Two Issues: NEED HELP!

Crunches will tone the muscle but they alone won't make "belly fat" go away. I mean, you could have a rock hard 6-pack goin on under the jiggle, but it won't matter unless you shed the fat.

Only way I've heard of doing that is diet (for me less carbs and dairy) and exercise (for me entire body).

Jut my thoughts though. :flowerforyou:

#1 - how do I get rid of my belly fat? I know you can't spot reduce but this is my problem area and even though I know my crunches are paying off, I can't seem to shake the belly. I'm thinking I need to change the diet up a bit... less starchy carbs, more lean protein.

#2 - I haven't lost anything for at least 3 weeks. Not really cheating on my diet, exercising 3-4 times per week sometimes more. Wear a HRM so I know exactly what I'm burning. I do weights/strength training every other day and cardio in between. Burn 400-800 calories per workout. Tips to jump start the weight loss again would help!

Any great wisdom or insights you have would be greatly appreciated!

THANKS!


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Easy Calorie Counting

Unfortunately cardio is really the only way to burn fat...strength training will definitely help) but crunches alone will pretty much only strengthen the muscles underneathe the fat. I've lost 30 pounds so far and while I know my pants are fitting better that I must have lost some of my tummy, I still have much more of a tummy than I would like. i've also heard belly fat is the last to go. Not sure about carbs and such, but if you drink any pop( diet or otherwise) cut it out and see if it helps. I've heard even cutting out diet pop can shrink the belly some.

As far as the plateu, do you eat all of your exercise calories? Do you only use your HRM for counting calories burned during exercise? I ask because I think some people wear it for more than just that and count calories burned when say, walking to the mailbox to get the mail. Try switching up your work out, adding in some new stuff or crankling the intensity up a notch. If you don't already, try a cheat day or a cheat meal. I tend to plateu or yo-yo every 10 pounds lost or so....usually one of the above methods words. I think Banks also posted a good thread about plateuing and why we platue and what you can do to get out of it. Not sure where it would be, but check around the boards or maybe someone has the link to it.