not losing weight around my middle , stress - holy basil

jenniferozzy
jenniferozzy Posts: 33 Member
in Food and Nutrition
so i have an issue, im toning up everywhere apart from my back and abdominal area and its really getting me down i do around 5 gym classes a week and have been doing so for about 6 months now ... but come to think of it, i eat half a baguette of garlic bread with me tea everynight lol but surely that cannot be the culprit ,,,ive read a lot about stress affecting the middle area and believe you me ive been highly stressed for about 2 years now....after some research ive ordered something called holy basil...which is supposed to reduce cortisol levels just wondering if anyone has tried this?

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Replies

  • jenniferozzy
    jenniferozzy Posts: 33 Member
    thats a good link thanks x
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    I store my fat round my middle, a classic apple shape when overweight, unfortunately it's just genetics the only way to help it is strength training and trying to lose fat with a small deficit and cardio to chip away at it, I will never have visible abs and always have a slight bit of muffin unless I train harder and get to a lower BF% than I'm comfortable with (ie take my fitness regime from casual self improvement for general overall health that fits in with my lifestyle to making it a larger part of my life that I take very seriously) But I have managed to carve a bit of a waist from a year of hard work but still have a way to go.

    I agree with the others though herbs won't work, if they taste nice though no harm in getting them, but just don't rely on them, no such thing as a magic herb/tea/pill/vinegar/shake that targets and melts fat, it's just so certain people can get blog clicks and sell snake oil. :/

    Good luck x
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    Sorry, more than likely that fat around your middle will just be the last to go. Like all the others above, I'll say you wasted your money. The ONLY thing that makes you lose fat is a calorie deficient. So, keep losing, keep eating at a consistant deficient and keep working out and soon you'll see results. There are no magic pills.

    Do you log what you eat? Do you keep under a calorie limit? Do you weigh solids and measure liquids? If not, that's the first place to start. Not "holy basil".
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    jenniferozzy wrote: »
    yes i log what i eat on this and also im always under my calories, im still going to try it and i know theres no magic pills but ive heard it is good for stress :)

    I suppose there is a placebo effect that may help you to reduce stress if you take that.
    Or you could try to take other steps to help reduce your stress. It's possible, that stress and lack of sleep may be contributing to your difficulty in losing weight, but genetics, lack of patience and accuracy in logging are likely better culprits.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    It's most likely just where you are genetically prone to store fat which would make it the last place you lose. I have the same problem with my hips.

    I've never heard of holy basil so I Googled it. Seems harmless enough unless you are on anticoagulant / antiplatelet drugs. I wonder what it tastes like. I may see if it can be grown in my zone.

    https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1101-holy basil.aspx?activeingredientid=1101
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    beaglady wrote: »
    Holy basil, aka Tulsi, is an herb that does seem to help somewhat with improving a bad mood. I use it sometimes (either as a tincture or a tea) when I'm stressed and it does help. It's no more of a gimmick than drinking chamomile tea to relax. It has fewer calories than any chocolate I might consume to de-stress.

    That being said, I've never seen any connection to weight loss. It's not magic. It's just a plant.

    This,I've had it in tea and it has similar calming effects like chamomile but I've NEVER heard of it for weight loss
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
    @Need2Exerc1se you can probably find tea bags with tulsi at your local grocery or health food store. Organic India brand is one I've gotten before, and they do a tulsi/ginger blend that's very tasty. The tulsi/green tea/pomegranate flavor not so much.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The belly/mid-section is primary fat stores for the vast majority of men as well as many women...primary fat stores are first on, last off and are typically deep stores of fat. I didn't notice a huge change in my belly until the last 10-15 Lbs of a 40 Lb total weight loss. When I put on my winter weight, that's also where it goes, otherwise you can't even tell that I've put on weight.

    Stress can be an issue, but it is more likely that you're simply genetically pre-disposed to storing fat in your midsection as primary fat stores.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    whitpauly wrote: »
    beaglady wrote: »
    Holy basil, aka Tulsi, is an herb that does seem to help somewhat with improving a bad mood. I use it sometimes (either as a tincture or a tea) when I'm stressed and it does help. It's no more of a gimmick than drinking chamomile tea to relax. It has fewer calories than any chocolate I might consume to de-stress.

    That being said, I've never seen any connection to weight loss. It's not magic. It's just a plant.

    This,I've had it in tea and it has similar calming effects like chamomile but I've NEVER heard of it for weight loss

    Stress can be a pretty big factor in the weight loss game, though.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    beaglady wrote: »
    @Need2Exerc1se you can probably find tea bags with tulsi at your local grocery or health food store. Organic India brand is one I've gotten before, and they do a tulsi/ginger blend that's very tasty. The tulsi/green tea/pomegranate flavor not so much.

    Thanks, I'll have a look. I like to grow things so if I like it I'll probably grow it if I can. :)
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Thanks, I'll have a look. I like to grow things so if I like it I'll probably grow it if I can. :)

    It's pretty easy to grow. The plant looks like many other small leaved basils.

  • sadrina1986
    sadrina1986 Posts: 30 Member
    Hi, at least in my case -- it mostly boils down to what I eat. If I eat rice, pasta, bread and sugar (aka, all the good stuff), my belly will show up in no time, and I promise this is not out of digestion issue. So I'm trying to eat more veggie based meal and cut down as much carb as I can, except the one with really rough taste.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    While it's true that the stomach holds onto weight until last for a lot of people, if your midsection is really huge compared to the rest of you, ask your doctor about Cushing's syndrome. In my case my huge stomach was caused by cortisol secreted by a benign ovarian tumor. I wish some doctor had paid some attention to it sooner instead of assuming I was just unlucky and built badly.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    animatorswearbras wrote: »
    I store my fat round my middle, a classic apple shape when overweight, unfortunately it's just genetics the only way to help it is strength training and trying to lose fat with a small deficit and cardio to chip away at it, I will never have visible abs and always have a slight bit of muffin unless I train harder and get to a lower BF% than I'm comfortable with (ie take my fitness regime from casual self improvement for general overall health that fits in with my lifestyle to making it a larger part of my life that I take very seriously) But I have managed to carve a bit of a waist from a year of hard work but still have a way to go.

    I agree with the others though herbs won't work, if they taste nice though no harm in getting them, but just don't rely on them, no such thing as a magic herb/tea/pill/vinegar/shake that targets and melts fat, it's just so certain people can get blog clicks and sell snake oil. :/

    Good luck x

    You have just described me and my attitude towards getting abs to a T.

    It is nice to know there is another apple out there that accepts abs (and for me a well rounded behind) are probably not in the cards, though I am very proud of what I have achieved.

    Cheers, h.
  • geltner1
    geltner1 Posts: 85 Member
    Are you at your goal weight? If no, I would focus on getting to goal weight slowly and deliberately. If you are already at your goal weight, try to figure out if you have excess fat stores or just the normal amount. The fat has to be stored someplace on your body.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    animatorswearbras wrote: »
    I store my fat round my middle, a classic apple shape when overweight, unfortunately it's just genetics the only way to help it is strength training and trying to lose fat with a small deficit and cardio to chip away at it, I will never have visible abs and always have a slight bit of muffin unless I train harder and get to a lower BF% than I'm comfortable with (ie take my fitness regime from casual self improvement for general overall health that fits in with my lifestyle to making it a larger part of my life that I take very seriously) But I have managed to carve a bit of a waist from a year of hard work but still have a way to go.

    I agree with the others though herbs won't work, if they taste nice though no harm in getting them, but just don't rely on them, no such thing as a magic herb/tea/pill/vinegar/shake that targets and melts fat, it's just so certain people can get blog clicks and sell snake oil. :/

    Good luck x

    You have just described me and my attitude towards getting abs to a T.

    It is nice to know there is another apple out there that accepts abs (and for me a well rounded behind) are probably not in the cards, though I am very proud of what I have achieved.

    Cheers, h.

    There's 3 of us! :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,091 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    animatorswearbras wrote: »
    I store my fat round my middle, a classic apple shape when overweight, unfortunately it's just genetics the only way to help it is strength training and trying to lose fat with a small deficit and cardio to chip away at it, I will never have visible abs and always have a slight bit of muffin unless I train harder and get to a lower BF% than I'm comfortable with (ie take my fitness regime from casual self improvement for general overall health that fits in with my lifestyle to making it a larger part of my life that I take very seriously) But I have managed to carve a bit of a waist from a year of hard work but still have a way to go.

    I agree with the others though herbs won't work, if they taste nice though no harm in getting them, but just don't rely on them, no such thing as a magic herb/tea/pill/vinegar/shake that targets and melts fat, it's just so certain people can get blog clicks and sell snake oil. :/

    Good luck x

    You have just described me and my attitude towards getting abs to a T.

    It is nice to know there is another apple out there that accepts abs (and for me a well rounded behind) are probably not in the cards, though I am very proud of what I have achieved.

    Cheers, h.

    There's 3 of us! :)

    More than 3. Minimum 4. ;)

    Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), like its other basil cousins, is pretty tasty, though. I grew it one time, a few years back.

    In case anyone (in the US) cares, Johnny's Selected Seeds (http://www.johnnyseeds.com) sells seeds for it. Northern gardeners should be getting pretty much all their seeds from Johnny's anyway. ;)

    (I don't work for Johnny's; I merely love them.)
  • AmberElizB
    AmberElizB Posts: 1 Member
    I would love to be able to shift the weight from my middle aswell! 3 stone loss and only went down one dress size because of my middle!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    OP, I learned in post-anesthesia recovery after surgery that, even if they aren't visible, all that exercise likely has an effect. I'd had my last solid food about 28-30 hours earlier and my last sip of liquid about 16 hours earlier. The nurse asked me if I felt up for some apple juice, which I did. Then he asked me, "Could you try sitting up a little and I'll crank the bed up behind you?" Which basically meant, "It's easier to crank up the bed if you're able to help a bit and not lie there like dead weight." Well, I sat up fully and immediately, at which point, the nurse said, "You've got some really great trunk muscles."

    Like you, mine are hidden under belly fat. I've got some definition on my arms and legs. I think I'm seeing some on my upper back. But my abdomen hasn't yet shown any visible changes. However, thanks to post-surgery, I recognize that there have been some definite changes.

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