How do I lose the fat without making my muscles any LARGER?

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  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    What does calorie deficit mean? Eat less than recommended calories? I always thought that was severely dangerous.

    A caloric deficit simply means if your body needs 2000 calories just to make it through a normal day, give it 1800. Your body needs a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound. If you cut 500 calories and burn 500 calories per day, you can healthfully lose 2 lbs per week.
    I lost 100 lbs over a 2 year period. That was over 10 years ago. Except for when I had my daughter, I haven't gained any of it back. Its not dangerous, but make sure you eat good foods in your calories. Foods with high fiber and vitamins help to satiate you as well.

    Thanks, that makes sense! I've been eating right at 1200 per day so maybe it is working and I can't see it yet! I do want to start working different exercises to try to target the problem areas. For instance, doing scissor lifts (I think that's what they are called, on your side, lift one leg straight up) to cut out the flab there. I also do a variety of versions of chest raises to try to get the fat under and around my biceps. I try a lot of different ab exercises but I have a hard time with them because of the mommy pooch. It's like having a ball between you, I can't sit up without hitting the "ball".

    Exercising various body parts does not have anything to do with fat loss in those areas. Fat comes off of your body all over, you have no control over it.

    That's what I've always heard but it can't hurt to try!

    Actually it can if you waste too much time flopping around like a fish trying to target your abs when you could be burning 10x more calories doing something else.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Lately I started the 30-day Shred and I can see my muscles getting larger. THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT!! I need to lose the extra pounds and fat around the muscles. I have no desire to make my muscles any larger than they already are. Any suggestions??? Any at all??

    Step #1.Take tape measurements of your legs, arms, and abdomen in several places.

    Step #2. Exercise and eat healthy with a deficit.

    Step #3. Keep taking measurements and you'll see that despite "looking" slightly more muscular you're actually shrinking.

    Step #4. Go out and buy new clothes because your old ones fall off.


    The best and easiest way to look like you gained 10 pounds of muscle is to lose 20-30 pounds of fat. Personally I still need to do step #4 because none of my pants stay on without a belt cinched down to a pretend notch I made so I could still use it.
  • schmidty13
    schmidty13 Posts: 41 Member
    YOUR Body IS Your Body! ACCEPT it and Love who YOU are.

    I frequent this site solely to learn and gather useful information, and have never felt the need to post something until now. Can't help but notice how annoying and pointless every one of your posts lately has been. Must be nice to have that kind of free time. That is all.
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Ahaha ^ daaang
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    What to take home from this:

    1. You can't do crunches and expect to lose fat on your tummy
    2. Eat at a proper deficit and exercise will allow you to drop body fat
    3. You SHOULD be lifting weights
    4. Women don't naturally build HUGE muscles, they must eat like a sumo wrestler and/or take steroids
  • ErinRibbens
    ErinRibbens Posts: 370 Member
    The best thing I ever did for my mommy tummy (besides losing weight from a calorie deficit) was to start lifting heavy weights. I have NOT gotten bulky at all, but doing squats with a barbell has flattened my tummy tremendously. That and push-ups/planks.

    Make sure you are taking measurements to see if you are really losing inches or not.

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