You can't spot reduce...but can you?

weeblex
weeblex Posts: 412 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Both my wife and I have been at this now for a few months and happily losing weight, she is well over 20lbs down, I'm at 12lbs.

The problem is both of us see no difference at all in our tummies.

Both of us are doing annoying woman's shred and running/walking.

Both of us have now got much better looking legs and arms from this work out, so I have to think that certain exercises encourage your body to take its fat from where it needs to, even if you don't want to call that spot reducing.

So does anyone have any recommendations for that tummy flab that doesn't involve a scalpel and a vacuum cleaner? :smile:

Replies

  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    What you are seeing is toned muscle being revealed by the points that your body tends to lose fat first.

    You can't spot reduce, but you can make sure that once the fat starts going away there's some toning under there to reveal.

    "core" exercises like squats, planks, etc would help with this.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Search spot reduce on the message boards. Good luck with this post! :laugh:
  • Angie__1MR
    Angie__1MR Posts: 388 Member
    Tummy flab is the very last to go.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    No, you really can't, sorry.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    Your body loses weight systematically.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Nope, fat packs on and drops off where it wants - very annoying! My tummy is my toughest area as well.

    Are you sure there's no difference at all - are you guys taking measurements? Mine is shrinking, but not as quickly as other areas of my body, and certainly not as fast as I'd like it to. But I also notice some days it seems smaller than others, thanks to good bloating. :tongue: Too much sodium or certain foods definitely make a difference in the appearance of my tummy from day to day.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Tummy flab is the very last to go.

    Unless it's your arms..... My body has been going back an forth, first burning fat from the tummy, then the legs, then the hips, back to the tummy, then the chest, etc.

    But I haven't lost even the tiniest bit of fat from my arms.
  • ckay220
    ckay220 Posts: 271 Member
    Don't ask this question. You'll get 300 replies saying "You can't spot reduce" and your question won't be answered. :noway: Believe me,
    I've gone through it and it ws annoying as crap!
  • ckay220
    ckay220 Posts: 271 Member
    Both of us are doing annoying woman's shred and running/walking.

    I love this part,lol.
  • Losingweightforgood2019
    Losingweightforgood2019 Posts: 174 Member
    Tummy "flab" for me is the first to go when I start to lose weight, which I love because then I get the "hour glass" shape at the beginning. At "spot reducing", I have been told for many many years that it is not possible. I am not a fitness trainer/medical doctor, but from my OWN experiences, I have been able to spot reduce. For example, when I do alot of ab training, my tummy/love handles always "shrink" before my thighs/arms or chest. And that is when I stay focused on the ab work, which normally consist of 300 crunches and 600 twist daily. Again, I am not in the medical field, but I have been able to "spot reduce" in my stomach area when I focus totally on them only..jmo
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    You definitely have to measure, my tummy is still flabby but I lost 3 inches from my waist doing 'annoying woman shred' :laugh:
  • rlmadrid
    rlmadrid Posts: 694 Member
    What you are noticing is an overall fat reduction. This occurs as you lose weight, and it occurs all over. A good rule of thumb is that fat typically comes off in the reverse order it goes on. 10 lbs down, I see loss mostly in my arms, neck, and calves.

    In addition, you likely have a higher muscle to fat ratio in your legs and arms than in your tummy. This will result in visible muscle faster in places where there is more to show.

    Use the search feature to look up spot reducing threads, they are a near weekly occurrence and some of them contain really valuable information if you filter through the bickering.
  • rlmadrid
    rlmadrid Posts: 694 Member
    You definitely have to measure, my tummy is still flabby but I lost 3 inches from my waist doing 'annoying woman shred' :laugh:

    This too! I think I look the same in the mirror, but that's a personal perception. The tape measure doesn't lie.
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    Tummy flab is the very last to go.

    Agreed. I'm of the abs are made in the kitchen perspective. You won't notice a lot until you lose more weight. Even thought I was down 35 lbs, I still looked "rounder" until I lost my last 10, when my body fat dropped to 17% from 20%, without losing a lb at that point was when I finally saw the real differences.
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