Tips for a toned belly??

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Replies

  • mgero78
    mgero78 Posts: 16 Member
    So am i correct in really focusing on cardio for fat burn, with additional ab excersizes?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    mgero78 wrote: »
    So am i correct in really focusing on cardio for fat burn, with additional ab excersizes?

    No, focus on calories for fat burning, focus on lifting when you are in the gym to keep your muscle. Lifting is the key to looking "toned" when you are done losing fat. There are tons of full body lifting routines out there for all levels of experience.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/muscle-tone/
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    mgero78 wrote: »
    I just really want to get rid of that bottom half... it disappears when i lay down haha...
    But unfortunately i must live vertically lolol

    The lower portion is just more time in deficit
    That area (on all people) is the last place to go....just part of human evolution.

    Same for me, I have to be in deficit for a while to really peel away that portion of my abs.....
  • mgero78
    mgero78 Posts: 16 Member
    When you say lifting .. do u mean with free weights? Or is using the various machines with weights ok?
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    mgero78 wrote: »
    When you say lifting .. do u mean with free weights? Or is using the various machines with weights ok?

    I personally recommend using free weights..
    Machines tend to let you be lazy....
    When doing free weights, you have to incorporate a lot of little stabilizing muscles you would not need to do with machines....

    But to each their own. :wink:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    mgero78 wrote: »
    Hi all :)
    New to the fitness aspect of life..but have been dieting for just over a year. Down 45 lbs.
    Any opinions on how to tone the lower abs? Feel like im going to never get a flat stomach!!

    Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce. How we are proportioned, have a flatter stomach or not, has a lot to do with genetics, which we can't change.

    How much more do you have to lose?

    I suggest incorporating a good weight lifting program so that you can work your entire body, not just your core (belly).
  • mgero78
    mgero78 Posts: 16 Member
    Also if i am doing a calorie intake of 1200.. should i eat back what i am burning during cardio? Also how does the calories i burn during the day just living life come into play?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    that's what my belly looks like at the bottom...I have to lose weight to get rid of it...

    Yep. Same here.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    DebSozo wrote: »

    I'm new to the MFP community (<2 weeks) so I'm not used to the semantics and strict/quick corrections on figures of speech.

    The reason for my correction on "looking toned" or toned in general is because it's a fitness industry catch phrase that means nothing and people need to understand that the fitness industry is there to sell crap that most of us don't need.

    it's a pet peeve for more than a few here to see it perpetuated and we try to correct it asap.

    Thanks for the heads-up. Seriously, I always thought being "toned" was synonymous to being "trim, firm, and fit" all at the same time. I never realized that some MFP community members were up in arms against that term "toned".
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    mgero78 wrote: »
    Also if i am doing a calorie intake of 1200.. should i eat back what i am burning during cardio? Also how does the calories i burn during the day just living life come into play?

    You should eat enough calories daily/weekly that allow you to lose weight at an acceptable rate without putting your muscle/LBM at risk of loss.
    Typically that is on the order of 1 - 2 lbs a week....based on where you are at now w/ your pic

    If you are at a higher weight/BF level, then your weight loss weekly can be higher.
  • mgero78
    mgero78 Posts: 16 Member
    DebSozo wrote: »
    mgero78 wrote: »
    Im not working towards having a 6 pack abs look... that would be fabulous... but im being realistic ;)
    I focus on cardio to burn fat and i am doing a 1200 calorie a day intake...

    I would like to get down to the % bodt fat where you are now. Congratulations! How much did you lose total , and how long did it take? Were you able to do this with MFP alone?

    I just changed my eating habits. I quit the soda and fast food twice a day that over the years put the weight on! I wish i had been working out over the past year... but i didnt :(
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited May 2016
    mgero78 wrote: »
    Also if i am doing a calorie intake of 1200.. should i eat back what i am burning during cardio? Also how does the calories i burn during the day just living life come into play?

    Yes, you need to eat some of the cardio calories back, but be careful because the internet and gym machines often overestimate them. Eat only about 75% back.

    In answer to your second question: You have a base amount of calories you need to take in to survive called your basal metabolic rate. For me, it's about 1350. Here's a BMR calculator: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html. 1200 calories is simply a number MFP and other weight loss apps assign as the magic number to lose 2 pounds a week, but it's too low for most people.
  • mgero78
    mgero78 Posts: 16 Member
    How can i get a completely accurate body fat measurement
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I have always heard bod pod to be fairly accurate.
    But nothing will be 100% accurate.
  • ChampCrucial
    ChampCrucial Posts: 120 Member
    You can add direct ab work that you can add weight to. Something like the hangnig leg raise or captains chair exercise with a dumbbell in between your feet. As you increase the weight and build the muscle it will get bigger, Shred some fat off with some more cardio and good dieting and you will lose the fat. Simplest way to more toned stomach. Also, someone said do compound lifts. If you haven't been lifting weights or calisthenics then you should start a program today.
  • mgero78
    mgero78 Posts: 16 Member
    I would prob benefit from a personal trainer for a few sessions just to get technique down. Cuz i have no idea what im doing when it comes to weight training!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    mgero78 wrote: »
    How can i get a completely accurate body fat measurement

    Autopsy. But it's highly not recommended for other reasons.

    Any other method of measuring body fat percentage relies on algorithms of one sort or another, all of which have some inherent degree of inaccuracy. The best you can do is choose one method (Bod Pod, DXA scan, submersion, skinfold calipers, etc.) and periodically have it re-tested. It may not tell you exact results, but it will at least give you an idea of whether you're trending upward, downward or staying static.

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