Belly rolls? WHY WON'T THEY GO AWAY!? >:[

While you can't "spot reduce" there are some things you can do that will help.

Cut the cardio and do HIIT (high intensity interval training) instead of one of your cardio sessions. You can easy do it in the gym, on the treadmill or exercise/spin bike, whatever. Hard but short hill climbs or short sprints on a bike/treadmill.

Yes, your doctor is right about the stress/cortisol thing. It can contribute to excess fat being stored around the middle, particularly if you are already prone to being apple shaped (I know, I'm an apple as well, and I fight the belly fat too - first place it goes on, last place it comes off). BUT the good news is, you can fight your genes!

Cut your starchy carbs. Eliminate grains if you can (or keep them to a minimum, and eat slow releasing low GI grains like brown rice or quinoa if you do eat them) and stay away from wheat, particularly refined, white flour products. And take sugar out of your diet. Sugar highs and lows contribute to the cortisol/stress equation, what you want to be doing is keeping the blood sugar steady. Apple shapes tend to be more prone to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, so sugar and refined carbohydrates are a no-no for us. Small meals, but more frequently, also have some success for some people - personally, that doesn't fit too well into my working day, but I tend to graze more on the weekends than have big meals.

Getting enough sleep helps you fight the flab. If you don't sleep enough, your body produces more ghrelin (the hunger hormone), which affects how hungry you feel and how quickly you feel full. Put simply, if you're too tired to function, your body thinks it needs more energy put into it. And the excess energy gets stored as fat. And your body is under more stress when tired, so it will produce more stress hormones. You might think you should drag yourself to the gym even when you feel like kak, but if you're tired, you might be doing more for your waistline by having a lighter meal and an early night.

lastly, don't forget your Omega 3's. These are the good fats - the ones from nuts, oily fish, coconut, avocado etc. They help you feel full for longer. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect on your system, and there is some evidence that they help with mental function and stress reduction - an increase in Omega 3 intake has been shown to aid depression, ADHD and anxiety. Ditch the high Omega-6 seed and vegetable oils, and replace them with coconut, olive or nut oils (but not peanuts) for cooking, and flax or hemp seed or olive for salads, and consider increasing oily fish or getting a fish oil supplement. Yeah, I know, they're higher in calories. But you're better off eating a smaller amount of those than you are eating a whole load of processed low calorie low fat stuff. Just sayin'.

I hear you,I had a C-section and no matter what I do,that roll is still there.Frustrating!

I had two c-sections. That doesn't matter. It STILL can go away. I worked hard to get rid of mine. Tons of JIllian Michaels and tons of weight lifting work. Don't give up!

This is what I was told by a dr back when I was pregnant with my twins. Now this is MY situation, but it may help some of you. What he told me, especially in women, that once the skin separates from the abdominal wall, that it's never going back without surgical intervention. He said you can crunch and sit up until you are dead. LOL.

Now I can tell you that the "pouch" as I call it has been with me for the last 22 years and has gone up with my weight. Now that I've lost 25 lbs, its still there. Its not as big but it's still there. I'm not telling you not to exercise that area to try and tighten the muscles, and it might help some, but I think that for me...it's always going to be a part of me. Somewhere down the line, once I've kept my weight off for about a year, I would like to have a tummy tuck, but that's in the way future.

THis. ANNND, for those of us that have had twins/multiples, it is even worse I have THIN friends who can't get rid of it. THey've never been fat, but had twin pregnancies.

My stomach looked like that when I was 30lbs from my goal weight too. I still have a tiny bit of a pouch on my lower abdomen even though I'm at a good weight... Being at a healthy weight doesn't automatically give you the perfect body you've been dreaming of. Yes lifting weight does help, but there comes a point when you have to say, "how far am I willing to go to have the body I want?" I know that for me, I'd have to be about 10lbs lighter than I am now in order to completely get rid of that bit of fat that bugs me. Or I could eat like a normal human being, accept myself as I am, realize I've got a great body even if I'm not an Abercrombie juniors model, and just go on living my life, you know?

Weight loss is really fat loss. I know you're not thrilled to have fat yet to lose, but I guarantee you will lose fat from your body in this area at some point. Many, if not most, women will see lower belly rolls stick around until the very end of their progress. That's just where our bodies easily store fat.

This is a really good muffin btw it's blueberry and very warm

get to 10% body fat

She's 18. That would stop her menstrual cycle.

I wish people would think before they make stupid remarks.

Amen.

My stomach looked like that when I was 30lbs from my goal weight too.

Weight loss is really fat loss. I know you're not thrilled to have fat yet to lose, but I guarantee you will lose fat from your body in this area at some point. Many, if not most, women will see lower belly rolls stick around until the very end of their progress. That's just where our bodies easily store fat.

best advice given, IMO

Have you tried lifting weights?

ewww then she will get all bulky

My DD chest used to mask my giant stomach, but since I started insanity I've lost a cup size :-( The gut is STILL there.

Something I've been learning lately is that Abs are made in the kitchen. Its all about what you eat. Look up the New Abs Diet Cookbook, its all foods that are good for a flat belly!

I have this issue too. My stomach never quite recovered from my pregnancy (and it looks even more fluffly because I have a short waist lol), but I am noticing that it is coming off very very very slowly, and it is the last place to go :-/

If you lie flat on your back naked (this isn't a ploy I promise you will see a more accurate representation of the way your body fat is distributed.

When you stand up however, gravity pushes it downwards meaning for most people it end up collecting around their mid sections. As such, it is usually one of the last places to go as it is the accumulation of fat in the upper body.

For most people you just have to keep going...and going....and going....until it finally disappears.

get to 10% body fat

This.

Maybe not 10% because you are a woman, but the stomach will go away when you lower your body fat percentage.

Yeah, to be honest, I know this comment took a lot of flak but the sentiment behind it is reasonable. It's very possible that losing the fat on your stomach will mean getting to a much lower body fat percentage. Perhaps one that isn't reasonable for you. Focus on your progress and getting to your goal, and if you still have a body you're not happy with, you can reevaluate. But losing 20-30lbs is a significant task, best to focus on one thing at a time and not depress yourself because you aren't there yet.

I have this, too! It seems that is just the last place that weight is coming off. I know I'm losing and doing right things, so just being patient. I was thinking of trying to tweak calorie intake up or down to see what happens, but so far it's not a concern. Another thing is to eat several small meals so your body knows there's always food a-coming and doesn't need to store any!