Stomach fat, "love handles"

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sharmaineclement
sharmaineclement Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I am on week 6 of my new plan, I have lost over 10lbs, which I am pumped about. But my stomach I am still not feeling to great about, I know I need to be more patient, but I was wondering if there is anything else I can try doing that will benefit my stomach,

Here is a list of things I already do
-No carbs
-No sugars
-No cheese
-Cardio
-Crunches
-No beer/soda etc.
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Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    Your list makes me sad. It's really not necessary.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Lift heavy - New RUles for Lifting for Women or Stronglifts 5x5 are the ones I see the most and NRFLFW is the one I use. It is great for beginner weight lifters. Cardio burns calories, but weight lifting is more effective and the calorie burning effects last longer even ater your workout.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    Have you tried using MFP to count calories and eat things you enjoy while keeping within your macronutrient needs?
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Why are you not eating cheese, carbs, sugar, pop and beer? Unless you have a medical issue there is no need to avoid these things.

    You need to lose overall fat. Crunches will not do anything if there is fat over them. Unfortunately you cannot choose where you lose the fat from so you have to just keep going.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    None of those will directly impact fat loss at your stomach. You just have to lose body fat all over. And the 10 lbs you lost is mostly water weight from storing less glycogen from eating little carbs. You can target the strength of muscles, which core work is very beneficial but overall body fat loss will cause the fat loss. So you can include sugar, carbs and cheese back in your diet. Also weight training will be more beneficial than just cardio. WT will help preserve your lean body mass which will help you achieve a lean and tight body.
  • tawny2727
    tawny2727 Posts: 35 Member
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    Hi, congrats on your weight loss. I also do cardio and weights but what I have found extremely effective on my abs is ZUMBA! I started Zumba a few months ago and lost 6 inches off my waist without changing my diet.

    Good luck and keep up the good work! :smile:
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
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    You don't really need to cut all of that out, if you want to lower the fat try having your macros for carb/protein/fat at 40/40/20 or 40/30/30 and work out often using both strength training and cardio. You cannot target certain areas as fat is lost all over so be patient and work on getting your overall body fat % down using diet and exercise and after a while you will see your stomach area look the way you want it to.
  • _Witsy_
    _Witsy_ Posts: 609 Member
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    I am on week 6 of my new plan, I have lost over 10lbs, which I am pumped about. But my stomach I am still not feeling to great about, I know I need to be more patient, but I was wondering if there is anything else I can try doing that will benefit my stomach,

    Here is a list of things I already do
    -No carbs
    -No sugars
    -No cheese
    -Cardio
    -Crunches
    -No beer/soda etc.

    WOOT! A very local NHerite. WEE!

    That being said....losing body fat requires a calorie deficit. You can enjoy those things you mentioned in moderation and lose fat.

    Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce. You can strength train to help maintain the lean muscle mass you have.
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
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    -carbs
    -sugars
    -cheese
    -beer/soda etc.

    That's a list of all the things I consumed while losing my "love handles". Have fun!
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
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    Cardio and heavy weights including squats gave me ENORMOUS results in my stomach. Try it out. My macros are set like this also:

    40% carbs
    40% protein
    20% healthy fats
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    I has a sad...

    I know how this thread is going to go, and I am powerless to stop it.


    Let me try, though...

    A) Get in the gym and do some serious core training - in the way of squats and deadlifts, if nothing else. And only use the crunches as assistance work. Doing crunches/abwork consumes very few Calories and doesn't really build much muscle.

    B) Eat your carbs - you'll need them if you're really working hard.

    The rest? Eh. Whatever floats your boat, although there's no need - provided you have no medical issues, of course - to cut out any of the foods you listed.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    I want to remind everyone of the rules


    2. No Hi-Jacking, Trolling, or Flame-baiting

    Please stay on-topic within a forum topic. Off-topic or derogatory remarks are disrespectful. Please either contribute politely and constructively to a topic, or move on without posting. This includes posts that encourage the drama in a topic to escalate, or posts intended to incite an uproar from the community.

    psuLemon
    Forum Moderator
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    i do 350 sit ups a day, and eat whatever i want.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
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    I don't think I understand that list you have up there.....what is it that you DO eat?
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Crunches won't make your love handles go away. You can't spot-reduce unfortunately. What you can do is lose overall body fat and your love handles will go along with it. Also, carbs are not evil. You can still eat them and lose weight. They are needed for a balanced diet. I would suggest doing weight training, along with core workouts like pilates or do some HIIT workouts.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Your list makes me sad. It's really not necessary.

    This.

    Eat at a deficit

    Strength train

    Wuala
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Here is a list of things I already do
    -No carbs
    -No sugars
    -No cheese
    -Cardio
    -Crunches
    -No beer/soda etc.

    I consume all of those things within my calorie and macro goals and it hasn't hindered my weight loss one bit. You can't spot reduce with crunches or target any particular area. The only thing that makes the love handles and belly go away is lowering overall BF%...you do that with a caloric deficit and it can take some time. The mid section in particular is a primary fat storage area, so it's often the last to go.
  • fayedaway
    fayedaway Posts: 2
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    Try doing hula hooping, and the bow pose in yoga. where you lay on your stomach and lift your legs and arms in the air. It helps to get rid of the love handles :3
  • Rum_Runner
    Rum_Runner Posts: 617 Member
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    Do you even have any energy to work out? No carbs or sugars?

    Your list of "no" items seems a bit excessive. I have a flat stomach and no love handles (even a 6pack on good days) and I eat all these things mentioned. Its all about moderation and finding the right balance. If you are doing cardio you NEED carbs -carbs are fuel.
    You can reduce your carbs, but you can not be a no/low carb diet and maintain energy. Sugars are in a lot of what you eat. Candy - okay thats somethign good to get rid of. But yogurt and fruit are pretty high in sugar, but are still worth eating.

    I suggest changing your settings to a 40/30/30 macro and eat at a deficit. Continue with cardio and strength training - you'll see a difference.
  • beckers_99
    beckers_99 Posts: 41 Member
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    Two NH people, that's awesome, me too. I'm working on mine, I know that they go away the less fat I have on my body so I'm working on losing the weight before tightening up. There's a couple of non-floor based crunch videos out there that I've done in the past and felt the muscles after from doing them. Will do them again when I'm done in weight.

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