Stomach fat, help please
hannahbaker411
Posts: 7 Member
Hi everyone,
I know that you can't lose weight from a particular area but it has to be overall. But I have been struggling to lose weight from my stomach. I have noticed that my whole body is starting to form muscle and shrink everywhere but my stomach. Is this normal?
I aim to strength train (full body) 2-3 times a week, I try to have 1 cardio and 1 active day (like walking).
I know that you can't lose weight from a particular area but it has to be overall. But I have been struggling to lose weight from my stomach. I have noticed that my whole body is starting to form muscle and shrink everywhere but my stomach. Is this normal?
I aim to strength train (full body) 2-3 times a week, I try to have 1 cardio and 1 active day (like walking).
1
Replies
-
My stomach is always the last place I notice any weight loss. Keep the focus and you'll see the results.8
-
First on, last off - for majority.
In addition, those aren't the fat stores used for workouts that do need to start getting extra fat (cardio) as fuel source.
That's the fat stores used for good old deficit eating less than you burn day in/day out.5 -
While you are reducing all over, maybe add some planks to your regimen. A strong core will help with your strength training.3
-
Try these articles:
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/your-crunch-less-guide-to-flat-abs/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/why-core-work-can-make-your-stomach-pooch/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/your-6-week-belly-fat-blasting-walking-plan/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/6-bloat-causing-foods-and-their-alternatives/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/10-dietitian-approved-beach-snacks-that-dont-cause-bloat/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/5-ways-beat-bloat/0 -
Ugh - I looked at the 1 article that has a bearing here about 6-week plan.
Not once does it mention eating less than you burn in order to actually burn fat in the first place.
Just reinforces that MFP's articles are worthless.12 -
Just reinforces that MFP's articles are worthless.
Many years have passed since the web site and app were first developed.
The original intellectual property, business, and customer list were bought out by UA.
Even if many/all/most (I have no clue TBH) are still working for UA, the focus has changed.
We often say that WW is in the business of long term and repeat customers.
But so is MFP.
Mind you, the underlying method of controlling food intake, is much more direct on MFP.
And in my mind direct and un-buffered makes for a better and more useful tool.3 -
You'll lose the belly fat in the kitchen. It's the hard truth but you can have amazing abs... if they are under a layer of fat, they won't show. So I'll tell you what I did (see my 6 months progress): ⚠️ I eat 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks (2 if I'm waking up at 5AM).
⚠️ Breakfast and lunch will be richer and something lighter for dinner.
⚠️ Fruits and homemade healthy sweets will be eaten in the first half of the day. 200-300g of fruits (carbs & fructose = sugar)
⚠️ Eat the meals rich in carbs in the first half of the day. Chose complex carbs like rolled oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, musli, wholewheat bread etc.
⚠️ I often hear about 'not eating after 6PM'. I call kitten on that. If you have 3-4h before going to bed, you can eat at 11PM with no problem. That's dependent on your lifestyle and the time you go to bed. Imagine having dinner at 6PM and going to bed at 2AM. I'd be starving and unable to fall asleep.
⚠️ Have a balanced diet. Nothing must be eliminated 100%, not even sugar (I'm the proof... everything is perfect but I found out that I have low blood sugar. You can eat a little maybe with your morning coffee. I don't believe in reducing a macro nutrient very low (like 10% carbs for the keto diet). I do believe that if you want to gain some lean mass and define your body you'll need 2g of protein/kg body weight.
⚠️ Hydrate well! At least 2L/day. That does not include teas, soups, infused water etc. They are all digested but the water goes straight into your blood (immediate hydration).
⚠️ Plan and prepare your food. Don't eat bland food. Try new recipes! Cook, chose tasty and healthy options, meal prep a few days in advance. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure that you have desert 2 times a day.
⚠️Eat daily vegetables (raw, steamed, baked, boiled and occasionally sauteed).
⚠️When you feel hungry, your body wants nutrients, not empty calories... so eat white bread, white rice, white pasta etc only occasionally. There's no need to mention that you must not eat chips, biscuits and such, right?
⚠️Don't impose absurd restrictions to yourself. That's not sustainable. If there are things that you love and want to keep eating, find their healthy replacements. I still eat ice cream (made of frozen fruits, yogurt and sweeter), sponge cake and many pancakes. You want to enjoy your new lifestyle.
⚠️Have an Indulging day per month and be all in. Eat anything, as much as you want. But eat very clean the rest of the month.
⚠️Workout! Otherwise you'll get skinny fat. And I don't want to hear that you don't have time. Most of us don't have time but we make time. 1h, 3-5 times a week is fine. Don't overdo it.
⛔NO to soda and juice... even fresh juice must be consumed with a limit of 250 ml (lots of sugars) YES: water, unsweetened teas, fruit infused water, black coffee. You can have a smoothie or diet soda from time to time.
⛔NO to potato chips and oil fried peanuts. YES to all raw nuts - they have healthy fats! Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecan nuts etc.
⛔NO to fried foods. YES to baked/boiled/steamed foods.
⛔NO to store bought fruit yogurt, YES to make your own with fresh fruits. You can also throw some chia seeds or oats in the mix and make a snack out of it.
⛔NO to cold cuts like sausages salami etc YES to traditionally raw-dry low fat meat (like they have on the country side)
⛔NO to sugar (well.. 95% of it), YES to natural sweeter
My most efficient tool in this journey was the Myfitnesspal application. Counting calories made me realize how huge my portions were...
3 -
You'll lose the belly fat in the kitchen. It's the hard truth but you can have amazing abs... if they are under a layer of fat, they won't show. So I'll tell you what I did (see my 6 months progress): ⚠️ I eat 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks (2 if I'm waking up at 5AM).
⚠️ Breakfast and lunch will be richer and something lighter for dinner.
⚠️ Fruits and homemade healthy sweets will be eaten in the first half of the day. 200-300g of fruits (carbs & fructose = sugar)
⚠️ Eat the meals rich in carbs in the first half of the day. Chose complex carbs like rolled oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, musli, wholewheat bread etc.
⚠️ I often hear about 'not eating after 6PM'. I call kitten on that. If you have 3-4h before going to bed, you can eat at 11PM with no problem. That's dependent on your lifestyle and the time you go to bed. Imagine having dinner at 6PM and going to bed at 2AM. I'd be starving and unable to fall asleep.
⚠️ Have a balanced diet. Nothing must be eliminated 100%, not even sugar (I'm the proof... everything is perfect but I found out that I have low blood sugar. You can eat a little maybe with your morning coffee. I don't believe in reducing a macro nutrient very low (like 10% carbs for the keto diet). I do believe that if you want to gain some lean mass and define your body you'll need 2g of protein/kg body weight.
⚠️ Hydrate well! At least 2L/day. That does not include teas, soups, infused water etc. They are all digested but the water goes straight into your blood (immediate hydration).
⚠️ Plan and prepare your food. Don't eat bland food. Try new recipes! Cook, chose tasty and healthy options, meal prep a few days in advance. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure that you have desert 2 times a day.
⚠️Eat daily vegetables (raw, steamed, baked, boiled and occasionally sauteed).
⚠️When you feel hungry, your body wants nutrients, not empty calories... so eat white bread, white rice, white pasta etc only occasionally. There's no need to mention that you must not eat chips, biscuits and such, right?
⚠️Don't impose absurd restrictions to yourself. That's not sustainable. If there are things that you love and want to keep eating, find their healthy replacements. I still eat ice cream (made of frozen fruits, yogurt and sweeter), sponge cake and many pancakes. You want to enjoy your new lifestyle.
⚠️Have an Indulging day per month and be all in. Eat anything, as much as you want. But eat very clean the rest of the month.
⚠️Workout! Otherwise you'll get skinny fat. And I don't want to hear that you don't have time. Most of us don't have time but we make time. 1h, 3-5 times a week is fine. Don't overdo it.
⛔NO to soda and juice... even fresh juice must be consumed with a limit of 250 ml (lots of sugars) YES: water, unsweetened teas, fruit infused water, black coffee. You can have a smoothie or diet soda from time to time.
⛔NO to potato chips and oil fried peanuts. YES to all raw nuts - they have healthy fats! Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecan nuts etc.
⛔NO to fried foods. YES to baked/boiled/steamed foods.
⛔NO to store bought fruit yogurt, YES to make your own with fresh fruits. You can also throw some chia seeds or oats in the mix and make a snack out of it.
⛔NO to cold cuts like sausages salami etc YES to traditionally raw-dry low fat meat (like they have on the country side)
⛔NO to sugar (well.. 95% of it), YES to natural sweeter
My most efficient tool in this journey was the Myfitnesspal application. Counting calories made me realize how huge my portions were...
"Don't impose absurd restrictions" followed by a list of arbitrary restrictions . . . classic.31 -
janejellyroll wrote: »You'll lose the belly fat in the kitchen. It's the hard truth but you can have amazing abs... if they are under a layer of fat, they won't show. So I'll tell you what I did (see my 6 months progress): ⚠️ I eat 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks (2 if I'm waking up at 5AM).
⚠️ Breakfast and lunch will be richer and something lighter for dinner.
⚠️ Fruits and homemade healthy sweets will be eaten in the first half of the day. 200-300g of fruits (carbs & fructose = sugar)
⚠️ Eat the meals rich in carbs in the first half of the day. Chose complex carbs like rolled oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, musli, wholewheat bread etc.
⚠️ I often hear about 'not eating after 6PM'. I call kitten on that. If you have 3-4h before going to bed, you can eat at 11PM with no problem. That's dependent on your lifestyle and the time you go to bed. Imagine having dinner at 6PM and going to bed at 2AM. I'd be starving and unable to fall asleep.
⚠️ Have a balanced diet. Nothing must be eliminated 100%, not even sugar (I'm the proof... everything is perfect but I found out that I have low blood sugar. You can eat a little maybe with your morning coffee. I don't believe in reducing a macro nutrient very low (like 10% carbs for the keto diet). I do believe that if you want to gain some lean mass and define your body you'll need 2g of protein/kg body weight.
⚠️ Hydrate well! At least 2L/day. That does not include teas, soups, infused water etc. They are all digested but the water goes straight into your blood (immediate hydration).
⚠️ Plan and prepare your food. Don't eat bland food. Try new recipes! Cook, chose tasty and healthy options, meal prep a few days in advance. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure that you have desert 2 times a day.
⚠️Eat daily vegetables (raw, steamed, baked, boiled and occasionally sauteed).
⚠️When you feel hungry, your body wants nutrients, not empty calories... so eat white bread, white rice, white pasta etc only occasionally. There's no need to mention that you must not eat chips, biscuits and such, right?
⚠️Don't impose absurd restrictions to yourself. That's not sustainable. If there are things that you love and want to keep eating, find their healthy replacements. I still eat ice cream (made of frozen fruits, yogurt and sweeter), sponge cake and many pancakes. You want to enjoy your new lifestyle.
⚠️Have an Indulging day per month and be all in. Eat anything, as much as you want. But eat very clean the rest of the month.
⚠️Workout! Otherwise you'll get skinny fat. And I don't want to hear that you don't have time. Most of us don't have time but we make time. 1h, 3-5 times a week is fine. Don't overdo it.
⛔NO to soda and juice... even fresh juice must be consumed with a limit of 250 ml (lots of sugars) YES: water, unsweetened teas, fruit infused water, black coffee. You can have a smoothie or diet soda from time to time.
⛔NO to potato chips and oil fried peanuts. YES to all raw nuts - they have healthy fats! Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecan nuts etc.
⛔NO to fried foods. YES to baked/boiled/steamed foods.
⛔NO to store bought fruit yogurt, YES to make your own with fresh fruits. You can also throw some chia seeds or oats in the mix and make a snack out of it.
⛔NO to cold cuts like sausages salami etc YES to traditionally raw-dry low fat meat (like they have on the country side)
⛔NO to sugar (well.. 95% of it), YES to natural sweeter
My most efficient tool in this journey was the Myfitnesspal application. Counting calories made me realize how huge my portions were...
"Don't impose absurd restrictions" followed by a list of arbitrary restrictions . . . classic.
I thought exactly this! too funny!12 -
I had the same problem but now 10 months in to doing my 15 min intense ab workout (I follow a specific person) which is all I did for the first 8 months (plus eating healthier)
I just recently started using dumbbells.
I went from 212-165 doing that simple workout.
I will post pics from sept til now1 -
hannahbaker411 wrote: »Hi everyone,
I know that you can't lose weight from a particular area but it has to be overall. But I have been struggling to lose weight from my stomach. I have noticed that my whole body is starting to form muscle and shrink everywhere but my stomach. Is this normal?
I aim to strength train (full body) 2-3 times a week, I try to have 1 cardio and 1 active day (like walking).
The midsection is primary fat stores for most people...it's a first on, last off kind of thing.2 -
I had the same problem but now 10 months in to doing my 15 min intense ab workout (I follow a specific person) which is all I did for the first 8 months (plus eating healthier)
I just recently started using dumbbells.
I went from 212-165 doing that simple workout.
I will post pics from sept til now
2 -
I had the same problem but now 10 months in to doing my 15 min intense ab workout (I follow a specific person) which is all I did for the first 8 months (plus eating healthier)
I just recently started using dumbbells.
I went from 212-165 doing that simple workout.
I will post pics from sept til now
that's great the workout was so useful.
Strictly speaking though - the workout did nothing for causing the weight loss, nor where you lost it.
You eating less than you burned did.
And that type of workout would add little to what you burn in the scheme of a day.7 -
I had the same problem but now 10 months in to doing my 15 min intense ab workout (I follow a specific person) which is all I did for the first 8 months (plus eating healthier)
I just recently started using dumbbells.
I went from 212-165 doing that simple workout.
I will post pics from sept til now
that's great the workout was so useful.
Strictly speaking though - the workout did nothing for causing the weight loss, nor where you lost it.
You eating less than you burned did.
And that type of workout would add little to what you burn in the scheme of a day.
I don’t eat any less food I just eat better food
Instead of Mac and cheese and pizza rolls 80% of the time I switched to chicken , fish, beef (especially venison) 80% of the time
I did nothing else but eat different still same amount and that 15 minute workout
I’ve never worked out in my life til sept 2019 and I’m 36
I just followed the workout and his eating habits and this is where I’ve gotten so far.
His intense ab workout is for weight loss, cardio and gaining 6 pack at the same time
Give it a try 🙂1 -
You lost 47 lbs. That's great.
But you ate less food then you did before, and less than you burned.
That's how fat is lost.
That's great you made your diet healthier - but plenty of people overeat on healthy foods too and gain weight, or don't lose it.
You seem to have a misconception based on a test case of 1, that likely didn't have much in the way of accurate record keeping.
How do you know you ate the same amount - you logged with accuracy all you used to eat prior to the change, and after?7 -
hannahbaker411 wrote: »Hi everyone,
I know that you can't lose weight from a particular area but it has to be overall. But I have been struggling to lose weight from my stomach. I have noticed that my whole body is starting to form muscle and shrink everywhere but my stomach. Is this normal?
I aim to strength train (full body) 2-3 times a week, I try to have 1 cardio and 1 active day (like walking).
Wow, this thread has been a trip
Yes, it's normal to struggle with your midsection. It is the last to go for many of us, and especially for women, we can have pretty unrealistic expectations for what that area should or even can look like! These threads have helped tons of posters:
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/p1
8 -
You'll lose the belly fat in the kitchen. It's the hard truth but you can have amazing abs... if they are under a layer of fat, they won't show. So I'll tell you what I did (see my 6 months progress): ⚠️ I eat 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks (2 if I'm waking up at 5AM).
⚠️ Breakfast and lunch will be richer and something lighter for dinner.
⚠️ Fruits and homemade healthy sweets will be eaten in the first half of the day. 200-300g of fruits (carbs & fructose = sugar)
⚠️ Eat the meals rich in carbs in the first half of the day. Chose complex carbs like rolled oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potatoes, musli, wholewheat bread etc.
⚠️ I often hear about 'not eating after 6PM'. I call kitten on that. If you have 3-4h before going to bed, you can eat at 11PM with no problem. That's dependent on your lifestyle and the time you go to bed. Imagine having dinner at 6PM and going to bed at 2AM. I'd be starving and unable to fall asleep.
⚠️ Have a balanced diet. Nothing must be eliminated 100%, not even sugar (I'm the proof... everything is perfect but I found out that I have low blood sugar. You can eat a little maybe with your morning coffee. I don't believe in reducing a macro nutrient very low (like 10% carbs for the keto diet). I do believe that if you want to gain some lean mass and define your body you'll need 2g of protein/kg body weight.
⚠️ Hydrate well! At least 2L/day. That does not include teas, soups, infused water etc. They are all digested but the water goes straight into your blood (immediate hydration).
⚠️ Plan and prepare your food. Don't eat bland food. Try new recipes! Cook, chose tasty and healthy options, meal prep a few days in advance. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure that you have desert 2 times a day.
⚠️Eat daily vegetables (raw, steamed, baked, boiled and occasionally sauteed).
⚠️When you feel hungry, your body wants nutrients, not empty calories... so eat white bread, white rice, white pasta etc only occasionally. There's no need to mention that you must not eat chips, biscuits and such, right?
⚠️Don't impose absurd restrictions to yourself. That's not sustainable. If there are things that you love and want to keep eating, find their healthy replacements. I still eat ice cream (made of frozen fruits, yogurt and sweeter), sponge cake and many pancakes. You want to enjoy your new lifestyle.
⚠️Have an Indulging day per month and be all in. Eat anything, as much as you want. But eat very clean the rest of the month.
⚠️Workout! Otherwise you'll get skinny fat. And I don't want to hear that you don't have time. Most of us don't have time but we make time. 1h, 3-5 times a week is fine. Don't overdo it.
⛔NO to soda and juice... even fresh juice must be consumed with a limit of 250 ml (lots of sugars) YES: water, unsweetened teas, fruit infused water, black coffee. You can have a smoothie or diet soda from time to time.
⛔NO to potato chips and oil fried peanuts. YES to all raw nuts - they have healthy fats! Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecan nuts etc.
⛔NO to fried foods. YES to baked/boiled/steamed foods.
⛔NO to store bought fruit yogurt, YES to make your own with fresh fruits. You can also throw some chia seeds or oats in the mix and make a snack out of it.
⛔NO to cold cuts like sausages salami etc YES to traditionally raw-dry low fat meat (like they have on the country side)
⛔NO to sugar (well.. 95% of it), YES to natural sweeter
I mean, you're flexing in one picture and posing, and not in the others. What do you look like when you actually slouch in both?
7 -
@TinaZ2018 is training at an elite level. If you want to have abs with serious definition you need to be serious on eating and training. OP was asking how to get rid of the belly fat. I suppose the answer depends on the OPs definition of success. Knowing Tina's success and my own personal journey to a full 6 pack I agree with TinaZ2018.
But if you just want a bit of definition you can be less determined.0
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