Stomach like mine?

krissyreminisce
krissyreminisce Posts: 284 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, all.

Lately, I've been feeling rather discouraged at the state of my stomach. I know you can't spot reduce, strength training is really the key, and a calorie deficit will help everything go down, but it seems like every part of my stomach is going down except the area around my belly button. :confused:

Usually when I see people's before/after photos, their stomachs are flat in that area. I haven't really seen anyone with a stomach like mine.

kivki9jlffz0.jpg



I don't want to lose anymore weight, I'm 5'3.5" at 107lbs with a BF% 13.4. I run 30+ miles a week, with one day of rest, one day on the elliptical, and five days of strength training. I haven't ventured to the free weight area, though I am interested in starting the Stronglifts 5x5. I'm still trying to find my maintenance calories, I've seen on these forums that you can't build muscle on a deficit, so I'm trying to get to a good calorie place.

I guess I'm just looking for some hope? Or anyone with a stomach like mine that managed to flatten it out? I'm not even looking for abs, just some uniformity. If abs come, that's great, but having that bulge there makes me feel like I need to keep working on weight loss, and I know I don't. :disappointed:

I wasn't entirely sure which forum to post this in, but I chose this one based on the fact that the flat stomach thread is in here.

Replies

  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 649 Member
    Skin folds may disappear slowly over time. I treat the skin on my body as carefully as my face and it does make a huge difference in tone and elasticity. See how you feel about it in a year and if it hasn't improved start saving for plastic surgery.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    It may be beneficial to reduce your running and focus on weight training. 30 miles + a week will burn a lot of calories which will make it more difficult to hit your maintenance. And unless you are marathon training, there isnt a need to do that much cardio.

    Not to disappoint too but your aren't 13% body fat. That would be into the essential body fats. You are probably more in the low 20s. But based on your weight, it may be beneficial to do a few bulk/cut cycles and at some point your body composition and progress will lead to a flat stomach.
  • krissyreminisce
    krissyreminisce Posts: 284 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    It may be beneficial to reduce your running and focus on weight training. 30 miles + a week will burn a lot of calories which will make it more difficult to hit your maintenance. And unless you are marathon training, there isnt a need to do that much cardio.

    Not to disappoint too but your aren't 13% body fat. That would be into the essential body fats. You are probably more in the low 20s. But based on your weight, it may be beneficial to do a few bulk/cut cycles and at some point your body composition and progress will lead to a flat stomach.

    I'm actually working on three half marathons in May, and I do really enjoy running. And the BF number I got was when I got it checked at the gym. They didn't use calipers, they used a body fat monitor. The BF% isn't a big goal for me, tbh, that's just the number they gave me and the only source I have. I'm not sure I trust myself with a pair of calipers.
  • intrigame23
    intrigame23 Posts: 193 Member
    edited April 2015
    I think you'll tighten up in time! :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

    Have a look and decide...
  • krissyreminisce
    krissyreminisce Posts: 284 Member
    If the number they gave me for the BF% is wrong, I'm not that hung up on it. I don't really trust the trainers at my gym anyway. I was just curious. I'm not chasing a specific number. It's just what I was told. I figured I'd just be thorough in the information I could provide.

    I'm mostly just wondering if there are others who were shaped like me that were able to smooth out. That's it.
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    It looks like loose skin, and it will probably never go away completely without surgery. I've had 4 babies and have some loose skin on my middle/lower abdomen. It has improved significantly after a year of running and lifting, but even with my upper abs somewhat visible, the lower belly still has a bit of the Shar Pei thing going on. Sorry I can't be more optimistic.
  • Crumpet_Girl
    Crumpet_Girl Posts: 276 Member
    edited April 2015
    Hi, my mum was a body builder and her stomach went from holding lots of fat, then to similar to yours and then as she got really lean it got much flatter. She always felt there was extra skin there but to be honest I couldn't really see it myself. I will try find a pic but I am not sure where I have them. It was a couple of years back...

    Jill%20Futcher%202012%20Physique%20Women.jpg[IMG]Anyway, what I am getting at is with strength training, great nutrition and reasonable cardio I think it will keep improving. It may never be perfect but no one is :)[/img]
  • krissyreminisce
    krissyreminisce Posts: 284 Member
    Thanks for the replies. I have loose skin on my lower abdomen that doesn't bother me. The belly button part bugs me because it's still squishy like it's fat. And it has gone down quite a bit since I've started strength training in November, it's just agitating. It's pretty much the one area I hate the most.
  • Crumpet_Girl
    Crumpet_Girl Posts: 276 Member
    By the way, you look fantastic and your before and after are amazing. Great job.
  • JLoRuthie
    JLoRuthie Posts: 375 Member
    Could it be a hernia? I had a friend that had a similar issue only to find out she had a hernia. No other symptoms and easily corrected.
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    So, I don't have quite the same - but I do have a bit above my belly button that looks similar to that. The way that I handled it was to focus mainly on weight lifting and hitting my macros - as my body composition has changed, it has leaned out significantly. I'm not sure if it will ever be completely flat, and some days its better than others, but I found that by continuing to lower my body fat % and focusing on weight training, it helped the most.
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    Oh, and I've lost 123lbs - if that helps
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2015
    krissyreminisce wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    It may be beneficial to reduce your running and focus on weight training. 30 miles + a week will burn a lot of calories which will make it more difficult to hit your maintenance. And unless you are marathon training, there isnt a need to do that much cardio.

    Not to disappoint too but your aren't 13% body fat. That would be into the essential body fats. You are probably more in the low 20s. But based on your weight, it may be beneficial to do a few bulk/cut cycles and at some point your body composition and progress will lead to a flat stomach.

    I'm actually working on three half marathons in May, and I do really enjoy running. And the BF number I got was when I got it checked at the gym. They didn't use calipers, they used a body fat monitor. The BF% isn't a big goal for me, tbh, that's just the number they gave me and the only source I have. I'm not sure I trust myself with a pair of calipers.

    yea, I didn't think you were that hung up on the body fat %. But FYI, the bioimpedance (handheld devices) are notoriously accurate). Since you are borderline underweight, it may be beneficial to work on gaining some muscle. So I would do three full body routines a week and run 2-3 days a week. The only downside is you will have to eat a ton.

    What I would actually probably do is get a routine and your calories down for a few months and then transition to a bulk (after the summer). This way, you will have time to learn all of the basics, understand your true maintenance (as well as workout your macornutrient requirements) and have all of the form issues worked out. Here is a good thread to start with when it comes to bulks.
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