Pot Belly / Lower stomach Fat

BLAAKL

Hi All,

I seem to be losing and toning my mid torso but I have lower stomach fat / pot belly which i cant seem to shift as fast,

Anyone got a good exercise to specifically target this area?

Thanks in advance

katz22

The area you mention is the place where the body stores fat. You can't spot reduce the area through specific exercise, you just have to lower overall fat percentage. What are your goals looks wise?

DakotaKeogh

The area you mention is the place where the body stores fat. You can't spot reduce the area through specific exercise, you just have to lower overall fat percentage. What are your goals looks wise?

This is correct. You need to get to a low percentage of body fat to ultimately conquer that area. It's a battle I'm in too.

furekurss

chest flys on the smith machine

but really, read about nutrition first

BLAAKL

Thanks All,

Main goal is to lose fat / tone my whole torso - Ill try get a pic up here to show what i mean

(main areas are hip / love handles and lower stomach but at the same time build and define my chest)

Athena413

A lot of lower belly fat has more to do with nutrition than exercise. I'd suggest researching a bit and see if you can't tweak your diet a little to help out in this area.

klynnwalker4

I have issues too since I had my baby. It's all about cardio to get rid of fat. Just have to keep going. It can't stay forever.

Amy_B

I've always heard "clean eating." I think a lot of us have this issue, male or female.

klynnwalker4

I've always heard "clean eating." I think a lot of us have this issue, male or female.

Definitely clean eating. Eating 1800 calories (or however much) of "clean" food and eating 1800 calories in pizza and other junk will have different effects on the body.

And drink lots of water!

LJC44

I am having a real issue with this also! I am tone everywhere else but the lower stomach and it gets to me so much!! I have always had stomach buldge in that area and I have researched this topic alot. I have been into nutrition and fitness for years now and still have this problem!! I also read that posture can affect this area. I eat so clean, drink so much water, and workout hard (lifting and cardio). What else can be done??!! I did go through a phase during Christmas where I ate well and worked out during the week but ate a ton of junk 2 days in a row on the weekend. This went on for alittle over a month. I am sure this affected it but still..it makes me crazy!

kperk91

That has always been my issue. I have always had a smaller frame so I don't look big, but turn me sideways and you'll see I have potbelly/love handles
I'm on MFP to help control my eating and weight loss to finally lose it. What exactly is a "clean" diet? I eat fruits/veggies and if I do eat carbs it's whole grain. Should I up my cardio (currently 5x/wk for 30-45min)?

LJC44

It is a struggle!! As for clean eating, I am not some body builder woman haha, I just eat very healthy. I try to get that balance of vegetables, fruits, fats, proteins, and fiber into my diet. I have not eaten butter (although I have heard certain types of butter are healthy), certain types of cheese, and some other items that would cause weight gain, for some time now. I also have not salted my food for god knows how long mostly due to not wanting my stomach pouch to expand I WILL splurge once a week, like a Sunday or something (although the splurges have been happening more often ha!) but I have self control for the most part.

As for exercise, I mix strength training with cardio. Most of my cardio consists of sprint intervals because I don't have time after a strength training workout to do 45 minutes of cardio. Some days when I don't have alot of energy I will do 30-40 min of low impact cardio. I feel that cardio should def be included at least 3-5 times a week. I know that HIIT is questionable for some but for me it helped a ton and still does! Try some sprints

CallMeCupcakeDammit

That has always been my issue. I have always had a smaller frame so I don't look big, but turn me sideways and you'll see I have potbelly/love handles
I'm on MFP to help control my eating and weight loss to finally lose it. What exactly is a "clean" diet? I eat fruits/veggies and if I do eat carbs it's whole grain. Should I up my cardio (currently 5x/wk for 30-45min)?

Different people have different takes on exactly what a "clean" diet is. Basically, cutting out most or all processed foods. Then what "you" consider processed foods could be different from someone else's. The less ingredients the better. I consider my veggie burgers to be processed, but I love them, so I won't give them up.

Edited to say my nutritionist told me pilates was the best way to tone up the lower belly, but that was a pretty long time ago. Tone it up, not get rid of it. That's diet.

LJC44

That has always been my issue. I have always had a smaller frame so I don't look big, but turn me sideways and you'll see I have potbelly/love handles
I'm on MFP to help control my eating and weight loss to finally lose it. What exactly is a "clean" diet? I eat fruits/veggies and if I do eat carbs it's whole grain. Should I up my cardio (currently 5x/wk for 30-45min)?

Different people have different takes on exactly what a "clean" diet is. Basically, cutting out most or all processed foods. Then what "you" consider processed foods could be different from someone else's. The less ingredients the better. I consider my veggie burgers to be processed, but I love them, so I won't give them up.

I agree. Clean eating is different for everyone. I do want to try to get rid of some processed foods.

hexrei

calories in/calories out. if your body is getting enough calories to retain the fat on the belly then you won't lose it. end of story. whether you're eating raw and organic or mcdonald's.

duharvalgt

The fat on the lower part of the stomach is one of the last areas to go, there is no one diet that will make it magically disappear.
You just need a calorie deficit in order to burn fat.

LJC44

I did know it is one of the last things to go but it has just been such a life-long issue for me. I know there is no spot moves and that you have to eat right..that is why it's frustrating.

PMargueritaHughes

a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

LJC44

a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

Eating healthy def helps the stomach but exercise also is important! When I first got into a healty lifestyle I started out by changing my eating completely and after some time I started to add exercise. This worked for me and def my stomach. Now all that is left over is my lower pouch haha. I will have to deal with genetics

That sounds like a good exercise, thanks!!!!!

hexrei

a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

You cannot spot-reduce fat in this manner. This will build abdominal muscles, but it will not remove that pot belly any faster than burning the same amount of calories with another exercise like running.

LJC44

a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

You cannot spot-reduce fat in this manner. This will build abdominal muscles, but it will not remove that pot belly any faster than burning the same amount of calories with another exercise like running.

We both know that that exercise is not going to get rid of it completely. With my experience, there were absolutely some stomach exercises that helped tone my stomach.

toddyvdt

Hi All,

I seem to be losing and toning my mid torso but I have lower stomach fat / pot belly which i cant seem to shift as fast,

Anyone got a good exercise to specifically target this area?

Thanks in advance

Number one...most everyone posting here is right on the money. Exercises to target this area aren't going to help. What you're putting into your body is the main issue, the secondary issue is how you're exercising.

I suggest you determine your body type, first and foremost. There are three basic body types (endormorph, ectomorph and mesomorph) and each has its own characteristics. For example, I most closely identify with the endomorph body type. Here are some of the characteristics I share.
•Smooth, round body
•Medium/ large joints/ bones
•Small shoulders
•High levels of body fat (may be overweight)
•Body fat tends to settle in lower regions of body, mainly lower abdomen
•Pear-shaped physique
•Can gain muscle easily, but tends to be underdeveloped
•Difficult to keep lost body fat off
•Lose weight slowly
•Have to work hard to lose weight
•Slow metabolic rate
•Attacks of tiredness/ fatigue
•Fall asleep easily

There are different things you'll need to do with your diet and exercise plan, based on your body type but what I can tell is these things will work for just about anyone, regardless of body type.
-increase your metabolism by drinking lots of water, eating 5-6 small meals a day and building lean muscle
-combine strength training with intense cardio and mix in something different once in a while, like Pilates (very good for balance and core strength - you won't lose much weight but your clothes will fit better and your posture will improve almost immediately)
-eliminate processed foods
-eliminate any form of sugar that is not natural (no artificial sweeteners, no white sugar, no high fructose corn syrup - instead use natural honey, sugar in the raw, agave, etc.)
-cut back on dairy (limit cheese, if you drink milk make it organic, get rid of the ice cream)

I know that's a lot. Hope this helps.

chase7512

"ABS are made in the kitchen not the gym" - David Zinczenko Editor in Chief Men's Health

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Planks, planks, & more planks! Continue to reduce overall body fat as well. Remember, abs are made in the kitchen.

rrrbecca11

When I finally stopped eating meat completely, my 5-6 extra pounds fell away, and with it, my lower belly pooch I had carried around for years. (Just saying, not trying to start an argument or even a discussion re vegetarian v. meat eating.) I also have not been constipated once since the last meat that went through my digestive system. And that had also been an issue for me for years.

countdowntotarget

Bump - to read later

jkburns29

THere are books out by Tosca Reno all about clean eating.

hpsnickers1

Hi All,

I seem to be losing and toning my mid torso but I have lower stomach fat / pot belly which i cant seem to shift as fast,

Anyone got a good exercise to specifically target this area?

Thanks in advance

It's a carb belly. (I lost my belly when I ditched the grains, beans and dairy and increased my fat - protein was already up there). I spent 6 months counting calories and following the Standard American Diet and exercising and dropped 10lb - hit my goal. But I never lost off my waistline. I still had a belly - a "pouch" in front and a 31" waistline. Even P90X wouldn't touch it. But when I dropped out certain carbs and replaced them with fat. WOW!! I'm at a weight and size I haven't been since before puberty and I'm 41 years old. I now have a 26" waist - I have never seen this as an adult. And my health is better than it has ever been in my life including my childhood. (But I still have insulin resistance. I found Primal too late to fix my broken metabolism. But I can at least manage it now and look good and stay healthy while doing it).

Oh and I eat maybe two times a day - big old meals - dinner is my biggest. I don't find the need to eat 5-6 times a day - in fact since dropping the crap carbs I don't get hungry every couple of hours. Life is too busy to be worrying about eating all day. (I'm 5"2" and holding steady at 112lbs without even trying!!)

lindamac101

Try pilates, nothing beats it. I have a DVD and did 30 minutes. The next day my abs were sore. I could not believe it.

jcg926

This is a very interesting topic- I learned a lot from the responses so thanks to you who gave your experience with it!! I was wondering the same thing!

trimom10

Overheard a trainer at my club talking to the Weight Loss group. Just like most of the replys here, he said it's dependent upon diet. If you lose weight, you'll lose it in your stomach. Sit up and all of those other ab exercises will only tone the muscle under the fat.