Belly Fat Problems!!

Weebs628

I know my belly is going to be the last thing to go. I've started weight training and I'm focusing more on my body fat % now.

myfitnesslife75

Yep, I hear ya! Jelly belly is that last to go! Been struggling for years now.

hpsnickers1

Women genetically store their fat in their hips, butt and thighs. Not the stomach - men store genetically on the stomach. That is visceral fat - not the same as genetically stored fat (subcutaneous fat).

I follow Primal Blueprint roughly 80% of the time. Before I did this I followed the healthiest version of the SAD; low added sugar, low fat, plenty of "healthy whole grains", lots of fruits and veggies. Lots of exercise. I dropped 10lbs - went from 130 to 120, lost nothing off my belly and was becoming diabetic. (I was 140lbs briefly in 2009. That is the heaviest I have ever weighed and I'm 5'2").

When I quit grains, beans, processed foods, the majority of fruit and dairy, and backed off the fibrous veggies and all that nasty indigestible fiber - I dropped 4" off my natural waistline and the area below my belly button - within 6-7 weeks. I got a flat tummy for the first time in my life - 26" waist - I didn't think that was possible at 40. My daytime energy went through the roof. And I eat a high-fat (mostly saturated fat) diet now. I dropped 12lbs below my lowest adult weight. I've never been below 120 as an adult and at puberty I was 136lbs. I now hover between 109 and 113 depending on what I'm eating and the time of month. Not to mention every digestive issue I've had has pretty much gone and all my dental issues have disappeared.

Of course N=1. Be your own scientist!! (But do the research first and understand what 'carb flu' is if you plan on experimenting with removing these items. You will naturally go kind of "low-carb". Replace with healthy, natural fats like pastured butter and coconut oil and you can help combat the carb flu). I had an immediate increase in daytime energy. Drinking a can of full-fat coconut milk gets me buzzing and within an hour I'm bouncing off the walls. It's amazing how well the body/brain will regulate weight and body fat once you are eating real, whole food. And I stopped the progression of diabetes. I can't reverse the damage that is already done, though.

Before PB I was doing P90X

Jojo1859

I have this same problem and it sucks! I know there isn't a whole lot you can do about where you loose the weight from, but i have heard that if you build up some muscle under your fat , the muscle may help to burn the fat off. And even if it doesn't, there's nothing wrong with doing some ab workouts anyway

AverageUkDude

I feel fo you belly fat sucks, especially when it makes you look odd like me, top 4 abs showing above the navel, underneath is where i swear to god all 16% of my bodyfat is sat.

Kristyb125

I have the same problem. Then we I got a personal trainer at the gym she showed me amazing exercises to get rid of belly fat. A lot of it was planks where I'd have an object under my head but between my hands and you tap it with you right and then your left. Also, she had to use a medicine ball and put it between my legs on the ground and stand above it, then pick it up above your head and slam it down, do this over and over again about 20 times and take a break. Do 3 reps. It will hurt like hell but it works a lot of your abs and reduced my belly. Lastly, I use a large thing band and I tied it to a mental stand (at the gym) and then you get in a plank and wrap the band around for wrist and make sure there is slight resitance and then pull you arm down to your mid stomach. Then switch hands. Do 10 times 3 reps each side.
These seemed to work better for me than the regular crunches and ab work outs i was doing previously.

Hellbent_Heidi

Women genetically store their fat in their hips, butt and thighs. Not the stomach - men store genetically on the stomach. That is visceral fat - not the same as genetically stored fat (subcutaneous fat).
I

I beg to differ with this as a general statement. It really depends on each individual and your own parents.

...I've always stored fat in my mid-section...and not my butt, thighs or hips at all....as have most of the women in my family history.

To the OP...just keep doing what you're doing and it will shrink eventually. Cutting sugar can help a lot too....

Weebs628

Yep... I have no butt to speak of, but I've always had big boobs and a belly. My mom carries her weight in the same spots too.

maegmez

It doesn't sound like you have a problem. 11 pounds isn't a lot to see a huge difference. Measure your waist and hips once a month and you will see a progression of inches lost. If you are an apple shape, you will see more come off your hips at a faster rate than your waist.

I have lost 60 pounds and about 9 inches off my waist and about 11 off my hips.

Keep going strong, your waist will shrink!

arlenemward

so what do you eat?

griff7809

Hi everyone,

I was wanting to know if anyone else on here is having trouble loosing their belly fat? The rest of me seems to be slimming down, a little at a time, but my belly still looks the same . I have only lost 11lbs. (after adding and subtracting a few lbs. a month) since September and I really need some help with getting this belly flab off. I workout atleast 4 times a week or more for approx 45mins-1 hour with a combination of strength training (weight lifting mostly) and walking/running on treadmil or doing the eliptical.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jenny

Although everybody is different, I have the same issue and what I learned is that my calorie intake was too low for how much I was working out. Basically, I was putting my body in a "starvation mode" which induced belly fat. This problem is what led me to MFP so I can truly catalog what my body was ingesting on a daily basis. So far, I've lost almost three inches of belly fat. Additionally, I learned that my sodium intake was way to high, which led to water storage. What did I do to fix? I try to get all of my carbs from fruits and vegetables (zero empty carbs). Finally, I work very hard to ensure I am eating enough calories throughout the day. The great thing is my MFP buddies keep me in check!

Starvation mode is a myth. You should certainly eat enough calories to sustain yourself (Don't try to lose more than 2 lbs per week), and there is evidence of reduced metabolism at severly restricted calories. But no weight loss due to "starvation mode' is not real.

This is a good overview of the issue http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/truth-starvation-mode

I am in no way shape or form an expert on nutrition. This information was given to me by a licensed nutritionist working for the Department of Defense. I read the link you provided and it isn't conclusive in my eyes either way. I will say, that once I personally ensured I was eating enough calories...my BMI started to drop considerably with all other variables remaining constant (activity level, jogging, weight lifting, etc.) . Besides, maybe I wasn't clear but I really wasn't talking about weight loss as much as I was talking about belly fat. Starvation mode from not eating over 1000-1200 calories will effect cortisol production, which can impact belly fat. Thanks for your input.

shorty35565

Lower your body fat % & dont focus on weight.