Love rolls!

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Got any great exercises to diminish my love rolls? (Tehe) I've been doing 74 sit ups 3 times a week for a little while but I can't seem to tighten the 'flub' Any ideas?

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  • gmvanloo
    gmvanloo Posts: 100 Member
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    I truely believe the only way to trim down the belly is diet! No processed foods! Eat clean and stick within you calorie range and the fat will come off. I know...easier said then done! Trust me! I'm working hard at it myself.
  • kyleemichelle
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    shoot do 75 haha jk
  • dclarsh1
    dclarsh1 Posts: 83
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    Sit ups really won't do anything for the love handles. You've got to do some cardio to burn off the fat. Interval training in any type of exercise (elliptical, bike, running, even walking) is the best way to go. Also, if you want to strengthen your core, make sure you don't just do situps. You have to work all the muscles (and there are a lot!) evenly so you don't end up causing back problems. Do side bends, back extensions and twisting moves to help balance it all out.

    Yeah, I've got a washboard stomach... it's just got a lot of laundry on it right now :laugh:
  • BigSouthernMama
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    Ditto on the sit ups doing zero on the new found love handles I have. I do walk 1 mile everyday and run 1 mile everyday on our indoor treadmill.

    Ditto on the washboard stomach.

    Thanks ladies!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    There's this saying "Abs are made in the kitchen." The idea being that, as has already been said, losing the stomach rolls (and seeing the abs underneath, if that is your goal), comes down to diet in large part. Eat within your calorie goals for losing weight (and I second the advice about cutting out processed foods), increase your exercise and include a good mix of both cardio and strength training and as you lose the fat, the rolls will go away. You cannot crunch your way to a flat stomach or smaller love handles. The muscles will get stronger, but if there is fat covering them up, the rolls will still be there. You cannot target fat loss in a certain area.
  • oats4breakfast
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    "spot training" is a myth.
    The areas we put on and loose wieght is a predetermined genetic pattern. Really, the only way to loose the handles is by overall weight loss. The handles may not be the first to go, but if you keep at it, they will go (along with all the other areas).
    The situps are good for you and will work your core, and, will assist in your weight loss. Don't give up on them and look into mixing them up a bit - like do some crunches one day, then some bicycle's, then some leg lifts, then reverse crunches. Make sure you work your lower back too. So, do all the situps, but roll over and just reach your hands and feet up about 18", hold for a breathe, then gently drop back down. repeat that about 20 times. Look into getting an exercise ball (swiss ball), they are great to work your core.
    The best way to loose weight through exercies isn't necessarily just through cardio too. Look into big muscle and multi-joint exercises. Don't neglect those squats and lunges, incorporate them as much as you can. They'll work you're body hard and you'll burn cals. A good mix of everything is beneficial. Mix it up.
    So, count your calories with MFP. Go for a mile walk (or a jog or a elipitacl etc) to warm up, then, do 20 burpees, then some situps. Then some pushups. Go for another walk/run but maybe 2 miles. Come back and do some squats or lunges, more pushups, lower back exercises and crunches. Finish off with some Stretch and call it a day. Log the time in MFP and track the cals. Be patient too. It'll happen if you let it. Doing teh physical exercises will not bulk you up either - you have to try to do that - all exercises are good and mixing a blend of exercise and cardio keeps it interesting and if you don't stop for a breather between everything, will be over and done with in 30 mins and you'll have dome a great workout. You don't have to do high numbers of situps either. It's probably better to do 10 squats, 15 situps, then 10 push ups, then 20 jumping jacks, then 15 situps, then 10 push ups with no break in between, just change exercises, than it is to grind out 75 situps in one go. Just MO.
  • BigSouthernMama
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    I'm going to have to work harder on my horrible diet. I'm not the healthiest of eaters. I eat small portions but that's obviously not enough. Thanks for the advice guys!!!
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
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    I found that when I started eating better and getting in some cardio, my stomach shrank! Hit the pavement, sister! :drinker:
  • sngnyrslp
    sngnyrslp Posts: 315 Member
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    I have the same problem losing my love handles. The thing is, though, I don't really need to lose weight. I mean, I'd personally like to lose a couple of pounds but I'm on the low end of "healthy" as far as BMI goes. So what do you do if you're not trying to lose weight but you're trying to burn fat? I run 2 miles twice a week and I don't really have a lot of fat in my diet. I try to work out my abs, too. I haven't had much luck though. What do i do?!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    I have the same problem losing my love handles. The thing is, though, I don't really need to lose weight. I mean, I'd personally like to lose a couple of pounds but I'm on the low end of "healthy" as far as BMI goes. So what do you do if you're not trying to lose weight but you're trying to burn fat? I run 2 miles twice a week and I don't really have a lot of fat in my diet. I try to work out my abs, too. I haven't had much luck though. What do i do?!

    Therein lies the difference between "loosing weight" and "loosing fat". When you lose weight, you could be losing anything -- water, fat, muscle.... The goal of most people is to lose fat, of course. You might be in your healthy BMI range, but still feel like you have fat to lose. I know that I can easily be at a healthy BMI but have a pretty decently sized stomach roll. So, essentially, it sounds like you still need to lose weight to get to your goal, but you want to make sure the weight lost is FAT and not anything else. And to do that you have to do the basics. Eat fewer calories than your body burns in a day (but not too low or your body will feed off of the muscle and store the fat) and exercise doing both cardio AND strength. Do you lift weights? Do bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats, lunges? You need to do those types of things in addition to your running and ab work to keep the muscle around while you burn the fat.
  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
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    Thanks, Kaitlin - I'm in the same boat.
    Got to goal weight only to discover that I still have fat I want to lose. I've added strength back into the mix along with the cardio and am counting the calories.
    I think the trick at this point will be to figure out what the right deficit for my body. Maybe it's a bit low and those fat cells are holdin on tight!
    Interestingly, regardless of what I set my goals to on MFP (lost 1/2 pound or 1lb or 2lbs/week), my calorie goal doesn't change. Maybe a small deficit of only 100-200 cals will work. I can quite easily find ways to make THAT happen :)

    Cheers!
  • BigSouthernMama
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    I'm going to try some of these suggestions. Thanks!