losing stomach fat

kimtpa1417

I have so far lost 29lbs. 15 of it thanks to MFP. Although my clothes are getting bigger everywhere but my waist. I have not lost a size in my waist but the hips, butt and leg area are to big.

Am I doing something wrong?

zapatasbloodjv

if ur losing than no, the body likes to hold on to belly fat.

I had the same buddha belly from 190-170ish...then boom the gut finally started to shrink.

streetnamejim

I'm a little confused... you are losing inches everywhere except your waist? are your boobs and/or face shrinking? Sometimes they will shrink first. Its gotta be coming off somewhere. It could be that your waist will be the last to go.

twistygirl

My body is the same way, hang in there and you will need a belt to keep those pants up.

wozzy38

Try building muscle there doing ab exercises and crunches maybe? Good luck and congrats on what you've lost so far!

mlmcquinn

I agree that what you probably need to do specifically target your stomach. At some point you would have to do that for toning muscles anyway. You still might lose everywhere else first. The body is finicky. I chooses it's own timing.

Mitchlou84

I am EXACTLY the same. Jeans are fine as I get them low slung and so they do up under my fat belly, that means I can wear a UK size 14 now as my bum and legs have slimmed down heaps! Unfortunately the tummy isn't shifting! So work trousers that are higher waisted just look ridiculous as the waist fits but the legs are hanging off me!

AEB_WV

same problem here...30 # gone just waiting for something to happen around my middle!

krissy_pooo

the problem is that you can't target where your fat comes off. I was constantly told by my trainers that you CANNOT spot reduce fat. And if you read up on it, you will learn that in order to get a flat stomach, it's not about doing ab workouts, it's about losing the fat first. In order to do that, my best guess would be that you need to focus on the way you are eating and try to lower your overall body fat % through cardio (while always continuing to do your strength training) and maybe cutting out some carbs. I have the hardest time losing the fat off my stomach as well but I have lost 10 inches from my waist and none of that was from ab workouts. I do planks a lot but I never focus on the stomach area because I need to first lose the fat. good luck!

em1976

your body will eventually burn your belly,I say eventually;)taken me yonks for mine to start shrinking,everywhere else went first now finally as im nearing closer to my goal ive upped my cardio and it seems to be working,it has changed shape and is getting smaller.

lawtechie

I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Here are some general thoughts. 'Bad' Carbs and diet soda and sodium can cause the belly to look bigger. Is your diet heavy with that?

Otherwise the belly just might be one of the last places you'll lose.

Keep up the good work w/ the getting healthy!

lmaharj

If you're a pear shape, those are the places that are hardest to lose. I found out by my doctor that having a good amount of stress can often cause those areas to retain fat and that doing isolating workouts doesn't actually help. Take up something that is stress relieving like yoga/meditation, or just take up a hobby where you don't have to worry about anything.

scagneti

My husband has been the same way. Still has a belly, but has lost weight everywhere else.

On me, my stomach can get two inches larger pretty much in a single day when I have too much salt/sodium or chew gum or drink carbonated beverages (gas) or fried foods. I pigged out on Sunday (ate so horribly) and my stomach increased two inches Monday morning, which has finally gotten back down to normal size with tons of water with lemon and no gassy foods. Try limiting those and you might be surprised how quickly your stomach shrinks.

sugarbone

Some people hold onto belly fat longer than others. The only way to lose it is to keep losing fat everywhere, it'll eventually be your tummy's turn, promise ;P

missy_1975

Hey hon, lots of us have bodies that like to hang on to fatty tissue on the abdomen for grim death! The body wants to keep a nice little reserve just in case of famine. I try telling my body that the Irish potato famine was ages ago, but she ain't listening :laugh:

My arms, legs, bum etc have all been pretty much how I want them for ages now (ie my body didn't carry much excess weight there in the 1st place), but to loose excesss fatty tissue around my mid section (especially important from a health perspective for those of us who have the apple shaped bodies), I have to keep up the healthy, nutritious eating and the vital exercise. For life.

Stress encourages our body to lay down abdominal fat due to stress hormones like cortisol, another good reason to meditate and/or take part in exercise such as Tai Chi or yoga.

The good news is that the mid section fat will eventually go. Keep doing what you're doing - this is for life, a marathon and not a sprint! :flowerforyou: