What's the best excercise for your tummy?

sandrajune72

Hi all. I seem to be doing quite well, losing weight and toning up over most of my body. But I can't seem to shift the old flabby post babies tummy! Any suggestions to what works best? Appreciated! )

ATLMel

Losing fat overall.

Do some searches on the forums. This question has been asked and answered a lot. You'll get more info than you could ever want.

sandrajune72

Oh ok. Sorry, I'm new here so didn't know. :ohwell:

debbiestine

are you doing cardio and lifting weights a few times a week? I carry weight on my core, too. Even though I've lost 20lbs (and am wearing size 2!), my core is the last to show it. My arms/legs look muscular- but my back/belly still have a little flab.
I lost the last 8lbs by increasing my protein and decreasing my carbs. my food diary is public...good luck!

sandrajune72

are you doing cardio and lifting weights a few times a week? I carry weight on my core, too. Even though I've lost 20lbs (and am wearing size 2!), my core is the last to show it. My arms/legs look muscular- but my back/belly still have a little flab.
I lost the last 8lbs by increasing my protein and decreasing my carbs. my food diary is public...good luck!

Thank you for your reply. Yes I am doing both those. Perhaps I just need to give it more time!

delikium

yea u r right...some answers are not helpful at all.

unfortunately i dont have the answer for you as i only started the whole thing

what i do know is you need to lose fat overall your body (you cannot dictate your body in burning on one spot only)
and tone your belly muscles (by tensing them with every movement you make, or hold it in all the time & during exercise) so they will be more defined.

jamiem1102

Tummy fat is generally lost with overall weight loss and time. Good luck!

twinmama1987

Plank/Push ups are surprisingly good for tightening up that core! ..

antijen

That being said, I think that the only way to lose weight in your belly is to lose weight overall. Before kids I gained pretty evenly throughout my body but since having 4 kids (youngest 6 months ago) my belly is definitely the worst part of my body. I wish there was a way to make it vanish!

I've been told by my gym instructors (who are also mothers) that for moms who have recently had babies and have trouble tightening up their stretched out abs, that plank position is best (but still doing crunches and other ab exercises as you are able).

Congrats on the baby!

bprague

anything that requires core work will help. I rather like zuzana light's youtube workouts. They involve a lot of core and cardio work using your body weight.

If you have fat on your stomach then "toning" won't matter to your outward appearance, in which case cardio and weight lifting is necessary

samra2012

I usually do cardio three times per week and weights three times per week too..... I used to have two bellies and now I have one... wo hooo! it works for me!

sisierra

Cardio and Weight lifting, since the abdomen isn't a big enough muscle group to burn the necessary calories/fat you have to work the rest of the body to get to it. Then to tone you do ab work

kblue2007

planks are great for the abs!

bprague

Woah, people!

it was a joke!

She was implying that a nice tummy is made by the food that you eat. You have to see your tummy muscles by losing the fat. I know we are self-conscious about weight, but we are grown-ups here, surely we can get over someone joking about weight loss. In the land of the internet, it is important to remember that 1. it is hard to know when someone is serious or not and 2. when in doubt, assume they are joking.

relax, not everyone is out there make you insecure

bizco

This one: (copy & paste in your browser)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6q7k_D6DGQ&list=PL4CE51ED9E54AA7C3&index=2&feature=plpp_video

Start with 2 sets of 8, then 2 sets of 10, then 3 sets of 12, then 3 sets of 15. It just takes practice and hard work. I do them almost everyday and it's made a huge difference in the appearance of my tummy.

NikkiPsuedoDupuis

I like to do situps and leg raises with a resistance band, I hurt something terrible for a couple of days but I'm weaksauce lol. But I agree, overall fat burning is the only way, no matter what the miracle drug companies tell you about targeting.

And I honestly think the cheeseburger post was meant to be light hearted and silly, that's my sense of humour too, but the internet sucks for translating that stuff, I get yelled at (OMG CAPS LOCK!!) by my friends all the time because I'm so sarcastic and internet makes me sound like an A-hole lol

Steven

Hi Folks,

I'd like to remind everyone of a subtle point in our first guideline, which is that we'd actually prefer users NOT be directed to search the forums as opposed to asking in new threads.

Part of the experience we hope to provide on MyFitnessPal is an opportunity for users to meet other users, make friends, and gain the social support network that our site is set up to provide.

This kind of user connection can not be forged by poring over old posts. We actually encourage new users to post their questions, because there are other users who are happy to reply, and this is how relationships grow.

As a general rule:

Please don't respond if you're not going to respond constructively
Please resist the temptation to direct users to search, at least not as an exclusive solution. Posting fresh threads AND searching is a great combo. But please don't dissuade others from posting any relevant question. We'd prefer to be a live social network, not an encyclopedia of aging references.

Thanks,
Steven

P.S. We do reserve the right to interpret non-constructive responses as hijacking. Repeat offenses can lead to strikes and other repercussions. There's definitely more lee-way for tangents in the ChitChat forum, but when a user posts a sincere question in a "legit" forum, please do your best to respond directly to their question, or leave the response to someone who is willing to do so.

loves_jc

Ask over again is ok, so I do planks and bannan boats from the p90x it is helping. keep in mind I have a long way to go and that I see the pay off for this. I do alot of cardo too.

rcharlee

I have added a stability ball to do ab rolls. I too have a baby belly to get rid of, and know how difficult it can be to lose. I'm 27, and my mother is 50, and last year she started doing planks, and different ab work outs on a stability ball. She's had the mom pooch all my life, and was able to slim it way down using the ball.

GlassslippersAndFairyDust

Unfortunately, you'll find plenty of rude people on here or anywhere for that matter and when you get insulted by their sarcastic humor they will flip it on you and tell you that you are being too sensitive, they will never own the fact that they are being completely insensitive. Most people don't take responsibility for their own actions anymore. Seems rudeness is in. As long as they call it humor they think you should eat it with a spoon and call it delish. They will attack you without any remorse, kind of like a vulture picking your bones clean.

To answer your question; it truly does begin in the kitchen by eating as clean as you can and increase your core work.....like planks. Welcome to MFP and don't sweat the vultures.....they go into hiding at night.....kind of like a bloodsucking bat. :flowerforyou:

BigDaddyBRC

ABS are made in the Kitchen.

try adjusting your macros (percentages of Fats, Proteins, Carbs)

chris1816

Deadlift.

One of the best core exercises you can do.

EDIT: But yes so I don't sound like a moron, defined abs are a simple matter of total body fat %. Less padding on top means clearer visibility of what's underneath. Deadlifts will build overall muscle and give you that "toned" look that most people mistakenly means doing a *kitten* ton of reps at low weights at 15 different exercises all while balancing on a bosu ball with a half wit 24 hour fitness personal trainer yelling at you.

rileysowner

Heavy squats. As a side benefit if you get good and low (your upper legs past parallel) they build a nice butt too.

pandafoo

From my perspective, nutrition is the most important key to losing weight and fat. I've heard that it's 80% nutrition, 20% exercise. Then, I would suggest a combo of aerobic (to lose fat from all around) and strength training to tone your abdominal muscles - you will look ultra good!

mes1119

Compound Lifts!

but no matter how much muscle you have, you can't see your abs if there is a layer of fat on top. Deal with that with your diet.

TheAncientMariner

Overall weight loss and overall fat loss are not the same thing. Your tummy will shrink with overall fat loss! Good luck!

HeatherDerexson

I am going to sound so partial saying this b/c I teach it, but do Zumba. Its good cardio and if you have a good instructor can be good to tone too. After you get used to it there is such a thing as a Zumba toning class too. I teach my classes and luckily I teach at Curves locations so I get to use their machines. They have a few good ab machines there and they are hydraulic vs the normal weights at the gym w/all the heavy metal weights. If zumba isn't your thing, planks I've heard work well, I just tried them today for the first time and let me tell you they aren't easy but you can feel it working. I also have a weighted hoola hoop- you can pick them up at Wal Mart for $20, made by Danskin. Don't try too much at first though b/c you will bruise your hips (true story-lol). I've also been lying down and resting my hands under my tail bone I will slightly bend my knees and raise and lower my legs together without putting them on the floor and repeat as long as I can. Then I will do scissor legs, kind of the same thing but alternate your legs w/o putting either of them on the floor until you can't stand it!! Hope this helps!! Your welcome to friend me and if I figure out other things I'll keep you posted :happy:

jenniejengin

curious to know

acs4162

what i do know is you need to lose fat overall your body (you cannot dictate your body in burning on one spot only)
and tone your belly muscles (by tensing them with every movement you make, or hold it in all the time & during exercise) so they will be more defined.

This lady is so right! I am pear shaped and I wish I could just lose a little weight on the bottom without losing weigh up top, but, our bodies lose weight all over.
And she's VERY right about flexing your tummy muscles during every exercise you do, I do this and it really works for me! I tighten my stomach muscles when doing arm curls, shoulder press, leg press, squats, etc.

And to chime in with someone else's advice in this thread- I have really found that my diet has a big impact in my belly being flat or not. As soon as I cut out dairy and grains, my stomach was flat in 1-2 weeks! I have heard other people saying the same was true for them.

Good luck!

Good Luck!

delikium

Overall weight loss and overall fat loss are not the same thing. Your tummy will shrink with overall fat loss! Good luck!

good point!

amaryllis88

Hi all. I seem to be doing quite well, losing weight and toning up over most of my body. But I can't seem to shift the old flabby post babies tummy! Any suggestions to what works best? Appreciated! )

I can't comment on any baby-related body changes since I have not experienced that yet. However, I do have a belly, and what I've noticed that has helped has been doing cardio on the bicycle (with increasing the resistance level), increasing the level of incline on the treadmill, and swimming. Sit-ups will probably help too, any kind of movement that is related to the belly area.

I've read a lot of people's opinions on the forum, especially the ones that like to tell you that you can't spot reduce, but sometimes when I see the changes on myself, I'm open to trying anything inventive & creative. Good luck!