sit ups .= weight gain gutted

Trying to get rid of my "mummy tummy" started sit ups crunches and knee to elbow sit ups this last couple of weeks... n I have gained 3lb this wk eating n excerising the same except sit So gutted... but I have got a bit of shape in my tummy back

The weight gain could be from underestimating calories, water, weighing at different times, in different ways, and many other variables.. Very hard to make much from 3lbs, but crunches or situps didn't add weight. As far as a core exercise, it's a pretty weak one. Compound lifts work really well, planks, l-sits, vholds, most isometric core exercises.

But, to shrink the stomach and see any kind of abs, the BF % must be lowered and made in the kitchen. With that said, if your saying a shape difference and inches are coming off, they you're doing something right, regardless of what the ol scale as to say.

Good luck

Thanks might have worked out the issue the foot on the scales where all the electrics are has come loose ... so im blaming that lol... be buying new scales today! Did start planking too not got much experience with core exercises like that tho will get googling

Hahah scales can be very deceiving for sure. The advice I give people if they choose to weigh themselves is:

* Once a week, same day ( Ex: Every Monday)
* After you wake up, empty stomach and empty bladder
* Naked
* Consider your sodium and sugar intake from the day before.
* Take pictures
* Take measurements (thighs, chest, arms, waist)

**The last 2 will show more of what your progress actually looks like**

Nothing wrong with weighing yourself to track, just don't let it be your "make or break"

I'm one of those people who weighs themselves every day which would drive me crazy if I didn't only count once a week as actual check-in on MFP and the others just for my own curiosity. I have been tracking daily fluctuations here: http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html

After a little over 2 months of data I can tell you 3lbs in a day isn't surprising, even if it is weird. Also don't forget that sit-ups are building MUSCLE on your stomach area.. if you have a pad of fat over it, it is just going to look even bigger. Also adding muscle is going to add mass. As someone else said, fat loss takes place mainly in the kitchen.

For extra sanity I also use a body fat scale.. which even if it may not be perfect, it keeps me more sane when I see my fat going down and muscle going up even if my numbers don't really move or move up.

The thing about weight loss and "gaining muscle" is this. You're not really gaining muscle. I won't say that it's impossible to gain muscle mass when you are eating at a caloric deficit but I'll say its highly unlikely. What is happening is that you are training your muscle to actually work better, thus the "strength increase" that most attribute to a gain in muscle mass that probably hasn't really happened. Talk to a few weightlifters and see how much mass they gain in a month and how many calories they have to consume to make those gains. Most will agree on about 1 to 2 lbs per month.

Another question.. obviously im monitoring my cals weighing all my food etc but are people saying its a bad idea to do sit ups whilst losing body fay. My theory is if I do both then as the fat goes will be replaced by muscle so no saggy skin in the stomach region?

News to me. The only negative thing that I've ever encountered when doing situps and losing weight is the fight that happens at the meet and greet that happens at the top of the situp.

That being said, yes do you situps and any other core strengthening that your body is agreeable to doing, but do them knowing that if you lose 3-4 inches around the hips that it won't be replaced by 6 inches of muscle.

Another question.. obviously im monitoring my cals weighing all my food etc but are people saying its a bad idea to do sit ups whilst losing body fay. My theory is if I do both then as the fat goes will be replaced by muscle so no saggy skin in the stomach region?

You wont gain muscle eating at a deficet...sorry.

As well you can do all the situps, crunches, planks etc in the world and you may never have a flat belly...bodyfat loss is all about your diet.

Not saying core work isn't important but...you can't out exercise a bad diet...

You wont gain muscle eating at a deficet...sorry.

As well you can do all the situps, crunches, planks etc in the world and you may never have a flat belly...bodyfat loss is all about your diet.

Not saying core work isn't important but...you can't out exercise a bad diet...

definitely keeping up a good healthy diet just worried about being left with my baby sack once lost fat .. so looks like planking n core exercise is the way to go.

Yes I prefer the heavy lifting over the "core" workout only. I find that my weight lifting 3x a week has done more for my stomache than any 30day challenage.

You wont gain muscle eating at a deficet...sorry.

As well you can do all the situps, crunches, planks etc in the world and you may never have a flat belly...bodyfat loss is all about your diet.

Not saying core work isn't important but...you can't out exercise a bad diet...

definitely keeping up a good healthy diet just worried about being left with my baby sack once lost fat .. so looks like planking n core exercise is the way to go.

Yes I prefer the heavy lifting over the "core" workout only. I find that my weight lifting 3x a week has done more for my stomache than any 30day challenage.

^^This.

You can do 10,000 planks, sit-ups, crunches a day, but if your body has fat it wants to use on other parts of the body for fuel, it will. There's nothing wrong with throwing in some core exercises, but they are extremely inefficient when it comes to lowering BF% as they burn very few calories. That is a big reason why full body/compound exercises are recommended. They work the whole body, burn higher amounts of calories, and engage the core (sometimes more than traditional core exercises).

I would consider sit-ups the worst of the traditional "core" exercises as it doesn't really work the abdominals. Your hip flexors do most of the work.