How to get rid of last bit of belly fat
myisha00
Posts: 12 Member
Back in November I decided to start a lifestyle change to get in shape and lose weight. My goal was to lose body while building muscle. I was 160lbs then and now I am 132lbs. My goal back in November was to get down to 135 but since reaching 132 I am shocked that I still have a lot of fat on my belly and arms. I am female, 5’8 and I weight lift 3 times a week and do cardio 4 times (HIIT twice a week). I was hoping that at 135 I would be able to focus mainly on toning but it seems that I have more weight to lose. Currently I eat about 1300 calories a day. Does anyone have any tips on what I should focus on? I know that if I want to gain more muscle then I need to eat more but I am afraid of putting on more fat.
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Replies
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With your stats the best recommendation would be to recomp. Maintain your weight to change your body composition.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p118 -
You can’t spot reduce. You can lose more weight if you want, but there’s no guarantee that the fat will be taken from the areas you prefer.
If you want to maintain your weight and cut body fat, recomp is probably the best option for you.10 -
I’d recommend recomp and also a focus on core strength to help with posture.7
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I'm unconvinced about the arms. Most women misidentify relaxed, slack triceps as upper arm fat or loose skin. (Every single woman in real life I've walked through checking this, after she complained about her arms, has been doing that. Every. Single. One.)
You're holding your arm out in a relaxed fashion. Raise it higher, and tighten all the muscles in your arm, including curling your fist over toward your forearm, doing your best imitation of a bodybuilder. Tighten, tighten. If you can do that properly, some of that loose-seeming tissue under your arm will tighten up. That part is muscle, not fat.
If that wasn't convincing, do the same thing, with a variation. Hold your arm as in the photo. Next, take your opposite hand and grab the loose bit under your upper arm, getting the fingers part of the grab as close to the bone as you can, while getting the loose stuff in your grip. Now do the bodybuilder pose, tightening as much as possible. Did some of what you were holding in your hand get firm and tight? That part is muscle.
Relaxed triceps muscles are pretty mobile, even in quite-fit women. You may have some fat or loose skin on your upper arm, but I'm betting at least some of it - possibly quite a lot - is your nice triceps muscles.
Beyond that, as others said above: Look into recomposition. The thread sardelsa linked is excellent.19 -
Try low carb55
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Honestly it looks like you have a lot of loose skin which should tighten with time. Weightlifting will help with body composition. Congratulations though that’s a lot of hard work!7
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You are female. You are not designed to have a perfectly flat stomach. Your stomach area is designed to expand when it grows an infant. If you couldn't do that with your skin, it wouldn't expand and your stomach would burst open when you grow a baby!
Please please please stop being so hard on yourself. You have an amazing figure,. You have achieved a huge amount through pure hard work. Don't waste that effort by bemoaning what may only be possible through intense training and deprivation!14 -
Whats your current lifting program? How log have you been lifting? How much protein are you eating?
Ultimately, you will probably need to cut some more fat and build some muscle. Depending on when you started lifting, your protein levels and how fast you were losing weight, it's possible you lost some muscle, which makes it harder to get leaner.4 -
Wonderful advice here. I am in a similar journey and at a similar place. The short answer is time. You need to maintain your current weight for a bit before the skin has time to shrink back. This is one reason why slow loss, particular for those in a healthy weight is recommended. Continuing your lifting while increasing your calories to maintenance and giving yourself another 6 month of just staying there will do you well. In 6 months of successful maintenance then reassess whether you still think you might need to cut some more.4
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I think you've done an amazing job. Its taken 6 months for my belly skin to catch up with the weight lose but it does shrink back slowly. Keep up with the muscle building exercises and the skin will slowly improve.3
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Hey, OP here are a couple of helpful threads that haven't been linked here yet
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p110 -
OMG thank you all so much! Everyone has been so helpful. I will admit that I was feeling a bit depress because I was not seeing the results that I expected but I will keep going. I think my belly is a combination of loose skin but I still feel a bit of fat in there when I squeeze.
For my arms, this is the area were I typically gain weight first but last time I was this size (7 years ago) they were much smaller and at that time I was not lifting so I was surprised that they were still big but I guess it is from the added muscle.
I’m currently looking into recompomposition as recommended. I’m scared to increase my calories since it seems I need to lose a bit more body fat but at the same time I know I need to fuel my muscles. I think I’m going to do higher calorie days on my workout days and see if I get good results. Also I’m going to get back on track with counting my macros and make sure I up my protein intake.4 -
I read recomp, what does it mean?2
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Barnette74 wrote: »I read recomp, what does it mean?
Eating around maintenance, and following a structured lifting routine in the effort to gain some muscle while cutting fat.2 -
I’m back and still not much seeing progress in my lower belly and arms. Ive been increasing my weights at the gym and I can see the muscle definition developing in my legs and back. I see it a bit in my arms but still have a lot of fat in them. I’ve stopped relying on my scale measurments as much because I’ve increased my lifting but I am still at 132. I have lost 1/2 in my waist but my lower stomach actually increased stomach this week. I’m 25.5” in the waist but around my belly button I went from 29 to 32 inches. I’m not sure what else to do at this point. Still doing cardio 3 times a week (HIIT and steady state) and eating under matainence on my recover days and above on my lifting days.0
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Some pictures. I keep wondering if it is loose skin but I can feel the fat between it. It’s so disappointing because I feel so much strong but don’t look it.1
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Holy Smokes! @myisha00 You look AMAZING!!!!! You’ve got the 6-pack, washboard abs!!!!
I think we will always be able to pull loose skin off them with our hands or see it depending on posture.
But guess what? You are now in my vision board: as in, this is achieveable, this can be done!
Give yourself a round of applause! Really take a look at your progress and take a moment to feel pride in yourself.4 -
You look absolutely great and NORMAL. Almost all of us will be able to pinch some fat and skin unless they are comp ready.3
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You are already in a good place. Once you're there and are looking to lose vanity pounds / change your body comp, you can't expect visible changes in 7 weeks. People work on reshaping that last little bit for months and years.
Your skin is always going to be "pinchable" it needs to be able to expand when you flex and move. No matter what you do, it's never going to be completely tight no matter what position you're in. You would be most people's "after" picture, it's really just patience and realistic expectations you need to add to your program!4 -
You are already in a good place. Once you're there and are looking to lose vanity pounds / change your body comp, you can't expect visible changes in 7 weeks. People work on reshaping that last little bit for months and years.
Your skin is always going to be "pinchable" it needs to be able to expand when you flex and move. No matter what you do, it's never going to be completely tight no matter what position you're in. You would be most people's "after" picture, it's really just patience and realistic expectations you need to add to your program!
Thanks so much! I’ll keep working at it. I realize that my skin will always be pinchable but it doesn’t feel like just skin to me. It feels like a layer of fat hiding my lower abs. It’s hard to explain but I can feel my abs under all of it and I hope that if I keep losing body fat they will eventually be revealed. The problem is my face is starting to look so small and I am afraid that if I continue to try and lose body fat it will look worse.3 -
You are already in a good place. Once you're there and are looking to lose vanity pounds / change your body comp, you can't expect visible changes in 7 weeks. People work on reshaping that last little bit for months and years.
Your skin is always going to be "pinchable" it needs to be able to expand when you flex and move. No matter what you do, it's never going to be completely tight no matter what position you're in. You would be most people's "after" picture, it's really just patience and realistic expectations you need to add to your program!
Thanks so much! I’ll keep working at it. I realize that my skin will always be pinchable but it doesn’t feel like just skin to me. It feels like a layer of fat hiding my lower abs. It’s hard to explain but I can feel my abs under all of it and I hope that if I keep losing body fat they will eventually be revealed. The problem is my face is starting to look so small and I am afraid that if I continue to try and lose body fat it will look worse.
It is and it's perfectly normal. Just about EVERY woman has a layer of fat over their lower abdominals to protect our female organs. That's how nature designed us. I just grabbed a random pic of some shredded women off of the internet and not a single one of them has definition below the belly button (beyond obliques). It's OK to strive for improvement, but don't set yourself up for unrealistic expectations.
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Holy Smokes! @myisha00 You look AMAZING!!!!! You’ve got the 6-pack, washboard abs!!!!
I think we will always be able to pull loose skin off them with our hands or see it depending on posture.
But guess what? You are now in my vision board: as in, this is achieveable, this can be done!
Give yourself a round of applause! Really take a look at your progress and take a moment to feel pride in yourself.
Thank you so much for these kind words! I’m feeling a bit better after hitting the gym today. I’m going to keep pushing on. I’m tired of cutting calories but I am also embarrassed by how big my arms are and confused about why my stomach is not where it was when I was at this weight before especially since I was not lifting weights back then. I was looking forward to this fitness journey but I don’t think I look fit yet. I do feel really strong which keeps me motivated and my lower body is shaping up well. Hopefully my upper body will catch up soon. I’m starting to see the muscles in my upper abs and back which is great. I’m going to try and focus on the positive.0 -
Your arms, too, are normal: Slim and shapely, but not skeletal. They're showing some signs of what most people would consider "toned", though not explicitly "ripped". It's hard to tell in your photo, because your arm is relaxed, but I can see definition where your upper arm joins your shoulder at the top, and where your chest muscles join your upper arm at your underarm. Even thin, very fit, muscular women can pinch some skin (and relaxed triceps muscles) in the position you're holding your arm, except maybe some women who are in a dehydrated state prior to a bodybuilding comp (and probably even they can pinch some relaxed triceps, before they pump).
I don't know how else to say it: I fear you're perceiving your body in a negative way that doesn't reflect objective reality. Please keep up with a healthy routine: Eating enough, a well-balanced diet, working out in a sensible way. And please consider looking for some help with framing your self image in a way that reflects the lovely young woman that other people see when they look at you!7 -
Your arms, too, are normal: Slim and shapely, but not skeletal. They're showing some signs of what most people would consider "toned", though not explicitly "ripped". It's hard to tell in your photo, because your arm is relaxed, but I can see definition where your upper arm joins your shoulder at the top, and where your chest muscles join your upper arm at your underarm. Even thin, very fit, muscular women can pinch some skin (and relaxed triceps muscles) in the position you're holding your arm, except maybe some women who are in a dehydrated state prior to a bodybuilding comp (and probably even they can pinch some relaxed triceps, before they pump).
I don't know how else to say it: I fear you're perceiving your body in a negative way that doesn't reflect objective reality. Please keep up with a healthy routine: Eating enough, a well-balanced diet, working out in a sensible way. And please consider looking for some help with framing your self image in a way that reflects the lovely young woman that other people see when they look at you!Your arms, too, are normal: Slim and shapely, but not skeletal. They're showing some signs of what most people would consider "toned", though not explicitly "ripped". It's hard to tell in your photo, because your arm is relaxed, but I can see definition where your upper arm joins your shoulder at the top, and where your chest muscles join your upper arm at your underarm. Even thin, very fit, muscular women can pinch some skin (and relaxed triceps muscles) in the position you're holding your arm, except maybe some women who are in a dehydrated state prior to a bodybuilding comp (and probably even they can pinch some relaxed triceps, before they pump).
I don't know how else to say it: I fear you're perceiving your body in a negative way that doesn't reflect objective reality. Please keep up with a healthy routine: Eating enough, a well-balanced diet, working out in a sensible way. And please consider looking for some0 -
One last update. Below are my fat loss results from my InBody scan today.
Results on 4.21
Results on 6.30
Surprisingly I actually have lost quiet a bit in my belly over the pass 2 months according to the result but only 1/2 pound in my arms. Maybe I need to just focus on toning my stomach and arms?
I’ve been skinny before but this time I want to be strong and look strong and I don’t think I look like a woman who works out 5 times a week but realistically maybe I am expecting too much for how long it’s been.0 -
Totally this. Patience is your friend.One last update. Below are my fat loss results from my InBody scan today.
Results on 4.21
Results on 6.30
Surprisingly I actually have lost quiet a bit in my belly over the pass 2 months according to the result but only 1/2 pound in my arms. Maybe I need to just focus on toning my stomach and arms?
I’ve been skinny before but this time I want to be strong and look strong and I don’t think I look like a woman who works out 5 times a week but realistically maybe I am expecting too much for how long it’s been.
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Genetics determines where your body stores fat. As a female, you are biologically programmed to store some fat to ensure your ability to bear children in times of scarcity.
I am 5'6" and 124 lbs. You can count all my ribs, my back, shoulders and chest are bony, I have no butt or breasts -- but I still have a soft round belly. I could lose 10 more pounds - but I don't think the results would be worth it just to have less of a stomach.3
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