Not everyone can get a flat stomach - True or False?

IrishHarpy1

If you are skinny but have a "pot belly" - that is called "skinny fat". That's what happens when you lose weight my losing lean muscle mass. And huge amounts of cardio will do more for eating into muslce mass than fat mass. Especially when you aren't that overweight to start with.

The belly is from grains/flours/sugars/high PUFA vegetable-seed oils and processed edible food-like substances. (i.e. about 90% of the grocery store).

Really? "Skinny fat?" :huh:

I have a bit of a "pot belly," do mostly cardio with some kettlebell for my workouts, eat grains/flours/sugars/processed things EVERYDAY (with the occasional cheeseburger thrown in)...

And have 19% BF. Not to mention well-defined muscles everywhere else.

Try again.

Ripken818836701

I've done Insanity twice through. It promises you'll be cut in 60 days. After 120 days I still have a tummy

My arms are well toned, I must say and I am toned all over but I have to suck my tummy in when I'm out and about. If I forget, people ask if I'm pregnant

Thats because abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. And if your not doing weighted ab exercises to strengthen your abs. your wasting your time. Insanity is a great workout but dont believe the late night infomercial.

rowyourboat

I know I will never get a flat stomach becasue I had 3 c-sections and back in the day they cut you up and down instead of the bikini cut so they had to cut the muscles. So no matter how many crunches I do it will never be flat I can lose the fat but no muscle tone in that area :sad:

They still cut that way sometimes. Not all c-sections are bikini cut. I have a few friends who had the transverse c-sections within the past 5 years.


Back to topic....when I was in my early 20's and doing cardio 6 days a week, my personal trainer said that there are just some woman who hold on to a pouch no matter what....this was pre-kids for me. With that being said, don't give up, I'm not. I'm still trying to get the flat stomach I so want. Good luck!

suzikay12

Genetics a very important. I store my excess fat in my thighs so my stomach is flat. Women who store fat in their abdomen might have to get to really low (unnatural or undesired) body fat levels to get a flat stomach. Some women's uterus protrudes out slightly from their pelvis which can look like a "pot belly".

Also, no, you don't need to eat clean or paleo to get a flat stomach.

This is exactly how I am! Even when I'm over weight I still have a relatively flat stomach (even some muscle definition) but no matter how hard I work out and how much weight I lose, the hips and thighs stay. Annoying but true. I have friends who are skinny, yet they store fat in the belly. Obviously I think it has to do most with genetic make up, some things you just can't change (without surgery)

KayteeBear

I think true.

For me, personally. I have a flat-ish stomach...but had the lower belly pooch still. Even when I was at my smallest and lowest weight. I think it has a fair amount to do with genetics in why some people can't get completely flat stomachs.

PLUS if I EVER had a completely flat stomach I would have to be anorexic or look it because of my ribcage. I would just look funny if I could ever get a completely flat stomach. Also...I don't think I'd have room for my organs and such. :P

Microfiber_wechange

Thats because abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. And if your not doing weighted ab exercises your wasting your time.

Thanks. What are weighted ab exercises? Insanity uses body weight. I also do turbofire but that only uses resistance bands. Oh, I'm so confused

psuLemon

I've done Insanity twice through. It promises you'll be cut in 60 days. After 120 days I still have a tummy

My arms are well toned, I must say and I am toned all over but I have to suck my tummy in when I'm out and about. If I forget, people ask if I'm pregnant

Its either what you are eating or in many cases people tend to under eat. How many calories you eating?

Microfiber_wechange

Its either what you are eating or in many cases people tend to under eat. How many calories you eating?

Have a nosey at my food diary. I think it's open. Thank you.

Ripken818836701

Thats because abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. And if your not doing weighted ab exercises your wasting your time.

Thanks. What are weighted ab exercises? Insanity uses body weight. I also do turbofire but that only uses resistance bands. Oh, I'm so confused

weighted ab crunches using an excercise ball and holding a 5,10,20 lb. plate behind your head. Squats and deadlifts work great as well.

Ely82010

Thats because abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. And if your not doing weighted ab exercises your wasting your time.

Thanks. What are weighted ab exercises? Insanity uses body weight. I also do turbofire but that only uses resistance bands. Oh, I'm so confused

Check this link
http://life.dailyburn.com/fitness/get-abs-fast-with-this-weighted-ab-workout/

Microfiber_wechange

weighted ab crunches using an excercise ball and holding a 5,10,20 lb. plate behind your head. Squats and deadlifts work great as well.

Thank you. I have a lot to learn. I thought just doing Insanity for 60 days will get me ripped.

Microfiber_wechange

Check this link
http://life.dailyburn.com/fitness/get-abs-fast-with-this-weighted-ab-workout/

Thank you. Much appreciated.

jg627

I can tell you with absolute certainty that people with flat stomachs can become 340 lbs with a great big round belly. We'll see if they can go back.

Microfiber_wechange

Insanity is a great workout but dont believe the late night infomercial.

I was totally sucked in (forgive the pun) lol. I'll be getting me a weighted ball tomorrow. Thanks for your assistance.

hiker282

I'm going to say that anybody can shred the bulk of the fat that hangs around their midsection enough that, when wearing a shirt, you look like you have a flat stomach. Having that washboard ab look is an entirely different story. That will take an immense amount of time, eating right, and exercise to get anywhere close.

WhitneyAnnabelle

To the person who made the skinny fat comment: I have a flat stomach, and I'm definitely skinny fat right now (ashamed, yes, but also accountable). Genetics go a long way.

thepetiterunner

Oh good, glad we cleared this up, because I've been wondering why Olympic athletes, runners, swimmers, and fitness competitors who eat a lot of carbs and do cardio are such disgusting fat@$$es with big pot bellies....mystery solved!

Could it be that there is MORE THAN ONE WAY to get fit, lean and reach your goals?...Nah, that's too reasonable. Well, glad you found THE answer. Cheers.:drinker:

LMFAO!

LOL! Oh snap.

p0pr0cksnc0ke

Nigerianebony

With everyone's comments, i think we just proved that everyone is different. But let me tell you my pet peeve, and my hubby falls into this category: Don't exercise, eats whatever, and has a six pack. A lot of African american men fall into this category.

WhitneyAnnabelle

Also, I think it really depends on your definition of "flat". I think everyone's is different to a certain extent.

NickPineault

You can get a flat belly (no exercise involved). I got my belly flat not by exercise but by ditching grains/flour/legume/sugars/processed food. Exercise just helped my shape a bit. And moderate exercise is just good for the body. The human body is designed for movement. But body composition is mostly about your diet. Genetics and exercise cover the rest.

If you are skinny but have a "pot belly" - that is called "skinny fat". That's what happens when you lose weight my losing lean muscle mass. And huge amounts of cardio will do more for eating into muslce mass than fat mass. Especially when you aren't that overweight to start with.

The belly is from grains/flours/sugars/high PUFA vegetable-seed oils and processed edible food-like substances. (i.e. about 90% of the grocery store).


"If it takes multiple layers of brightly-colored packaging and a $multi-million, multi-media ad campaign to sell it, it’s not food. No one has to put meat or eggs in a brightly colored box with a cartoon character on it.

"Eat what you can pick, dig or spear. Mostly spear. LIve in Freedom, live in beauty."
---http://www.gnolls.org/2074/why-snack-food-is-addictive-the-grand-unified-theory-of-snack-appeal/

EDIT: I eat lots of fat. Mainly saturated fats. I get my fat through pastured butter, coconut oil, olive/avocado oil, eggs (have four today!!) meat - mostly red meat but I buy lean and add fat (all the bad crap they are fed ends up in their fat). I love Hormel's All Natural Uncured bacon!! Hoping to one day get my hands on some pastured meats. All veggies are cooked in butter and/or bacon fat. My occasional berries have either coconut cream (unshaken can of coconut milk) or full fat greek yogurt on them. Fat is the main part of what I eat each day. This is what got my stomach flat.

People, don't be so harsh with hpsnickers1.

He is actually making sense.

A flat stomach is a mix of many things.

1) A good posture. Many people just need to fix their pelvic tilt by streching their hip flexors to finally see their abs

2) Genetics. They play SOME part in where you store fat the easiest and how good you tolerate extra carbs. They aren't the end of it all though, so don't use genetics as an excuse.

3) Body fat. OF COURSE. This varies a lot from person to person. Some men may see their abs at 12%, while some won't see a defined six pack until they achieve a lower fat %.

4) Muscle. Giving some volume to your abs will help you get that "flat belly" look once your fat % gets lower

5) FOOD. This one is critical, and is the reason that some people will never achieve a flat belly.

Food allergies and intolerance : dairy, gluten, cereals, legumes, eggs for some people, etc. Whatever your food intolerances are, ignoring them will screw up your digestive system and give you that bloated look.

6) Hormones. If your cortisol (stress hormone) is high, you will store belly fat, even if the rest of your body is very lean.

Good sleep, exercise, healthy eating, sun exposure, and almost every lifestyle habit out there will change your cortisol.

Also, avoiding phytestrogens (chemicals that mimic estrogen in your body) may help you balance your hormones.
That means no:
- birth pills
- drinking or eating out of plastic
- non-fermented soy products
- air, water and food pollutants (pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, fluoride, etc.)

That's a lot of stuff, I know.

If you can get a flat belly by counting calories, fine.

If you can't, maybe you need to check for other problems that may be in your way.


Nick
Nutrition and Weight loss coach

mrstword

With everyone's comments, i think we just proved that everyone is different. But let me tell you my pet peeve, and my hubby falls into this category: Don't exercise, eats whatever, and has a six pack. A lot of African american men fall into this category.

Omg my husband too! And he's not even skinny. It's not fair.

fit_fitter_fittest

Awesome responses everyone! Thank you.

I have 2 younger sisters. They both eat junk food frequently, are slim and don't exercise AT ALL. They were a little heavier a few times in the past but managed to lose the weight through cutting back on junk food until they were back to their normal weight. They have a FLAT stomach. And here I am, eating healthy, avoiding sweets, busting my *kitten* working out for 60 minutes everyday and my tummy is no way near anything flat. It's really annoying. Maybe I have messed up hormones or my constipation issue might be the underlying cause. What do you think? Orr it could always be genetic.

Here's my flat stomach goal: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2RdPf_rAGQ/TwvFu15mDjI/AAAAAAAAATo/GiJsHGfGfT8/s1600/4906371397_a56ba27eba.jpg

toriaenator

I've done Insanity twice through. It promises you'll be cut in 60 days. After 120 days I still have a tummy

My arms are well toned, I must say and I am toned all over but I have to suck my tummy in when I'm out and about. If I forget, people ask if I'm pregnant

this used to be me but then i realized it was a posture issue more than anything else!! so I'm sure this is the case for you too just work on straightening out your back and such and it will make the world of difference

Allison22451

false.
i have an iron.
be right over.

Scorpioangel

Look at my ticker and there is your answer I eat all sorts of stuff too and still have these little abs

DannyMussels

Everyones capable of looking fantastic.

Approximately 92% of people simply don't work hard enough (yes i just made this number up), or try and blame poor results on something other than themselves.


Quit pondering, start moving, running, lifting, whatever.

And get a big long stick, cause you're gonna need it to beat everyone off you, when they're tryin to lick your abs clean.


Do work, son.





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Microfiber_wechange

Right! I've reserved my weighted medicine ball and will be picking it up once the store is open. It better work lol

Ripken818836701

Regardless If you answer true or false guys please dont let genetics be your excuse!!

silkandsugar

Eating clean did it for me. I barely do ANY ab exercises. Maybe 2 times a week tops and then it's nothing intense.