too much flab on tummy!

I really want to tone up my stomach. When I sit... I have some fat rolls.
So I really wanna lose fat and gain muscle.
I'm 18 and 5'3 and 112 lbs.
I eat healthy and approx 1200-1500 Cal's a day and burn usually 600 Cal's a day through hiking.
I also do.some strength training
Give me opinions?
«1

Replies

  • I don''t think you're doing anything wrong, give it time and do some planks, crunches, reverse crunches (if that's even what they're called) and keep at it! Maybe even eat a little bit more?
  • You just have to lose more weight. "Tone" refers to a muscle's tension at rest. What you want is to be cut. To do this you need to get rid of the fat that's covering the muscle.
  • If I lost more weight id be underweight
    I'm already 112 lbs. And I calculated.my bmi and.it says id be under weight if I were to lose
  • I don't worry too much about that whole BMI crap. If you're healthy, you're healthy. I'm 5'8" and 113lbs which is technically a little bit underweight. If you want less flab on your tummy, you need to get rid of the fat. If you just do core exercises you'll build muscle there but it'll be hidden under your fat. You can always go on a bulk after you cut if you want more muscle, but you'll need to go on a cut to get rid of the fat.
  • If I lost more weight id be underweight
    I'm already 112 lbs. And I calculated.my bmi and.it says id be under weight if I were to lose

    Just calculated your BMI And it's 19.8 which is fine. Underweight is <18.5 so for your height 104 and below would be underweight. You could still lose 7lbs and be a normal BMI. Do that then bulk.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    I don't want to offend anybody, but I think telling someone already so small to lose more weight is pretty extreme advice. At 113 pounds, if there's still fat there, that means the muscle underneath it is really underdeveloped. Gaining muscle needs to be the focus, not losing fat

    You're not happy with your body at your current weight, which is definitely already a weight already on the low end. That comes down to your body fat percentage, obviously. My thought would be to up your calories for awhile (get lots and lots of protein), and increase the amount of strength training you're doing. You might put on a few pounds, but I think you'll see improvements in your shape (and your strength!)
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    If I lost more weight id be underweight
    I'm already 112 lbs. And I calculated.my bmi and.it says id be under weight if I were to lose

    Just calculated your BMI And it's 19.8 which is fine. Underweight is <18.5 so for your height 104 and below would be underweight. You could still lose 7lbs and be a normal BMI. Do that then bulk.

    Getting someone who's 18 (or younger...) to the low end of the BMI scale could potentially interfere with their development into a healthy adult. Yeah, I have to say, I'm pretty against your advice here.
  • _Peacebone_
    _Peacebone_ Posts: 229 Member
    I wouldn't encourage you to lose anymore weight--you are already tiny! Eat enough to maintain and keep on exercising and strength training. You'll see results if you give it some time! :flowerforyou:
  • So I need to.eat more? I'm scared I'll gain:/
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Lift heavy weights.
  • cjh022
    cjh022 Posts: 88 Member
    You may gain a little at first but your body needs the extra calories to build the muscle. I wouldn't worry about the number on the scale if your looking and feeling better about your body! I've read a lot on here that heavy strength training, specifically squats and combination exercises that work the whole body are great for toning your tummy. Good luck!
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    You may gain a little at first but your body needs the extra calories to build the muscle. I wouldn't worry about the number on the scale if your looking and feeling better about your body! I've read a lot on here that heavy strength training, specifically squats and combination exercises that work the whole body are great for toning your tummy. Good luck!

    This! :)

    Eat enough to put on some muscle. Feeling yourself getting stronger is a huge confidence boost - and you'll likely lose some of that belly fat at the same time. You can easily get too stressed out over a few pounds - would you rather be 113 and still flabby, or 125 and fit/toned? No one but you sees the number on the scale
  • chocl8girl
    chocl8girl Posts: 1,968 Member
    Pick heavy things up and put them down. Then do it again.

    Seriously.
  • greenmeena
    greenmeena Posts: 118 Member
    Right, as above! There is something on here people talk about, "skinnyfat" which is a hilarious but apt term. It means you get skinny but have no tone, and that leads to your skin doing what yours does- give the impression of fat rolls. Lifting weights is the only way to counteract that, as well as eating enough food, especially protein.

    And they are also right, the scale lies. It's not about being 118, after all; it's about feeling good, and thinking that you look good in your clothes. Right? Some of the photos I've seen are phenomenal- women who "look" like they should weight only 125 but actually weigh 135 or 140 because they are fit and muscular. Which looks the best! So check out In Place of a Road Map, and get training by a personal trainer on free weights- within a few months you'll be psyched you did.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I don't want to offend anybody, but I think telling someone already so small to lose more weight is pretty extreme advice. At 113 pounds, if there's still fat there, that means the muscle underneath it is really underdeveloped. Gaining muscle needs to be the focus, not losing fat

    You're not happy with your body at your current weight, which is definitely already a weight already on the low end. That comes down to your body fat percentage, obviously. My thought would be to up your calories for awhile (get lots and lots of protein), and increase the amount of strength training you're doing. You might put on a few pounds, but I think you'll see improvements in your shape (and your strength!)

    ^^^^^^
    this

    Strength training is what you're looking for.
  • I don't want to offend anybody, but I think telling someone already so small to lose more weight is pretty extreme advice. At 113 pounds, if there's still fat there, that means the muscle underneath it is really underdeveloped. Gaining muscle needs to be the focus, not losing fat

    You're not happy with your body at your current weight, which is definitely already a weight already on the low end. That comes down to your body fat percentage, obviously. My thought would be to up your calories for awhile (get lots and lots of protein), and increase the amount of strength training you're doing. You might put on a few pounds, but I think you'll see improvements in your shape (and your strength!)

    ^^^^^^
    this

    Strength training is what you're looking for.

    How do you that's not what I'm doing? I lost a bunch of weight and now I'm lifting to rebuild. I just wanted to work on losing weight first.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    I really want to tone up my stomach. When I sit... I have some fat rolls.
    So I really wanna lose fat and gain muscle.
    I'm 18 and 5'3 and 112 lbs.
    I eat healthy and approx 1200-1500 Cal's a day and burn usually 600 Cal's a day through hiking.
    I also do.some strength training
    Give me opinions?

    Youre in the perfect perfect perfect spot to a do a LITTLE lifting. Like 2 half hour sessions a week. Start there. See if you can do pullups and pushups (which do actually change your tum, especially the sides!). I promise you, like seriously swear to gawd promise, since you arent overweight and trying to get that under control, youd really only have to start with a couple small sessions a week to see some major changes.

    go get em tiger!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    I really want to tone up my stomach. When I sit... I have some fat rolls.


    everyone does.

    http://www.vicmagary.com/blog/uncategorized/truth-of-six-pack-abs/

    The much sought after and often media-hyped glorious stupendous supposedly guaranteed to make panties melt… six pack abs.

    What a f@cking crock of sh#t.

    The truth is that six pack abs will not bring you fame or fortune or anything more than the passing lust-filled glances of buxom beauties. And even more counter-intuitive, they often won’t bring you improved performance in athletic endeavors. Allow me to put on my lawyer hat and submit Exhibit A:

    StanleyWETKings1.jpg

    The above picture is of the recently crowned National Hockey League Champions, Los Angeles Kings. Maybe one guy in the bunch is lean enough to sport a six pack. But every single one of those guys are complete bad *kitten*. Imagine speed skating on ice, repetitively slamming into opposing team players at top speed night after night as you strive to show that you are at the top of your game. Those guys are at the proven pinnacle of their professional sport, and very few of them are sporting the coveted six pack abs. Dropping their body fat to a level that flaunts six pack abs simply does not comply with their goals. Does it really comply with yours?

    Why do you really want six pack abs?

    Is your desire for the coveted abs ego or performance based? I will concede that there are some endeavors where dropping your body fat to the level that displays a six pack is favorable. Notably this includes weight-class athletes such as boxers, wrestlers, MMA fighters, judokas, and other combat sport participants. But for most of us, the beautiful intersection of performance, aesthetics, and health does not necessarily include six pack abs.

    So why do it?

    There are several cliches about how the journey is more important than the destination. And acquiring six pack abs, for those of us of average genetics, is truly a journey. It involves sacrifice. It involves dedication and discipline and a host of other attributes that can carry over to areas of life that far exceed looking good at the pool in summertime.

    But truth be told, I’ve never met anyone who wanted to get six pack abs to develop their character. They simply want to “look good naked”. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that… but at the same time I personally crave more depth for my ambitions.

    All of that being said, I know many people will still want to get their damned “six pack”. And having achieved that goal more than once myself (and having helped others achieve it as well) I understand the quest. If you really want to “get ripped” be prepared for the following:

    What you eat is more important than any workout. So many people seek the “killer workout”. And that is such bullsh#t. The killer of body fat resides in your diet. It would be great if 30 minutes of exercise effort could erase 23 and a half hours of nutritional debauchery but it just doesn’t work that way. Six pack abs are built with your fork, not your damned workouts.

    Be prepared to get light as hell. Especially if you have never achieved the coveted six pack abs, be prepared to get much lighter than you expect. My personal “walk around” weight is between 160 – 165 lbs. And I need to drop down to the mid 140′s to have a six pack.

    Nearly any exercise protocol will work. My personal preference is to focus on strength training, even when trying to get lean. I like to supplement strength training with high intensity interval or circuit training. I rarely do (or recommend) any direct abdominal training. I feel long slow cardio is unnecessary but if you enjoy it, then it can be worked into a successful fat loss program. What I’m saying is that nearly any exercise protocol can work to get you lean as long as your diet is dialed in. Sure some protocols may work better than others, but I’m skeptical as to just how much better one is over the other for the express purpose of getting lean.

    So what does it all mean? It means that if you have the itch then scratch it. Just don’t expect that successful scratch to make any monumental difference in your life in and of itself. Six pack abs will not cure what ails you, but acquiring them might provide you with tools that can transfer to other more worthy areas of your life. And I suppose that’s why I can still produce guides and programs that help people achieve their six pack goals with some semblance of peace of mind.
  • ShaniWulffe
    ShaniWulffe Posts: 458 Member
    Bump for later lol
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Ha, well, 6 pack is not absolutely necessary, but I do want to get rid of the quarter barrel.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Did you see this girl? She was already slim, but she achieved what I think you are aiming for:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818686-skinnyfat-before-and-after
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    :heart:
  • Rum_Runner
    Rum_Runner Posts: 617 Member
    You are at a healthy weight - you may just need to tone up.

    But I think most women (and maybe men) have "rolls" when they sit. I do
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    So I need to.eat more? I'm scared I'll gain:/


    Gaining weight can be a good thing. As said below. Eat more and weight train to build muscle. Unfortunately, when you are very low weight and don't have much lean muscle mass, cutting fat won't help because your muscles aren't developed. This is where you would benefit from a bulk phase. Gaining 10-20 lbs of muscle will give you the definition and leaner look. Read the below and don't judge your success on weight.


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


    ps- look at a program like strong lift 5x5.. you need to lift heavy and low reps.
  • I don't worry too much about that whole BMI crap. If you're healthy, you're healthy. I'm 5'8" and 113lbs which is technically a little bit underweight.

    Wow, at 5'8" I'd look sickly if I was 113. I'm aiming for 155.

    Think this is just a good reminder that we can't all be equal, our body frame influences the number on the scale and what is healthy.
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
    It seems to me like you are healthy and smart! Good for you for not accepting that ridiculous advice to lose weight. In fact, if you pack on some muscle, you may gain weight. At your body weight, if you have stomach rolls, then you probably have a higher body fat % than what you would want (if you want abs to show). I'm 5'4", and at 115-117 lbs, and 17-18% body fat, my abs show. I'm a lot bigger (maybe 12 lbs) in my profile pic now.

    Crunches, yoga, plank pose, pilates. Lift weights if you want to do that (I don't, I'm a triathlete and I do that first list of stuff) so that you can build your abs under the fat, plus doing anything physical like running/jogging/biking to burn some fat would help. Keep up the hiking, it's a fantastic leg and glute exercise, plus fun! Always do exercise that is fun for you, good for you! But if you are not getting your heart rate high enough through hiking to burn significant amounts of fat, then try spin class or jogging.

    Don't listen to anyone who tells you don't need a 6 pack. Of course you don't, but if you want it, then why not? I want it too, and I'm a 36 y.o. mom.
  • aordean
    aordean Posts: 4 Member
    Have you tried P90X?
  • You may gain a little at first but your body needs the extra calories to build the muscle. I wouldn't worry about the number on the scale if your looking and feeling better about your body! I've read a lot on here that heavy strength training, specifically squats and combination exercises that work the whole body are great for toning your tummy. Good luck!

    This! :)

    Eat enough to put on some muscle. Feeling yourself getting stronger is a huge confidence boost - and you'll likely lose some of that belly fat at the same time. You can easily get too stressed out over a few pounds - would you rather be 113 and still flabby, or 125 and fit/toned? No one but you sees the number on the scale

    And 125 is still a great number!
  • rmwinters
    rmwinters Posts: 288 Member
    Exhibit A is lovely.
  • Ahh thank you all for your input. I'll make sure to lift more than I do