How long does it take to get rid of my gut?

Has anyone had a nice amount of weight and had a flabby stomach but now its flat? How long did it take for you?

I'm going to start doing 100 crunches along with my daily workouts and eating right but should I be doing more?
What other workouts really targets your abs?
How long will this take? Now that I'm losing weight and my arms are going down, well my stomach is just hanging there....Its frustrating. :grumble:

Replies

  • FireStorm1972
    FireStorm1972 Posts: 1,142 Member
    I'm interested in this also as I have about 25lbs to go to reach my goal and my flab is hanging down LOL.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    Every body is different, and it depends on how your body stores fat. It's taken me a year and 35 lbs to see mine finally start to flatten from where it was (especially after pregnancy). The only ab workouts I do are the ones in the 30 Day Shred circuit training; eating at a deficiency is the main reason my stomach has gone down. :drinker:
  • FlanJamz
    FlanJamz Posts: 15
    No advice for you, just commiserating as I've got the same issue - I carry pretty much all my weight in my stomach. To paraphrase Erma Bombeck, "Folks ask me when my baby's due. I tell 'em 10 years ago."
  • Thanks Marie.. I guess I'm gonna give it more time...
  • LOL Flan Ive had that happen once. But Ive never been pregnant. OMG what an eye opener for me!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Has anyone had a nice amount of weight and had a flabby stomach but now its flat? How long did it take for you?

    I'm going to start doing 100 crunches along with my daily workouts and eating right but should I be doing more?
    What other workouts really targets your abs?
    How long will this take? Now that I'm losing weight and my arms are going down, well my stomach is just hanging there....Its frustrating. :grumble:
    crunches are fine and good, but abs are really made in the kitchen. Not saying to not do them, but abs show up when bodyfat percentage drops.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    Thanks Marie.. I guess I'm gonna give it more time...

    Time and weight loss should see a difference! Add in some strength training too. :) It's definitely frustrating to see your tummy not shrinking like the rest of you.

    Thanks for the add!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    you lose your fat first where you last gained it. So when did you get the belly? If last. great. if first? yikes.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Lowering your body fat % will be the key to a flatter stomach. The general weight loss is part of that. But if you lift heavy, it helps maintain muscle, leading to a lower body fat % than cutting calories and doing cardio without lifting. Don't worry, you won't get bulky by lifting heavy things :wink: Check out New Rules of Lifting for Women (a book) or Strong Lifts 5x5 (online) to help you get started.

    I know of several women on this site who started with a belly, lifted heavy, and have fabulous abs. MireyGal, ILiftHeavyAcrylics, and Cranquistador come to mind, but I know there are plenty of others. Here are a couple of threads with great success stories:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1103771-mfp-fitspiration
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1366368-women-lifting-heavy-and-being-bulky
  • Trogalicious said it best, "abs are really made in the kitchen..." Easiest way to see your tummy flatten is to remove sugar and simple carbs from your diet. When I want to flatten my belly, I do the Scarsdale Diet - just meat and veggies - no rice, potatoes, corn, beans, etc. - and my stomach flattens in front of my eyes. No exaggeration and I have had 3 babies.... It's an old school diet, but it works for me, my husband, and others... "Abs are really made in the kitchen..." Well said!!! Good luck!!!
  • RWTBR
    RWTBR Posts: 140 Member
    You can spot increase (e.g. lifting weights will grow muscles, and you could focus more on one area than on others), but you can't spot reduce unless you have liposuction. Your body will usually lose fat from most areas all at once, not just in the gut. Your stomach won't be perfectly flat until you are near, usually, 17% bodyfat for women and 8% bodyfat for men.

    Abs/core exercises can help strengthen muscle, but they will not flatten your stomach. Fat loss does that. So keep focused on dropping fat. Now, as far as abs/core goes, there are many exercises you should do, not just crunches. For more complete core work, you can do hip bridges, side planks, mountain climbers, planks, leg extensions, and bicycles with leg extensions, focusing more on slowly taking the leg as far out and down as it will go and getting your armpit as close to the opposing knee as possible. You can also take a ten pound plate and hold it above your forehead and crunch up and down, slowly, making sure to bring your shoulder blades off the ground. Hit me up if you need more info!
  • thank you all for replying! Im going to take into consideration a lot of that.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Ah, here's another fabulous link, in case nobody has posted it yet.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach?hl=so+you+want+abs