Getting rid of viseral fat

You can't spot reduce. You'll need to eat at a deficit (use MFP's calculators and diary), and likely adopt a fitness plan that suits you. Exercise isn't necessary but it'll help speed things along and help you build some muscle. Start with MFP's calculator, set your goals where you want them (up to 2lbs a week loss) and start logging everything. That's pretty much how we all do it.

Visceral fat is that which is deposited around organs. It is typically deep within the abdominal cavity and not what most would call "belly fat", which is visible, subcutaneous fat.

But either type of fat is going to go if you eat at a calorific deficit - as @Spliner1969 says - you can't spot reduce so there is no point in targeting this fat.

My recommendations;

• Set a moderate deficit.
• Track everything you eat
• Weigh/measure everything you eat
• Eat the foods you enjoy (within your calorific target)
• Take you time (slow and steady is better than fast and burning out)

RoxieDawn wrote: »

Improvements in body composition can be done so that you put on more lean mass (muscle) and loose fat. This is all done through strength training.

That doesn't mean you have to lift weights. It means train for strength. You can be just as successful using your own body weight to gain strength. (Push Ups, Pull Ups, body weight squats, etc.) Just keep that in mind when people tell you "strength training". Building muscle in a deficit is hard to do, and if you're in an extreme deficit you can actually injure yourself quite easily trying to lift weights to gain strength (I speak from experience). I'm sure I'll get flamed for that statement but it's the sad truth. To build muscle you need to have extra calories, not a deficit of calories. However, while you have fat, a slight deficit can still work by trading that fat you're burning for muscle. It won't work forever, you'll stop gaining strength as you get near your goal weight/fat level, but at that point you can increase the calories and continue to gain strength using body weight training, or transition into weight lifting.

ninerbuff wrote: »

Just a quick point here: If one can only do 5 pushups now, but then loses 30lbs and now can do 10, does that equate to gaining strength? Same with pullups. Can't do a pull up, but lose 50lbs and now they can. That doesn't equate to gaining strength. It just means that NOW they can do a pullup without all the excess weight.
Not saying one can't build strength with body weight exercises, just saying that the context is sometimes misunderstood.

I don't disagree at all. While you are in a deficit you may simply only gain what most call "newbie gains" even doing body weight training. Or you may increase what you can do by losing weight. Being mindful of that though, you can modify your exercises to help. Any time I would increase reps, I would also counter that by increasing sets if possible. Even if it required more rest to do so. It helped me progress much farther. Varying the exercises (making them more difficult and complex) also helped as I lost weight.

@luna_astrum I think walking every day would be wonderful for you. I would try to walk outdoors if possible. It will get you some fresh air and vitamin d. Even a leisurely walk will make you feel better and eventually you'll be able to add more exercise in if you want. I also do yoga and I find it very good for stress relief and just an overall better mood. With your diet don't try to completely change everything or cut out whole groups of food. That isn't necessary if you don't have medical issues or food allergies. Just give yourself a modest deficit and eat things that you like. If you make it too restrictive it is hard to stick to it. You can still lose weight eating things that you like if you are able to eat them in moderation. Good luck!

This isn't the one I was thinking of, but it shows exercise having an effect. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3568069/

Spliner1969 wrote: »

luna_astrum wrote: »

Thank you all so much I truly appreciate all of your advice and support. I will definitely work on strength training in the future but right now my muscles are so weak I can't even do a push up. I will definitely take a look and change my diet and for a start I'm going to try walking every day and then I will incorporate all of your ideas into my exercise routine gradually

That's what I liked most about body weight training. It's easy to modify exercises for beginners. A year ago I could not do a single push up either. But, what I could do was an incline push up. Go to your kitchen sink/counter, stand at an angle to the counter and do a push up. The farther back you put your feet or the lower the angle the harder the pushup is going to be. Start with a few at every workout and work your way up. Once you can do 25-50 of them try using chairs and lower your angle. Keep progressing and you'll be able to do push ups eventually.

Here's a site from a quick Google search to give you some ideas: http://charlottesvillehomemagazine.com/2015/good-moves-shape-up-destress-at-home/

So much this. I've been exercising for months and still can't do a full pushup with perfect form. But I've been getting better at it. Start with what you can do and work your way up to the harder stuff.

luna_astrum wrote: »

Thank you all so much I truly appreciate all of your advice and support. I will definitely work on strength training in the future but right now my muscles are so weak I can't even do a push up. I will definitely take a look and change my diet and for a start I'm going to try walking every day and then I will incorporate all of your ideas into my exercise routine gradually

I am/ was in a similar situation regarding exercise. I started with walking. I still have some health problems which prevent me from doing heavy workouts of any sort but I walk everyday for 2x30 min. This burns me 200calories a day and it has increased my stamina for sure! So thumbs up for the walking workout. It is a great exercise.
Good luck!