Inches, NOT WEIGHT?

Ariberri9

So I'm having a conundrum, MFP.

I am perfectly happy with my weight -- I am currently 131 pounds. What I want to do is lose inches around my midsection. I was cursed with a "beer belly", so y tummy sticks out and is extremely round. I want to shed my belly fat, both visceral and subcutaneous.

I don't what to set my diet/fitness profile to. Should I set it to lose 1 pound per week? Should I maintain my goal weight? What will help me shed fat even though I'm happy with my weight?

Thanks for the help! Stay strong, and GET FIT! :drinker:

Ariberri9

Bump!

mommamuscles

Have you checked out the group Eat More to Weigh Less? Theres some really good info on there that I think would be helpful to you in reaching your goals.Many of us are more focused on losing inches than weight, lifting heavy, and eating to support our goals. Check it out!

MLgarcia3

Keep it around maintenance and lift weights :-)

HauteP1nk

Strength Training.

Muscle tissue 'weighs' more than fatty tissue, so you may lose inches while toning but not lose pounds. Your body will look more toned and trim.

Yanicka1

Eat at a very small deficit(1/2 pound a week)
Strength training
Patience
ditch the scale

Good luck

Ariberri9

Thanks so much, everyone!

Just as a reference, here's what my belly looks like as of the week of May 6th:





Beer belly. Ahhh!

chrisb75

Keep it around maintenance and lift weights :-)

This

Oh and read this:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Kerri_is_so_very

Have you tried Jillian Michaels 30 day shred??? I see lots of good results in the tummy area from people who have done that.

albayin

I am not expert, but from the picture it appears to me that you might still have a good percentage of body fat. Focusing on losing fat instead of just weight? however I don't know the best way to achive that. I am stil scratching my head trying to find out myself.

iWaffle

Keep it around maintenance and lift weights :-)

This exactly! Girls think "I don't want to be bulky" but you have no idea how hard it is to add size to your arms even with testosterone. If you really want to look fit then use the weights as much or more as you do cardio. Want awesome legs and butt? Do weighted squats and lunges. Want nice looking arms without the flab? Work those arms till they're sore. Your body will freak out and focus on repairing the damage weight lifting does (The repair process is what makes more muscle) and it will help crank up your metabolism. Stay just under or right at your target calories and fill in those meal slots with protein when possible.

I do have to warn you that you'll be stronger and look better. That is the risk you take of having a good strength training routine.

Ariberri9

Have you tried Jillian Michaels 30 day shred??? I see lots of good results in the tummy area from people who have done that.

I want to try it; but honestly, I'm quite scared that it'll be too intense for me. Plus, I don't know if I can afford the videos and the like; and I have nowhere to actually perform my workouts (the floors of my home are extremely thin).

Ariberri9

Keep it around maintenance and lift weights :-)

This exactly! Girls think "I don't want to be bulky" but you have no idea how hard it is to add size to your arms even with testosterone. If you really want to look fit then use the weights as much or more as you do cardio. Want awesome legs and butt? Do weighted squats and lunges. Want nice looking arms without the flab? Work those arms till they're sore. Your body will freak out and focus on repairing the damage weight lifting does (The repair process is what makes more muscle) and it will help crank up your metabolism. Stay just under or right at your target calories and fill in those meal slots with protein when possible.

I do have to warn you that you'll be stronger and look better. That is the risk you take of having a good strength training routine.

I am totally not afraid of looking bulky. In fact, that's what I'm aiming for! My arms and legs are a ton more muscular and toned, but my stomach seems to be falling behind. I've lost a few inches around my midsection; but since most of my fat is visceral, it's hard to shed it!

Ariberri9

I am not expert, but from the picture it appears to me that you might still have a good percentage of body fat. Focusing on losing fat instead of just weight? however I don't know the best way to achive that. I am stil scratching my head trying to find out myself.

My fat is visceral, so will it be harder to shred it? I thought that eating at a deficit and working out four times per week would make the fat melt away; and so far, I've seen a teeny bit of progress. I'm getting a little bummed.

Is it my diet, you think? Check my diary!

albayin

I am not expert, but from the picture it appears to me that you might still have a good percentage of body fat. Focusing on losing fat instead of just weight? however I don't know the best way to achive that. I am stil scratching my head trying to find out myself.

My fat is visceral, so will it be harder to shred it? I thought that eating at a deficit and working out four times per week would make the fat melt away; and so far, I've seen a teeny bit of progress. I'm getting a little bummed.

Is it my diet, you think? Check my diary!

Thank you for your trust but I honestly don't really know the answer myself. I am struggling as well. Good luck!

ladyace2078

Eat enough protein (~1 g per LEAN body mass). Lift heavy! Eat enough calories. Those are my recommendations.

Kerri_is_so_very

Have you tried Jillian Michaels 30 day shred??? I see lots of good results in the tummy area from people who have done that.

I want to try it; but honestly, I'm quite scared that it'll be too intense for me. Plus, I don't know if I can afford the videos and the like; and I have nowhere to actually perform my workouts (the floors of my home are extremely thin).

The dvd is about $7 and I believe it can be found on youtube It is a short workout and the results I've seen are amazing and huge differences in the tummy areas. Good luck!

Ariberri9

Eat enough protein (~1 g per LEAN body mass). Lift heavy! Eat enough calories. Those are my recommendations.

Should I focus solely on lifting? Are there certain lifts that target the abdominal area?

Ariberri9

Have you tried Jillian Michaels 30 day shred??? I see lots of good results in the tummy area from people who have done that.

I want to try it; but honestly, I'm quite scared that it'll be too intense for me. Plus, I don't know if I can afford the videos and the like; and I have nowhere to actually perform my workouts (the floors of my home are extremely thin).

The dvd is about $7 and I believe it can be found on youtube It is a short workout and the results I've seen are amazing and huge differences in the tummy areas. Good luck!

Thank you so much! I will look into it now.

bcattoes

I am not expert, but from the picture it appears to me that you might still have a good percentage of body fat. Focusing on losing fat instead of just weight? however I don't know the best way to achive that. I am stil scratching my head trying to find out myself.

My fat is visceral, so will it be harder to shred it? I thought that eating at a deficit and working out four times per week would make the fat melt away; and so far, I've seen a teeny bit of progress. I'm getting a little bummed.

Is it my diet, you think? Check my diary!

Based on the picture, your fat is not all visceral. Visceral fat is internal around yoru organs and cannot be seen except by ultrasound, xray or other medical scan. Even very skinny looking people can have visceral fat.

You'll need to work on reducing fat overall to get rid of your belly fat. Do a combination of aerobic and strength training and change your settings to lose .5 lb per week, since you are at/near your goal weight. Avoid refined sugar and carbs as much as possible.

iWaffle

Should I focus solely on lifting? Are there certain lifts that target the abdominal area?

No, you can't specify where the fat gets burned off at. Your body has already chosen what spot it likes to store fat in and it will add it there first and keep it there the longest. Specific strength exercises builds specific muscle but think of fat as being all in the same category. Disregard where it's visually stored and focus on just generically burning through fat. You can not target one area for fat burning. Your problem area will be the last thing to go no matter what exercise you do.

Think of your body in the terms "What do I want it to look like when the fat is gone?" and do strength training to increase the muscle in those areas. Your best bet is complex free weight exercises. Complex means that you're using more than one muscle at a time. Keep up the cardio to burn through the fat. Keep working the muscles so you have a better metabolism and keep eating right.

You're too heavy on carbs and too light on protein in my opinion.

Ariberri9

Should I focus solely on lifting? Are there certain lifts that target the abdominal area?

No, you can't specify where the fat gets burned off at. Your body has already chosen what spot it likes to store fat in and it will add it there first and keep it there the longest. Specific strength exercises builds specific muscle but think of fat as being all in the same category. Disregard where it's visually stored and focus on just generically burning through fat. You can not target one area for fat burning. Your problem area will be the last thing to go no matter what exercise you do.

Think of your body in the terms "What do I want it to look like when the fat is gone?" and do strength training to increase the muscle in those areas. Your best bet is complex free weight exercises. Complex means that you're using more than one muscle at a time. Keep up the cardio to burn through the fat. Keep working the muscles so you have a better metabolism and keep eating right.

You're too heavy on carbs and too light on protein in my opinion.

Oh, I know...carbs are my extreme weakness. I'm trying hard to reduce my carbs bit by bit.

Thank you SO much for your help. I may start small with 30 Day Shred...I've been lifting weights for a while now, so I'm hoping that doing the 30DS and weights afterward will help me out.

Thanks again! :flowerforyou:

Ariberri9

I am not expert, but from the picture it appears to me that you might still have a good percentage of body fat. Focusing on losing fat instead of just weight? however I don't know the best way to achive that. I am stil scratching my head trying to find out myself.

My fat is visceral, so will it be harder to shred it? I thought that eating at a deficit and working out four times per week would make the fat melt away; and so far, I've seen a teeny bit of progress. I'm getting a little bummed.

Is it my diet, you think? Check my diary!

Based on the picture, your fat is not all visceral. Visceral fat is internal around yoru organs and cannot be seen except by ultrasound, xray or other medical scan. Even very skinny looking people can have visceral fat.

You'll need to work on reducing fat overall to get rid of your belly fat. Do a combination of aerobic and strength training and change your settings to lose .5 lb per week, since you are at/near your goal weight. Avoid refined sugar and carbs as much as possible.

Thank you so much for your input. Darn those carbs...sigh. I do cardio for 35 minutes every workout; and then, for 30 minutes, I do weight training. Let's hope 30DS and more weight training help me!

albayin

I am not expert, but from the picture it appears to me that you might still have a good percentage of body fat. Focusing on losing fat instead of just weight? however I don't know the best way to achive that. I am stil scratching my head trying to find out myself.

My fat is visceral, so will it be harder to shred it? I thought that eating at a deficit and working out four times per week would make the fat melt away; and so far, I've seen a teeny bit of progress. I'm getting a little bummed.

Is it my diet, you think? Check my diary!

Based on the picture, your fat is not all visceral. Visceral fat is internal around yoru organs and cannot be seen except by ultrasound, xray or other medical scan. Even very skinny looking people can have visceral fat.

You'll need to work on reducing fat overall to get rid of your belly fat. Do a combination of aerobic and strength training and change your settings to lose .5 lb per week, since you are at/near your goal weight. Avoid refined sugar and carbs as much as possible.

Thank you so much for your input. Darn those carbs...sigh. I do cardio for 35 minutes every workout; and then, for 30 minutes, I do weight training. Let's hope 30DS and more weight training help me!

How about reverse the process? WT first then cardio? Worth a try, right? And please keep me posted. I want to know as well.

iWaffle

How about reverse the process? WT first then cardio? Worth a try, right? And please keep me posted. I want to know as well.

I didn't want rock the boat but I agree. It seems that the weight training should be done when you have the most available amount of energy in your system. Cardio after weight training might be even more useful since a good workout will pull down a lot of your available blood glucose and your body would need to go to reserves (liver or stored fat) for the cardio energy.

I actually split mine. Cardio first thing in the morning and weights at night.