Is it all the sugar?

Carbs have a nasty habit of settling in the tummy area. The only way I've ever had any success taking off belly fat was a low carb diet--NO sugar or all things white. Take it from a former junk food junkie. The sugar craving will go away. For about 3 days though, its like coming off drugs, but well worth it.

Sometimes genetics deals us a bad hand. Body type could have some to do with it too.

It depends on your body type. But my belly has gotten smaller as Ive lost, my curse is that it hangs over, so it flattens then shrinks UP making it round out again, to start flattening again. If that is where youve held most of your weight its very likely that will be the last place you lose. You can always up your cardio to help it come off faster, and add strength training to your routine. Strong muscles all over your body are always a good thing, but you have to remember your ABS arent just the tummy, they are your sides and wrap around into your back, so by strengthening your abs you strengthen your back as well.

I have pretty much the same body type. My belly has gone down since I've lost weight in general,and I think the running and ab work I do helps too.
I don't track my sugar (too frustrating when you go over after eating a few pieces of fruit) but I may have to re evaluate .

Hi guys. When you're overwieght, often, we are impacted. Meaning, your belly has a good deal of "waste" still in your intenstines and that could be one of the rasons you're not seeing any movement in your belly. A good cleanse can help you with this. Look through blessedherbs.com. It's amazing what we harbor inside. Also, many people have food allergies they are unaware of. Food allergies present themselves in very different ways. Some people get eczema, some get itchy, some get tired, some people swell and become accostomed to these symptooms to the extent that it is their normal. Sugar is an addiction and for some of us, it could be causing your intestines to be bloated and "swell". This may sound crazy to people who have never heard this before. But I am a mother to a child that had severe food allergies and was forced to do a great deal of research about how we eat. I also have another daughter with ADHD and we manage her symptoms with her diet as well. She needs no meds. When they are eating what they are suppsoed to eat, we have utopia days, when they are off track, it shows. Consider finding a local natropathic physician or iridologist. Someone who is trained in helping people figure out their necessary diets and what their body is reacting to and what bodily functions/systems may be compromised. If I keep talking here, I'll end up sounding like a quack. Just get your gut cleansed out. Eat as clean and unprocessed as possible. If you add sugar, add raw and natural cane sugars. Keep up the exercise and I'm sure you'll see a difference.

What is Bump?

It just means bumping the thread back to the top of the list in the hope of getting more answers.

To the OP, the best way to deal with tummy fat is diet and exercise - period. You cannot target fat deposits with specific exercises. If you are not doing aerobic exercise regularly, you will find it hard to get rid of tummy fat. I don't know the scientific reason why we always tend to carry our fat in certain areas but you are definitely not alone with this problem. And no, it isn't all in the sugar. It is all in your total caloric intake vs. your energy expenditure. If you are taking in too many calories as sugars, then for you, I guess it is in the sugar.

I am in the same boat. Flabby lower tummy and upper thighs. I could probably be another size smaller if it weren't for those areas. The fat just does NOT want to move off these areas. I don't have all the answers. Just wanted you to know that you are not alonge.

http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm

to those of you that are still drinking regular sodas I have to ask, why would you give up 400 to 800 cals a day to something that your body doesn't need at all? That's two to four meals of real food, good food that your body will burn for fuel not store as fat automatically. And I have to ask you, when you get on the scale and it's not down as much as you'd like, or when you kill yourself exercising, are you really doing all that you can do to achieve your goals and nurture your body? When you talk trash to yourself (and we all do it) do you justify the sugar, because you gave up so much else already? How badly do you want to lose weight?

I have to lose 160 lbs, of which i've lost 40 already. I eat the same thing every day during the week becuase it's easier for me. I gave up all sugar, cookies, chips, chocolate, all the things I love to eat, that make me feel good. Do I get bored sometimes? Sure. Do I wish i could eat one of those cookies that the customers bring in to work? Sometimes. But I decided that losing weight is the most important thing and I will do anything, *anything*, to achieve it. And at the end of the day, I can honestly say that I have done everything that I could do. That i gave it 100% every moment of every day. Sure, that might be too extreme for a lot of people. I understand that. But how can you still justify drinking regular colas with all that useless sugar? Seriously, would you eat 6 tablespoons of sugar, just like that? No, you probably wouldn't. And yet you'll down a bottle of coke without second thought. Why?

Sorry, for the lecture, it just totally blows my mind that people go on diets and yet continue to eat or drink the same things that got them fat in the first place. Everything in moderation, sure. I get that. But 400 cals just on sugar is not moderation. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

There is recent scientific research that is implying that controlling for all factors, Americans are gaining weight faster than can be explained by fat. Scientists think it may be due to the excess of sugar in most processed food. Processed foods have an excess of Fructose, as opposed to the sucrose or glucose found in most natural foods.

High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS) was first used to fatten animals quickly. Adding it to their foods made the animals eat beyond their normal appetite. It has a similar effect on humans and is added to most processed foods to make them addictive and increase consumption.

You may want to look into whether you have merely a liking for sugary products or a craving for them. If the latter, it is just another kind of addiction.

I've had problems with my stomach for most of my life as well. Even when I was super skinny everywhere else, always had that tummy hiding underneath. Could be sugar since I was a sugar/carb addict when I was little...but my overall weight was so low and I was a picky eater the doctors told my mom to let me eat whatever I wanted because I needed to gain weight. Crazy but true.

Another possible factor could be food allergies. I have issues with dairy, wheat, and soy, which after I got allergy tested my doctor said that could be contributing to the stomach as well especially since it started at about 10 years old.

Have you tried G2 Gatorade mixed with seltzer water? There is a new flavor (it is dark green) that is quite strong so I find I don't need to mix as much in to still get the fizz and the sweet fix. But I also have no problem with diet soda so you may still not like this combo. Good luck.