Loosing belly fat "myth"?

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NicoleFray
NicoleFray Posts: 82 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been told that doing crunches and all those belly workouts only strengthen your abs/stomach area and that it wont help you loose your fat there just strengthen (which is good) but is it true that just doing workouts ex. treadmill, lifting, elliptical, (all the other stuff as well) etc.. will that eventually make your belly go down?
I'm confused haha.
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Replies

  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    You can't spot reduce. Direct ab work will help build muscle underneath the fat which MAY help it appear slimmer sooner than not having done ab work.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    Yes. You are correct.

    Ab workouts will strengthen and define the muscle, but if the layer of fat over the muscle is too thick, they will not be as visible.

    Fat loss is accomplished through a calorie deficit, which can be obtained through a balance of diet and cardio exercises.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    When your body loses fat, it loses the fat from wherever it damn well pleases. You have absolutely zero control over where the fat you lose comes from.
  • morticia16
    morticia16 Posts: 230 Member
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    yeah, it's true
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    i noticed the most change in my tummy area after i started running on the treadmill. after 1 month of running, my flab is almost 100% gone!
  • Mommylicous
    Mommylicous Posts: 121 Member
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    What they all said. You can't spot reduce.

    Trust me, everyone wants to spot reduce. If there was a way it could be done, someone could have found out how by now. All you can do is eat well, and exercise.
  • calmthundr2
    calmthundr2 Posts: 17 Member
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    I can't swear by it myself but many people have said that trimming fat from your midsection (or anywhere) is dependent upon getting your body percentage down. However you can do that, should help.
  • NicoleFray
    NicoleFray Posts: 82 Member
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    Okay good, cause I didn't want to be putting so much time into one area if it wont cut the fat .
    Thank you everyone!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,682 Member
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    One way to spot reduce............................lipo.

    Other than that, you can't do it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • NicoleFray
    NicoleFray Posts: 82 Member
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    i noticed the most change in my tummy area after i started running on the treadmill. after 1 month of running, my flab is almost 100% gone!

    I just stared running outside/treadmill i've never been a runner but now im starting to love it and i have seen my stomach go down slightly so i'm defiantly going to keep running :)
  • AngelaMarieMs
    AngelaMarieMs Posts: 21
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    You will tone your whole body but the elliptical is awesome for your belly. Highly suggest sucking in and doing it; you will feel the burn!
  • Mommylicous
    Mommylicous Posts: 121 Member
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    I also suggest lifting weights. Like, real weights, not 3-5 lb dumbbells (Unless that's all you can start off with)

    I haven't lost more than 5 lbs, but I've gone down 3 pants sizes since April. Muscle will help burn more calories while you're resting, so therefore you're supposed to have a higher fat burn when you do your cardio exercises.

    I wouldn't know about the last part, because I've been lazy and forgetting to do my cardio :blushing:
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    it's genetic and every one is different. I can be at 19% bf (I had it tested hydrostatically) and still have a belly. Others can lose belly fat and still have a chest. What your body does is up to your genetics.

    Still, the only way to ensure that something is happening there is to lower your bf% overall. You do this by having a caloric expenditure that is more than your caloric consumption (and by expenditure, I don't just mean exercise- which i'm only saying cuz there is so much dumb in the forums today about this- your body burns calories existing: heart pumping, nerves firing, lungs breathing, eyes blinking, organs excreting stuff, muscles keeping your pee and poop from shooting out of you, etc.).

    Now when your caloric intake is less than your caloric expenditure, your body reduces body fat and body muscle. To have that loss be more fat and less muscle, you work out (resistance train) to preserve muscle mass. So in a long sorta round about way, crunches help- sure- because it burns calories and preserves muscle mass. But so would doing bicep curls or chin ups.

    Capiche?
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    You can have the tightest most amazing abs EVER...but if there is 8" of fat over them you'll never know. The only way to lose fat is overall fat reduction. Where you lose it and in what order is a crapshoot.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    Yes you can spot reduce.

    It's called lipo.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    i noticed the most change in my tummy area after i started running on the treadmill. after 1 month of running, my flab is almost 100% gone!

    I just stared running outside/treadmill i've never been a runner but now im starting to love it and i have seen my stomach go down slightly so i'm defiantly going to keep running :)

    yeah, ive never been a runner either, so my main exercise was walking and the elliptical, but last month i started running, and so i run 2 miles per day, then walk... since i started running, im noticing alot more firming in my tummy area. i used to have a belly flap that hung, now its gone. i dont measure, only weight, but i bet if i measured, ive lost a couple inches just from my belly this month. i know spot reduction isnt really possible, however, being that running really works the abs more than walking, i think im putting those muscles in my mid section to work, and in turn, its tightening, as well as burning up fat and tightening the skin... i just posted a swim suit pic today, i was really surprised at how flat my tummy has gotten... i hate running, but will continue, due to the awesome results im having.
  • walktalkdog
    walktalkdog Posts: 102 Member
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    And, other factors as well such as age, gender, body type, that one has little control over. For me, a 55 year old female, the belly is the first place I gain and last place I lose. I have strong ab muscles under four inches of flab!!
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    Think about it. If the the ab muscles grow from doing crunches or sit ups, what will happen? You'll get bigger there. What you want to do is just work on losing the fat. That takes a balanced diet, and watching your calories.

    I am not against exercise, but make sure it's well rounded.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    Think about it. If the the ab muscles grow from doing crunches or sit ups, what will happen? You'll get bigger there. What you want to do is just work on losing the fat. That takes a balanced diet, and watching your calories.

    I am not against exercise, but make sure it's well rounded.

    i respectfully disagree.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Think about it. If the the ab muscles grow from doing crunches or sit ups, what will happen? You'll get bigger there. What you want to do is just work on losing the fat. That takes a balanced diet, and watching your calories.

    I am not against exercise, but make sure it's well rounded.

    i respectfully disagree.

    Disagree with what?

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