Exercise Help Please!!!

The only way to loose in a target area is by working those muscles. Crunches, leg lifts, planks, sit ups, etc will all target the stomach muscles. It is a long process and will take time to tone those muscles. You will get there, just stay with it. Come up with a 10-15 minute routine to do every night snf get in the routine! Good luck!

Hey Amanda - congrats on 85lb loss! So far as I know, there is no sure-fire way to lose weight from one specific area. Just as you can't impact where to gain weight, you can't impact where you lose it. But the good news is if you keep up your efforts and stick with it, it's gotta go sometime! You've got this down, just keep at it and it'll go away

Try adding exercises that target the core to tone that area. It won't make the fat come off in a specific area, but can tighten and improve how your stomach looks.

Hi Amanda

I agree with the others - spot reduction is impossible. Strengthening your abs and core will tone up the muscle beneath the fat, but not get rid of the fat itself. The only way to do that is to exercise hard and burn lots of calories. The percentage of body fat all over will reduce and everything will shrink - except your muscles!

You've done an amazing job so far - don't let this put you off. Keep working hard and eating right and you'll get there.

PrimalGirl

I agree with Jennifer. When I have lost weight in the past and become thinner I was still flabby in certain areas. The only time I saw real progress was when I worked those areas. I never really had abs but I was definitely firmer by doing crunches, sit ups, using various ab and back machines at the gym to tighten the core. I currently am doing many of the same things to not only lose weight but to become firmer. Muscle burns fat and if you can build some muscle in that area it will help.

A lot of good responses have been given. You best bet is to open up your food tracker and get advice on what to cut out/add in. How many lbs are you losing a week?

Ultimately, muscle burns fat, so work out at least 5 days a week and build up your muscles.

It will go eventually! Like with me, my area that I want to improve is my thighs, but no, I always lose weight from my (already flat) chest, collarbone and rib area before any thigh shrinkage. It's irritating, but it will all come off eventually!

Amanda,

First, big congrats to you on losing 85 pounds! That's great work! Second, it's true that you can't really spot reduce. It's unfortunate. I think we all hate it.

However, I noticed that you said you have health problems and that's why you're trying to lose weight. Have you talked to your doctor about your lower abdominal fat? People with one health condition can sometimes have more than one problem going on. And sometimes, when you have a health condition, "holding on" to fat in certain areas of your body can be indicative of another health consideration.

Since you have other health issues, you could have something going on with your digestive system, which will cause you to have a greater appearance of fat around that area, but can also make it more difficult to lose weight and fat to begin with. Inflammation, bloat, colon problems, digestive issues...these can all contribute to whether or not you are able to reduce fat all over your body.

Another thing I wanted to let you know that you may not know is that the body loses fat in reverse order. So wherever you gained it first will be the last place you see it disappear from. For example, say you gained some fat in the lower abdominal. Then you gained on your arms. Then you gained more on your lower abdominal. You will then lose some fat from your lower abdominal. Then you will lose on your arms, then your body will go after the remaining abdominal fat. This is because newer fat is weaker and easier to get rid of. Fat is contained in globules. They start as something little that can be easily destroyed, but as they grow big you have to whittle them down. So imagine the difference between a dime and a grapefruit. Where you have dimes of fat (or the newbie fat) you will see greater progress more quickly than where you have grapefruit sized fat globules.

Any way, I hope that helps!

HOly wow 85 pounds! Way to go!

1. I do Jillian MIchaels videos, and the way she targets "that pooch in your lower belly that you don't dig" is by doing reverse crunches.

Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Look up at the ceiling, do not crane your neck. Put your legs bent at 90 degrees, with your knees above your hips.

Slowly roll your butt off the ground pulling your knees up and toward you and slowly lower back down. Do not allow your knees to go farther than your hips, or you will just be swinging your legs, and not working the muscles like you need to. These work great and if you do them slowly and correct, you will feel them working.

2. Bicycle crunches are also a good compliment for this workout, as they target many areas of your body. Do them slowly, don't flail your body around. Sometimes, slower is better, as it takes more control of your muscles. Makes sure you still look upward, don't crane your neck, look down, or pull on your neck.

Good luck! I'm doing these exercises too. I was doing really well, and after about 2 months of doing these Jillian videos I was looking really good! Then I stopped for a month, and gained it all back :-p blah! I'm getting back on the bandwagon though. Since I know these work I'll be trying to focus again.

Good luck!