Belly Fat

netztoy

Any exercises and/or foods that help with shrinking the midsection?

daffodilsoup

No such thing as target fat loss - exercise and calorie counting will slim you down all over

NZGeekGirl

Yeah unfortunately no. exercises will help tone the midsection but weight loss is all over only (darn it!). )

Lyadeia

Totally agree with the above.

Just eat at a calorie deficit to lose fat, do some cardio to burn more fat, do some weight training to strengthen your muscles preventing muscle loss from the cardio, and have patience. "Belly fat" is no different than other fat in other areas of the body, and it comes off the same way. You can't target reduce. Don't listen to people that tell you to do a bunch of crunches, pilates, etc. saying that it "target" your midsection to lose weight. It's impossible. Those exercises strengthen the muscle, but does not cause the fat to go away.

SingSei

Here are some things that might help you:
1. Drinking a lot of water makes the stomach bloat.
- So does eating a lot of sodium rich foods (salty food also makes your face bloat)
2. Carbs also contirbute to belly fat, especially when they aren't used for energy. Carbs in general convert to fat if they aren't used.
3. Cardio based exercises (like running, or anything that gets your heart rate up) burns the most fat. Crunches and other such exercises are for toning the muscles underneath the fat.
I hope these tips help you!

Lyadeia

Here are some things that might help you:
1. Drinking a lot of water makes the stomach bloat.
- So does eating a lot of sodium rich foods (salty food also makes your face bloat)
2. Carbs also contirbute to belly fat, especially when they aren't used for energy. Carbs in general convert to fat if they aren't used.
3. Cardio based exercises (like running, or anything that gets your heart rate up) burns the most fat. Crunches and other such exercises are for toning the muscles underneath the fat.
I hope these tips help you!

In regards to number 2...it's just wrong. Carbs do NOT make you fat. EXCESS CALORIES make you fat, and they could be protein, carbs, or dietary fats. ALL CALORIES that are not used in the body are stored in adipose (fat) tissue if you consume too many. But, you can be on all all carb diet, eat a deficit of calories, and lose body fat.

SingSei

Perhaps I didn't explain that clearly enough. I was merely saying that carbs contribute to belly fat since they can make a person appear bloated. I was not saying that they are the sole contributor to fat.
You are correct when you say excess calories increase fat, but thats not what I was explaining.

Sublog

Perhaps I didn't explain that clearly enough. I was merely saying that carbs contribute to belly fat since they can make a person appear bloated.

How about no? Fat =/= bloat.

In many guys, especially leaner ones, carbs makes them appear thinner because carbs will replenish glycogen levels in muscle tissue.