What is the best exercise to lose this fat?

All i am doing is running/walking in the morning 5-7 days a week and as many crunches as i can, around 70 for right now, but i wonder what else i should be doing, i am not really seeing any results, i am already on day 4 of doing this, but this is my first day on this site. Any suggestions???


I am 5'5 and 171, trying to get back down to my pre pregnancy weight of 124!

Thanks in advance!!! :)
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Replies

  • I'd also love this question to be answered....anyone.....PLEASE
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    For fat loss, diet > exercise
  • Well, I am not sure where to start with the diet part, I have pretty much clueless. I used to be able to eat anything i wanted and never gain weight, so i dont know what im doing.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    All i am doing is running/walking in the morning 5-7 days a week and as many crunches as i can, around 70 for right now, but i wonder what else i should be doing, i am not really seeing any results, i am already on day 4 of doing this, but this is my first day on this site. Any suggestions???


    I am 5'5 and 171, trying to get back down to my pre pregnancy weight of 124!

    Thanks in advance!!! :)

    It's pretty unlikely that you're going to see changes in 4 days.

    Are you eating at a caloric deficit? Exercise improves fitness, caloric deficits lead to fat loss; the two combined lead to better health and improved body composition.
  • I dont really know where to start with the diet part, should I count calories?
  • srhershey
    srhershey Posts: 181 Member
    You need to eat healthy, follow the food goals given by MFP, and excersise. Do lots of cardio and strength workouts, I like to alternate days. I'll do Zumba one day, then Insanity, and so forth. The biggest thing though, is eating right.
  • Okay thank you! I will try that.
  • nikki_mar
    nikki_mar Posts: 32 Member
    Keep the answers coming... I'm taking notes!
  • All i am doing is running/walking in the morning 5-7 days a week and as many crunches as i can, around 70 for right now, but i wonder what else i should be doing, i am not really seeing any results, i am already on day 4 of doing this, but this is my first day on this site. Any suggestions???


    I am 5'5 and 171, trying to get back down to my pre pregnancy weight of 124!

    Thanks in advance!!! :)

    Help your body, stop doing crunches and do Jumping Jacks, Mountain Climbers, Prisoner Squats, any lunges - doing 5 minutes of these is worth far more than doing supine crunches.
  • ElviraCross
    ElviraCross Posts: 331 Member
    Honestly I think you should go see a nutritionist since you say you aren't sure about diet or read CREDIBLE sources online for information.

    I would also stop wasting your time just doing crunches because I doubt you will have the results you're looking for just by doing those.

    The walks are great.

    If I were you I would look into joining a gym where you can take classes that are structured. Something that an instructor tells you what to do, how much to do, when to do it, etc. You could look for a gym that is giving away a free trial.
  • abnerner
    abnerner Posts: 452 Member
    4 days is not enough, especially if you are not eating right too.

    Track your food using MFP, track your exercise, eat your exercise calories back and you will start seeing results.
  • A simple exercise plan to follow is the body for life plan... www.bodyforlife.com. They give you a large food list, and you just pair up a protein and a carb from the list for each meal... you will eat 6 meals/day. You can eat as many veggies as you like each day. It's very simple and a great way for a beginner to learn how he/she should be eating in order to lose weight effectively. This program also allows a "free day", which is 1 day/week where you get to eat what you want. My recommendations for this is to always take the free day but don't eat so much crap that you get sick or overload on sugar. Even free day should be contained to some degree. Good luck!
  • MSimm62385
    MSimm62385 Posts: 227
    This site has a calorie counter. I would start using that.
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 Member
    Diet diet and oh yea.....diet!!

    You didn't gain overnight and you will not lose overnight. Also YOU may not see difference but others may.

    Keep walking/running - add a little more each time you go. You need to get your heart rate up.
    Can you swim somewhere? Swimming is great all around exercise - works a LOT of muscles.

    Crunches are good, but until you lose the fat around the mid section, you will not see results from crunches. Engage your core with other excercises which will help lose the fat and tone the belly.
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522 Member
    Chasing your tail.

    But seriously, you're not going to see any results in 4 days.
    Everyone is different so what may work for one person, won't work for you.
  • yaryrosa
    yaryrosa Posts: 65 Member
    You can start by gradually eliminating any or all processed/sugary food from you diet. Eat lots of whole grains, veggies, fruit and healthy protein like salmon, or turkey. Counting calories here helps a lot because it shows you what you may be eating too much or what you're lacking. At first I was really lost, but it\'s been taking shape little by little.

    Sad part is, soon I noticed 80% of what's on the supermarket is not really that healthy! It's all full of processed, bleached, chemically treated stuff.

    My new rule of thumb: Read all the lables and Don't buy anything with ingredients I cant' pronounce or don't know what they are..
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    diet is EVERYTHING for this. exercise is a very SMALL part of it. Diet vs diet + exercise yield very similar results when it comes to weight loss.

    That said, exercise is critical for how you look when you reach your goal weight. If you want to lose mostly bodyfat, you need to incorporate full body resistance training into your routine. Cardio is also great, but does nothing to help retain lean mass while losing weight, so don't only do cardio. It's an accessory to weight loss and a benefit to health. But should not be a focus.

    For fat loss, results come from in order of importance:
    1) diet
    2) diet
    3) diet
    4-27) diet
    28) resistance training
    29) cardio
  • shirleygirl910
    shirleygirl910 Posts: 503 Member
    MFP is a good start for amount of calories etc. Walking is the best when starting out, or if you get injured and have to cut back on the work out. Eventually you want to add strength training in, but don't try to do everythng at once.

    Try going to the library. There are lots of books on eating and exercise. Learn how to read labels. This is all a learning process.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    First off, 4 days isn't enough time to see any change. How long did it take you to put on the weight? Exactly. So you're not going to see changes overnight.

    Second, weight loss is about diet, not exercise. Eat better to lose the weight.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    All i am doing is running/walking in the morning 5-7 days a week and as many crunches as i can, around 70 for right now, but i wonder what else i should be doing, i am not really seeing any results, i am already on day 4 of doing this, but this is my first day on this site. Any suggestions???


    I am 5'5 and 171, trying to get back down to my pre pregnancy weight of 124!

    Thanks in advance!!! :)

    Instead of all those crunches, the main exercise you should focus on is pushbacks. As in push back from the dinner table. Controlling your diet is what you need to do to lose weight, not crunches.

    The second thing you should be exercising is patience. Outside of surgery, nothing is going to be showing you results on Day 4. Cut your calories to the the appropriate amount for your height and weight, keep walking, and give it some time. It took longer than a week to gain the weight so it's going to take longer than a week to drop it.
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
    You need to know what your BMR is.

    THEN:

    Eat at that level to maintain your weight.
    Eat/Exercise to that level to create deficit to lose weight.
    Eat more than that to gain weight.

    Start there, then look at heathier food choices, beneficial exercise programs- cardio and weight training.... etc etc etc.
  • jennkain97
    jennkain97 Posts: 290 Member
    Get yourself a copy of "The New Rules of Lifting For Women". This will give you lots of info on both diet and exercise. Then join a gym and follow the plan. You will love yourself for it!
  • Seriously thank you all so much, these are great tips and I am going to use these!!! I cant wait to eat healthier and feel healthier!!! Thank you :)!!!!
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
    It takes more than 4 days to see results from exercise. Be patient, keep at it.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    For fat loss, diet > exercise

    This.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    For fat loss, diet > exercise

    This is true! Pay close attention to your diet. Eat clean foods. Stay away from processed foods (fast food, frozen dinners, box foods etc). Completely clean takes a lot of work, but has great results. I would try to eat as clean as you can. High protein is good too along with low sugar. This can be difficult because it seems just about everything these days is ladled with sugar! Anyway, when grocery shopping, stick to the outer aisles, around the edge. These will have the "cleanest" foods. Avoid the inner aisles (as much as possible).

    Then...be active. Do something you enjoy, something a bit challenging at least 3x a week.
  • Just to clarify, I wasnt looking for results in 4 days, just telling you how you i have been working at it.
  • dstov
    dstov Posts: 4 Member
    If you continue with your exercise, and if you also try your hardest to eliminate sugar from your diet and foods that turn to sugar when ingested, white bread and potatoes for example, you will see great results in eliminating the fat around your tummy.

    Bottom line, there is no secret to weight loss, or at least quick weight loss. Exercise more (run/walk a minimum of 20 minutes), eat healthier - avoid processed foods and DON'T eat out - and you will slowly but surely start to see results.
  • MonkRocker
    MonkRocker Posts: 198
    You may want to start here:

    http://www.liamrosen.com/fitness.html

    That's a good overall guide to get you started. If you are framing what you are doing as a "diet" you are setting yourself up to fail. If you change the way you eat as a temporary thing, then go back to eating the same crap you always did, your weight will just go back up.

    So don't "diet" - change your LIFE. Conventional Wisdom on diet/exercise/fitness has changed a LOT in the last few years. If you've been out of the loop, do some research first. It will save you a lot of time and wasted effort.

    Also: your question topic hints at a concept known around these parts as "spot reducing". It is a MYTH, plain and simple. Trust me on this. And as people have already pointed out in this thread - abs are made in the KITCHEN, not the gym.

    Most people around here are friendly enough and happy to answer questions, BUT - we do tire of seeing the same misinformation and/or answered 200 times previous questions. Google first. Message board search second, THEN ask if you still haven't found an answer.

    Hope that helps! Also: good job on taking the first steps!
  • All i am doing is running/walking in the morning 5-7 days a week and as many crunches as i can, around 70 for right now, but i wonder what else i should be doing, i am not really seeing any results, i am already on day 4 of doing this, but this is my first day on this site. Any suggestions???


    I am 5'5 and 171, trying to get back down to my pre pregnancy weight of 124!

    Thanks in advance!!! :)

    Help your body, stop doing crunches and do Jumping Jacks, Mountain Climbers, Prisoner Squats, any lunges - doing 5 minutes of these is worth far more than doing supine crunches.

    ^^^^ great advice on skipping the crunches as they are just an isolated movement and will burn less calories than the exercised listed above! Also walking in the A.M. is awesome, but i have a few questions... 1) How long are those cardio sessions? 2) Are you doing the walking/running before you have breakfast? My advice is to wake up, have a glass of water to get the body going. Then do your walking/jogging for about 30-45min on an empty stomach to use your fat stores as energy. Eat breakfast right after your walk/jog, you must eat an hour upon waking up! And for food wise, just keep it clean and simple and use the food diary available to you on the site so you know how much your eating and the nutrients consumed... good luck!!!