Losing weight in the wrong places, advice :(

faithstephenson

Ab exercises for sure. There's lots besides crunches. Bit, just wondering, have tried crunches using an exercise ball? I find that I'm not as likely to try to use my neck muscles when in that inclined position the ball provides. I also use a small exercise ball to help when I do leg lifts (laying down, ball below butt, raising legs up to a jackknife position, and then lowering almost to the floor). I use a big exercise ball for a similar crunch-lay flat, feet on either side of ball. Raise the ball up, while reaching up with arms to grab the ball and lower behind your head, then reverse, passing the ball to your feet.

to_the_surface

Fat in the belly is mostly on the skin, not on the muscles (abs).

Remember that everyone has a six pack, it's the amount of fat reserves in your ab area what's preventing it to see the sun.

Abs will be an inverse correlation with body fat for most people. The lower the body fat the more the abs will show.

Once in your target weight level, the next step is to alter your body composition. Some of the 110-115# are still fat and because of your genetics most of that fat is stored in your mid section (varies among people).

Your best bet at a flatter stomach is eating habits and workout routines for reducing body fat. If I'm not mistaken that means a protein heavy diet and weight lifting as your main workout routine.

Good luck

SirZee

Hate to say it, but abs exercises are about the only thing that will work. There are plenty of non-crunch, non-sit up exercises you can do that will help to tone up your stomach. Lately I've been reading about how to do six pack abs exercises and this article really helped me http://ezinearticles.com/?Six-Pack-Training-for-Abs-Solute-Beginners&id=6993453. They had a bunch of different exercises (including, unfortunately the crunch), but there was a good selection-not just the usual ones.
Also-at 111 lbs you are almost too thin. Try doing the six pack exercises to see if that helps, and try to not lose much more weight or you could get sick.

Bad advice, you can't "tone" stomach with abs workouts.

SirZee

Fat in the belly is mostly on the skin, not on the muscles (abs).

Remember that everyone has a six pack, it's the amount of fat reserves in your ab area what's preventing it to see the sun.

Abs will be an inverse correlation with body fat for most people. The lower the body fat the more the abs will show.

Once in your target weight level, the next step is to alter your body composition. Some of the 110-115# are still fat and because of your genetics most of that fat is stored in your mid section (varies among people).

Your best bet at a flatter stomach is eating habits and workout routines for reducing body fat. If I'm not mistaken that means a protein heavy diet and weight lifting as your main workout routine.

Good luck

And this one is GOOD advice

shaydon80

Have you tried pilates?

clobercow

Just keep doing what you are doing. The weight should continue to come off and your abs will poke through eventually. Just keep on trucking along!

StephL0711

im also 5'3 and am currently at 124, i thought by now i would've been seeing a flatter stomach but no i guess i carry my weight in my belly and thighs. im trying to get down to 115 and see if i look better then, if not im starting to lift heavy and see if that gives me the results i really want. this is the lowest weight i have ever been but my results so far have been disappointing... so i know exactly how you feel

Abells

weight lifting and lifting heavy. Throwing up 8lbs aint going do much I'll tell you that. I toned my stomach by lifting and no I didn't do crunches they do wonders. I squatted, deadlift, olympic lifts, snatches. Over head presses and those moves involving overhead weights work you core because you need to balance yourself.

You are pretty low in weight -- I would up your cals to at least maintenance and lift.

SirZee

To answer the "lifting heavy" questions. No, none of the stuff mentioned in this thread is heavy lifting. Heavy lifting is providing the muscle under work enough resistance (weights factor in here) that the muscle cannot perform the activity required more than 6 times continuously--called repetitions. (with a bit of rest, around 1 minute lets say, you should be able to do 5 to 6 more for a second set).

For a beginner, body weight stuff might fit that definition at the start, but you will quickly (a month or so) have to actually add weight to provide sufficient resistance.

littlecaponey2

Bump

akjmart2002

It honestly sounds like you're doing all the right things. Keep it up and be patient.

BlueInkDot

STREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENGTH TRAINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

HUAAAAAAH

*flips a table*

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR

darrensurrey

I'd agree with Sirzee... if only because he's bigger than me.

SPNLuver83

Perhaps focus more on toning to strengthen those muscles by doing various core exercises... you don't have to do sit ups or crunches to get a core workout. check out Insanity's cardio abs.

darrensurrey

Ok, a bit more info than in my previous flippant post.

You sound like what is called "skinny fat". Eat too much of the wrong stuff and it sits on your tum and around your waist. Continue eating and then it goes elsewhere. There's a group on MFP for skinny fat people like us.

So, you can either bugger about doing 1,000 crunches and 30 hours of planks a day, which will work... kinda... it'll create a calorie deficit but will not mean much in terms of a strong core. You'll just have the ability to easily crank out 1,000 crunches a day and make an interesting coffee table. Put it this way - in the past, I've done very little proper core work and still have a rock hard core that means I can lift my legs up to the bar without swinging.

Anyway, I'm rambling as usual. This is what you need to try doing for the next 3 months:
1) Work out your BMR and eat slightly less than that. I don't know if 1,400 calories is too little for you or fine but it's close to 1,200. (See my profile about why I stopped eating so little.) In other words, eat more.
2) Lift weights that, as Sirzee says, means you struggle to do more than 6 reps in a row - focus on bench press, dead lifts, squats (or variations thereof), dumbbell bent over rows. These will really work your core if you follow the first part of this (2) to the letter (ie if you do 10x20 reps and feel fresh as a daisy then ask why nothing's happening, expect people to shout at you).
3) Cardio, preferably HIIT or at least incorporate it. This creates the calorie deficit.

I haven't done any proper killer ab exercises in about 2 months but ate more of anything. My midriff is starting to lean out like it's never done before.

angiechimpanzee

ab workouts won't make your belly any flatter - just more defined. If you want a smaller belly, you'll simply have to lose more body fat. it sucks but it's true. If you want to be able to weigh more because you feel that going lower than 111 would be too little, then you'd have to gain weight in muscle in addition to losing more fat.

people yell at me for my goal weight being 105 pounds when I currently weigh 118. "OMG UR GANNA GET TOO SKINNY blah blah" Clearly they havent witnessed my pregnant-looking belly - my body's favorite place to store fat regardless of how seemingly low my weight is.

angiechimpanzee

Ok, a bit more info than in my previous flippant post.

You sound like what is called "skinny fat". Eat too much of the wrong stuff and it sits on your tum and around your waist. Continue eating and then it goes elsewhere. There's a group on MFP for skinny fat people like us.

So, you can either bugger about doing 1,000 crunches and 30 hours of planks a day, which will work... kinda... it'll create a calorie deficit but will not mean much in terms of a strong core. You'll just have the ability to easily crank out 1,000 crunches a day and make an interesting coffee table. Put it this way - in the past, I've done very little proper core work and still have a rock hard core that means I can lift my legs up to the bar without swinging.

Anyway, I'm rambling as usual. This is what you need to try doing for the next 3 months:
1) Work out your BMR and eat slightly less than that. I don't know if 1,400 calories is too little for you or fine but it's close to 1,200. (See my profile about why I stopped eating so little.) In other words, eat more.
2) Lift weights that, as Sirzee says, means you struggle to do more than 6 reps in a row - focus on bench press, dead lifts, squats (or variations thereof), dumbbell bent over rows. These will really work your core if you follow the first part of this (2) to the letter (ie if you do 10x20 reps and feel fresh as a daisy then ask why nothing's happening, expect people to shout at you).
3) Cardio, preferably HIIT or at least incorporate it. This creates the calorie deficit.

I haven't done any proper killer ab exercises in about 2 months but ate more of anything. My midriff is starting to lean out like it's never done before.

there's no such thing as specific foods that "just go to your waist". when your body has excess calories because you've eaten too much(too much fat, too much carbs, too much protein, too much PERIOD), it converts it into a simpler form that can be stored in fat cells, then stores it wherever it wants depending on YOUR OWN PERSONAL genetic makeup. there is no one food that just goes to everyone's belly if they eat it. there are many people who eat and eat and all the fat goes to their arms or legs. it has to do with one's genetics, not the actual food being eaten.

qtiekiki

Here is my advice-- I've always hated my stomach!!!
Stop running-- do HIIT cardio instead. You don't even have to do cardio every day since you're not trying to lose weight (not that you are, but you don't need to). I do intervals of speed and incline on whatever cardio I'm doing.

Cut out dairy, processed foods, any alcohol, fruit. Add lots of veggies and lean protein, especially fish. I have never eaten fish in my life, but eating it is what got me the fittest I've ever been!

Do lift heavy! It really works! You don't even have to work your abs to get abs, abs are made in the kitchen! I do no oblique work at all (it thickens your waist), and I do very little abs.

^This. I am 5'3" and 108lbs, so very similar stats to you. Have you try upping the weights you use for Core Power Yoga and Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. Not sure about the yoga, but JM Body Revolution is interval/circuit training and more cardio than weight training. Upping the weights you use should help burn more fat. Lift more weights, squat, deadlifts, etc.

darrensurrey

there's no such thing as specific foods that "just go to your waist". when your body has excess calories because you've eaten too much(too much fat, too much carbs, too much protein, too much PERIOD), it converts it into a simpler form that can be stored in fat cells, then stores it wherever it wants depending on YOUR OWN PERSONAL genetic makeup. there is no one food that just goes to everyone's belly if they eat it. there are many people who eat and eat and all the fat goes to their arms or legs. it has to do with one's genetics, not the actual food being eaten.

Which is pretty much what I said but in more words.

kealambert

I know you can not spot reduce. I do understand that. My problem is that I am 5'3" and now 111 lbs. My goals was to go from 126 to 115lbs. My reason to lose the 11 pounds was hoping to have more toned, fit, strong, look as well as and most importantly-a flat stomach. I am not happy to be at 111lbs because I don't want to lose more to get a flat stomach. I don't think losing any more would be healthy or attractive.

My pants are getting looser, but my stomach is not flatter.
My face is getting thinner, which does not look that great on me because I have a long face shape to start with.
I like the results in my arms and legs, but what will really help my stomach?

Has less carbs made a difference for anyone?

Here is what I do:
1. weight training (body weight and dumbless, not super heavy yet but heading there as people on MFP have suggested). I do this through Core Power Yoga, and Jillian Michaels Body Revolution
2. cardio: through running (3 miles 2-3 times a week), biking a few hours once a week, sometimes rollerblading or hiking
3. Keeping calories at 1400, TRYING to increase lean protein, limit added sugar, limit white carbs, limit sodium. Does not work out that way every day but it is my goal
4. I try to avoid sit ups/crunches although I do them a few times a week, they hurt my neck so I prefer working my core in other positions such as plank, push-ups, running even makes abs sore for me.

Suggestions from anyone who was able to flatten their belly would be highly appreciated! Suggestions from others also welcome

Thank you!

do you drink protein shakes at all? they can really up the lean muscle growth for you when added to your diet and workout correctly.

truth be told, it's probably just simply a matter of being patient. these things do not happen quickly, and it sounds like you're on the right path for sure