goal weight and have an almost gaunt looking face, skinny legs, lean hips and arms, and a lower belly that looks like I just gave birth to a 9 lb. baby yesterday (I have no children, BTW). Once I reach my goal weight, I'm going to get it lipo'd off and be done with it!
  • Redhead9
    Redhead9 Posts: 1 Member
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    Another thing to note is that-usually the FIRST place you tend to put ON weight, is the LAST place you will lose it. I'm the same as you-I gain all around the middle. My legs/hips/butt don't gain...but my tummy does. I've also had two c-sections which doesn't help. Anyways, as I lose-it's always the parts that don't really need much "losing" at first....and then my stomach last. My body holds on to that. Cardio is best to get the fat off and get lean, and weight training helps sculpt.
  • agameoffate
    agameoffate Posts: 17
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    you've had a lot of excellent suggestions & i wish i could add something valuable for you, but i struggle in this area too. i know if i could lose my belly, i'd be 20 lbs lighter lol. damn thing.

    i did read somewhere that it takes approximately 12 weeks to see visible results, so even if it isn't working right off the bat, stick with it! your hard work WILL pay off. :)

    also.. i've heard planks help a looottt, more so than the average crunches. i haven't tried them yet but i am hoping to soon.

    best of luck!
  • HungryTuna
    HungryTuna Posts: 141
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    I get what you mean about the ab workouts .....Here's the article if you'd like to read it:
    http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/lose-belly-fat-get-flat-abs/

    It contains a link to an ab workout that's supposed to really work and the author said she's noticed a difference:
    http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/waist-slimming-ab-workout/

    Great links! Very interesting article.. even I could use this!
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Thank you everyone, i'll just have to keep at it. I'm a fairly clean eater anyway, with the occasional treat. I do think carbs have a lot to do with it, but that's the main energy source I have. I'll try to add more protein and up dairy a little, but I'm pretty stuck on the carb front (I LOVE bread)

    Which do you love more. A thin tummy or carbs? the choice is yours. Also when you say you do cardio. What is your cardio exercise? Do you use a HRM? what is your hr at and your intensity level?
  • seckler
    seckler Posts: 169 Member
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    Ugghhh! This is my problem area too and also the sides of my thighs - the fat will not leave those places! I feel like I am eating fairly clean but nothing is happening.
  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
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    Those exercises for fitness seem really different. I'm going to copy and print them and see how they go. Having similar issues, although I don't expect the lower tummy to change much.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    If your stomach is the first place you gain weight, it will be the last place you lose it. You can add some serious ab workouts to build the underlying muscles, but the fat on top will still take it's time coming off - but, by working out the ab muscles, when the fat does come off, you'll have a nicely ripped stomach :-)
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
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    You say that ab workouts tend to make it worse....I have been told that when you first start to build muscle in that area, it actually does pooch out more because the muscle is getting larger....but it's gettting firmer! And if you stick with it, it will become flatter. Does that make sense?
  • sweet_lotus
    sweet_lotus Posts: 194 Member
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    I'm the same - a lot of it is genetics. You have an apple body type; your body wants to store its excesses in the belly. I'll bet you have thin arms and legs, and store weight in your belly, bust, chin, and upper arms and thighs, right?

    It WILL come off, be patient. My waistline just didn't show up until nearly the last ten pounds. Mixed strength/cardio type exercises - swimming, rowing, climbing stairs - those will help flatten the pooch down.
  • Abigailblue39
    Abigailblue39 Posts: 212 Member
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    Genetics play a certain role, fact though is if too much fat covers the muscles underneath, one has to lose the fat first. Fat loss can't be targeted aiming a specific area, so body fat needs to diminish over all. Thin arms and legs can be bulked with some muscle if disliked. I firmly believe, if no lose skin/ bad stretch marks, are involved, a determined strict diet is followed and a frequent work out scheme (sculpt and cardio) they will ultimately pop out and here you have your 6 pack. Mine first showed in my late 20s when I started to seriously hitting the gym and now I’m almost 40.

    A problem may be estrogen which apparently collects in belly fat and makes it extra hard to lose in, say mid-aged to older people (menopausal women). But I am not very familiar with this topic. Maybe someone else has valuable information.
  • Azuleelan
    Azuleelan Posts: 218
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    Challenge: Eat no grains for two weeks and your tummy will deflate if it's due to gas. If you eat a lot of grains, it probably is due to this. This is my second week grain free and my tummy never looked so flat...

    Check paleo communities, everyone says the same about tummy issues.

    PS. Dairy can cause this inflamation as well... not on me though.
  • DustinReiner
    DustinReiner Posts: 157 Member
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    I fully agree with Sarah.

    Without exercising your muscles will just be lose and limp.

    Here are some sites I use and recommend.

    The Best Abdominal and Core Exercises from "About.com"
    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/bestabexercises/a/all_abs.htm

    Abdominal Exercises - Tips for Strong, Flat Abs from "About.com"
    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/bestabexercises/a/betterabs.htm

    The best site, just about every exercise and I've seen a lot.
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/


    Good luck in your goals!
  • victoriashea
    victoriashea Posts: 112
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    I once heard someone say, "Think of losing fat like a melting ice cube. The little parts melt first."

    So your stomach is probably shrinking too! But you ain't gonna see it for a looong time.

    Stay strong. I have the exact same problem. =S

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