Stomach fat, "love handles"

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
    Your list makes me sad. It's really not necessary.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    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
    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
    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: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    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
    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
    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
    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

    -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
    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
    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: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    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: 6,474 Member
    i do 350 sit ups a day, and eat whatever i want.
  • Muddy_Yogi
    Muddy_Yogi Posts: 1,459 Member
    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
    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
    Your list makes me sad. It's really not necessary.

    This.

    Eat at a deficit

    Strength train

    Wuala
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • Hayaa79
    Hayaa79 Posts: 458 Member
    Hey along with this y dont u giv Jillian Michaels 30 days shred a Try :happy:
    i would highly recommend its worth a try
  • sharmaineclement
    sharmaineclement Posts: 6
    WOW!!! So I just read all of your feedback, and THANK YOU SO MUCH! Clearly my list sucks, I think I just need some training. Moderation is a big word that i kept reading a lot. I cut carbs and beer because I was intaking a lot. So maybe just cutting beer to once a week. I still eat natural sugar, like fruit etc. No candy, a bad sugar.

    How do i do that 40/40/30 or what not a few of you were talking about? Can people give me ideas of what you are eating for dinner etc?

    I dont have loads of fat, I have a lot of muscle already, I just really want to work on my core. Can anyone recommend or show me vidoes of what your taking about for the core exercises I should be doing....

    Again all your comments are greatly appreciated. :)
  • sharmaineclement
    sharmaineclement Posts: 6
    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:


    Do you take a class or at home?
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    How do i do that 40/40/30 or what not a few of you were talking about? Can people give me ideas of what you are eating for dinner etc?
    You can eat anything you want and still lose weight as long as you mantain a caloric deficit.
    For body composition(which is what most people should go for, imo), definitely lift weights and eat enough protein to help you keep as much of your muscle mass as possible while burning fat.
    Foods that are staples for me, and have lots of protein: chicken breast, tuna, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, lean beef, tilapia.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    Your list makes me sad. It's really not necessary.

    ^this. Your fat deposits are genetically determined. You being female have gynoid fat deposting. You will just need to lose weight, and eventually, it will shrink away proportionally. Now, you can totally exercise and tone the muscles that are underlying your fat. That way, when they do begin to show, they will be well developed and toned. Just go with a calorie deficit, and lose it healthily. How you get to a calorie deficit... Eat less than you burn. So looking at the two variables you have to work with, you can decrease your daily intake (diet, just be healthy and smart about it), and increase your metabolic demand (exercise, increase your lean muscle mass).

    That's basically it in a nutshell.
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
    No Carbs?!?! How are you still alive? (Just joking)

    But really, carbs are not bad. This whole "carbs are bad" trend that started in the 90s is mostly B S. Carbs are awesome actually! Just try to eat more healthy complex carbs such as brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole wheat breads, pastas and crackers. The key is to stay away from highly processed carbs like Tasty Cakes. (Yees, you can still lose weight eating Tasty Cakes, but I like to promote overall healthy eating and living.) Whole fruits are good as well.

    As far as losing the belly, join the club. The belly and love handles are the last to go. The only real way to get rid of them is to be consistent in tracking your calories in and exercising. Also, lifting weights can help a little too. There is no magic pill!
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    I am glad you asked this one cuz my stomach area is my hardest area to lose weight also. I am doing the Billy Blanks Bootcamp-Ab Bootcamp and the Billy Blanks Jr Dance Party Bootcamp and I have lost some inches off my waist and dropped 2 pant sizes but I still have some of that extra from when I had kids. I am gonna try a kettlebell workout also to see if that helps in addition to that. thankful you asked this though cuz I was looking for some of the same advice.
  • skylardevenney
    skylardevenney Posts: 49 Member
    Jillian michaels has a killer ab DVD & it's amazing! It has different levels to move up in as your ready!!
  • sharmaineclement
    sharmaineclement Posts: 6
    No Carbs?!?! How are you still alive? (Just joking)

    But really, carbs are not bad. This whole "carbs are bad" trend that started in the 90s is mostly B S. Carbs are awesome actually! Just try to eat more healthy complex carbs such as brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole wheat breads, pastas and crackers. The key is to stay away from highly processed carbs like Tasty Cakes. (Yees, you can still lose weight eating Tasty Cakes, but I like to promote overall healthy eating and living.) Whole fruits are good as well.

    As far as losing the belly, join the club. The belly and love handles are the last to go. The only real way to get rid of them is to be consistent in tracking your calories in and exercising. Also, lifting weights can help a little too. There is no magic pill!

    I am still alive, I actually did that for 5 weeks, and I still feel like I had a lot of energy but thats just me I guess! I am taking everyones advice, and just going by the calorie counter. 1200 a day, I usually never meet it, because of exercising etc. I already eat tons of protein etc. But I think the main key is just staying motivated and positive. I hit the gym pretty much every day!

    Thanks a bunch! :)
  • ngyoung
    ngyoung Posts: 311 Member
    I think most people lose their fat in the opposite order they gained it. Not an exact science or anything but just a general observation. Just stick to what you've got going, it seems to be working. I would suggest though to work on your whole core. Your core muscles can act like a girdle to make your abdomen appear slimmer when the muscles are in shape and fit, even while relaxed. When people talk about gravity catching up to them it is usually because they're not maintaining their muscle and your core is one of the most noticeable.

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