Abs: Progress From The Front, But Not From The Side

Matiara

I carry most of my excess weight around my midsection. In the past month, my abs have started to look really good from the front. I can see the upper part of my abs with clarity as well as the upper part of my obliques. I also have much less fat to pinch than a couple of months ago. As for my lower abs, I'm starting to see them. I can still pinch a fair amount of fat there, but it's slowly reducing. Initially, I feel pretty good when I look in the mirror. But then I turn to the side and it's pooch-a-rama. It's just so weird to be seeing so much progress from one angle and to have another angle seem to belie it.

I have measured myself and my waist has only gone down half an inch in the past couple of months, but it seems like I'm losing fat in the place that doesn't get measured. It's like the fat has come off more at the top than at the bottom if that makes any sense. The place where I've lost the most belly fat is not the point where I measure my waist.

I've been telling myself that the pooch is a combination of visceral fat, water weight, and other internal things and that when the visceral fat starts to go away, the pooch will for the most part. However, I wanted to ask the smart people in the room her if that's really the case. Is this "normal"?

I'm about to leave work and won't be logged on until tomorrow morning, so I apologize in advance for leaving any replies hanging for a while.

Matiara

I see I've stumped y'all.

kdiamond

Well you know you can't spot train, so as long as your diet is as perfect as possible it will eventually go away unless it is loose skin. Have you had kids? Sometimes the ab muscles become separated during pregnancy and it sounds like the pooch you are describing. I have this to a degree as well, it is loose skin not fat (in my case anyway).

starwhisperer

I am not measuring at this time, but when I was before I measured right under my breasts, and then at the waist. Because l personally lose from the top down, so that part gets thinner faster for me too. It kept me motivated.

Matiara

Well you know you can't spot train, so as long as your diet is as perfect as possible it will eventually go away unless it is loose skin. Have you had kids? Sometimes the ab muscles become separated during pregnancy and it sounds like the pooch you are describing. I have this to a degree as well, it is loose skin not fat (in my case anyway).

No kids. If only I had that excuse. I partly blame the genetics fairy because on my mother's side of the family, with the exception of my grandpa, everyone's extra fat migrates to their stomachs. But mostly it's my fault for slacking off, eating crap, and not working out for almost a year.

I don't think it's extra skin because when I poke and prod at my stomach, there's the layer of subcutaneous fat that's slowly diminishing, my ab muscles are right there under it, and the skin isn't loose at all. The pooch sticks straight out instead of sagging and from the side view, it definitely looks like it's whatever is under the muscle that's pushing it out. That's how I came to the conclusion that it's visceral fat and other stuff.

The last time I got my stomach flat, which was almost two years ago now. The pooch and back fat went away first and then the overlayer went. It just seems odd to me because it's the opposite of last time and that's why I wanted to know if anyone else lost their belly fat in this "order".

I know I probably just need to be patient (like I have a choice), but it's difficult. Being tall, and for the most part lean, and having the belly that I have makes me look like I'm 4 months along.

Matiara

I am not measuring at this time, but when I was before I measured right under my breasts, and then at the waist. Because l personally lose from the top down, so that part gets thinner faster for me too. It kept me motivated.

My clothes are looser, so I know I'm losing something somewhere. I think that I started with so much abdominal fat that even the improvement doesn't look like one.