maintain current weight but lose belly fat

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Replies

  • Roxygrl20_02
    Roxygrl20_02 Posts: 50
    Yes, MEGA important to keep belly sucked in while working out, sitting, walking, breathing, etc! Try it for a month. You'll see vast improvement!!!
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    You cannot spot reduce fat. Cardio, cardio, cardio. "You can tone all you want, but if there's a layer of fat covering it, nobody is going to see it." -Cassey Ho, Blogilates Pilates and Fitness Instructor. So... I'm sure with what you weigh, you don't have much fat on you. I've read that avocados help blast belly fat, but avocados in general are quite fatty, and daily serving is quite small. Great that you're eating clean. I assume you're doing a lot of abdominal exercises to target the toning for your stomach?

    Lolwut? Except for the part about not being able to spot reduce, this whole post is full of nonsense.

    "Cardio, cardio, cardio" is NOT the answer. The answer is a moderate calorie deficit, while strength training. OP, Jillian Michaels does not qualify as adequate strength training, I am sorry to say. You are going to need to amp it up. You need HEAVY weights, not the little soup can-sized girlie-weights Jillian uses. You lift weights to preserve your lean muscle so you lose more fat while eating at a deficit.

    Avocados, while a delicious and nutritionally beneficial food, do not "blast belly fat". (More lol.) No food blasts belly fat, or any fat. Calorie deficits blast fat. Nothing else.

    Also, abdominal exercises do not "tone" the belly (Lollercoaster). You can't target any body part, that is the same as spot reducing. Which we've already established as being impossible.

    To recap: eat at a deficit, lift HEAVY weights. Look up New Rule of Lifting for Women or StrongLifts to get started lifting. Good luck OP. :flowerforyou:
  • bullieforme
    bullieforme Posts: 37
    I've lost just over 5 stone since January and don't need to lose more but I too have "flabby" belly ! I do a very physical job. Ten hours shifts walking and carrying heavy weight. My arms and legs look good considering the amount of weight I have lost but it's that loose belly that's defeating me ! I guess only excersize for that specific area will help? But I don't know what to do ? I reckon there's got to be a good half a stone in weight in the "loose" belly ! My friend said only surgery will get rid of it !
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I've lost just over 5 stone since January and don't need to lose more but I too have "flabby" belly ! I do a very physical job. Ten hours shifts walking and carrying heavy weight. My arms and legs look good considering the amount of weight I have lost but it's that loose belly that's defeating me ! I guess only excersize for that specific area will help? But I don't know what to do ? I reckon there's got to be a good half a stone in weight in the "loose" belly ! My friend said only surgery will get rid of it !

    You can't spot reduce and there are no exercises that will specificially help that area. It's still fat and you can lose the fat without surgery. Loose skin may tighten over time. There was lots of great advice in this thread as well as a link to a helpful thread about stomach fat.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Thanks, I've been confusing BMI with bodyfat % all these years and it still trips me up and frustrates me. I guess if it ever gets to the point where I really need to know my true body fat percentage, I'll have to at very least get callipered. Obviously, I don't have higher levels of lean mass, I think I have the opposite problem, BMI going to put me as lower than I really am.

    This is where lifting comes into play. A great resistance training program will improve your body composition and retain the lean mass you have while you are losing. Many women who yo-yo diet for years have low lean mass. Eating at an appropriate deficit (trying to eat as much as possible while losing slowly) and reistance training are the two best ways to combat that and finally lose the weight.

    I can only do so much without risking a back injury, but I'm working on it. A little at a time along with walking and swimming. Time to go pick up something heavy (to me, anyway) and put it down a few times.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Also, do you have an existing back injury you're afraid of re-injuring, or a medical condition that makes you prone to injury? If so, what is it? Knowing that will help us give you better advice.

    If not, just make sure your form is good -- your body really can handle it!
  • kassie212
    kassie212 Posts: 18 Member
    By the visual id say im 20-22% range. Its just annoying bc I havent lost inches when I measure my waist in over three weeks! Grrr i have been tryig to lift heavier. Im only at 130 for squats and i use 20-30 lb dumbells and can only bench press 60 lbs and sumo dealift 60lbs.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    By the visual id say im 20-22% range. Its just annoying bc I havent lost inches when I measure my waist in over three weeks! Grrr i have been tryig to lift heavier. Im only at 130 for squats and i use 20-30 lb dumbells and can only bench press 60 lbs and sumo dealift 60lbs.

    What are you using for the squats? You should be able to use it for the bench press and deadlift. You might also want to check your form on both squat and deadlift. Your deadlift should pretty easily outrun your squat, so odds are, your form is wrong on one of them if it's freeweights on both.
  • kassie212
    kassie212 Posts: 18 Member
    I use the barbell weight thats connected as a machine for squats. I just started doing sumo deadlift last week though.
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    Thanks, I've been confusing BMI with bodyfat % all these years and it still trips me up and frustrates me. I guess if it ever gets to the point where I really need to know my true body fat percentage, I'll have to at very least get callipered. Obviously, I don't have higher levels of lean mass, I think I have the opposite problem, BMI going to put me as lower than I really am.

    This is where lifting comes into play. A great resistance training program will improve your body composition and retain the lean mass you have while you are losing. Many women who yo-yo diet for years have low lean mass. Eating at an appropriate deficit (trying to eat as much as possible while losing slowly) and reistance training are the two best ways to combat that and finally lose the weight.

    I can only do so much without risking a back injury, but I'm working on it. A little at a time along with walking and swimming. Time to go pick up something heavy (to me, anyway) and put it down a few times.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Also, do you have an existing back injury you're afraid of re-injuring, or a medical condition that makes you prone to injury? If so, what is it? Knowing that will help us give you better advice.

    If not, just make sure your form is good -- your body really can handle it!

    It's genetic, and then I aggravated it in my twenties doing heavy lifting jobs. I know how to baby it properly along and how to listen to when it's had enough if I'm exercising, but it definitely limits what and how much I can do. Actually, getting rid of the rest of this gut might help, since all that weight is sitting right over where I have the most problems.
  • tinabell153
    tinabell153 Posts: 292 Member
    I want to lose my belly fat too. I have been using circuit training so I get strength, cardio and abs all in one workout. I'm 5'0" 107lbs and hold all my weight in the abdomen, butt and thighs.

    I think my real problem is sitting at a desk all day. I may need to try sitting on an exercise ball at my desk! Wonder if I'd get any weird looks and comments hahahaha.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    You cannot spot reduce fat. Cardio, cardio, cardio. "You can tone all you want, but if there's a layer of fat covering it, nobody is going to see it." -Cassey Ho, Blogilates Pilates and Fitness Instructor. So... I'm sure with what you weigh, you don't have much fat on you. I've read that avocados help blast belly fat, but avocados in general are quite fatty, and daily serving is quite small. Great that you're eating clean. I assume you're doing a lot of abdominal exercises to target the toning for your stomach?

    Lolwut? Except for the part about not being able to spot reduce, this whole post is full of nonsense.

    "Cardio, cardio, cardio" is NOT the answer. The answer is a moderate calorie deficit, while strength training. OP, Jillian Michaels does not qualify as adequate strength training, I am sorry to say. You are going to need to amp it up. You need HEAVY weights, not the little soup can-sized girlie-weights Jillian uses. You lift weights to preserve your lean muscle so you lose more fat while eating at a deficit.

    Avocados, while a delicious and nutritionally beneficial food, do not "blast belly fat". (More lol.) No food blasts belly fat, or any fat. Calorie deficits blast fat. Nothing else.

    Also, abdominal exercises do not "tone" the belly (Lollercoaster). You can't target any body part, that is the same as spot reducing. Which we've already established as being impossible.

    To recap: eat at a deficit, lift HEAVY weights. Look up New Rule of Lifting for Women or StrongLifts to get started lifting. Good luck OP. :flowerforyou:

    I would say that Jillian's workouts can be used to recomp. It has worked for me. But I have made one change in her workouts--I use the absolute heaviest weights I can without sacrificing form, and I slow the pace and do fewer reps. So while she recommends say a set of 8 lb weights on a specific exercise and does 16 reps, I use a set of 20 lb weights and do 10 reps at a slower pace.

    I have found that doing her DVDs like this is very effective, especially if you are time crunched and need to get some cardio in without adding time.

    I have watched my tummy slowly disappear in the past 7 months first doing Jillian and this summer doing a more standard weight lifting routine using dumbells. I have sets up through 20 lbs and will add 25's soon.

    I have lost no weight, but I look better than ever.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    By the visual id say im 20-22% range. Its just annoying bc I havent lost inches when I measure my waist in over three weeks! Grrr i have been tryig to lift heavier. Im only at 130 for squats and i use 20-30 lb dumbells and can only bench press 60 lbs and sumo dealift 60lbs.

    My waist measurement hasn't changed much at all. But my abs look totally different, and when I turn sideways my gut is gone. I seem to lose in places you don't normally measure. Calipers have been a better estimate of my fat than tape measures.
  • Cherieb42
    Cherieb42 Posts: 12 Member
    I lost 90 pounds in 1.5 years and had series problems due to the stuff left over around my belly (rashes, infections etc). In addition to my cardio I do yoga five times a week plus reformer pilates which helped strengthen my core for sure. I finally had a tummy tuck, they took 4 pounds of skin/fat off. It was a serious decision, one I'm glad I made but like any surgery it was a very serious matter and very personal decision as well.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
    This may be a completely idiotic question, but what do most people class as lifting heavy? As in weight wise? in KG's or lbs. I'm starting out as a newbie lifter and wonder if i'm being a complete weaklink lol.
  • angelzxy321
    angelzxy321 Posts: 1,019 Member
    I'm not certain about other programs but stronlifts 5x5 begins with the empty bar which is 45 pounds for squats, bench press and overhead press. Barbell row begins at 65 lb and deadlifts at 95 lbs. Each exercise increases by 5 pounds each time you do them and with the exception of deadlifts each workout consists of 5 sets of 5 reps. Deadlifts are a single set of 5 reps.

    For persons accustomed to lifting 10-15 pound dumbells (I was one of those persons) it may sound heavy but then you find that it is very doable. Even easy in the beginning.
  • Gwyn1969
    Gwyn1969 Posts: 181 Member
    I use the barbell weight thats connected as a machine for squats. I just started doing sumo deadlift last week though.

    That sounds like you are using a Smith machine. Is there any way you can dump the Smith machine and use a barbell and a squat stand to squat instead?
  • Gwyn1969
    Gwyn1969 Posts: 181 Member
    This may be a completely idiotic question, but what do most people class as lifting heavy? As in weight wise? in KG's or lbs. I'm starting out as a newbie lifter and wonder if i'm being a complete weaklink lol.

    Don't worry about how much you are lifting right now. Just add weight to each lift every time you train. Eventually you won't be able to add weight every single time you train, but if you are a total newbie, this strategy should get you through at least the first couple of months, and probably longer. You may need to invest in microplates (or use washers) in order to add weight in smaller increments than 5 pounds.
  • angelzxy321
    angelzxy321 Posts: 1,019 Member
    This may be a completely idiotic question, but what do most people class as lifting heavy? As in weight wise? in KG's or lbs. I'm starting out as a newbie lifter and wonder if i'm being a complete weaklink lol.

    Don't worry about how much you are lifting right now. Just add weight to each lift every time you train. Eventually you won't be able to add weight every single time you train, but if you are a total newbie, this strategy should get you through at least the first couple of months, and probably longer. You may need to invest in microplates (or use washers) in order to add weight in smaller increments than 5 pounds.


    I agree with the microplates. I'm having trouble now adding 5 pounds each time now that I'm a few weeks into the program.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    This may be a completely idiotic question, but what do most people class as lifting heavy? As in weight wise? in KG's or lbs. I'm starting out as a newbie lifter and wonder if i'm being a complete weaklink lol.

    Lifting heavy is a reference to rep range. 1-6 reps is what I consider heavy. 7-12 is moderate. 12-15 is light.

    So if you can lift a weight more than 6 times, add weight to the lift.

    Beginners should lift heavy and gain strength. That'll give you the dense, unpumped muscle girls want like staci from nerdfitness.
  • kassie212
    kassie212 Posts: 18 Member
    Ya have an actual barbell set at home i can use i was just afraid to for fear of dropping it or anything. I can try it ourlt though
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
    This may be a completely idiotic question, but what do most people class as lifting heavy? As in weight wise? in KG's or lbs. I'm starting out as a newbie lifter and wonder if i'm being a complete weaklink lol.

    Don't worry about how much you are lifting right now. Just add weight to each lift every time you train. Eventually you won't be able to add weight every single time you train, but if you are a total newbie, this strategy should get you through at least the first couple of months, and probably longer. You may need to invest in microplates (or use washers) in order to add weight in smaller increments than 5 pounds.


    I agree with the microplates. I'm having trouble now adding 5 pounds each time now that I'm a few weeks into the program.

    Thanks so much for all your replies. I have some microplates so this will work for me.

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