Am I impatient or do I need to do something else?

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Fatvaporizer
Fatvaporizer Posts: 139 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I started working out some months ago, and I've gone from 210 lbs to now 176 lbs. I'm 5'8, and I've noticed that I've lost a lot of fat, meaning my body has gotten smaller. My one concern though, is that at 176 lbs, I still have a lot of belly and hip fat, and there's still a good amount of fat under my arms, that when I squeeze that area, I can feel a lot of it. Will that all shrink or go away if I keep exercising to my normal routine, or should I be doing something else? Basically, will losing weight even further make those fat go away? Maybe I'm just impatient, and maybe I'm not comparing it to what I had before. I just want to get flat bellied, and have less visible fat. Thank you for your advice!

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    You do need to keep being patient. Most of us started off with a lot more fat than we ever imagined. When people say that the stomach fat is the last to go they literally mean the last 5 to 10 pounds.
  • katiehepp1
    katiehepp1 Posts: 138 Member
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    I'm feeling exactly the same! I've lost a lot and all my clothes are looser and I've been exercising a lot but I still feel like my belly won't budge or get slimmer! I've heard it's the hardest weight to lose on the belly but not sure how true that is? Toning also won't lose the fat but tone it and tighten it more I have also heard xx
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    When people say that the stomach fat is the last to go they literally mean the last 5 to 10 pounds.

    for me it's the top of the bum and the thighs, but i think the principle's true. everyone's body will have areas where the stuff just clings on like that guy they couldn't get off mount saint helen before it blew up.

    op, it's a hang-in-there thing. i had about 30 pounds that i wanted to lose, and i think the first 15 or 20 came from somewhere between my muscles and whatever lies underneath them. after that, the surface-level stuff started to melt. mind you, i never did lose that last 5 that i felt like i wanted to :tongue:



  • EquineSunshine
    EquineSunshine Posts: 21 Member
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    What are you doing with your nutrition? Eating enough protein to build muscle? It's not just calories burned vs calories consumed (which is all I used to worry about). 80% of doing a transformation is diet, 20% exercise. You need enough carbs to give you the energy to do the exercise, but too many turn to fat. You need enough protein to allow your muscles to repair after a workout. You need a calorie goal, but also set goals for percentage of carbs, fat and protein (aka macros).
    You may be building a beautiful 6 pack under a layer of fat, but to see them you have to watch your macros. It's hard to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. My personal trainer had me work on losing the fat and toning up first (continuing to exercise, but not bulking) then go into heavier strength training (where I'm at now) then lean out again (hopefully starting in January).
    I'm a woman, 5'5" and got down to my goal of 125lbs and 15% body fat but wanted to see more definition (not large bulky muscles). After 1 year maintaining within 5 lbs of my goal and about 17%BF, he had me increase calories, but adjusted towards more protein, and said its okay if my weight goes up even 10-15 lbs as I increase weight training exercises because muscle weighs more than fat. Then once the muscle is there, I'll lose the pounds I gained, back to 125 or 130 and be leaner but have the muscle definition. Bonus is that since muscle burns more calories just existing, I'll be able to eat more without gaining fat. THATS the end goal!
  • Fatvaporizer
    Fatvaporizer Posts: 139 Member
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    Thank you!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    It can take up to a year for skin to regain it's elasticity so be more patient!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    EquineSunshine wrote: »
    You need enough carbs to give you the energy to do the exercise, but too many turn to fat.

    no.....too many calories (whether from protein, fat or carbs) turns to fat, it's energy storage against times of famine...nothing more, nothing less. You can lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies(not that I'd recommend that) as long as you're eating fewer calories than you expend.

    OP, patience is the key. Keep in mind that to get that flat, 6 pack stomach you need to have a very low % of body fat. Keep eating at a (modest) deficit and keep exercising (if you're not doing strength training already incorporate some into your routine)



  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    Just keep losing until you get to the fat composition you are after. Then worry about getting bigger if you want. In my profile picture there I am about 175-180 lbs and I'm 6' tall, which put me at about 8-10%bf. So unless you carry a lot more muscle than I do, I'm guessing that you just haven't hit that fat percentage quite yet.
  • Fatvaporizer
    Fatvaporizer Posts: 139 Member
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    Bump
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Fatvaporizer wrote: »
    Bump

    Does your bump imply you've had no progress since November 16?
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
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    canadianlbs wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    When people say that the stomach fat is the last to go they literally mean the last 5 to 10 pounds.

    for me it's the top of the bum and the thighs, but i think the principle's true. everyone's body will have areas where the stuff just clings on like that guy they couldn't get off mount saint helen before it blew up.

    op, it's a hang-in-there thing. i had about 30 pounds that i wanted to lose, and i think the first 15 or 20 came from somewhere between my muscles and whatever lies underneath them. after that, the surface-level stuff started to melt. mind you, i never did lose that last 5 that i felt like i wanted to :tongue:



    Same here. Back of the legs and bum is the last to go
  • Fatvaporizer
    Fatvaporizer Posts: 139 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Fatvaporizer wrote: »
    Bump

    Does your bump imply you've had no progress since November 16?

    No, in fact I'm at 160 lbs now, but the same problem lies with having fat in breastfeeding area, belly, thighs, arms, etc.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Fatvaporizer wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Fatvaporizer wrote: »
    Bump

    Does your bump imply you've had no progress since November 16?

    No, in fact I'm at 160 lbs now, but the same problem lies with having fat in breastfeeding area, belly, thighs, arms, etc.

    So did you take any of the advice that you got six months ago? If you did, what was successful or unsuccessful?
  • Fatvaporizer
    Fatvaporizer Posts: 139 Member
    edited May 2017
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    Yes but the belly pudge and such are still there.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Fatvaporizer wrote: »
    Yes but the belly pudge and such are still there.

    Are you doing any weight training?

    Since you mentioned breastfeeding.. are you currently nursing? I ask because I am and I find the hormones can sometimes mess with how you store fat and where it comes from. It is frustrating.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Fatvaporizer wrote: »
    Yes but the belly pudge and such are still there.

    So what have you actually done. If you're looking for advice you need to give people something more to go on, otherwise the advice is no more than speculation.

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