How much to lose for a flat stomach?
WanderingRivers
Posts: 612 Member
I am almost to my goal of 135 but I still have a fat bulgy stomach. I know that I can't spot lose so the big question is how much more would I have to lose over all to get that flat stomach? Do I have to go down to 125, 115, lower? Trying to see where I need to move the goal posts to.
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Replies
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It depends on your genetics, it could be literally the last part where it will lose weight.7
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What fb47 said, but also are doing any abdominal exercises?3
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Diet likely won’t get you there - lift heavy *kitten* would be my advice - you need a progressive strength plan (wendler, stronglifts etc)9
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deannalfisher wrote: »Diet likely won’t get you there - lift heavy *kitten* would be my advice - you need a progressive strength plan (wendler, stronglifts etc)lilmisfit1987 wrote: »What fb47 said, but also are doing any abdominal exercises?
I walk. That is the extent of my exercise since my acl in my left knee is attached only on one end. Weight lifting is just not in the cards for me. That's why I'm thinking I need to move the goalposts on my weight loss to a lower threshold.1 -
Good suggestions above. How is your posture?
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As far as I'm aware, my posture isn't horrid.2
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A flat stomach is going to be a combination of low body fat, but also developed muscles. Is there a reason you can do upper body lifting moves?0
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Posture, and a good set of muscles that keep your innards in place
Might otherwise be genetics, sorry
I was close to being underweight a few years ago, and still had very wobbly thighs (plus lots of muscle underneath) a bum some people would have said is their aim. Mind you, I was completely skinny everywhere else, pelvis and ribs sticking out, etc. There's no way I would have been able to lose more weight in any healthy way. So I embrace my curves. 5 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »Diet likely won’t get you there - lift heavy *kitten* would be my advice - you need a progressive strength plan (wendler, stronglifts etc)lilmisfit1987 wrote: »What fb47 said, but also are doing any abdominal exercises?
I walk. That is the extent of my exercise since my acl in my left knee is attached only on one end. Weight lifting is just not in the cards for me. That's why I'm thinking I need to move the goalposts on my weight loss to a lower threshold.
I'm missing the entire PCL in my left knee (and 90% of a cartilage) - I lift weights a lot and also do loads of core training (including but not limited to abs). There's some lifts/moves I can't do but many more that I can.
Losing more and more weight might not get you the results you seem to want. If your posture isn't good or you don't have much of a foundation of muscle there's a danger you just become a smaller version of the current you.9 -
Abdominal exercises def help, Pinterest has great gut slimming moves that have worked for me. Also depends on what you eat... and the time of month! Foods higher in sodium and dairy make you bloat more. I'm 5'4 , 130 lbs but also always struggle with wanting more of a flat stomach! My goal is 120 lbs, I think that will help get rid of the unwanted fluff lol. Good luck!13
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I'm 5'7 and at 139lbs I have fat on my stomach. At 132lbs my stomach is completely flat (not after a meal obviously).
I was 132 several months ago and the sight was very pleasant. Then I gained 7lbs and now I have a hoop of fat.
I'm pear shaped however and almost all my fat is in my lower half. So losing a few lbs is the difference between fat and flat for me. But when it comes to losing fat from my butt and my legs, that's a different story. I might need to get to underweight if I want them slim. So it is genetics. If you are apple it might not be as easy as for me.4 -
I was at a comfortable 125 lbs for years (maintaining on WW) but was unhappy with my belly bulge. Also, I do several exercise classes and struggle with the core workouts. They are just plain hard for me though I still do them. I figured it was a genetic defect. Then by accident (WW change their planned and didn't know what was going on), I lost 10 lbs. Turned out it was too few calories. Anyway, the belly has shrink. It was the only place that I saw any difference. I guess, it was just the last to go.
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I went from 253 with a goal of 180. Hit 180 and felt my arms/legs were fine, but my gut/chest were still horrible. I am now 158 and starting to finally see what I want. The last 3 inches loss on my gut have only came with a 4 pound weight loss, I still want to lose another 2 inches. The smaller you get, the bigger difference each pound loss makes.
Time of day also makes a HUGE difference. My gut is much bigger at night than it is in the morning.Abdominal exercises def help, Pinterest has great gut slimming moves that have worked for me.
Targeted fat loss does not exist. Losing your gut is done in the kitchen with basic CICO math. Those exercises might have improved your posture, which can make your gut look smaller in some cases.3 -
So....basically I'm buggered. Good to know. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.3
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I’ve had 3 c-sections and will never have a flat stomach without surgery. However, it got much flatter for me when I hit 120. At 125, I thought it would never look flatter and then it did.
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I think it depends a lot on the person. At 108 pounds, my bones were sticking out in my back etc (was too thin) I still had a poochy tummy lol. I think for some the flat stomach just may not be in the cards1
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WanderingRivers wrote: »deannalfisherc-42455519 wrote:Diet likely won’t get you there - lift heavy *kitten* would be my advice - you need a progressive strength plan (wendler, stronglifts etc)lilmisfit1987 wrote: »What fb47 said, but also are doing any abdominal exercises?
I walk. That is the extent of my exercise since my acl in my left knee is attached only on one end. Weight lifting is just not in the cards for me. That's why I'm thinking I need to move the goalposts on my weight loss to a lower threshold.
I'm physically disabled - I have to do all my weight lifting seated. I am able to do a ton of core exercises that does help. Is there a reason you couldn't do this?
Edit: I don't know why my response is within the quoted text.1 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »So....basically I'm buggered. Good to know. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
There were some great suggestions and a few questions in there. If you're convinced you're buggered, then you're right.8 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »I walk. That is the extent of my exercise since my acl in my left knee is attached only on one end. Weight lifting is just not in the cards for me. That's why I'm thinking I need to move the goalposts on my weight loss to a lower threshold.
I've never heard of your condition before, and Google is telling me nothing, dang it. You say you're limited to walking, so I'm assuming you can use your legs. You're not buggered, you just can't lift. I can't lift, either (knee injury), but that's not stopping me from doing what I can. I used to do Callanetics (Eighties bodyweight exercise video), but I eventually grew bored of it. Then, I fell off the dieting wagon and got fat.
Thirty pounds later, I decided to lose again. I tried going back to Callanetics, but it just didn't do it for me, so I made a change several weeks ago. I'm doing several sets of planks throughout the day, deep bodyweight squats (because I can't do several in a row, but I *can* hold a Third World Squat for a minute several times throughout the day), and I walk between 1.5 to 3 miles a night. I'm still about 7-8 lbs. from goal, and my stomach is still quite jiggly, but I've noticed my body is tightening up a bit already. I doubt it'll ever be flat again, but I am determined to get as fit as I can. That's all any of us can do, anyway.2 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »So....basically I'm buggered. Good to know. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
No you aren't, you can transform yourself but it takes effort and commitment - and probably trying something new. My guess is that whatever physique is your goal is only achieved by people that look beyond weight loss as the sole method to get there.
My personal answer to your "how many pounds to get the stomach you want" was that my original goal weight was 7lbs too high. A lot of the next 7lbs came off my problem areas including my stomach.
But I was cutting to reveal an existing good base of muscle and my posture is pretty good to protect a bad back.6 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »So....basically I'm buggered. Good to know. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
No you aren't, you can transform yourself but it takes effort and commitment - and probably trying something new. My guess is that whatever physique is your goal is only achieved by people that look beyond weight loss as the sole method to get there.
My personal answer to your "how many pounds to get the stomach you want" was that my original goal weight was 7lbs too high. A lot of the next 7lbs came off my problem areas including my stomach.
But I was cutting to reveal an existing good base of muscle and my posture is pretty good to protect a bad back.
So much this. What people often don't realize is that it takes a lot of effort to get a defined or even flat stomach. And they often wait too long before starting down an exercise path to get to that point (i.e., do cardio until they hit their goal weight instead of incorporating resistance training now because it doesn't burn a ton of calories).
So if you have ACL issues, than make all your lifts seated and get physical therapy so you can do squat and deadlifts. From a personal stand point, when I started lifting (squats and deadlifts in particular) is when I saw improvements in my knees and stopped having problems after I tore my MCL. After having discussions with my orthopedic, he suggested the pains stopped because I strengthened the muscles, which put less stress on my ligaments,joints and tendons.8 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »As far as I'm aware, my posture isn't horrid.
Doesn't need to be horrid - you may just need to strengthen your core - makes a huge difference to me. Try Pilates or yoga. Can download pilates routines although the guidance of an instructor at a class is great.
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WanderingRivers wrote: »So....basically I'm buggered. Good to know. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
That’s what you got out of the suggestions?16 -
WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »So....basically I'm buggered. Good to know. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
That’s what you got out of the suggestions?
Exactly- tons of good advice in here. And people can't give accurate advice without more details. Post a pic from the front and side. What's your current weight/height? Maybe it's posture, maybe it's lack of muscle base, maybe you just have some more weight to lose, maybe it's diastasis recti ....2 -
I'm looking for a number to lose. I am aware I can't weight lift that's why I have to achieve things through dieting.4
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WanderingRivers wrote: »I'm looking for a number to lose. I am aware I can't weight lift that's why I have to achieve things through dieting.
No one here can tell you that. It's possible you might achieve a flat stomach through weight loss, but it's also possible you might reach a weight that is unhealthily low and still be displeased with your shape.4 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Good suggestions above. How is your posture?
I'm not sure that that's even good posture - hard to tell because of where the photo cuts off.
<cranky ol' lady mode>
The booty craze tends to make a lot of young women want to tilt the upper edge of their pelvis forward, to make their booty stick out. That's not good posture, and it can make the belly area poke out by pushing it forward. Good posture is neutral pelvis, where the upper and lower edges are in a straighter line.
Just sucking/holding in the belly and losing upper back slump isn't enough. (It's true, though, that one can also get excess belly pooch from slumping the upper body. Some people even aggravate that by tilting the top of the pelvis back (tucking the booty under). Either or both of those compress the softer belly area between the more rigid ribcage and pelvis, so it has nowhere to go but outward.)
Best posture includes erect upper back, neutral hips, shoulders stacked above a relatively vertically-straight pelvis, drawing one's height upward through the crown of the head. Minimal conscious "tummy tightening" should then be necessary or helpful, though a physically srtong core is of course good.
Good posture also is a kind gesture toward your 60-year-old future self's healthy back. How do I know? I'm 62.
</cranky ol' lady mode>
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WanderingRivers wrote: »I'm looking for a number to lose. I am aware I can't weight lift that's why I have to achieve things through dieting.
If you have only lower body injuries, you can do upper body lifts (and possibly others, with expert help, as others have said) or some bodyweight strength exercises that will cause no more harm than walking.
If you don't want to do any of those things, that's your choice.
No one can tell you how much weight to lose. You're seemingly already at a healthy weight, and you don't like how you look. We can't possibly know what it will take for you to subjectively like how you look.
Several people have given you options for looking better, with your stats, in an objective sense.9 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »I'm looking for a number to lose. I am aware I can't weight lift that's why I have to achieve things through dieting.
We are telling you there are more variables than just dieting. I cant tell you how many underweight women come into the body building section with this problem. Why, because you need a foundation of muscle to get you there.8 -
A flat stomach has a lot to do with the muscle, not just fat. I got all the way down to 115, which was way too low mind you, and still had a “pudge.” If I continued to lose until that pudge was gone the rest of the me would have been sickly skinny. It wasn’t until I upped my caloric intake to about 250-500 above maintenance and began a strength training program that my stomach began to flatten out. I’m now consistently gaining weight and sitting at 121 with hopes of getting up to 130. If you have reached your goal weight then I would suggest a recomp to begin sculpting out your muscles. There are definitely muscle strengthening excercises you can perform to target your core that will not strain your knee.6
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