Exercise Help Please!!!

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amanda6564
amanda6564 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone, I'm Amanda. I have been trying to lose weight due to health problems. I have lost 85 pounds so far, but still have a ways to go. Most of my weight is carried in my lower stomach. I have tried all sorts of exercises, but can't seem to target that area. I walk at least two miles a day but I can't seem to lose the weight in my stomach.

Does anyone have any helpful tips on this? Please and thank yall. :smile:

Replies

  • JenRunTriHappyGirl
    JenRunTriHappyGirl Posts: 521 Member
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    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!
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Congrats on losing 85lbs! That's an accomplishment.

    About your belly fat - just keep losing weight. Seriously. As you lose more and reduce your body fat percentage, the fat there will go away.

    Specific exercises can help strengthen that area, but it won't spot reduce the fat off. You just can't do that.

    Your ticker shows that you have 83lbs to goal - that's quite a bit left to lose, so just trust that you will lose weight there in time.
  • Aedrah
    Aedrah Posts: 100 Member
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    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 :)
  • juliekins64
    juliekins64 Posts: 125 Member
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    Hi Amanada, you cannot spot reduce body fat. Your body will lose wherever is wants to, all you can do is lose weight in general and eventually it will come off. Yes you can exercise those muscles under the fat however the results won't show until the fat isn't covering it anymore. Cardio burns calories, cardio intervals (slow, fast, slow, fast, repeat) burns even more calories and weight lifting burns the most because you continue to burn long after you've finished exercising. Patience and consistency and good habits and your tummy will shrink, I know that's not an easy thing to hear but it's true. Keep up the good work and you can do anything!
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    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.
  • lucentabella
    lucentabella Posts: 114 Member
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    Talk to your OBGYN about insulin resistance and Metformin.
  • PrimalGirl
    PrimalGirl Posts: 148 Member
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    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
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
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    Amazing job losing 85lbs!

    My stubborn area since forever has been my tummy. Its almost gone, but it's still there.

    Weights my darling and you will see more improvement, especially squats and dead lifts.

    Try jogging too doing interval training - 1 min at 5mph and then 2 mins at 3mph... as you get use to the speed and are able to keep up, then you need to increase your speed or go 1 min and 1 min. This helped me burn A LOT of fat when I was heavier.

    I hope this helps :)
  • nskerr
    nskerr Posts: 91
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    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.
  • amanda6564
    amanda6564 Posts: 27 Member
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    Thanks for all the help and encouragement. You all rock. :flowerforyou:
  • cougar2007
    cougar2007 Posts: 25
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    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.
  • Ritzbrit
    Ritzbrit Posts: 211 Member
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    There really isn't any way to spot reduce like others have stated but HIIT will help with belly fat. And you should be doing some sort of strength training/weight lifting regimen, it'll help tighten and tone as you go. And of course the most important factor is what you put into your body. Eating clean/ healthy will help lower your body fat percentage. Keep up the good work! 85lbs is AMAZING!
  • holsieg
    holsieg Posts: 21
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    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!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    You are doing great. The first fat on is the last to go. And it sounds like that's where your body likes to store the extra weight. Keep going. It WILL come off.

    I did find walking helped that area.

    My favorite abdominal exercise is from my mom. Lie on your back. Push out your stomach. Hold 10 seconds. Pull in your stomach. Hold 10 seconds.

    I do it in the car while driving too (not lying down, of course). It must work because my muscles get tired. It doesn't take off fat. It does strengthen muscles.
  • amyoliver85
    amyoliver85 Posts: 353 Member
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    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!
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
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    When we gain weight, we tend to gain in the core first & then out to extremities, at least that's how it shows up. We lose in the reverse order, so you'll see your extremities start looking healthy before your core. I agree w/all the posters who said you can't spot reduce. However, in the stomach area, if you strengthen the muscles that hold your stomach in, that can make the fat appear less noticeable. A friend of mine had the best abs I'd ever seen & I asked what his secret was. He did do weights, but said he hated abdominal work & just made a point of holding in his stomach as hard as he could throughout his waking hours. He wore a rubber band (although you could wear some kind of bracelet) on his wrist to remind him to pull it in as much as he could at all times. It really does make a big difference in a short time if you do this. While it's not spot reducing, it does burn calories, and if you stand up really straight, that helps as well. For most people, just standing up straight & pulling your stomach in will make you look like you've lost 10 lbs. Just try it for a few days & you'll see it does help. All the best!
  • stephyw2001
    stephyw2001 Posts: 29 Member
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    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!
  • amanda6564
    amanda6564 Posts: 27 Member
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    I actually just started back my food tracker today. I will try to make it open for everyone to see so I can get some feedback. When I first started my weight loss journey I was losing anywhere from 3 to 4 pounds a week. I never exercised, but I cut a massive amount of unheathy things out of my diet. I use to go to a dietician which told me to stick to a high protein diet and cut out pasta, juices, milk, tea, red meat, and sweets. She also told me to add plenty of veggies and fruits, along with natural almonds, peanuts, and other nuts.

    I was off the grid for awhile due to stress and moving to a different state, but I never gained my weight back. I appreciate all the feedback everyone. Thank you.

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