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I just want a flat stomach

thebrandnewdiva
thebrandnewdiva Posts: 84 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I've officially lost 40 pounds started at 210 and I'm now at 169 at 5"7 with a goal weight of 145. However I'm starting to wonder if I'll be happy with my body at that weight because my stomach is no where near where I want it right now. I've lost ALOT of fat on it, I can see just by looking at myself or watching progress videos but I just wish it was flat already. I still don't feel comfortable wearing certain clothes without "assistance" and that was one of my main motivators. To be able to wear what I want since fashion is my life.

My belly is not huge, my waist has gone from a 37 to a 32 and I'm hoping I get to the 20s soon. I workout 4 times a week and I do weight training as well. I'm just trying not to be discouraged. I know I'm still 10 pounds overweight tho. Anyone relate ?

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    You have 25 pounds until goal. There's a lot of room for some inches to come from your tummy. Just don't stress about it beforehand because there is no way of knowing what your stomach will look like at 145.

    145 is right in the middle of a healthy weight for 5'7" so you'll have some room to decide what you want to do. I do recommend weight training if you are not already. The more LBM you save, the better things will look once you're at goal.
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  • Bxqtie116
    Bxqtie116 Posts: 552 Member
    Try crunches, reverse crunches and planks. Start off with maybe 10 of each one and slowly build up from there.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • AlysseRenee
    AlysseRenee Posts: 3 Member
    Have you had children? If so, how many? I have this same issue after my second. I just found out about an ab separation that can happen after your second baby--and that 2 out of 3 women have it after 2 babies. Yikes! There is help. PM me!
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    You have 25 pounds until goal. There's a lot of room for some inches to come from your tummy. Just don't stress about it beforehand because there is no way of knowing what your stomach will look like at 145.

    145 is right in the middle of a healthy weight for 5'7" so you'll have some room to decide what you want to do. I do recommend weight training if you are not already. The more LBM you save, the better things will look once you're at goal.
    She has a very nice stomach. Take her advice.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    I wanted one too, then realized it would never happen unless I go down to a very low body fat... which I don't want. And even then, I'd still have loose skin...
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    thebrandnewdiva wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    You have 25 pounds until goal. There's a lot of room for some inches to come from your tummy. Just don't stress about it beforehand because there is no way of knowing what your stomach will look like at 145.

    145 is right in the middle of a healthy weight for 5'7" so you'll have some room to decide what you want to do. I do recommend weight training if you are not already. The more LBM you save, the better things will look once you're at goal.

    I've been doing some weight training but I get kind of lost sometimes on what to do. I know basic ab stuff and squats with weights. What else can help ?

    I have never done a crunch or even ab isolation work in a deficit. You want heavy, compound movements. Squats, deadlifts, etc.
  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
    AlysseRenee wrote: »
    Have you had children? If so, how many? I have this same issue after my second. I just found out about an ab separation that can happen after your second baby--and that 2 out of 3 women have it after 2 babies. Yikes! There is help. PM me!

    Curious, could this be the reason I notice a weird, triangular dip in my tummy while doing push ups/planks etc? I've had 2 kids, youngest is 14 months old.

  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I've had two babies, and had a plastic surgeon tell me that I had "ab separation" and needed a full tummy tuck to fix it (I have some loose skin that he was looking at). Shows what he knows. When I got down to goal weight my abdomen was nice and flat. As long as you are putting in the work for a strong core, when you lose the weight you should be happy with your look. (I did cardio, and squats and lunges).
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    Everyone holds on to fat in different places. I am at a similar wieght and height as you and when I got around 150 I lost most of my tummy if that helps ;-) its good to build ab muscles but that wont get you a flat tummy. Losing wieght and eatting healthy will! Also hit or crossfit training really helped me
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  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Mine didn't come off evenly. I made a lot more progress on my stomach after my other body parts had lost most of their fat first.
  • aspdenbrae
    aspdenbrae Posts: 49 Member
    Deadlifts are the absolute best core stimulus there is, if it's done correctly and since most people and even some personal trainers mess it up make sure you get solid advice on form. In fact I helped a guy boost his PR on DLs today simply by getting him to properly engage. With that being said, I don't have a flat stomach. What I do have is a pretty solid muscle base under that flab. It's taken me years to realize that a 2-4% BF % is not healthy and can't be maintained for more than a few months without "assistance" and I'm not willing to go there. When I look back at last year, I see a fat stomach, I see a flabby one now where it's a lot of extra skin. I've had to learn to love my body even with its flaws, maybe one day that extra skin and last few pounds will drop but I'm not holding my breath, although it sure would be cool lol.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 669 Member
    I started out about 10-12 lbs over my ideal weight. Because I gain weight first in my stomach and hips and lose there last I tried a whole new approach with my abs and workouts this time. I've been doing HIIT training with my body weight only and do planks, squats, lunges, burpees burpees and more burpees, pushups, tuck jumps and more for 3o minutes 4 or 5 times a week with a 20:10 timer. I'm drained of sweat when I'm done and even though I technically still have 7 lbs to lose, I cannot believe the changes to my stomach.
    I never, ever got these results from my former running/Pilates routine, and I'm working out half the amount of time.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I was overweight my whole life, obese some of it, until the last few years. I've lost 44 pounds and I do some pretty heavy weight lifting- squats, lunges, overhead press, rows, and dead lifts, and I've seen amazing changes in my body, including my stomach. It's not super flat, never will be due to genetics, but it looks fine and I do not have a whole lot of loose skin. In fact, what loose skin I do have seems to be less these days.

    Weight lifting is a tool that has changed my body in amazing ways, but I never had the choice of where the weight would come off or how it would look at any given time.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    You have 25 pounds until goal. There's a lot of room for some inches to come from your tummy. Just don't stress about it beforehand because there is no way of knowing what your stomach will look like at 145.

    145 is right in the middle of a healthy weight for 5'7" so you'll have some room to decide what you want to do. I do recommend weight training if you are not already. The more LBM you save, the better things will look once you're at goal.

    100% agree with this. I wouldn't bother with isolated ab exercises (eg crunches), go for heavy weights and compound movements.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    Breathe - you're fine.

    Like others have said, you have 25 lbs until your goal weight. You'll be surprised at the difference you'll see in your tummy in 25lbs time. I have 7lbs left to goal. I look in the mirror and think "BUT MY TUMMY STILL... HANGS?" and then remind myself, it's not over yet. I'm going to trust the process, get to my goal weight, assesss the situation and adapt depending on what I need to do. You'll get there, I promise :)
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  • jaxjackjackie
    jaxjackjackie Posts: 24 Member
    Even at my thinnest (BMI 19) I still had a bit of a pouch until I started to eat little/no processed sugar. That may just be my body though :)
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,439 MFP Moderator
    Getting a good stomach is about several factors, good body composition, low body fat and some genetics. There are a few things that you can do in order to help achieve this: 1. a diet higher in protein (generally .8-1g per lb of lean body mass - I would probably estimate 125g for you), 2. a progressive lifting program (strong curves, New rules of lifting for women, strong lift, etc..) as this and a diet high in protein will help with maintaining muscle and 3. a non aggressive weight loss gain (~20% below TDEE or around 1 lb per week) as aggressive weight loss makes it harder to maintain lean body mass, especially the leaner you get and 4. patience. Most people struggle with the last one. It can take a long time to get the ideal stomach (in many cases a year or more) depending on how much weight you had to lose, how much muscle you lost and if you will be required to bulk/cut to gain back lost muscle.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Losing weight did virtually nothing to get my stomach to where I wanted. Resistance training did. I have been at goal for a couple of months now and it's only in the past few weeks that I've really noticed a difference (and my husband has commented on it too). Be patient. My body is still changing (in a good way) even after reaching my goal.

    The weight on the scale doesn't matter as much as the recomposition benefits of resistance training.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    google pictures of the ab separation and see if it looks like you. There are exercises for it if that is a thing you have.
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