ugh! belly fat! please help!

bunny_98

ok, so i have been exercising and eating right for about 6 months now. i have lost somewhere around 20 inches all over and 30 lbs. since the weather has been better i have been doing 60-90 min of cardio at least 5 days a week. usually hiking and or bike riding. before i was doing the slim in six videos, which was a great overall workout. i am continuing to lose inches around my thighs and hips, which is great, but it seems like i have stopped losing inches around my waist. i have heard that crunches only build muscle and doesnt really help to burn the fat. is this true? and is there any suggestions as to how to burn those extra inches? please advise, thanks!

jljohnson

Ugh is right! Unfortunately, you're totally right about crunches. The only way to lose the fat is to continue with the cardio. It sounds like you're doing great with that, so keep it up. For us women, especially after having kids, it seems like the belly is the last place it comes off. Just keep doing what you're doing, and eventually it will come.

FalconSays

Hi Bunny,

I wouldn't necessarily say that crunches don't ever help to burn fat, it just takes some people longer to shed there than others. I personally find that cardio is not enough for me. Depending on your age, you may have to ramp up your work-outs or at least mix it up. Cardio and strength training. And by strength training since you are asking about your core, I mean, yes, crunches and side obliques. And a LOT of it. It hurts, it burns, it sucks, but it's worth it. I am doing P90X and it's killer-burn-intense-pain sometimes, but my middle is shrinking. AaahhhhrrrrrRRRggg, I hate the oblique side crunches, ouch, but byebye belly.

And as always water water water to help wash it all away!
♥Karen

Bretto

I too have to say that the tummy is the last place I lose my weight, I have to lose it everywhere else first. If you are worried about crunches, try planks, I feel those give you great inner core strength without the bulk. I also agree that you have to change up your cardio. Since you are doing 60-90 min, maybe 1 day a week, you bump it up to 120 min. or do something totally different. Also watch what you eat before your workout. you need energy, but if you have too much carbs before your workout, you will burn that & not the belly fat. Keep plugging along, you will see the results.

pniana

My trainer says to bump up the protein to at least 85 mg per day. This is hard when trying to maintain your daily caloric intake but she swears by it. I am only a week in so I can't say whether it working or not?

WTJoyce

I am a firm believer that resistance training is the key to weight loss (assuming cardio and calorie counting are already in place).

Lean muscle will turn up the volume on your metabolism and you will burn more calories while at rest the more you increase your lean muscle mass. So crunches will help, and add in some other strength training for every body part, chest, back, legs, biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

You don't need to worry about getting bulky as a result of the weight training, you'll just get toned and tighter, and once again as you increase your lean muscle mass you will burn more calories.

ToniAnn45

Hi Bunny,

I wouldn't necessarily say that crunches don't ever help to burn fat, it just takes some people longer to shed there than others. I personally find that cardio is not enough for me. Depending on your age, you may have to ramp up your work-outs or at least mix it up. Cardio and strength training. And by strength training since you are asking about your core, I mean, yes, crunches and side obliques. And a LOT of it. It hurts, it burns, it sucks, but it's worth it. I am doing P90X and it's killer-burn-intense-pain sometimes, but my middle is shrinking. AaahhhhrrrrrRRRggg, I hate the oblique side crunches, ouch, but byebye belly.

And as always water water water to help wash it all away!
♥Karen

I, too, am having trouble with belly fat. What is P90X?

FalconSays

Hi ToniAnn,

Check out P90X.com
the X is for X-treme work-out. And the 90 is for 90days
It's hard-core, but it is FAST results
Be prepared to cardio hard and strength train hard :-)

♥Karen

MissesOfficer

I feel your pain.. people have commented on my belly being smaller... but most of my weight has gone out of my legs/bum/back & face.. and my main concern was my belly when i started... it sucks... a lot... but i figure once ive lost the fat from everywhere else... my body has no choice but to loose the gut as well! Good luck

hiddensecant

P90X is really trimming my core ... odd thing too because I still suck at the Ab Ripper X workout, hehe.

Maybe instead of crunches, you can look for more core work. Muscles do burn fat but the muscles are all connected so you can't just do crunches, though they make a great part of a well-rounded workout.

dshaw61801

Although cardio is very important for burning fat in general, you cannot "spot train" with cardio. Therefore, you must strengthen your core with core exercises and the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of the middle section is the DIET.

SHBoss1673

yes, belly fat is one of the toughest to get rid of. For many people it's the last thing to go. It's just the way our body's work. Fat is burned in by the body in accordance to how close it is to the blood supply (I.E. the easiest fat to convert to fuel), and sadly, there's not many major arteries between the abs and the belly button. So that fat can take a while. Yes, aerobic activity is the only way to really burn fat.

BUT 2 things you should know.

1) not all aerobic activity is equal. Do things that your body isn't used to and you will have more calorie burn for the same amount of effort (it's called muscle memory, the more you perform an action, the more efficient your muscles become at it, efficient muscles use less energy). If you mix up your cardio types, you'll see better results. Also mix up your intensity levels, both during workout and for each work out. I.E. one day do a cardio routine that ramps up your heartrate into the mid 80s, with "resting" cycles in the low 70's; another day do a longer routine that is relatively flat for the heart rate, like using the bike for 1 hour at about 73 to 75% Max HR the whole time.

2) While working your abs, lower back, and obliques don't help you lose belly fat, they can help you in other ways. Yes these muscles are very small, and even if you work them really hard every day, they aren't going to burn many calories, BUT these muscles are your core, and they stabalize you during any balancing activity, including exercise. So the stronger your core, the more work your major muscle groups can do IN THE EXERCISE, instead of shunting off some of the muscle to perform stabilization. A side benefit is when you DO lose the belly fat, having a strong core looks REALLY good in a bathing suite! Also, you have better balance, so when you are walking down the beach barefoot, and step into that hole the kids dug, you have a much better chance of not falling on your face.

bunny_98

thank you guys so much. i really appreciate all the different ideas. it all kinda makes since. when i first started out doing my videos (which had some cardio and some strength training), i noticed more all over inches being lost. but it started to get easier, and so i changed up my routine moving on to more cardio than strength. thats when the inches around my waist seemed to come to a halt. i think i will try to add some strength training back into my routine. maybe alternating days one day cardio, one day strength, etc.