Question about losing the rest of my belly fat.

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kasen23
kasen23 Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All,

Just going to give a little history :smile:

This is my first time posting here. I have been using this site to track my calories since last July. And in that time I have lost a total of 72lbs. I'm down to 168lbs as of today. I'm male, 48 and 5'8, from everything I read online I should be around the 160lbs mark.

I had been working out about 5 days a week, 5 days of cardio with weight training in the mix also. The past 6 weeks I have been not been able to exercise as I injured myself. A bulged disk in my lower back. I'm getting a cortisone shot next week so I'm hoping I'll be back at it very soon. The strange thing is the time I have not been working out I still lost an additional 9lbs. Possibly the muscle I had gained?

I'm feeling awesome and looking great, down to a medium size shirt :smile: But I still have this damn stubborn belly fat and everything I read online suggest it's the last place you lose and I believe it. I realize now going forward I probably don't need to be working out 5 days a week as I have lost the bulk of the weight I wanted to lose. But I want to stay fit and tone up a bit and lose the rest of the belly fat. Diet wise I follow a strict meal prep which is helping me keep the weight off, it's been a great lifestyle change and I"m enjoying it.

So I'm looking for some suggestions taking into consideration the bulged disk problem. What would be the best exercises\cardio should I be doing to lose that suborn belly fat? I know I need to strengthening my core which is why I have been doing some yoga workouts my physio asked me to do.

Thanks for reading, hope I didn't ramble to much.

Replies

  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • como_agua1
    como_agua1 Posts: 210 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    kasen23 wrote: »
    Hi All,

    Just going to give a little history :smile:

    This is my first time posting here. I have been using this site to track my calories since last July. And in that time I have lost a total of 72lbs. I'm down to 168lbs as of today. I'm male, 48 and 5'8, from everything I read online I should be around the 160lbs mark.

    I had been working out about 5 days a week, 5 days of cardio with weight training in the mix also. The past 6 weeks I have been not been able to exercise as I injured myself. A bulged disk in my lower back. I'm getting a cortisone shot next week so I'm hoping I'll be back at it very soon. The strange thing is the time I have not been working out I still lost an additional 9lbs. Possibly the muscle I had gained?

    I'm feeling awesome and looking great, down to a medium size shirt :smile: But I still have this damn stubborn belly fat and everything I read online suggest it's the last place you lose and I believe it. I realize now going forward I probably don't need to be working out 5 days a week as I have lost the bulk of the weight I wanted to lose. But I want to stay fit and tone up a bit and lose the rest of the belly fat. Diet wise I follow a strict meal prep which is helping me keep the weight off, it's been a great lifestyle change and I"m enjoying it.

    So I'm looking for some suggestions taking into consideration the bulged disk problem. What would be the best exercises\cardio should I be doing to lose that suborn belly fat? I know I need to strengthening my core which is why I have been doing some yoga workouts my physio asked me to do.

    Thanks for reading, hope I didn't ramble to much.

    I cannot speak to your bulging disk. But losing belly fat is the same as losing fat - you need to be in a calorie deficit. You can be in a calorie deficit doing no exercise at all if you really wanted to, not that I would recommend that. You can't spot reduce fat, it will come off wherever your body decides.

    Check out the nice stomach thread linked above. The last few lbs do often make the biggest difference in a person's trouble spots, but they can also be the hardest to lose because you have very little wiggle room. Good luck!

    IMHO with my medical history it's not that easy like it could have been in my youth. my skin is not that elastic anymore. i'm 57 and even though i lost 20 lbs two years ago and am maintaining at 132 lbs at 5'7 - i have a tummy still. after 3 abdominal surgeries and 2 children - it's never going to happen for me. i'm ok with that .
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    The stomach for most people is the very last place to lose it. You can't choose it and it depends partially on genetics but for most people unfortunately, that is where it stored. As you lose the last 8 pounds, you may notice more progress. If you get to your goal and still want to make more progress, try to work on a recomp where you add some more muscle and lose some more fat. That may get you there.
  • kasen23
    kasen23 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks all for the feedback. That is something I learned early on you can't spot lose weight :wink: I'll follow up with Chiro next week on the best workout to strengthen my core after my back is better. I'm also in a calorie deficit that's probably why I'm losing weight without the exercise. I have been doing about 1200 calories per day.
  • kikisf
    kikisf Posts: 58 Member
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    I also have bulging disks and have found that swimming and Aquafit/aquaerobics do I great job of protecting my back and keeping my heart rate up.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    kasen23 wrote: »
    Thanks all for the feedback. That is something I learned early on you can't spot lose weight :wink: I'll follow up with Chiro next week on the best workout to strengthen my core after my back is better. I'm also in a calorie deficit that's probably why I'm losing weight without the exercise. I have been doing about 1200 calories per day.

    Why such a tiny, tiny amount?
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
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    Walk 60 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week.

    I’m at a point in my journey, finally, where my belly fat is melting like a cube of butter in a hot frying pan. But, I’m 6 months into my journey and haven’t missed a daily beat in the discipline department.

    Wishing you the best, hang in there. Your frying pan will be sizzling soon.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    The three main reasons for “excess belly fat”:

    1) your overall weight and body fat levels are high.

    2) you have a smaller frame/lower level of muscle and so l, while your scale weight and BMR are OK, your body fat % is still disproportionately high.

    3) you have a genetic body type that preferentially stores body fat around your midsection.

    Without more information re your body fat %, muscle mass, and genetic body type, I cant tell you whether having a “flat” stomach is a doable goal.

    If your body fat % is in the 23%-25% range, then general body fat reduction will still be effective.

    If you are at 20% body fat or below, it will be harder and you will probably need more of a recomposition approach.

    If you have a body than preferentially stores fat in the midsection, you will either have to get down to 10-12% body fat, or accept than you will not have a flat stomach.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    kasen23 wrote: »
    Thanks all for the feedback. That is something I learned early on you can't spot lose weight :wink: I'll follow up with Chiro next week on the best workout to strengthen my core after my back is better. I'm also in a calorie deficit that's probably why I'm losing weight without the exercise. I have been doing about 1200 calories per day.

    Minimum recommend calorie intake for a male is 1500 not counting exercise.

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