inches of the pooch

nowgirl2004

okay, I have had success in working inches off of my waist (the skinnies part of my body) but the lower hip/ pooch area refuses to get smaller.
I am doing chalean extreme and c25k. Any specific things I can do to combat this problem area?

kellyscomeback

Abs start in the kitchen, cut out as much processed foods as possible, add in whole grains, fruit & veg and give it time. I still have a decent size pooch but it's slowly receding.

mrmanmeat

Nothing but keeping at it and better food will help. You can't target one specific area.

jill___

Please find an answer!!!!! I'm down to a 33" inch waist (from 44") but that one lower ab area just won't go away!!

wolfchild59

Unfortunately there's no such thing as targeted weight loss for specific areas. And that pooch is a fat layer, so even if you build up the specific muscles below it, you won't be able to see them until your body drops that weight when it gets to it. Personally, I can see little "cuts" in my abs to the sides of my pooch, but that central fat layer is still sticking around for me as well. Just keep working out and losing fat and eventually it'll go down. Though, I won't promise it'll go away completely.

And a lot of folks swear by low carb/low sugar to help with belly pudge, so that could be something worth trying if you're getting close to your goal weight and it's still not budging at all. Everyone is different, but that seems to be the most common trend I've heard/read as being successful for folks to get their abs showing.

SarahBrown1979

bump

CaptainGordo

"Spot reduction refers to the belief, long viewed as a myth, that fat can be targeted for reduction from a specific area of the body. There is a common view, although many people believe that view is misguided, that it is possible to achieve spot reduction through exercise of specific muscles in the desired area, such as exercising the abdominal muscles in an effort to lose weight in or around one's midsection. Advertisers play on this concept when advertising exercise-related products to gullible people. However, many fitness experts do not believe it is possible to reduce fat in one area by exercising that body part alone. Instead, fat is lost from the entire body as a result of diet and regular exercise. Muscle tone in the abdominal region does not reduce fat in that region. Instead, being on a caloric deficit is recommended for reducing abdominal fat.

The misunderstanding may be contributed to by the firming and shaping effect of muscle hypertrophy. When additional muscle is built, it takes up new space which can briefly compress subdermal fat against the skin until the skin adapts, a larger bulging muscle shape is also more easily seen through the layer of fat on top of it. This can give the illusion of fat being reduced when it has not. For example, triceps hypertrophy firming the back of the arm.

A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Physiology uncovered some interesting results, which seem to indicate that spot-reduction may in fact be possible, although to what degree is unclear. In the study, conducted at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), scientists had male subjects perform single-leg extensions with light weight for 30 consecutive minutes. The researchers then measured the amount of blood flow to the subjects' subcutaneous fat cells (those under the skin) in both the exercising and resting thighs, as well as the amount of lipolysis (release of fat) from those fat cells.

The scientists discovered the exercising leg experienced a significant increase in blood flow to and lipolysis from the subcutaneous fat cells, compared to the resting leg. During exercise, the fat cells surrounding the trained muscle released more fat into the blood, meaning a greater quantity of fat from the targeted area is released into the body to be used as fuel. The study suggests that when you exercise, you do burn bodyfat preferentially from the area you're training."

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot_reduction
http://www.netwellness.uc.edu/question.cfm/21417.htm
http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html
http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/Wellness/Ask-The-Expert/Default.aspx
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-belly-fat
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16985258

Sublimely_Self_Righteousreused

"Spot reduction refers to the belief, long viewed as a myth, that fat can be targeted for reduction from a specific area of the body. There is a common view, although many people believe that view is misguided, that it is possible to achieve spot reduction through exercise of specific muscles in the desired area, such as exercising the abdominal muscles in an effort to lose weight in or around one's midsection. Advertisers play on this concept when advertising exercise-related products to gullible people. However, many fitness experts do not believe it is possible to reduce fat in one area by exercising that body part alone. Instead, fat is lost from the entire body as a result of diet and regular exercise. Muscle tone in the abdominal region does not reduce fat in that region. Instead, being on a caloric deficit is recommended for reducing abdominal fat.

The misunderstanding may be contributed to by the firming and shaping effect of muscle hypertrophy. When additional muscle is built, it takes up new space which can briefly compress subdermal fat against the skin until the skin adapts, a larger bulging muscle shape is also more easily seen through the layer of fat on top of it. This can give the illusion of fat being reduced when it has not. For example, triceps hypertrophy firming the back of the arm.

A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Physiology uncovered some interesting results, which seem to indicate that spot-reduction may in fact be possible, although to what degree is unclear. In the study, conducted at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), scientists had male subjects perform single-leg extensions with light weight for 30 consecutive minutes. The researchers then measured the amount of blood flow to the subjects' subcutaneous fat cells (those under the skin) in both the exercising and resting thighs, as well as the amount of lipolysis (release of fat) from those fat cells.

The scientists discovered the exercising leg experienced a significant increase in blood flow to and lipolysis from the subcutaneous fat cells, compared to the resting leg. During exercise, the fat cells surrounding the trained muscle released more fat into the blood, meaning a greater quantity of fat from the targeted area is released into the body to be used as fuel. The study suggests that when you exercise, you do burn bodyfat preferentially from the area you're training."

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot_reduction
http://www.netwellness.uc.edu/question.cfm/21417.htm
http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html
http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/Wellness/Ask-The-Expert/Default.aspx
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-belly-fat
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16985258

Bump so I can read later.

infamousmk

Pleated pants.

adjones5

I had that same problem. Skinny everything else but a damn annoying pooch. What got rid of mine was water, water, water and a ton a veggies. Eating very small meals frequently helped in the sense that my stomach wasn't full so it appeared flatter.

shanolap

Yoga pants.

AZackery

Abs and a body starts in the kitchen. Water is important and cardio too. You can't spot reduce, but you can spot tone. Eating healthy, drinking water and cardio will help with fat loss. Try Tae Bo Insane Abs, to go along with your other cardio workouts.

You can view the video workout here. http://www.collagevideo.com/item.aspx?item=5939&reviewstart=21#reviewstart