Belly doesn't seem to be shrinking I'm losing hope.

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lauraspberry
lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
in Motivation and Support


Top pic was before Insanity, bottom pic was after. This was a couple months ago, now I'm doing T25 second week of alpha. I did lose 13lbs which is so amazing but my belly fat remained most likely the same. I mean for 13lbs I expected to lose more than I did on the belly area. Why is my body like this? I feel hopeless about getting rid of it. I lost 4 inches around my waist, but on my natural waist (level of navel), i lost only like an inch. What am I doing wrong?
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Replies

  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
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    Belly fat is usually the last thing to go. If you keep reducing your body fat it will continue to get smaller.
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    Belly fat is usually the last thing to go. If you keep reducing your body fat it will continue to get smaller.

    I try to keep that in mind but whenever I see my limbs shrinking it makes me think that I have a health condition or something :(
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    not being patient is what you are doing wrong! some of us just dont' lose fat as fast as others and struggle more. I am one of those as well. my lower belly is the LAST place i have lost, i am still not 100% happy yet either and i am finally the closest to my final goal then ever before. 2 years into this as well! you have to be really clean with your eating to lose body fat, keep a good deficit and exercise. it' all gone hand in hand. i will share a few pic with you too. the 1st one will be 1 year after i hit my goal weight, yup hit goal weight but no where near what i wanted to look like at 120 lbs ( i am 5.2 ft) had way higher body fat still then i did before when i was 120 lbs years ago. then i will show you a pic current... flexed and un flexed, and as you will see when unflexed i still have a lower pooch i hate.my 1st year i really only concentrated on cals and light exercise. my second year i changed it up for my exercise and made a bigger difference imo.
    79b1c823-5c0e-4c0c-a96b-7dee0e0a7870_zpsb9bde478.jpg
    IMG_1689_zps905d6f74.jpg
    P1110353_zps84d9a8be.jpg
    7231550b-2268-4ba6-b8cc-32b665b39533_zpsfce7efd3.jpg
    3d4f9640-7ba0-468b-8f96-591ab72142c5_zpsbfe03e97.jpg
    and pooch :(
    afteralpha_zps25a0d731.jpg
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    Okay I'm even more motivated now thank you for that lin7604 you are so nice :) and you look great! THERE IS HOPE!!!
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    no prob, any time :) i know how frustrating it is. I am not willing to be super strict with my diet just to lose it faster b/c i find when i am strict i fall twice as hard! so slow and steady wins! it has gone down a lot, and my love handles! but still would love to be 20% body fat one day!
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    You look great to me honestly. Almost no belly fat left and toned. I have a long way to go :) but I will keep that in mind to not go too strict, I have completely eliminated carbonated drinks though in my diet and I dont crave them anymore, as well as mcdonalds HAHA
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566
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    When i look at the link you posted it looks like you lost equally all over.

    Great results, you should be proud of that. You will get there.

    I agree that the stomach is the last to go, i am still working on it too!
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    When i look at the link you posted it looks like you lost equally all over.

    Great results, you should be proud of that. You will get there.

    I agree that the stomach is the last to go, i am still working on it too!

    I was initially superproud of my weightloss but now when I look at the mirror I always nearly cry because it seems hopeless lol idk if it's PMS but it's been happening a lot
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
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    You have definitely lost quite a bit around your tummy! I can see a big difference!

    It just takes time... that's the sad truth!
    Keep on lowering your bodyfat and get your muscles working and you will get there!
  • lebaker310
    lebaker310 Posts: 164 Member
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    I feel like everyone goes through that initial "freak out". There's a lot of people that post about it. You finally get the courage to get in shape, change your life around, and don't get the immediate results that you want. I partially blame those stupid workout programs that show you the before and after pics of people they pay. It's not realistic and it makes people believe that they are failures if they don't have a 6pack after doing hip hop abs for a week.

    You are your own worst critic. You can only do so much, and if you are hard on yourself you will just make it worse. This is a process, not an over night transformation. Think about the 13lbs that you've already lost and how that number will keep increasing if you stick to what you're doing! Be proud of yourself, be excited for the future, and learn to love the body that you are working so hard to make healthy!

    As for the PMSing, I can totally relate. I see my arm jiggle a couple days before my . and I wanna cry and eat a bunch of chocolate. But we can't let our hormones get the best of us!
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    You have definitely lost quite a bit around your tummy! I can see a big difference!

    It just takes time... that's the sad truth!
    Keep on lowering your bodyfat and get your muscles working and you will get there!


    Thank you for the kind words! I try to hang in there and be patiemt :) instant long lasting results are impossible :) and your profile pic keeps me inspired too! You look great!
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    I feel like everyone goes through that initial "freak out". There's a lot of people that post about it. You finally get the courage to get in shape, change your life around, and don't get the immediate results that you want. I partially blame those stupid workout programs that show you the before and after pics of people they pay. It's not realistic and it makes people believe that they are failures if they don't have a 6pack after doing hip hop abs for a week.

    You are your own worst critic. You can only do so much, and if you are hard on yourself you will just make it worse. This is a process, not an over night transformation. Think about the 13lbs that you've already lost and how that number will keep increasing if you stick to what you're doing! Be proud of yourself, be excited for the future, and learn to love the body that you are working so hard to make healthy!

    As for the PMSing, I can totally relate. I see my arm jiggle a couple days before my . and I wanna cry and eat a bunch of chocolate. But we can't let our hormones get the best of us!


    You have a point there, a really good one. Especially the one about programs that show before and after pictures HAHAHA now i realize that maybe that's what's getting into me. Aside from the pms, I was looking at the ad results pics lol! I admit that I actually thought I'd get instant abs with Insanity, that's why I wasnt happy still. But I am just a sucker for beachbody programs because I hate encountering those people at the gym who tells you what to do lol I would love to workout privately but I cant afford a private trainer haha but with what you said, I realized that I should appreciate my progress more. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
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    You have definitely lost quite a bit around your tummy! I can see a big difference!

    It just takes time... that's the sad truth!
    Keep on lowering your bodyfat and get your muscles working and you will get there!


    Thank you for the kind words! I try to hang in there and be patiemt :) instant long lasting results are impossible :) and your profile pic keeps me inspired too! You look great!

    Thank you :)
    and this is when I do the usual advert for heavy lifting: I don't do any cardio (apart from once a month about 10 min hiit) only do a progressive lifting routine
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    I'm kinda hesitant about lifting though because I occassionally get patellofemoral syndrome due to a hiking injury 5 years ago that caused me to have a torn ligament. When I did Insanity, all the jumping made it hurt :(
  • RhushiK
    RhushiK Posts: 14
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    Hey that is a great result. Don't worry. You'll lose those few extra pounds too :) As long as you keep fighting, there will be a result.. :)
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    Hey that is a great result. Don't worry. You'll lose those few extra pounds too :) As long as you keep fighting, there will be a result.. :)

    Thank you so much for the motivating words, like what lebaker310 said maybe the ads about the workout programs I'm taking is the one causing me to have a meltdown haha :)
  • RhushiK
    RhushiK Posts: 14
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    Hhehehe.. yea. To hell with what they say about your results. Believe me. 13 pounds is not a joke. Keep up the good work and never lose hope.. :)
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    Hhehehe.. yea. To hell with what they say about your results. Believe me. 13 pounds is not a joke. Keep up the good work and never lose hope.. :)

    Thank you so much!! I will just keep on doing my workouts with passion and hope to lose this belly! :heart:
  • jludwick78
    jludwick78 Posts: 34 Member
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    I feel your frustration. I keep having a bad day and eating too much so I've actually gained weight and it's all in my belly and thighs.

    You look like you've lost some weight all over. Keep it up and don't get too frustrated and I'll follow my own advice!
  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
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    Do you mind me asking how you reduced your body fat after reaching a good weight? Is it just through exercise?

    I feel the OP's pain. I got down to goal weight once and still had a horrid pot belly, fat neck and flabby arms despite no longer being "fat". I ended up falling off the bandwagon and gaining it all back, plus some.

    Here's hoping I'll actually loose body fat this time.

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