2% of body fat loss...no relief on the muffin top

vals83

Getting incredibly discouraged, I've hired a personal trainer. Trying to workout 4-5 days a week. And I've adjusted my nutrition. I've lost 2% of body fat in 4 weeks yet my measurements are the same and my muffin top is still very present. When will I see some change!? I'm so exhausted from the work I'm putting in just to still have to wedge into my jeans.

erindh87

Unfortunately for a lot of women, stomach fat is the last to go. I'm the exact same way. I have roughly 20 lbs left, and the majority of it is in my stomach (some in the upper thighs as well). Just keep doing what you're doing! It'll go away eventually.

Congrats on the 2% fat loss!

jcstanton

Getting incredibly discouraged, I've hired a personal trainer. Trying to workout 4-5 days a week. And I've adjusted my nutrition. I've lost 2% of body fat in 4 weeks yet my measurements are the same and my muffin top is still very present. When will I see some change!? I'm so exhausted from the work I'm putting in just to still have to wedge into my jeans.

You can't spot reduce. I know you've heard it before. Stop worrying about losing weight in a particular place on your body and just enjoy the fact that your numbers are going down. The muffin top will go eventually. Just be patient. If you give up, it won't ever go away. I don't know why, but it seems that the place we want to lose weight the most is always the last place we see a difference. For me, it's my lower abdomen and my chest. My legs and muffin top are usually the first place I see a difference.

valeriekey

I lost about 25 pounds so far. I still have a stomach, but I am losing inches and it does look smaller. I think we can be too picky of what we want to see that we dont see the minor changes. How much weight did you lose?

vals83

None of my measurements have changed. Waist, hips, thighs etc. All pretty much the same

bfitnbfab

This is what a good friend of mine posted on Facebook. It really puts things into perspective:
Is BELLY-FAT "Really" Stubborn and Harder to LOSE?

"Whenever someone asks me about belly-fat, and how to lose it, it ALWAYS reminds me of a conversation I had years ago. While sitting on an outdoor deck after a Summer rain, a friend asked, "Franny, why is BELLY-FAT So Stubborn? I seem to be losing it everywhere except around my waist - Why is this so?”

I said, look out over the deck. It has just
stopped raining. The ground is WET, and as you can see, WATER has pooled to form PUDDLES of all sizes? Also, the POND across the street has swelled to accommodate the newly deposited rain-WATER.

Eventually, the SUN will appear and ALL the WATER will begin to evaporate...

The important thing to understand is that ALL the WATER is “evaporating” at the SAME rate. However, to the naked-eye, it doesn’t seem that way because although the ground dries very quickly, it takes until mid-day for the SMALLER PUDDLES to dry-up and be gone. The LARGER PUDDLES are shrinking too, yet it may actually take a full day or two for them to be dried-up and gone.
Also, the POND across the street won't change much at all after only one day of sunshine"...but, I assure you, it's shrinking too.

Our own "Body-fat" is a lot like the WET streets, the PUDDLES, and the POND. We all have a thin layer of fat accumulated underneath our skin over most of our bodies (Like the wet landscape). It’s called “Subcutaneous-Fat” (which simply means "under the skin"). We also store body-fat in larger quantities all around the body - kind of like PUDDLES. Doctors call this “Depot Fat”. On Women, the FAT tends to gather in the biggest amounts on the hips, butt, and thighs. On a man's body it tends to gather on the front of their bellies their and middle and lower back. A classic example of course is the “beer belly”. "As we lose fat from exercise or reduced-calorie eating, the fat-loss in our body is like the evaporating water. - is like a pond. Unfortunately, although the water is evaporating, it’s not until the shore-line recedes, that we notice a water-level drop. See what I mean?

Male Bodybuilders can relate to this concept from their own experiences with contest-dieting. Their Abs are the last area of their body to experience total leanness. This is because they begin their fat-loss diets with the most amount of fat (usually) around their middle. Conversely, Female Bodybuilders would agree that it’s usually their butt and upper-thighs that are the last to experience razor-sharp leanness.

Therefore, if you are exercising and eating to lose fat, but seeing results only in some areas of your body and not others - DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Your belly-fat (or butt-fat) is NOT being stubborn at all. It’s losing fat as fast as the rest of your body. It just seems like a slow poke because it’s a “Pond”, not a “wet street”, or “puddle”. Our bodies burn fat like the sun evaporates water on the town, a little at a time, but, ALL at the same time. Make sense?

The last important thing to remember regarding your efforts to shed that belly-fat is that performing extra abs exercises WILL NOT help. Remember, you can NOT spot reduce body-fat around your waist by exercising that area - that myth died long ago."

Please "Share" this with your friends, 'cause most of them don't have a clue, and this explanation will help them keep their sanity during their own "Belly-Fat-loss" efforts.

~Franny Goodrich"

You can see more of his updates here:
http://www.facebook.com/FrannyGoodrich

jasonp_ritzert

This is what a good friend of mine posted on Facebook. It really puts things into perspective:
Is BELLY-FAT "Really" Stubborn and Harder to LOSE?

"Whenever someone asks me about belly-fat, and how to lose it, it ALWAYS reminds me of a conversation I had years ago. While sitting on an outdoor deck after a Summer rain, a friend asked, "Franny, why is BELLY-FAT So Stubborn? I seem to be losing it everywhere except around my waist - Why is this so?”

I said, look out over the deck. It has just
stopped raining. The ground is WET, and as you can see, WATER has pooled to form PUDDLES of all sizes? Also, the POND across the street has swelled to accommodate the newly deposited rain-WATER.

Eventually, the SUN will appear and ALL the WATER will begin to evaporate...

The important thing to understand is that ALL the WATER is “evaporating” at the SAME rate. However, to the naked-eye, it doesn’t seem that way because although the ground dries very quickly, it takes until mid-day for the SMALLER PUDDLES to dry-up and be gone. The LARGER PUDDLES are shrinking too, yet it may actually take a full day or two for them to be dried-up and gone.
Also, the POND across the street won't change much at all after only one day of sunshine"...but, I assure you, it's shrinking too.

Our own "Body-fat" is a lot like the WET streets, the PUDDLES, and the POND. We all have a thin layer of fat accumulated underneath our skin over most of our bodies (Like the wet landscape). It’s called “Subcutaneous-Fat” (which simply means "under the skin"). We also store body-fat in larger quantities all around the body - kind of like PUDDLES. Doctors call this “Depot Fat”. On Women, the FAT tends to gather in the biggest amounts on the hips, butt, and thighs. On a man's body it tends to gather on the front of their bellies their and middle and lower back. A classic example of course is the “beer belly”. "As we lose fat from exercise or reduced-calorie eating, the fat-loss in our body is like the evaporating water. - is like a pond. Unfortunately, although the water is evaporating, it’s not until the shore-line recedes, that we notice a water-level drop. See what I mean?

Male Bodybuilders can relate to this concept from their own experiences with contest-dieting. Their Abs are the last area of their body to experience total leanness. This is because they begin their fat-loss diets with the most amount of fat (usually) around their middle. Conversely, Female Bodybuilders would agree that it’s usually their butt and upper-thighs that are the last to experience razor-sharp leanness.

Therefore, if you are exercising and eating to lose fat, but seeing results only in some areas of your body and not others - DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Your belly-fat (or butt-fat) is NOT being stubborn at all. It’s losing fat as fast as the rest of your body. It just seems like a slow poke because it’s a “Pond”, not a “wet street”, or “puddle”. Our bodies burn fat like the sun evaporates water on the town, a little at a time, but, ALL at the same time. Make sense?

The last important thing to remember regarding your efforts to shed that belly-fat is that performing extra abs exercises WILL NOT help. Remember, you can NOT spot reduce body-fat around your waist by exercising that area - that myth died long ago."

Please "Share" this with your friends, 'cause most of them don't have a clue, and this explanation will help them keep their sanity during their own "Belly-Fat-loss" efforts.

~Franny Goodrich"

You can see more of his updates here:
http://www.facebook.com/FrannyGoodrich

This is by far the best analogy I have ever heard regarding body fat loss.

vals83

This is what a good friend of mine posted on Facebook. It really puts things into perspective:
Is BELLY-FAT "Really" Stubborn and Harder to LOSE?

"Whenever someone asks me about belly-fat, and how to lose it, it ALWAYS reminds me of a conversation I had years ago. While sitting on an outdoor deck after a Summer rain, a friend asked, "Franny, why is BELLY-FAT So Stubborn? I seem to be losing it everywhere except around my waist - Why is this so?”

I said, look out over the deck. It has just
stopped raining. The ground is WET, and as you can see, WATER has pooled to form PUDDLES of all sizes? Also, the POND across the street has swelled to accommodate the newly deposited rain-WATER.

Eventually, the SUN will appear and ALL the WATER will begin to evaporate...

The important thing to understand is that ALL the WATER is “evaporating” at the SAME rate. However, to the naked-eye, it doesn’t seem that way because although the ground dries very quickly, it takes until mid-day for the SMALLER PUDDLES to dry-up and be gone. The LARGER PUDDLES are shrinking too, yet it may actually take a full day or two for them to be dried-up and gone.
Also, the POND across the street won't change much at all after only one day of sunshine"...but, I assure you, it's shrinking too.

Our own "Body-fat" is a lot like the WET streets, the PUDDLES, and the POND. We all have a thin layer of fat accumulated underneath our skin over most of our bodies (Like the wet landscape). It’s called “Subcutaneous-Fat” (which simply means "under the skin"). We also store body-fat in larger quantities all around the body - kind of like PUDDLES. Doctors call this “Depot Fat”. On Women, the FAT tends to gather in the biggest amounts on the hips, butt, and thighs. On a man's body it tends to gather on the front of their bellies their and middle and lower back. A classic example of course is the “beer belly”. "As we lose fat from exercise or reduced-calorie eating, the fat-loss in our body is like the evaporating water. - is like a pond. Unfortunately, although the water is evaporating, it’s not until the shore-line recedes, that we notice a water-level drop. See what I mean?

Male Bodybuilders can relate to this concept from their own experiences with contest-dieting. Their Abs are the last area of their body to experience total leanness. This is because they begin their fat-loss diets with the most amount of fat (usually) around their middle. Conversely, Female Bodybuilders would agree that it’s usually their butt and upper-thighs that are the last to experience razor-sharp leanness.

Therefore, if you are exercising and eating to lose fat, but seeing results only in some areas of your body and not others - DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Your belly-fat (or butt-fat) is NOT being stubborn at all. It’s losing fat as fast as the rest of your body. It just seems like a slow poke because it’s a “Pond”, not a “wet street”, or “puddle”. Our bodies burn fat like the sun evaporates water on the town, a little at a time, but, ALL at the same time. Make sense?

The last important thing to remember regarding your efforts to shed that belly-fat is that performing extra abs exercises WILL NOT help. Remember, you can NOT spot reduce body-fat around your waist by exercising that area - that myth died long ago."

Please "Share" this with your friends, 'cause most of them don't have a clue, and this explanation will help them keep their sanity during their own "Belly-Fat-loss" efforts.

~Franny Goodrich"

You can see more of his updates here:
http://www.facebook.com/FrannyGoodrich

I thoroughly appreciate this! Awesome analogy. But wouldn't some of my measurements have changed? Somewhere?!

erindh87

This is what a good friend of mine posted on Facebook. It really puts things into perspective:
Is BELLY-FAT "Really" Stubborn and Harder to LOSE?

"Whenever someone asks me about belly-fat, and how to lose it, it ALWAYS reminds me of a conversation I had years ago. While sitting on an outdoor deck after a Summer rain, a friend asked, "Franny, why is BELLY-FAT So Stubborn? I seem to be losing it everywhere except around my waist - Why is this so?”

I said, look out over the deck. It has just
stopped raining. The ground is WET, and as you can see, WATER has pooled to form PUDDLES of all sizes? Also, the POND across the street has swelled to accommodate the newly deposited rain-WATER.

Eventually, the SUN will appear and ALL the WATER will begin to evaporate...

The important thing to understand is that ALL the WATER is “evaporating” at the SAME rate. However, to the naked-eye, it doesn’t seem that way because although the ground dries very quickly, it takes until mid-day for the SMALLER PUDDLES to dry-up and be gone. The LARGER PUDDLES are shrinking too, yet it may actually take a full day or two for them to be dried-up and gone.
Also, the POND across the street won't change much at all after only one day of sunshine"...but, I assure you, it's shrinking too.

Our own "Body-fat" is a lot like the WET streets, the PUDDLES, and the POND. We all have a thin layer of fat accumulated underneath our skin over most of our bodies (Like the wet landscape). It’s called “Subcutaneous-Fat” (which simply means "under the skin"). We also store body-fat in larger quantities all around the body - kind of like PUDDLES. Doctors call this “Depot Fat”. On Women, the FAT tends to gather in the biggest amounts on the hips, butt, and thighs. On a man's body it tends to gather on the front of their bellies their and middle and lower back. A classic example of course is the “beer belly”. "As we lose fat from exercise or reduced-calorie eating, the fat-loss in our body is like the evaporating water. - is like a pond. Unfortunately, although the water is evaporating, it’s not until the shore-line recedes, that we notice a water-level drop. See what I mean?

Male Bodybuilders can relate to this concept from their own experiences with contest-dieting. Their Abs are the last area of their body to experience total leanness. This is because they begin their fat-loss diets with the most amount of fat (usually) around their middle. Conversely, Female Bodybuilders would agree that it’s usually their butt and upper-thighs that are the last to experience razor-sharp leanness.

Therefore, if you are exercising and eating to lose fat, but seeing results only in some areas of your body and not others - DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Your belly-fat (or butt-fat) is NOT being stubborn at all. It’s losing fat as fast as the rest of your body. It just seems like a slow poke because it’s a “Pond”, not a “wet street”, or “puddle”. Our bodies burn fat like the sun evaporates water on the town, a little at a time, but, ALL at the same time. Make sense?

The last important thing to remember regarding your efforts to shed that belly-fat is that performing extra abs exercises WILL NOT help. Remember, you can NOT spot reduce body-fat around your waist by exercising that area - that myth died long ago."

Please "Share" this with your friends, 'cause most of them don't have a clue, and this explanation will help them keep their sanity during their own "Belly-Fat-loss" efforts.

~Franny Goodrich"

You can see more of his updates here:
http://www.facebook.com/FrannyGoodrich

I thoroughly appreciate this! Awesome analogy. But wouldn't some of my measurements have changed? Somewhere?!

Did you take measurements everywhere? When I started losing, I saw the losses in my face, neck, arms, hands, and feet first. Try to compare pictures and see if you notice a difference that way. Sometimes it's difficult to tell a difference by just looking in the mirror.

Edit: Maybe try on a few rings as well to see if they fit any looser.

vals83

This is what a good friend of mine posted on Facebook. It really puts things into perspective:
Is BELLY-FAT "Really" Stubborn and Harder to LOSE?

"Whenever someone asks me about belly-fat, and how to lose it, it ALWAYS reminds me of a conversation I had years ago. While sitting on an outdoor deck after a Summer rain, a friend asked, "Franny, why is BELLY-FAT So Stubborn? I seem to be losing it everywhere except around my waist - Why is this so?”

I said, look out over the deck. It has just
stopped raining. The ground is WET, and as you can see, WATER has pooled to form PUDDLES of all sizes? Also, the POND across the street has swelled to accommodate the newly deposited rain-WATER.

Eventually, the SUN will appear and ALL the WATER will begin to evaporate...

The important thing to understand is that ALL the WATER is “evaporating” at the SAME rate. However, to the naked-eye, it doesn’t seem that way because although the ground dries very quickly, it takes until mid-day for the SMALLER PUDDLES to dry-up and be gone. The LARGER PUDDLES are shrinking too, yet it may actually take a full day or two for them to be dried-up and gone.
Also, the POND across the street won't change much at all after only one day of sunshine"...but, I assure you, it's shrinking too.

Our own "Body-fat" is a lot like the WET streets, the PUDDLES, and the POND. We all have a thin layer of fat accumulated underneath our skin over most of our bodies (Like the wet landscape). It’s called “Subcutaneous-Fat” (which simply means "under the skin"). We also store body-fat in larger quantities all around the body - kind of like PUDDLES. Doctors call this “Depot Fat”. On Women, the FAT tends to gather in the biggest amounts on the hips, butt, and thighs. On a man's body it tends to gather on the front of their bellies their and middle and lower back. A classic example of course is the “beer belly”. "As we lose fat from exercise or reduced-calorie eating, the fat-loss in our body is like the evaporating water. - is like a pond. Unfortunately, although the water is evaporating, it’s not until the shore-line recedes, that we notice a water-level drop. See what I mean?

Male Bodybuilders can relate to this concept from their own experiences with contest-dieting. Their Abs are the last area of their body to experience total leanness. This is because they begin their fat-loss diets with the most amount of fat (usually) around their middle. Conversely, Female Bodybuilders would agree that it’s usually their butt and upper-thighs that are the last to experience razor-sharp leanness.

Therefore, if you are exercising and eating to lose fat, but seeing results only in some areas of your body and not others - DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Your belly-fat (or butt-fat) is NOT being stubborn at all. It’s losing fat as fast as the rest of your body. It just seems like a slow poke because it’s a “Pond”, not a “wet street”, or “puddle”. Our bodies burn fat like the sun evaporates water on the town, a little at a time, but, ALL at the same time. Make sense?

The last important thing to remember regarding your efforts to shed that belly-fat is that performing extra abs exercises WILL NOT help. Remember, you can NOT spot reduce body-fat around your waist by exercising that area - that myth died long ago."

Please "Share" this with your friends, 'cause most of them don't have a clue, and this explanation will help them keep their sanity during their own "Belly-Fat-loss" efforts.

~Franny Goodrich"

You can see more of his updates here:
http://www.facebook.com/FrannyGoodrich

I thoroughly appreciate this! Awesome analogy. But wouldn't some of my measurements have changed? Somewhere?!

Did you take measurements everywhere? When I started losing, I saw the losses in my face, neck, arms, hands, and feet first. Try to compare pictures and see if you notice a difference that way. Sometimes it's difficult to tell a difference by just looking in the mirror.

Edit: Maybe try on a few rings as well to see if they fit any looser.

Yep everywhere. But it's funny you should mention the ring thing. Yesterday I took mine off because it kept flipping around. I just thought I put too much lotion on or something.

deksgrl

How did you measure body fat %?

jaweiss1

Getting incredibly discouraged, I've hired a personal trainer. Trying to workout 4-5 days a week. And I've adjusted my nutrition. I've lost 2% of body fat in 4 weeks yet my measurements are the same and my muffin top is still very present. When will I see some change!? I'm so exhausted from the work I'm putting in just to still have to wedge into my jeans.

If you lost 2% body fat in 4 weeks and your measurements are unchanged, guess what: You probably gained muscle. Congratulations!

martintanz

Patience. How do you know you lost 2% bf. Did you do that water dunk thing? Other measures have too much margin of error.

How long have you been with the program? You have lost some weight, but it takes time to look noticeably smaller. Give it a few more months and I am sure you will eventually get smaller.

DavPul

I don't understand. You've lost 2% BF in just a month's time. What is the complaint here? You're doing great and this seems like a reason to keep going, not to get discouraged.

Lemme ask you this: How long did you live with this muffintop situation? More than just a month, right? Several months? Several years? If you've had it that long, why can't you give it a bit more time to go away?

Also, how will getting discouraged and quitting your workout regimen help it go away? You're doing GREAT. Keep going.

vals83

Patience. How do you know you lost 2% bf. Did you do that water dunk thing? Other measures have too much margin of error.

How long have you been with the program? You have lost some weight, but it takes time to look noticeably smaller. Give it a few more months and I am sure you will eventually get smaller.

Sept 25th is when I hired my trainer/nutritionist to help me reach my goal. But i've been trying for almost a year. We used the caliper to measure.

BoxerLover96

I was also getting discouraged because I don't SEE any changes in my body...yesterday I went to see my nutritionist and I lost 4 lbs in 3 weeks...I was expecting more I guess, but it's better than nothing! But then he said I also lost 2% body fat!!! <----Knowing this made me feel like all my hard work IS worth it and it gave me more motivation to continue on with this lifestyle change! (And I really need to quit worrying about that darn scale!)

shaleyn

In the meantime... a bigger pair of pants works miracles on muffintops. No one sees what size is on the tag in your pants, but everyone sees a muffintop from squeezing into a small pair.