Flat Stomach...

mrs_kurz

Hey everyone! I love this forum, it's so encouraging to see people's progress stories and pictures

I am getting there with my weight loss, still got body fat to lose, i'm currently doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, struggling a little on day 16 now! But need to keep motivated and keep doing it. Thing i'm struggling with is my stomach. its SO untoned it's unreal. I seem to have no strength or support in my stomach, and I don't think crunches are going to fix it. When I tense my muscles it will go flat, but when i'm untensed it's so bad! Does anyone have any tips for how I can strengthen it and get on my way to having a flat stomach nd losing the last of my muffin top...?

skinnieminniemouse

Have you tried doing the plank? That exercise is immense, I love it.
It should go with time if you carry on with strength exercises, you might just need to wait it out.

SassyJuliana

No way to spot reduce, unfortunately... :mad:

However, keep it at the shred, level 3 will kick you core's butt (lol, you know what I mean!). I finish my 30 days this week, and can totally tell the difference.

Do cardio, too. Even though you can't chose which fat to burn, eventually it will be the midsection's! :flowerforyou:

MiNiMoNkI

The truest saying ever is "good abs are made in the kitchen" good cleab diet, plenty of veg and water. it did it for me, you can do as much exercise as you want but if your not eating correctly its all in vain

fruitsalad15

Hi

I'm on day 13 of 30DS so similar to you. I have a very wobbly belly too and someone told me that you shoudl try and engage your stomach muscles through the entire work out. I tried it this morning - I managed the warm up when I realised I had stopped 'engaging' it. I tried to keep it in mind and my I can really feel it.

Not sure if you already do it but I feel like that will help too. Sitting in the car and at my desk I keep trying to make it tense - without holding my breath! ha ha!

fruitsalad15

OMG!! I didn't mean to imply that you have a wobbly belly - I just meant that I have!!!! sorry if I offended I really didn't mean too!!!

mrs_kurz

OMG!! I didn't mean to imply that you have a wobbly belly - I just meant that I have!!!! sorry if I offended I really didn't mean too!!!

Hahahaha!! Don't worry at all - no offence taken, and for the record I have a VERY wobbly belly :laugh:

MLgarcia3

Mine started to look better when I started lifting heavy. But abs are definitely made in the kitchen :-)

HeidiMightyRawr

No way to spot reduce (as in fat) it will come off where in comes off (genetics)

In terms of strength though, I've always found good compound movements such as squats and deadlifts are all I've ever needed for my stomach / core. One time after a great workout with those 2 exercises, my abs were sooo sore the next day! At that time, I had never isolated my abs before in a long time.

My stomach isn't where I want it (it's the last place I lose fat) but heavy lifting has certainly made it better. I'd really recommend! Obviously your diet has to be good as well, you can't have a crappy diet and expect to have great anything really.

silkandsugar

Flat tummies come from eating clean. You won't see your abs unless you get rid of the layer of fat on top. It takes a long time and it's usually the last thing to tone up when working on yourself. Just give it time and don't focus too much on the crunches but rather healthy food choices. So limit the sugar, processed foods ,fried foods etc.

Topsking2010

bump

Lesa_Sass

I agree that flat bellies come from eating the right foods, but I will say that some hard carido and pilates help me a great deal.

I can not stress enough how wonderful I think pilates are.

As far as food goes, try to eat foods that are the lowest on the glycemic index, lean meats and other proteins like avocado and eggs.

Good luck, it will get there, it just takes time. Right now I am sitting here with a flat stomach that it took 4 years to build. I did not give up and it is TOTALLY worth it.

lavender38

One of the hardest areas on the body to see results. Just keep up with your cardio and try to keep your abs engaged as much as possible, especially during exercise. I am on day 15 of the 30DS and am loving the results. Just stay motivated and stay with it...good luck!

Cindym82

When u finish that dvd do her Ripped in 30 one, I lost 1.5inches in my stomach in the first 9 days of RI30 after finishing 30ds

pyrowill

Totally agree, a 6 pack is made in the kitchen, NOT the gym. I'm probably just going to repeat what others have said here. You seem to have two issues, the layer of fat, and lack of core strength, according to what you wrote. So you need to do two things.

1) Plenty of core work, planks, crunches, raises etc. This will increase your core strength and will make sure that when you have completed #2 that it will all show.

2) Diet, it's all about your diet, that extra bit that flops out when you untense. Quite simply that is body fat. And you can't spot reduce it. Clean up your diet even more and do more fat burning exercises such as resistance training, squats press ups etc. Eventually it WILL go if you do these things.

EpiGaiaRepens

two different things: (1) strengthen the core and (2) lose the fat.

(1) strengthen the core. As you noted, crunches only get you so far. There are better ways to work on your abs. Chin ups come to mind. YOu think chin ups are about your arms and back. Well, when I do chin ups, I feel it all the way down to my hips. Lifting heavy also works the abs- squats and deadlifts. Your body requires the abs to kick in to support all that weight you are lifting with your arms. If you aren't up to those things, consider adding weights to your crunches. It's amazing how much more strength you can build when you add extra weight to what you are doing. Also, hanging leg raises are good for abs.

(2) lose the fat. This is the part that is really hard. YOu can't spot reduce. Abs are made in the kitchen. You've heard it all before. Clean eating is the only way to go. My belly is by no means flat, but it's flatter than it's ever been and i can say with some certainty that watching your carbs (shoot for 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat on your macros...if you are super bad *kitten* you can do 40% protein and 30% carbs), eat clean (lots of veggies, lots of home cooking, lots of unprocessed foods) and you should slowly start to see some results.

EpiGaiaRepens

Totally agree, a 6 pack is made in the kitchen, NOT the gym. I'm probably just going to repeat what others have said here. You seem to have two issues, the layer of fat, and lack of core strength, according to what you wrote. So you need to do two things.

1) Plenty of core work, planks, crunches, raises etc. This will increase your core strength and will make sure that when you have completed #2 that it will all show.

2) Diet, it's all about your diet, that extra bit that flops out when you untense. Quite simply that is body fat. And you can't spot reduce it. Clean up your diet even more and do more fat burning exercises such as resistance training, squats press ups etc. Eventually it WILL go if you do these things.

haha! Pryowill! We were both writing the same thing at the same time! JINX! BUy me a...um, not a coke. How about a protein shake!!?!?!

Coco_Puff

Look up Prone jack knife on the web. It is killer and you know it's working!!!

FunandFitMom

There's no a good way to spot reduce, but....

Cardio will slim you down generally. Planks are a great core exercise. My son's martial arts class gets in plank position, then taps their right hand to the left shoulder, the left hand to right should while reciting the ABC's. I tried it....quick and effective exercise!

fatbabynomore

I haven't had success yet but I am just re-committing to my new life. I do know someone however, who just finished the 60-day insanity program and it did wonders! A 40+ year old mother of 4 and the stomach/pouch is gone. Gone!

k8ermarie

I joined a Gym/Weight Loss Challenge. My problem area is my stomach. I had so many people say, "When are you due?" But I am not pregnant. So, what I have learned from this challenge is that the only way to burn the fat is by gaining LEAN MUSCLE. I have done Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. And I do enjoy that workout, but I didn't see a difference in my stomach until I really started lifting weights and combining good cardio. My usual workout consists of 60 minute Zumba class + 20-30 minutes weight training. There are many strength exercises that help your stomach. Work all of your stomach. Upper, Lower, Obliques. I am slowly seeing results in my stomach. 5 weeks in and I have lost 2.5 inches in it. Keep going! Hope this helps!