Toning your belly - help please :)

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sophia_uk
sophia_uk Posts: 152 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I am losing weight which is great, and not losing it too fast which is good.... but I am worried about excess skin on my stomach and toning up. My stomach doesn't seem to be getting tighter/firmer, maybe thats because I still have a lot to lose... but I don't want to leave it and then it turns out it is going to end up as excess kin and in fact not improve.

What can I do whilst losing weight to avoid this happening. I already go to the gym 4-5 times a week to do classes such as Zumba, Spin and Pilates.....

Do I need to be doing sit ups or is there something better?

Replies

  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    The skin will work at it's own pace, usually slower than fat loss. Drink tons of water, and moisturize every day. Skin elasticity is genetic, some people it's fast, some people it's slow, but as long as you are losing weight at a reasonable pace by the time you get to your goal, with the exercise you've mentioned, you should be ok.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    Leaner bellies happen with overall fat loss. Your body loses belly fat (or fat anywhere else) by its own genetically pre-determined schedule. Yeah, sucks. Trust me. I'm reminded every time I look at my *kitten* in the mirror. :grumble:
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
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    Looking at your profile....you're young and you are looking to lose less than 40 pounds total.

    You don't need ot worry your skin will bounce back just fine . Keep doing exercises that work your core and if it will make you feel better get some skin firming lotion to keep your skin healthy. I use some every day....I'm not really sure it does anything more than moisturize but hey that might be just what my skin needs.
  • vista_blows
    vista_blows Posts: 3
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    The vast majority of exercises won't help if you've still got a 'lot to lose'. For most, stomach/hips is the last place you lose it. I wouldn't worry - you can't be toned if you're above your target weight. When you get closer to it (last 5-10 pounds), think about planks, ab toning exercises, etc.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
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    Hi all,

    I am losing weight which is great, and not losing it too fast which is good.... but I am worried about excess skin on my stomach and toning up. My stomach doesn't seem to be getting tighter/firmer, maybe thats because I still have a lot to lose... but I don't want to leave it and then it turns out it is going to end up as excess kin and in fact not improve.

    What can I do whilst losing weight to avoid this happening. I already go to the gym 4-5 times a week to do classes such as Zumba, Spin and Pilates.....

    Do I need to be doing sit ups or is there something better?

    Pilates is great for your core! Other than continuing with overall fat loss, you could add abwork like crunches, reverse crunches, crunches with a twist for obliques. Does your gym have a balance board or Bosu ball? You might ask the gym staff about this and for help with proper form. You can do light weights (think bicep curls) while standing on the balance board or Bosu ball and it takes a lot of core strength to keep your balance. Certain yoga poses like Tree Pose can also help a great deal with this.

    Good luck!
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
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    By all means, do sit-ups too to help build your core strength and enhance the muscles you already have.

    But you can't rush a taut belly unfortunately.

    Only in the case of major weight loss or size change (e.g. pregnancy) will there likely be excess skin that won't resolve itself in time.
  • mitzi801
    mitzi801 Posts: 38
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    get hooping, its great :)
  • jonilynn70
    jonilynn70 Posts: 145 Member
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    I would recommend an abdominal workout 3 times a week however just to target those muscles - they will help support the rest of your body as well. You can define the muscles that exist under the layer of fat and skin and it will tighten things up a little. I would recommend Jillian Michael's 30 day shred which has an ab component and it's only 22 minutes. Currently I am doing the Ab Ripper 16 minutes from P90X. If you know anyone that has P90X you can just get the ab ripper component from them. Or Jillian also has ab-focused DVD's. I think they will help. It is what I am working on now myself. Got some weight off and now I want to tone things up.
  • sophia_uk
    sophia_uk Posts: 152 Member
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    Thank you for all your advice guys and girls :)

    Much appreciated! :)

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