is there an exercise to lose belly fat, NO situps

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Replies

  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
    I am going to try Zumba and squats for the next few months....Heard positive reviews on both...I have noticed that I am smaller through the middle since I started sitting on a fitness ball at work for my hip problems...
  • loril13
    loril13 Posts: 320 Member
    Can't spot reduce, BUT! In order to lose belly fat you have to strengthen your core. If your back bothers you, you probably don't have a strong core. Planks are really good for this, as well as different types of crunches, supermans are good too (lay on belly, lift legs and arms, with both straight out, and bring down, up and down). And cardio, of course will help reduce fat :)

    Agreed. I have a weak core. Crunches and reverse crunches kill my lower back. I need to do them, or similar, to strengthen my core. I will be adding planks into my regular routines.
  • lawtechie
    lawtechie Posts: 708 Member
    Have you taken any measurements? 20 lbs is a decent amt of weight, and when you're losing all over it may not be so noticable. Slimmer looking neck, a little less on the arms, legs, belly. All of it adds up.

    If you haven't done so already, take measurements all over and do so every month or two. You will notice an improvement over time. The belly may be the last to go if your body is prone to carry it there (like mine is)
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    You can't spot reduce and no matter how many ab exercises you do you can't see abs under rolls of fat.

    This. I am lifting heavy and my muscles are getting stronger. Unfortunately, they are still under layers of the old me. I am losing slowly. But the exercises mentioned above (Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks) are the hardest and most effective. Good luck!!!

    Barbell sqats, deads, cleans...
  • BrittKnee_Rae
    BrittKnee_Rae Posts: 111 Member
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:

    weight training helps tremendously with body recomposition. i've also lost around 20 pounds and since most, if not all, of it has been fat i've gone from a size 20 jeans to a size 14 jeans. i also do cardio but the crux of my workouts has been strength training


    ^^wish that was the case for me!!
    Apparently everyone is different!! All I can say is have patience.. After losing my first 40lbs I had only went down one pants size!! It was frustrating!! Started at a size 20 and now at a size 14, 80 LBS later.. Before the weight was coming off, but not my belly.. And now the weight is coming off slower and the fats disappearing! Just have faith and don't give up, eventually you will see a difference.. I suggest cutting back calories, cardio, and strength! All 3 is what has helped me!! Good luck
  • hannahcall2
    hannahcall2 Posts: 175 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    So genious. And every word of it is true. You must have patience!
  • hifromjamers1984
    hifromjamers1984 Posts: 300 Member
    Add strength training and eat more. Cardio is good but my trainer says strength training is better. So we do maybe a total of 10 minutes of cardio and the other 50 minutes is strength training. I'm down 2 pants sizes and though I don't see many changes I feel the changes. I agree take your measurements too. The plank is a great exercise for the core. I started at 15 seconds but now I can do 20+ seconds before I move on to the next exercise.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    These can be the most difficult exercises, but totally worth it.

    Squats, Deadlifts and pushups are nice as well

    Agreed!

    Planks and such are great for building a strong core, but will not make your tummy smaller. Only a deficit and time will do that. Strength training (of any kind) will help the overall "look" of the end product.

    A voice of common sense. ^^^ I thought the myth of being able to reduce stomach fat by doing ab work went out with the dinosaurs. Come on peeps, the OP will NOT improve her stomach area by doing all the planks and sit ups in the world if she is still carrying excess body fat. You can reshape those muscles all you want, but you'll never see them unless you shed the fat.
    g
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    I hate to say it, but if you have only lost 20 pounds since April, then you are not logging your food correctly. You should have lost around 50 pounds by now. Your belly fat will disappear whether or not you exercise. It's all about a calorie deficit. You know this - you've been here long enough.

    So put on your big girl pants and buy yourself a food scale, and start logging all your food. If you aren't losing more weight than 2.5 pounds per month, you're doing it wrong.

    I think you are NOT so serious.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    You have to lose the fat by creating a calorie deficit. To firm up the area, but as others have said, you must lose the weight through diet, you can do exercises.

    If you dislike situps and crunches (crunches are more common today), use the Captain's Chair station at the gym. It's one of the more effective ab exercises. If you like floor work, you could do bicycles, a very effective exercise, or planks.

    You can Google all of these exercises. My personal favorite is the Captain's Chair.
  • SLRamirez2012
    SLRamirez2012 Posts: 297
    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    ^this!
  • SLRamirez2012
    SLRamirez2012 Posts: 297
    I hate to say it, but if you have only lost 20 pounds since April, then you are not logging your food correctly. You should have lost around 50 pounds by now. Your belly fat will disappear whether or not you exercise. It's all about a calorie deficit. You know this - you've been here long enough.

    So put on your big girl pants and buy yourself a food scale, and start logging all your food. If you aren't losing more weight than 2.5 pounds per month, you're doing it wrong.

    I think you are NOT so serious.

    ^this.. it might seem harsh.. but obviously the truth... and that is sometimes what we need
  • strongmind_strongbody
    strongmind_strongbody Posts: 82
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:


    You might want to consider doing less cardio and adding in some intense weight training. There is NO substitute for lifting weights to reshape your body. But yes, everyone is correct--the only way to burn fat is to have a calorie deficit every day.

    You need BOTH things to get best results...a calorie deficit to burn fat, and lifting to build muscle....do both and you'll be as happy as your avatar :)
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    How long and how many seconds are you supposed to hold for an effective plank?

    Start with 30 seconds, or less if you can't manage that. Build up in increments. A timer helps. Some people can do them for two minutes.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    As some people have mentioned, spot reduction is not usually possible.
    SORRY :sad:

    Just stick to proper diet and exercise while you see great results slowly over time.
    It can be maddeningly slow.
    No biggie!
    Enjoy the journey.
    All Is Possible
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    lose more fat and also barbell squats gacve me HUGE results in teh stomach area.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I need to lose belly fat and shrink my belly. I cannot do situps because it hurts my back too much. Are there any other exercises I can do?

    Two things---pool exercise and completely cutting sugar and high glycemic food out of your diet. I cut sugar and wheat out of my diet back in May and have lost 26 pounds and 7 inches off my waist.. I have arthritis so I can't do a lot of walking, running, etc,--so I put a LOT of belly fat on over the years and lost a lot of my muscle mass. But I am slowly regaining my muscle mass and people tell me that I really look a lot different since I started doing the pool exercise. Most public pools have pool exercise programs---we have six different kinds at ours for all levels of fitness. Try it--you'll like it! :smile:
  • elfo
    elfo Posts: 353 Member
    Cut out refined sugars and carbs. No bread, pasta pizza or sugar-- BELLY FOOD
  • ChinniP
    ChinniP Posts: 166 Member
    I hate to say it, but if you have only lost 20 pounds since April, then you are not logging your food correctly. You should have lost around 50 pounds by now. Your belly fat will disappear whether or not you exercise. It's all about a calorie deficit. You know this - you've been here long enough.

    So put on your big girl pants and buy yourself a food scale, and start logging all your food. If you aren't losing more weight than 2.5 pounds per month, you're doing it wrong.

    I think you are NOT so serious.

    wooo way to tough love! :smile:

    I hate crunches and stuff and my belly gets in the way. But they do help to build core which will help your belly "appear" smaller once you remove the fat through calorie deficits.
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
    Patience. I didn't lose hip and belly fat until I had lost 20 pounds. The next seemed to come right off my hips though, and the next 5 pounds came together with losing two sizes.
  • Libby81
    Libby81 Posts: 734 Member
    Can't spot reduce, BUT! In order to lose belly fat you have to strengthen your core. If your back bothers you, you probably don't have a strong core.

    Since you have back problems have you considered hiring a pt for a couple of sessions just to show you best exercises for core strength and correct form. It could really help to have professional guidance.

    Be patient results will come but they take time. Good luck though
  • NickyLynnDoll
    NickyLynnDoll Posts: 9 Member
    Dr. Oz had a segment on how to lose belly fat that I tried out and it worked for me. I took Borage Oil supplements for 30 days and saw a difference. 800 mg a day is the suggested amount. You should check out his site to see if you can find the segment, if interested. Hope it helps!
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Since you are having back issues you might want to try Yoga with an instructor, it will help strengthen your core including back and abs...if you have an specific back complications the instructor should be able to give you alternate positions to accomodate your specific body.
  • TaterTotz777
    TaterTotz777 Posts: 23
    yoga
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    How do you build enough strength to be able to do a plank?
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Cut out refined sugars and carbs. No bread, pasta pizza or sugar-- BELLY FOOD

    Hmm, so how do you explain all that weight I lost eating bread, pasta, pizza, sugar, etc?

    I eat all that shizz and I've still lost 46lbs and gone down 4 pants sizes. Whaaat?

    Seriously, carbs aren't the enemy. Just keep a calorie deficit.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    How do you build enough strength to be able to do a plank?

    You do them for 5 seconds if that's all you can do. You work your way up to 10 seconds. Then 15, then 20, then 25, then 30.......
  • MystikPixie
    MystikPixie Posts: 342 Member
    Hip Hop Abs, when I was doing good I was doing these three times a week along with Slim in 6 and they were working really well.

    http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/hip_hop_abs.do
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    A combination of continued weight loss and strength training will get you there in the end BUT it will not happen overnight. Sit ups used to give me such a bad back I never thought I'd be able to do them, but if you work on your core gradually doing something like Pilates, planks or Tae Bo kicks you will eventually be able to do them.

    You're doing very well already, just keep at it and you'll get there! :flowerforyou:
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
    I heard sex is good for the core.

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