Frustrated!

I have a similar problem area. You can't spot reduce is what I keep getting told. Your body will choose where you are dropping weight/gaining muscle. Don't give up. Do you feel good at least?

I have found that I love running and my legs are starting to look great, but my big old c-section belly has only begun to drop inches even though I've lost near to 40lbs. Still worth though because I feel amazing.

Did you get a chance to read this post?
It's nicely written.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

you can't really spot lose weight, your body will just pull fat from wherever it wants to. it will go eventually but exercising will tone up the bits you want to sort out as well, this wont change the amount of fat there but will add muscle :-) You can do this though ,just keep logging accurately and male sure you hit your macros - more protein than MFP suggests is better. If you want a motivated friend please feel free to invite me. I'm about most days at the moment will be social to those that are social back :-) Good luck and don't give up

Since you can't target a certain area to lose weight specifically and you are eating clean I would look into changing your workout routine. Mixing it up and tryinn workouts that target those areas harder

enicolem212 wrote: »

thanks everyone. I have heard that you can't spot a certain area to lose weight. I guess I just hoped that with my calorie intake of 1200 a day and 30-60 minute workouts everyday of the week, my metabolism would be working harder at burning off fat in the areas I mentioned. I feel good in the sense that I feel strong- my weights have increased each week at the gym which makes me happy, I just wish I was seeing changes in the way my clothes fit. I did look back on my food log for the last couple of weeks and I did not realize how much sugar I was eating - even just 5 chocolate covered pretzels a day adds up. How much sugar do you recommend? MFP allows me to have 45grams but maybe that's too much... especially since i'm getting it from things that aren't fruit.

Sugar doesn't matter as long as you are staying in your calorie limit. I recommend hitting your protein macro to help preserve muscle mass while you lose though.

Are you using a food scale??

Nuts and avocados are healthy, but very high calorie. They need to be eaten in moderation. You really, really need to weigh all of your food, especially nuts, nut butters, and anything that is calorie dense.

If your meals aren't satisfying, I would bulk them up with more lean proteins (sole, chicken etc) and large servings of veggies like broccoli, carrots, peas, asparagus etc. Weigh, weigh weigh...

enicolem212 wrote: »

thanks everyone. I have heard that you can't spot a certain area to lose weight. I guess I just hoped that with my calorie intake of 1200 a day and 30-60 minute workouts everyday of the week, my metabolism would be working harder at burning off fat in the areas I mentioned. I feel good in the sense that I feel strong- my weights have increased each week at the gym which makes me happy, I just wish I was seeing changes in the way my clothes fit. I did look back on my food log for the last couple of weeks and I did not realize how much sugar I was eating - even just 5 chocolate covered pretzels a day adds up. How much sugar do you recommend? MFP allows me to have 45grams but maybe that's too much... especially since i'm getting it from things that aren't fruit.

(1) 45 grams of added sugar is too much. I was just reading out this and the American Heart Association recommends no more than 24 grams for women per day. Sugar 100% matters and I disagree with blankiefinder (sorry!).

(2) I can't help but wonder if part of the problem is too few calories. 1200 calories is low. If you don't eat enough your body will go into starvation mode and not burn, but rather store, fat. I eat about 1500 calories a day and find that I lose the most weight around 1600 calories a day. I also get the best results from a balanced diet of 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fats. Stay away from diet foods or other low fat items. Full fat is good for you.

(3) Check your exercise routine to make sure you are getting a variety of both cardio and resistance training. Pure cardio isn't enough to burn fat alone. The more you build muscle with lifting weight and resistance training the better your muscles will hold the fat you have and the more fat your body will burn.

If you want to friend me I am happy to be a motivation buddy.

I started in mid-February losing weight and I am down almost 10 pounds. I lost two pounds this week alone just cutting sugars back. I only exercise 30 minutes five days a week.

I run a blog that chronicles my journey. I did a blog post today on sugar. {READ HERE} I am learning as I go and there is a lot of conflicting information out there to sort through.

enicolem212 wrote: »

I'm eating 1200 calories a day, and MFP allows for me to eat 55g fat, 82g protein, 204 carbs. I always go over carbs, am about 10g short of protein every day, and go over fat by about 10-20g. I drink about 5 glasses of water per day.

DRINK DRINK DRINK...If you don't drink enough water your body will not efficiently flush itself. The best way to retain water and be bloated is to not drink enough water. I usually drink 2+ liters a day. I have a 1 liter bottle I carry around and I fill it in the morning and at noon.

blankiefinder wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

missyrobb wrote: »

If you don't eat enough your body will go into starvation mode and not burn, but rather store, fat.

This is not exactly true. "Starvation mode," as the term is thrown around, doesn't exist. If you cut your calories too much, you will burn more muscle, but you will still lose weight. Our body can't retain weight on a deficit -- otherwise real starvation would never be a thing. You can slow down your metabolism through prolonged calorie deprivation, but you would still lose weight when a deficit was reintroduced.

If someone isn't losing weight, they aren't at a deficit. Eating more calories will not result in weight gain. The likely issue is that she is eating more than she thinks she is -- she is not using a food scale.

This, except that that should read Eating more calories will not result in weight loss. (I can tell it's a typo from the context).

Thanks for the catch!

janejellyroll wrote: »

blankiefinder wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

missyrobb wrote: »

If you don't eat enough your body will go into starvation mode and not burn, but rather store, fat.

This is not exactly true. "Starvation mode," as the term is thrown around, doesn't exist. If you cut your calories too much, you will burn more muscle, but you will still lose weight. Our body can't retain weight on a deficit -- otherwise real starvation would never be a thing. You can slow down your metabolism through prolonged calorie deprivation, but you would still lose weight when a deficit was reintroduced.

If someone isn't losing weight, they aren't at a deficit. Eating more calories will not result in weight gain. The likely issue is that she is eating more than she thinks she is -- she is not using a food scale.

This, except that that should read Eating more calories will not result in weight loss. (I can tell it's a typo from the context).

Thanks for the catch!

@janejellyroll Wha? I have no clue what you're referring to

I would definitely try to increase your protein and lessen your carbs and fats. Include them, just not as much. If you are working out 5 days + per week you are not eating enough. 1200 calories is not enough. You cannot spot reduce any area.. you just have to keep on pushing on your cardio workouts and the fat will go away. Typically for women it's glutes and thighs but in your case it may be beneficial, the tummy area has potential to tighten nicely. PLUS remember that this takes TIME! I didn't see changes for 12 weeks.. so keep on truckin'! You are going to smash your goals!