Flat stomach without abs

I know this topic has been mentioned a lot and I've read through them and I simply don't get it. I am very new to all of this so think like you are explaining it to a beginner!

Basically, I want a flat stomach without visible abs, currently I do a powerwalk 4/5 days a week for an hour to an hour and a half and 50 sit ups a day. I'm not expecting results straight away, but I know you have to lower out body fat and what not but how do you do this? I have no idea and would kindly appreciate someone explaining everything so I can understand it! You can message me if you want!

Thank you!

PS. I'm not expecting miracles as I have a bit to go (19, 5ft7, 158 pounds) guess I'm a slight chubber but I know how to look slimmer in clothes and what not! I would love to notice a difference in 2 months, if not then by christmas to look completely different! But help would be appreciated!
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Replies

  • ElBence
    ElBence Posts: 291 Member
    Eat a deficit and do lots of cardio. How much of a difference it makes in the amount of time you've specified depends on you.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    Basically, I want a flat stomach without visible abs,

    Did you mean you want a flat stomach WITH visible abs?
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Basically, I want a flat stomach without visible abs,

    Did you mean you want a flat stomach WITH visible abs?


    I would LOVE to have a flat stomach with NO visible abs!! Going to bump this.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    bump
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
    Basically, I want a flat stomach without visible abs,

    Did you mean you want a flat stomach WITH visible abs?

    I think she means she wants a flat stomach without the muscle definition. Think more Victoria's Secret swimsuit model than a fitness model. I would quit the sit ups OP as I think they're mainly a waste of time. I'd focus on short bursts of high intensity cardio- when you're doing your power walking maybe throw in some one minute sprints in every few minutes. The biggest difference is eating at a calorie deficit. Make vegetables a big part of your meals and snacks.
  • AmyJade_mfp
    AmyJade_mfp Posts: 55 Member
    Basically, I want a flat stomach without visible abs,

    Did you mean you want a flat stomach WITH visible abs?

    I think she means she wants a flat stomach without the muscle definition. Think more Victoria's Secret swimsuit model than a fitness model. I would quit the sit ups OP as I think they're mainly a waste of time. I'd focus on short bursts of high intensity cardio- when you're doing your power walking maybe throw in some one minute sprints in every few minutes. The biggest difference is eating at a calorie deficit. Make vegetables a big part of your meals and snacks.

    Exactly this! Is there anything else I can do exercise wise?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,457 Member
    Genetics will play a role in this. You'll just have to try to play around with it. There's no real definitive answer.

    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
  • princesspea234
    princesspea234 Posts: 182 Member
    Continue to eat less... you won't start to see a flat tummy until the fat on top of your abs is gone.... and do tons of heart-pumping cardio. For someone your size, power walking is not likely to cut it. Higher intensity training is the way to go... Zumba, step aerobics or couchto5k are great ways to start breaking a sweat. If your heart rate isn't up and you're not breaking a sweat, it is likely that you are overestimating your calorie burn. If you want it, you've got to push for it...Don't dial it in. I also LOVE Barre3 for toning. You lose tons of inches... I seriously feel like someone has kicked me in the abs for two days after class. The whole class engages the abs. You pay attention to keeping your ribcage in and pushing your belly button toward your spine while toning the rest of your body. My muscles are so shaky midway through the class. Sit ups won't create flat abs... they just make the muscle stronger underneath the fat. I'm working toward the same goal. Working on lowering body fat to get there....Like I said it's mainly about burning the fat on top of the muscle. Good luck to you!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
    Getting a flat stomach without visible abs is a lot easier than getting visible abs.

    What you have to do is stop losing body fat when you're happy with how you look. :wink:
  • MrsSenecal
    MrsSenecal Posts: 312 Member
    Who doesnt want visible abs???
    Im truly confused by this.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Continue to eat at a small deficit. Stop the crunches. You can't spot reduce.
  • jus_in_bello
    jus_in_bello Posts: 326 Member
    Women have to work their behinds off to get abs, it's part of how our bodies work, you won't accidentally have visible abs, don't worry.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Who doesnt want visible abs???
    Im truly confused by this.


    It's like Abbylg said above, like the Victoria's Secret models, smooth, just enough subcutaneous fat for a flat belly but no muscle definition. Not everybody wants the 6-pack, or the zero-body-fat look, or the Jillian rippled stomach look. I agree with OP, that's what I would love to have, flat and smooth, no visible abs.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    you should do some weights, too. muscle burns more calories than fat.
  • ApocalypticFae
    ApocalypticFae Posts: 217 Member
    Women have to work their behinds off to get abs, it's part of how our bodies work, you won't accidentally have visible abs, don't worry.

    Not necessarily! Everyone and every body is different. Then again, what someone might think of as "visible abs" might be different from another's perspective.

    OP, try to keep your diet fairly healthy and drink plenty of water daily. Any cardio is great, including elliptical, long walks, jogging, stair master, cycling, dancing, etc. Quit the sit-ups and crunches, and start doing planks (yoga incorporates a lot of these, so you could start doing yoga a couple times a week if you have access). Over time, with continued fat loss, you will get those flat abs you are looking for and will be left only with a *hint* of tone from the yoga/planks/etc. (think Victoria's Secret model). :flowerforyou:
  • penelepurr
    penelepurr Posts: 204 Member
    Who doesnt want visible abs???
    Im truly confused by this.

    yeah, I thought it was a troll lol. I'd be happy with the outline or the 6-pack. the outline is hard enough! ;)
  • kairisika
    kairisika Posts: 131 Member
    Don't do any situps or similar. You're not aiming to build bulk, but just strip fat. Do hard cardio - sprints and intervals, not steady-state like long runs. You can do long runs too, but the more you do steady-state, the less it does for you since your body gets more efficient at it. You need to strip fat, not follow a gazelle for 40 miles.

    Do stability exercises - planks and all variants thereof. Build some strength for firmness without working on much building.

    And keep eating at a deficit to lose fat.
    The only thing that gets you a small waist is a low enough body fat to not hold any there - which is different amounts depending on where your body wants to hold its fat.

    Full-body free weight exercises are good for building the shapely muscles that don't look like muscles, and also for raising your metabolism to burn more fat. Put them in with the hard cardio.
    But basically, just lose enough fat until your stomach shows up.
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    Getting a flat stomach without visible abs is a lot easier than getting visible abs.

    What you have to do is stop losing body fat when you're happy with how you look. :wink:

    This.

    Keep eating at a deficit and you will eventually have flat stomach. If you somehow get carried away and your body fat % drops low enough, you might show some abs. But, don't worry, it's nothing that an extra cheeseburger a day for a week can't fix.

    Getting to the point of visible abs can take months, years even. Abs aren't gonna sneak up on you
  • AmyJade_mfp
    AmyJade_mfp Posts: 55 Member
    Okay I'm getting it so far, but how do I lower my body percentage? What's best to eat and what isn't? I'm off this morning to do my workout! How do I make this more fun without it feeling like a mission when I do it?
  • kindasortachewy
    kindasortachewy Posts: 1,084 Member
    I agree, you won't get abs by accident! You can have a look at my photos, my stomach is nearly flat, I have a small lower belly pooch from being seven months pregnant and losing my son but gets getting flatter for sure.

    Situps are worthless at this point, so stop.

    Take up something more strenuous than power walking. I'm doing the Zombie 5k training app, but you could do any couch to 5k app to help you get started running, it'll shed away fat.

    Look into zumba or a spin class, you want CARDIO CARDIO CARDIO right now to lose the body fat. But that doesn't mean walking on a tredmil (or track) at the same pace for hours and hours, you gotta do interval training.

    Look into the 30 day shred for quick fatloss

    Whats your diet like right now?