How many calories should I really be eating and belly fat

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Replies

  • That's not belly fat! You are beautiful and I could only wish to have your figure! But then again, I am a lot older than you and have had a child. Seriously, you are not eating enough! What you consider a belly just may be your body type, genetics etc...If you want tight abs, do some ab workouts but please, eat more food. Someone on here said your diet is a mess, and it really is! Good luck to you but please....you really are stunning. I think you are WAY too critical of yourself! My son would kill to have a GF that looks like you!:smile:
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    That's not belly fat! You are beautiful and I could only wish to have your figure! But then again, I am a lot older than you and have had a child. Seriously, you are not eating enough! What you consider a belly just may be your body type, genetics etc...If you want tight abs, do some ab workouts but please, eat more food. Someone on here said your diet is a mess, and it really is! Good luck to you but please....you really are stunning. I think you are WAY too critical of yourself! My son would kill to have a GF that looks like you!:smile:

    LOL :D Thanks so much hun!

    How many calories would you recommend for me to have per day?

    I'll try doing more ab workouts.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    Make sure you are always changing up your ab workouts. If your body gets used to the same things all the time it isn't going to do you any good. And as you get more in shape you need to increase the difficulty with which you are pushing yourself.

    On another note, keep in mind that women are made to carry babies. The woman's body is made to stretch and grow in that particular area. There is more skin there. The smaller you are, the more exaggerated that area looks. It takes tightening up, but it is possible. Unfortunately, genetics can also make tightening this area difficult. If the women in your family tend to be more fertile, it is likely that you are as well. It is possible that because of this, your body keeps extra skin/fat in this area to make carrying a baby easier. I am telling you this to help, not give women an excuse for their "pooch". It is proven cause of extra in your belly. But it is also fixable. It takes hard work.

    Remember, vary your exercises and increase your difficulty (probably on a weekly basis since the body can adapt quickly).

    EDIT: Also, since you're so small in stature, remember that your body has to make room for all your organs.



    Thank you so much for your advice! I'm going to start changing up my workouts more frequent.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    Eat a steak. And some greek yogurt. And some protein powder. And then another steak. Girl you're starving!

    I don't do well with dairy. Had dairy today and I'm feeling embarrassingly gassy :/
  • terijoestoes
    terijoestoes Posts: 205 Member
    You are not eating enough protein and you need it to build muscle and for beautiful skin olive oil. Wear a spanx and stop obsession g about a little pooch. I bet you look cute in your clothes
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    Cut out dairy. Cut out anything your body doesn't react well to, but eat more of the (healthy) things you can eat - try to snack on nuts and eat more meat. Don't be afraid of dietary fat.

    And when you do strength training, which you should focus on, work out your back as well as your abs. It'll make fixing your posture easier (sitting straight will be more comfortable) and balance your ab muscles to give you a tighter stomach.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Based on the ab pic on your profile I'd say you have a very attractive, soft feminine curve to your abs. They look natural and pretty and there's even some nice definition to them. How anyone could mistake that for a pregnant belly I just don't know...

    As others have mentioned, try elmininating dairy and see if it helps. Dairy bloats me out and upsets my digestion. :flowerforyou:
  • sleibo87
    sleibo87 Posts: 403 Member
    I'm 4`11 as week, definitely make sure your eating enough and do strength training! Also you eat a lot of fruit and even though fruits healthy it's still sugar so stick to one or two fruits a day. Also skip the oatmeal packets and go for steal cut oaks. Little changes can make a huge difference.

    Strength training overall not just abs will help to make those muscles show through!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    your stomach is pretty flat and you do not have a muffin top ..

    If you want to tone up then build a work out program around squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pullups/chinups etc...maybe mix in some cardio once a week and about 30 minutes of core/ab work ....
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    Cut out dairy. Cut out anything your body doesn't react well to, but eat more of the (healthy) things you can eat - try to snack on nuts and eat more meat. Don't be afraid of dietary fat.

    And when you do strength training, which you should focus on, work out your back as well as your abs. It'll make fixing your posture easier (sitting straight will be more comfortable) and balance your ab muscles to give you a tighter stomach.

    Thanks so much for your tips!
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    Based on the ab pic on your profile I'd say you have a very attractive, soft feminine curve to your abs. They look natural and pretty and there's even some nice definition to them. How anyone could mistake that for a pregnant belly I just don't know...

    As others have mentioned, try elmininating dairy and see if it helps. Dairy bloats me out and upsets my digestion. :flowerforyou:

    It looks nice when I'm standing up but not when I sit. When I sit the belly fat just bulges out and I have to suck it in but it feels so uncomfortable when I do that.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    your stomach is pretty flat and you do not have a muffin top ..

    If you want to tone up then build a work out program around squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pullups/chinups etc...maybe mix in some cardio once a week and about 30 minutes of core/ab work ....

    Thank you! I think it just looked flat in the pic because I wasn't bloated. I guess I just need to avoid foods that bloat me up then :) It gets hard though because so many foods bloat me up...

    Anyway, I've just been trying to do the best I can. I know for certain though that I should be eliminating gluten, dairy, white flour, and too much sugar along with the laundry list of foods that I'm highly allergic to.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    i would kill to have your belly, i look 4-5 months pregnant all the time :(
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    where is your protein?? maybe start buying some powders and adding them to your oatmeal and smoothies and shakes...you definately need more protein:) I say bump your inatke up and start focusing on a harder workout plan for your tummY!!

    edited to add......you need to add more protein and carbs, veggies for sure!!

    Does this diet sound better?

    Breakfast:
    Day 1-3: Salad (spinach, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and olive oil), green tea
    Day 4-6: 1 apple, 1 orange, and green tea

    Snack:
    Day 1-3: Sauteed onion, carrot and brocolli (using olive oil and dill)
    Day 4-6: Sauteed onion, carrot and chicken (using olive oil and dill)

    Lunch:
    1 packet of Quaker Oatmeal (apples and cinnamon) mixed with old fashioned oatmeal and almond milk

    Dinner:
    Usually just rice with chicken, steak or fish and some veggies. Sometimes I have homemade chicken soup with veggies. And sometimes it's just spaghetti with chicken and some veggies. It basically changes everyday.

    Snack: 15 almonds
    Not much protein or calories it appears. Your body fat isn't likely to reduce even if you lost weight because your muscle mass will be reducing along with any body fat. Basically your going to appear fatter in the mirror. Try getting more protein and lift like hell. It also appears you have a body image problem.........This generally goes down a path that is never a healthy one.
  • Jchambers1130
    Jchambers1130 Posts: 173 Member
    Sounds like you are on your way to an ED if you don't get some help or see a nutritionist. You weigh 100lbs and complaining you are fat? That does not seem right in the mind to me. Your stomach in your pictures clearly shows presence of your abs. When you sit down of course your skin and whatever tissue is over your abs will roll up, I think most people expect that.

    Up your calories to a healthy proportion of carbs/protein/fat and stop acting like a Kardashian, you look fine.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    Sounds like you are on your way to an ED if you don't get some help or see a nutritionist. You weigh 100lbs and complaining you are fat? That does not seem right in the mind to me. Your stomach in your pictures clearly shows presence of your abs. When you sit down of course your skin and whatever tissue is over your abs will roll up, I think most people expect that.

    Up your calories to a healthy proportion of carbs/protein/fat and stop acting like a Kardashian, you look fine.

    I don't think that my overall body is fat. I just think that my stomach is a bit on the bigger side for my overall size and I am not the only one who says this. Everyone I personally know tells me the same about my stomach. It might be that I am consuming foods that I am intolerant to that is preventing me from reaching my goal. I still haven't 100% figured what foods exactly. I'm sure it's going to take a while.

    And I have actually been eating a lot more if you take a look at my food diary you will see that.

    Also, not everyone's stomach bulges out when they sit. For all you know I could have high cortisol levels. Of course I don't want to look/act like a Kardashian. I just want to make sure that everything is okay with my health.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    i would kill to have your belly, i look 4-5 months pregnant all the time :(

    It wasn't easy to get it the way it looks in that picture. I used to look a lot bigger years ago. And even then, I still haven't achieved my goal.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    oh don't i know that it isn't easy... wow it's been so hard for me and the only time my belly looks flat is 1st thing in the am :( then i look pregnant ... what did you do to get to that point? i have reached all my other goals so far but that one and it's been a huge challenge, any tips that worked for you would be great ! :)
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    The stomach and glutes are usually the last strong hold for fat you have to continue cutting. You cannot spot-reduce fat.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    oh don't i know that it isn't easy... wow it's been so hard for me and the only time my belly looks flat is 1st thing in the am :( then i look pregnant ... what did you do to get to that point? i have reached all my other goals so far but that one and it's been a huge challenge, any tips that worked for you would be great ! :)

    Find out what foods you may be sensitive to or have an allergy to (even if it's a small allergy).
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    i have and i still can't figure it out really. i find i am a bit sensitive to gluten as i blow out after i eat alot of it. my son is celiac, i was tested but came out ok. i really have cut out bread, but will still have pasta once a week, i find i don't react the same after pasta? i had stopped dairy and no change i guess, so i am eating cheese and yogurt again. i know it can be many things and depends on the day and i find i just can't pin point it to one item that i can just take out of my diet.... so i just eat everything in moderation except bread which is rare now.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    i have and i still can't figure it out really. i find i am a bit sensitive to gluten as i blow out after i eat alot of it. my son is celiac, i was tested but came out ok. i really have cut out bread, but will still have pasta once a week, i find i don't react the same after pasta? i had stopped dairy and no change i guess, so i am eating cheese and yogurt again. i know it can be many things and depends on the day and i find i just can't pin point it to one item that i can just take out of my diet.... so i just eat everything in moderation except bread which is rare now.

    What about cortisol levels? I think I may have high cortisol levels especially because I sometimes use steroid creams for my eczema and I heard that can raise cortisol, but so can stress.

    Another thing I heard is to make sure to eat enough because if you continually don't supposedly your body can go on starvation mode and hold on to whatever fat you have left (belly fat).
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    have no idea about cortisol levels? i do have hypothyroidism though, so i know that plays games with me all the time!!!

    oh and i know i eat enough, i eat 1400-1600 cals a day and my maintenance 1766 , i have maintained my weight since Jan doing what i am doing. I started a new program lifting ( chalean extreme) so i hope that would help get my bf % down...actually my weight has gone up a bit since ...
  • MorgueBabe
    MorgueBabe Posts: 1,188 Member
    It doesn't look like you are eating enough of anything at all.
    I would be a cranky, lethargic mess if I was eating like you.
    Try adding some protein and complex carbs.
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    It doesn't look like you are eating enough of anything at all.
    I would be a cranky, lethargic mess if I was eating like you.
    Try adding some protein and complex carbs.

    I have been eating a lot more actually. When I first wrote about this topic I was giving an example of what I planned on eating but realized it wasn't going to work because I do need to eat more than that. So if you just check out my food diary, you will see that I have been getting enough calories in.
  • mariabadra
    mariabadra Posts: 3
    I'm wondering if you are undernourished. I have a hard time believing that you have very much fat on your body if you are 93 pounds. In my mind I'm thinking of starving children in Africa and their distended bellies. And I'm not saying this to be funny.

    On the other hand, maybe it is just hereditary and something you may never get rid of.

    I, actually, would recommend eating an adequate number of calories and modifying your body image. I'm sure you are beautiful.

    please can you tell me how did you losse this great pound ??
  • bump
  • Silvervixen79
    Silvervixen79 Posts: 116 Member
    Your diet looks really good, just need abit more protein. Fruit is quite high carb due to its sugar content.. which makes you retain water and therefor can give a bloated appearance. Try veggie smoothies instead of fruit with some protein powder :)
  • NYgirl1990
    NYgirl1990 Posts: 180 Member
    Your diet looks really good, just need abit more protein. Fruit is quite high carb due to its sugar content.. which makes you retain water and therefor can give a bloated appearance. Try veggie smoothies instead of fruit with some protein powder :)

    Yeah I should invest in some protein powder. It's so hard eating veggies because I don't really like them. So I usually just eat a lot of vegetables only for one meal. The only veggies I really like are: potatoes, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, avocado, and celery. I'm sure some of those are actually fruits, but are they more like vegetables though because they don't contain as much sugar?
  • Liza126
    Liza126 Posts: 1
    I'm wondering if you have put your body into "starvation mode" By not consuming enough calories often enough it can cause your body to store fat. Frequent small meals can prevent this and actually increase your metabolism