How to lose stomach/tone tum?

justjo8787
justjo8787 Posts: 5
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi guys I'm a few pounds away from my goal weight nearly 4stone off, I'm still unhappy with my stomach I was wondering if anyone had any tips/diet info or exercise on how to help?thanks jo.
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Replies

  • c78gregory
    c78gregory Posts: 13 Member
    I had a similar problem I have tried every ab workout routine there is to try and tone up the loose stomach skin and it never really worked so I gave up on that and started lifting weights to tone up my arms and after a month I noticed the stomach was toning up and I wasn't even targeting that Area, weird!
  • justjo8787
    justjo8787 Posts: 5
    Thanks for the reply I've heard people say lifting I never go to the gym always just classes I guess I'm going to have to give this a go lol.
  • kaylerato
    kaylerato Posts: 18 Member
    Pilates really helps to tone Abs. Grab a dvd, A couple times a week and you should definitely start to see some results.
  • joyce_oh
    joyce_oh Posts: 1 Member
    do some cardio to shred the fat and make sure to suck that tummy in when you're doing ab work outs! or else you'll get very ugly abs
  • justjo8787
    justjo8787 Posts: 5
    I do cardio 3/4 times a week and it's not making a difference :/
  • falkeon
    falkeon Posts: 3 Member
    look up figure eight crunches. they work every part of your ab muscles and actually work to show results.
  • Jill_with_a_G
    Jill_with_a_G Posts: 58 Member
    Keep in mind that you may be toned under any excess weight you may carry around your middle. Everybody carries their excess in different ways. It seems that stomach muscles don't appear until your body fat gets to a certain level. Just keep doing those crunches and core exercises, it WILL payoff!! You can build up certain muscles, but you can't "spot" reduce.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    Sounds like you still have some fat to lose. If it's loose skin as well as fat it will tighten up but you will have to lose the fat before you begin to see any abs. All the ab exercises in the world are not going to do anything for you unless your BF% is low enough to actually see the muscle underneath. Just keep losing fat and you will see them eventually.

    Good luck...
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    Ab exercises do not "tone" your abs. They just strengthen them (which is also important).

    Eat at a moderate caloric deficit, including plenty of protein, and follow a full-body, progressive strength training program based on compound lifts (look up Starting Strength, StrongLifts, and New Rules of Lifting for Women). Be patient, and be consistent.
  • justjo8787
    justjo8787 Posts: 5
    In not looking to have a washboard stomach that's never gonna happen lol just would like to be more toned and a little flatter I will give all these suggestions a try thanks for the advice folks!
  • lexcoulstring
    lexcoulstring Posts: 386 Member
    I do an average of 100 crunches a day with the same goal as you. It seems to be working. I'm at my ideal weight (190) and want to tone what fat is left to muscle.
  • bangles501
    bangles501 Posts: 26 Member
    The plank is a great exercise to strengthen your abs, anything that keeps your muscles tense throughout the whole set is great but you won't really see any benefit until you lose excess fat from that area, only your diet can help with that. I've always been pretty slim but have a pudge of fat around my belly button, the only thing that got rid of it for me was cutting down on sugar and wheat. Don't cut it out completely (trust me on that one, doing that sent me really crazy for a while) and do make sure you replace some of the wheat with healthier carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes but really look at how much sugar you're having, including fruit. I used to have two sugars in my coffee twice a day, what I thought was healthy granola which actually had tons of sugar in it, 4 pieces of fruit a day and that's not including the occasional chocolate bar, fizzy drink and alcohol. I also used to have wheat in most of my meals too - cereal breakfast, sandwich lunch and pasta or pastry for dinner. I now only have one or two pieces of fruit a day and use one in my porridge instead of sugar or honey, I cut down my fizzy drinks, I have only one coffee with one sugar a day and try not to have more than one portion of wheat a day but I often go days without any because I also found out it bloats me a lot. I check lables now, there's sugar in everything, especially low fat products! I didn't really reduce my calorie intake either, cutting down on sugar will always reduce your calories slightly but I didn't need to lose weight so I made sure I replaced sugar calories with protein, I eat so much cheese! Since doing all that my tummy fat has nearly disappeared. I can finally see the abs I've been working on for years! I hope this helps :)
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
    My nutritionist told me there isn't much you can do about loose skin. Once you get past a certain point, the only option really is surgery. You can tone your abs, but they will be toned behind the loose skin. I have this problem myself!
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    Eat around your TDEE and lift more weights, you are looking for body recomp.
  • Emmabulliemum
    Emmabulliemum Posts: 294 Member
    cut out carbs, lower sugar, too much fruit can be bad and increase protein. My combat instructor says it's all about what you eat to get rid of tummy fat and tone it not exercise, exercise will help that but inevitably it's the food we eat
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    cut out carbs, lower sugar, too much fruit can be bad and increase protein. My combat instructor says it's all about what you eat to get rid of tummy fat and tone it not exercise, exercise will help that but inevitably it's the food we eat

    why cut out carbs and sugar? If I do that, I would have no energy at all to workout. A bit more protein is always good.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I do cardio 3/4 times a week and it's not making a difference :/

    add some strength/resistance training
  • safetyqueen25
    safetyqueen25 Posts: 38 Member
    Hi everyone, I have the same goal, I want to tone up my stomach, I have some loose skin also from where I have lost so much weight, I am doing Insanity currently and am seeing the benefit but don't think I will ever tighten up the skin to have viewable abs.

    It is frustrating because I know you can't target a specific area and that cardio and healthy eating are the things I need but I am seeing great results in other areas - in fact there are some where I think I really dont need to lose anymore weight there but stomach and triceps are my two areas I really want to improve. I am going to keep at it , that is interesting about weight lifting. I don't know much about lifting but do want something to go onto after Insanity to maintan what I achieve.
  • Greytfish
    Greytfish Posts: 810
    cut out carbs, lower sugar, too much fruit can be bad and increase protein. My combat instructor says it's all about what you eat to get rid of tummy fat and tone it not exercise, exercise will help that but inevitably it's the food we eat

    why cut out carbs and sugar? If I do that, I would have no energy at all to workout. A bit more protein is always good.

    Not all carbs. But starchy carbs cause lower GI inflammation which will make any tummy or lower ab bulge more apparent. Eating carbs from verggies and then eating a small to moderate amount of complex carbs right before or right after exercise will give plenty of glycogen restoration and fuel. The SAD had about 4-5 times what you actually need and then youre body spend a lot of time and energy converting and storing what it doesn't use.
  • runforestrun35
    runforestrun35 Posts: 480 Member
    I try to do cardio at least 4-5 times a week, and have now been throwing strength/lifting more in now.. I am starting to see results, toned and strong is my goal.... planks I have a love/hate relationship with... they are great for the abs though!!!! Keep working and you will see the results! Great work so far!
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    I do an average of 100 crunches a day with the same goal as you. It seems to be working. I'm at my ideal weight (190) and want to tone what fat is left to muscle.

    Fat doesn't turn into muscle. You will have to lose the fat and gain some muscle. Having said that, all those crunches are just going to build the muscle under the fat, you will still have to lose the fat, via a calorie deficit, for the muscle underneath to be visible.
  • Redgal56
    Redgal56 Posts: 73 Member
    Planks! I have lost 3 inches off my waist doing planks! I hate them but they work!
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    Is it 'fat' or just loose skin? Two very different things. Weights and patience.
  • Sheila_Ann
    Sheila_Ann Posts: 365 Member
    Sounds like you still have some fat to lose. If it's loose skin as well as fat it will tighten up but you will have to lose the fat before you begin to see any abs. All the ab exercises in the world are not going to do anything for you unless your BF% is low enough to actually see the muscle underneath. Just keep losing fat and you will see them eventually.

    Good luck...

    What he said!
  • craftylobster
    craftylobster Posts: 1 Member
    The plank is a great exercise to strengthen your abs, anything that keeps your muscles tense throughout the whole set is great but you won't really see any benefit until you lose excess fat from that area, only your diet can help with that. I've always been pretty slim but have a pudge of fat around my belly button, the only thing that got rid of it for me was cutting down on sugar and wheat. Don't cut it out completely (trust me on that one, doing that sent me really crazy for a while) and do make sure you replace some of the wheat with healthier carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes but really look at how much sugar you're having, including fruit. I used to have two sugars in my coffee twice a day, what I thought was healthy granola which actually had tons of sugar in it, 4 pieces of fruit a day and that's not including the occasional chocolate bar, fizzy drink and alcohol. I also used to have wheat in most of my meals too - cereal breakfast, sandwich lunch and pasta or pastry for dinner. I now only have one or two pieces of fruit a day and use one in my porridge instead of sugar or honey, I cut down my fizzy drinks, I have only one coffee with one sugar a day and try not to have more than one portion of wheat a day but I often go days without any because I also found out it bloats me a lot. I check lables now, there's sugar in everything, especially low fat products! I didn't really reduce my calorie intake either, cutting down on sugar will always reduce your calories slightly but I didn't need to lose weight so I made sure I replaced sugar calories with protein, I eat so much cheese! Since doing all that my tummy fat has nearly disappeared. I can finally see the abs I've been working on for years! I hope this helps :)

    Sounds like you're doing really well! Great advice - sugar is loaded into everything!
  • positivesky
    positivesky Posts: 20 Member
    Hi guys I'm a few pounds away from my goal weight nearly 4stone off, I'm still unhappy with my stomach I was wondering if anyone had any tips/diet info or exercise on how to help?thanks jo.

    crunches, planking... not that complicated but, personally, i find these two movements effective to get rid of the belly flab.
  • TLwineguzzler
    TLwineguzzler Posts: 289 Member
    Planks! I have lost 3 inches off my waist doing planks! I hate them but they work!

    How long has it taken you to lose the 3 inches and how long do you "hold" the plank for? I keep trying to "get into the habit" of doing planks, do them for a couple of days or so then forget again! :ohwell:
  • blably
    blably Posts: 490 Member
    do some cardio to shred the fat and make sure to suck that tummy in when you're doing ab work outs! or else you'll get very ugly abs

    just died a bit here
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    do some cardio to shred the fat and make sure to suck that tummy in when you're doing ab work outs! or else you'll get very ugly abs

    just died a bit here

    :huh: Ugly abs???
  • loupammac
    loupammac Posts: 194 Member
    I read this post today: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach and I think it's just what you're after :)

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