help me shift this lower stomach pudge!

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mrshallewell
mrshallewell Posts: 318
in Fitness and Exercise
quick version
want rid of lower belly which over hangs, has done ever since i was about 8 years old even though i was skinny. started gaining weight when moved at 16 to dads and just got bigger and bigger and hangs more.
lower back injury makes things difficult but will try. only have myself and 3 set hand weights to do this.

any suggestions on exercises or moves or ANYTHING to get rid of this please.

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    You cannot spot reduce.

    The only thing that will help you is a reasonable calorie deficit over time.
  • lorenzovonmatterhorn7549
    lorenzovonmatterhorn7549 Posts: 495 Member
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    You cannot spot reduce.

    The only thing that will help you is a reasonable calorie deficit over time.
    ^This. If you have excess fat, you will need to lose it through diet and exercise.
  • sevenandthirteen
    sevenandthirteen Posts: 13 Member
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    You cannot spot reduce but you can spot firm. If you can invest in a work out ball it will allow you to strengthen your core with little strain on your back. Droopy bellies, butts or any other part are because you have poor muscle tone behind them. You can see bigger people in sports and such that probably weigh as much as you or anyone for that matter but they don't seam to carry as much weight bad because they have better muscle tone. Of course start eating healthier and record all of your calories it will help you be more conscientious of what you are eating. Hope that helps Good luck and exercise safe!
  • mrshallewell
    mrshallewell Posts: 318
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    i have no clue what spot reducing is. i have incorporated a 1200 cal diet and im doing 30ds every day which is toning other areas but doesnt seem to be doing much if anything to the lower bit. i do belly dancing on monday evenings and go for a long walk/hike every sunday. balance ball sounds like it may help. ill look into it

    anything else?

    edit : 1200 cal diet is mostly veg, pasta, rice and dairy as im vegetarian. the only bad thing would be chocolate. severe addiction but im cutting it out as much as i can
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    edit : 1200 cal diet is mostly veg, pasta, rice and dairy as im vegetarian. the only bad thing would be chocolate. severe addiction but im cutting it out as much as i can


    you probably need more protein to try and maintain LBM
  • shannaniggans
    shannaniggans Posts: 31
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    I find that doing pilates helps my stomach tighten up nicely! Need to work on your core strength and bring the muscles into shape :)
  • PaulJRaymond
    PaulJRaymond Posts: 100 Member
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    Looking at your diary, there is an awful lot of exercise calories - are you sure they are accurate? 1300+ kcal is a LOT of exercise unless you are running for more than hour for example. Worried that you may be deluding yourself with the exercise calorie count?

    And (personal beef here) why describe yourself as vegetarian when you eat chicken? I was vegetarian for a long time and started adding fish to my diet. Therefore I am no longer vegetarian, even though I eat no meat or poultry.
  • rezn8
    rezn8 Posts: 263 Member
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    DIET / EXERCISE / PATIENCE
    Very simple. I'm still working on it after over a year. Getting closer every day.
  • mrshallewell
    mrshallewell Posts: 318
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    Looking at your diary, there is an awful lot of exercise calories - are you sure they are accurate? 1300+ kcal is a LOT of exercise unless you are running for more than hour for example. Worried that you may be deluding yourself with the exercise calorie count?

    And (personal beef here) why describe yourself as vegetarian when you eat chicken? I was vegetarian for a long time and started adding fish to my diet. Therefore I am no longer vegetarian, even though I eat no meat or poultry.

    that 1300+ if from the hike which takes 2 hours and my 30ds which is another 30 minutes. and its only 1x a week

    currently bf my daughter and while i was pregnant i introduced meat after being vegi for 3 years. cutting it out again now and mostly back on quorn. still the odd thing goes in with meat. my husband was meant to get the quorn chicken bits for the korma but didnt. will be back on pure ovo-lacto vegi as of end of this month.



    shannaniggans - how would i introduce pilates at home.? what would i need.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    It's my worst area as well. I'm doing a lot of core work, some in my weights routine and also pilates. I'm thinking of buying a hula hoop and using that. Sadly I think it's pretty difficult to change your basic body shape. I used to have a flat stomach but that was when I was very underweight, not a place I want to return to. I've realised laetly that I could get to a shape I'd like, but I'm not prepared to invest enough in it to fight nature. I'm going with being much more healthy, and careful dressing! Good luck...
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
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    THE ONLY WAY TO LOSE BELLY FAT, OR FAT ANYWHERE ON YOUR BODY IS TO BE IN A CALORIC DEFICIT. IF YOU ARE NOT LOSING FAT THEN YOU ARE NOT IN A CALORIC DEFICIT. THERE IS NO PARTICULAR EXERCISE WHETHER IT'S A CRUNCH, SIT UP, PLANK ETC ETC, THAT WILL MAKE YOU LOSE BELLY FAT. IT WILL JUST WORK OUT YOUR AB MUSCLES.

    Seriously - Recalculate your macros, and your calorie intake and be careful about how many calories you burn during exercise - It might be lower thank you think. Use this http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ and good luck.
  • elephant_in_the_room
    elephant_in_the_room Posts: 145 Member
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    . THERE IS NO PARTICULAR EXERCISE WHETHER IT'S A CRUNCH, SIT UP, PLANK ETC ETC, THAT WILL MAKE YOU LOSE BELLY FAT. IT WILL JUST WORK OUT YOUR AB s.

    ^This.
    You can tone your abs muscles all the way you want, if you have a 5 cm layer of fat above them, that won't budge. If you have loose skin above them, e.g. from a pregnancy, that won't get any firmer from exercise.

    You cannot 'spot reduce', i.e. you cannot lose fat in one particular area of the body. Impossible.
    You can lose overall fat by being at a calorific deficit, as everyone here says. If you do, you will lose fat everywhere a bit -- arms, legs, buttocks, chest/breasts, and maybe tummy, if you are lucky... But you are at the mercy of your body.

    And if you specifically have had this stomach fat since you were a child and even when you were skinny, then it's very likely genetic, and it's quite likely that your body will try to lose fat everywhere else first before it turns to the stomach fat.

    (big breath) I believe this is a very contentious issue here, but seriously, probably the only thing that can help you there is a liposuction -- that's the only way to spot-reduce fat in a specific area of the body.
  • mrshallewell
    mrshallewell Posts: 318
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    OK.

    i dont wish to sound like a ***** here and will try very hard not to as you are all trying to help and what you are saying is right. But i never said about wanting to loose fat only from that area.

    I want to loose it from my whole body, i understand i cannot target only one area to loose fat from (thats just stupid).
    what i asked for is exercises and moves that would help ie TONE UP the area so it wouldnt hang as much.

    so maybe i should refraise my original topic to

    need ideas for toning lower belly area - have a lower back injury so find lots of moves difficult but will always give it a go and try my best.

    ideas so far that might help are- using a balance ball, and Pilates. does anyone else have any ideas?
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
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    OK.

    i dont wish to sound like a ***** here and will try very hard not to as you are all trying to help and what you are saying is right. But i never said about wanting to loose fat only from that area.

    I want to loose it from my whole body, i understand i cannot target only one area to loose fat from (thats just stupid).
    what i asked for is exercises and moves that would help ie TONE UP the area so it wouldnt hang as much.

    so maybe i should refraise my original topic to

    need ideas for toning lower belly area - have a lower back injury so find lots of moves difficult but will always give it a go and try my best.

    ideas so far that might help are- using a balance ball, and Pilates. does anyone else have any ideas?

    What you described in your first post is that you have fat around your stomach that you want to get rid of. No amount of exercise will just magically flatten it. You have to eat less in order for it to go away.

    That being said, a quick Google search showed me page: http://www.acefitness.org/blog/3092/5-exercises-to-flatten-your-stomach-and-reduce-low - I don't believe it'll "flattern" your stomach, but it'll certainly build muscle.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    1. calorie deficit
    2. Pilates - to strengthen your core muscles and help your bad back
    3. Exercise DVD - I swear by Rosemary Conley (especially because they break into small sections), they include cardio and toning.

    If you have a power hoop class near you that would be very good, but otherwise try a normal hula hoop and hula to MTV or something.

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