The curse of the belly. Ahh!

daniellek30
daniellek30 Posts: 171 Member
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, if I could choose to have my fat distributed anywhere, it would probably be my legs, or my arms, or my behind. However, I have the curse .. of the big belly. :( Granted, my hips aren't where they should be, and I could work on my arms and legs, but i'm really not to concerned about that because i'm a little big boned. However, all of my fat is my stomach. Not my sides .. just literally my stomach.

Anyway know how hard it is to have someone think you're pregnant, and you have to say .. ' no i'm just fat.'

So, i'm just wondering .. does anyone have ANY, and I mean ANY tips on how to lose the belly? I do cardio all of the time. Literally. Everything else shrinks, but that doesn't go away.

Please help!

Replies

  • lpkitty
    lpkitty Posts: 45
    I know exactly how you feel, my belly looks pregnant too. Have you tried Pilates? I've heard its good for the midsection because its focusing on your core so your back and stomach muscles are getting worked on. Of course I'm too lazy to try Pilates, so can't tell you if it works or not. Good luck!
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    Okay, if I could choose to have my fat distributed anywhere, it would probably be my legs, or my arms, or my behind. However, I have the curse .. of the big belly. :( Granted, my hips aren't where they should be, and I could work on my arms and legs, but i'm really not to concerned about that because i'm a little big boned. However, all of my fat is my stomach. Not my sides .. just literally my stomach.

    Anyway know how hard it is to have someone think you're pregnant, and you have to say .. ' no i'm just fat.'

    So, i'm just wondering .. does anyone have ANY, and I mean ANY tips on how to lose the belly? I do cardio all of the time. Literally. Everything else shrinks, but that doesn't go away.

    Have you had kids? Sometimes the stomach muscles get separated from each other in the middle so that leaves a verticle band in your stomach with no muscle. If that is your case then surgery is needed to bring the muscles back together like a corset, No amount of exercise will tighten your belly. If you haven't had kids then there will still be hope that you can tighten it with exercise. Your Dr would know best

    Please help!
  • summersk
    summersk Posts: 59
    My husband swears that running is the fastest and easiest way to lose "upper body" fat. I can't quite run yet, so I walk instead, and I've noticed that when I can walk (too God awful hot for that right now) and he can run that I thin down faster in my stomach area and he loses his "love handles". Maybe you could try running when the weather cools down! Good luck!
  • AmandaB4588
    AmandaB4588 Posts: 655
    Bump! I have a pregnant belly, too. :sad:
  • fitboricua
    fitboricua Posts: 40 Member
    Have you try Beachbody porgrams??? How about resistance workouts? You need muscle to burn more calories. Also you need to check what you are eating.. I have read that the only way to get rid of fat over your abs beside doing lots of cardio is clena eating.
  • daniellek30
    daniellek30 Posts: 171 Member
    No I haven't been pregnant. I've always had fat on my stomach, but until the past year was too lazy to do anything about it.

    Also, I've wanted to try the P90X, it's just so expensive!
  • jlizgar
    jlizgar Posts: 104
    Actually surgery isnt always needed to repair those muscles that seperate during pregnancy and childbirth...its called a diastisis and with the right exersizes it can be healed!
    Check out this site and exersize plan developed by a nurse specifically for healing diastisis and strenghtening the core....

    The Tupler Technique
    http://www.maternalfitness.com/
  • jlizgar
    jlizgar Posts: 104
    If you dont have a diastisis, then id suggest pilates for sure, maybe a yoga practice too....both are excellent for strenghening the core!
  • shelleyrose
    shelleyrose Posts: 12 Member
    I have lost weight four seperate times in my life. Once after my divorce when I was 25 years old I lost 35 pounds, and after both kids I lost about 50 pounds and now after my mother passed away I am in the process of loosing around 15 pounds. At my heaviest I had no cheek bones nor could I see bones on the back of my hands. I got big saddle bags on my upper thigh and my back was getting some lack of deffinition. However, with regular weight loss each time eventually, all of it would go away. My face would get small, the saddle bags would shrink and I looked small all over even fitting into a size 4 one time. (Way too small for me.) It would seem to me that at some point your middle will shrink. To build muscle for a more defined mid section- sit ups, plank work, push ups and reverse sit ups all do a great job of strengthening the core. As my professional job I work in Physical Therapy. Good luck!
  • GiGi76
    GiGi76 Posts: 876 Member
    I still have a lot of belly fat, and all i can say is 90%diet and 10%exercise.... it is a slow process and we just have to be patient... it will come off if you stick to your diet and exercise!!! One thing that ive started doing lately that seems to be helping is jogging.... i started off slow and ive been working myself up little by little... im doing the couch to 5k and plan to do my 1st 5k next month!!!! Hope this helps a little!!!
  • GiGi76
    GiGi76 Posts: 876 Member
    No I haven't been pregnant. I've always had fat on my stomach, but until the past year was too lazy to do anything about it.

    Also, I've wanted to try the P90X, it's just so expensive!

    Oh and look on Ebay for p90x you can find it for about 75 there with free shipping but be careful who you buy from make sure they have a good rating and if you find one for less than 50 its probably too good to be true and i would skip on that!!!
  • SayRah
    SayRah Posts: 104
    My belly is SO gross. I don't think I look pregnant but I definitely have a 'pooch'. Icky icky icky.
    From everything I've heard and experienced.....it's fat, so doing muscle training won't get rid of it. In fact, if you do work on your core to 'target the fat', it'll actually make your belly look bigger since there's a layer of (strong) muscle and then whatever layers of fat you have. I know for sure that I have a six pack under my belly, but I need to do a LOT of cardio and eat healthy to get rid of the fat.

    Oh yeah, and drink water!! That will definitely help. If you like green tea, I advise that too, I've definitely lost a few inches off my tummy from drinking it. It helps burn six to ten percent more calories and it helps burn fat. Plus it's so very tasty!
  • Kimbreli
    Kimbreli Posts: 9
    That's my trouble spot too. I started doing ab-concious walking. (read about it in a magazine - Family Circle, I think)

    Anyways, before you go for a brisk walk, put a belt around the middle of your waist. Do it so it is comfortably snug. When you walk, set a brisk pace. Pull your shoulders back and your abs up. The belt should be really loose when you do this, compared to how you put it on. Concentrate on keeping the belt loose while you walk.

    It can be exhausting if you aren't in great shape (me), so what I do is a minute of ab-concious walking followed by a minute of regular walking and just keep repeating the cycle for a 15-20 minute walk. Quickly it will become easier and easier to do. Now I find myself walking like this all the time, not just on my fitness walk. And you get the added bonus of appearing slimmer with better posture this encourages.

    I've already noticed a slight difference and I just started this on Wednesday. Hope it helps you too!
  • fitboricua
    fitboricua Posts: 40 Member
    Danielle:
    P90X might be expensive but is 100% effective and comes with a 30 day guarantee. I dont recomend buying it from EBAY most of the time they are selling copies. I do recommend buying it through a Beacbody Coach (me for example) and if you can afford it there are other alternatives I can recomend like P90 whihc is a beginner program and prepare you for P90x. Thats the one I used and I lost 10lbs.

    Send me an email: cynthia.coreano@gmail.com
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