Need some help with belly fat blasting foods!

chrissys74
chrissys74 Posts: 31
edited October 5 in Food and Nutrition
I have two kids my youngest is 4 and I am sick of the belly! I have been doing this program with no luck and thanks to a lot of help here, I got some great advice as why it might not be working. I think my main issues are not working out enough doing strenth training and not eating a better diet. I eat a lot of lean cusines which is okay sometimes but I need some "real" wholesome foods in my diet. So.....can someone help me out???? :) I really am into nutrition for my kids but I need to get better at it myself. I am 5'4 and about 127-129. My scale is all over the place, I need a new one. I want to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 117 and I don't just want to lose the weight, I really want to get more tone and healthy!!

What kind of diet should I be following to really get rid of my pregancy belly?? I can eat anything except for NO PEANUTS/NUTS my oldest has a very severe peanut allergy so we will not have that in the house. Also, since I am a mom of a child with such a severe allergy and I also homeschool, life is stressful! One of the reasons I think my belly is out of control! What are some good things to help me relax?? Should I start yoga?? any suggestions?? Thanks all! I am LOVING this board, I just discovered it!!! WAHOO!

Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,221 Member
    Sorry to say, there are no belly blasting foods, just hard work that combines a sustained exercise program, a slight deficit, committment and time.
  • RachelSRoach1
    RachelSRoach1 Posts: 435 Member
    http://kitchensimplicity.com/recipes/main-dish-2/
    http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/
    http://greenlitebites.com/category/food-ideas/
    http://skinnytaste.com

    Just to give a few places that might have what you're looking for!
  • ProTFitness
    ProTFitness Posts: 1,379 Member
    Clean the eating up to almost 100%, lower your sodium intake. Tons of veggies and lean meats. NO SUGAR!!!!!! Cardio combos with weight and that belly fat will start to reduce


    ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer
    Certified Boot Camp Leader
    Certified Extreme Interval Training
    Certified Functional Training
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Clean the eating up to almost 100%, lower your sodium intake. Tons of veggies and lean meats. NO SUGAR!!!!!! Cardio combos with weight and that belly fat will start to reduce


    ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer
    Certified Boot Camp Leader
    Certified Extreme Interval Training
    Certified Functional Training

    I had heard so many arguements on this subject, I tried it!

    I am a 50 year old, 5'2" woman. I did nothing but cut out all WHITE. Bread, sugar, flour, pasta, cream sauces............all white. I did nothing else for 2 weeks (although for a few months before I worked with a trainer)

    The result was less puffiness in the tummy area, and an all around loss of fat. I seriously could see the difference in my tummy!

    Thanks for the reminder. Will begin this 'experiement' again this week (I cannot think in long term right now, but know myself and it will turn into a very happy lifestyle!):drinker:
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Cut out the prepackaged processed foods. It seems like you eat it every day. In the other thread you said because you homeschool you don't have time to cook. With all due respect I don't buy this. It doesn't take hours to cook a meal. It takes 10 minutes to chop up some veggies and chicken and get it going on the stove and you hardly need to look the pot's way for the next 30 minutes while it cooks. Sorry, just some tough love.
    I would increase your protein goal and try to meet it. Also, try to meet your fat goal and fill in the rest with carbs. I found that cutting down on starchy carbs greatly helped me. Within days of cutting back on bread, pasta, potatoes, my midsection was smaller and flatter. Not because of actual weight loss, but less bloating and water retention. Good luck!
  • chrissys74
    chrissys74 Posts: 31
    Cut out the prepackaged processed foods. It seems like you eat it every day. In the other thread you said because you homeschool you don't have time to cook. With all due respect I don't buy this. It doesn't take hours to cook a meal. It takes 10 minutes to chop up some veggies and chicken and get it going on the stove and you hardly need to look the pot's way for the next 30 minutes while it cooks. Sorry, just some tough love.
    I would increase your protein goal and try to meet it. Also, try to meet your fat goal and fill in the rest with carbs. I found that cutting down on starchy carbs greatly helped me. Within days of cutting back on bread, pasta, potatoes, my midsection was smaller and flatter. Not because of actual weight loss, but less bloating and water retention. Good luck!

    Don't get me wrong, I CAN cook for myself, I do it for my kids. It's just easier. LOL!! Thank you though, sometimes you just need to hear it. I think my main reason is because with those dinners I know exactly the calories I am taking in. I just have to get better at counting calories with real food. :)
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    I have two kids my youngest is 4 and I am sick of the belly! I have been doing this program with no luck and thanks to a lot of help here, I got some great advice as why it might not be working. I think my main issues are not working out enough doing strenth training and not eating a better diet. I eat a lot of lean cusines which is okay sometimes but I need some "real" wholesome foods in my diet. So.....can someone help me out???? :) I really am into nutrition for my kids but I need to get better at it myself. I am 5'4 and about 127-129. My scale is all over the place, I need a new one. I want to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 117 and I don't just want to lose the weight, I really want to get more tone and healthy!!

    What kind of diet should I be following to really get rid of my pregancy belly?? I can eat anything except for NO PEANUTS/NUTS my oldest has a very severe peanut allergy so we will not have that in the house. Also, since I am a mom of a child with such a severe allergy and I also homeschool, life is stressful! One of the reasons I think my belly is out of control! What are some good things to help me relax?? Should I start yoga?? any suggestions?? Thanks all! I am LOVING this board, I just discovered it!!! WAHOO!

    lol belly fat blasting foods? riiiiiiiiiiiiiight, stop watching infomercials.

    Run, exercise, at least 30 mins a day. Preferably 60 mins.
    Eat right, fruits, veggies, STOP EATING FROZEN FOODS like you are, proteins, & drink water.

    You're not going to eat anything to lose fat.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    Cut out the prepackaged processed foods. It seems like you eat it every day. In the other thread you said because you homeschool you don't have time to cook. With all due respect I don't buy this. It doesn't take hours to cook a meal. It takes 10 minutes to chop up some veggies and chicken and get it going on the stove and you hardly need to look the pot's way for the next 30 minutes while it cooks. Sorry, just some tough love.
    I would increase your protein goal and try to meet it. Also, try to meet your fat goal and fill in the rest with carbs. I found that cutting down on starchy carbs greatly helped me. Within days of cutting back on bread, pasta, potatoes, my midsection was smaller and flatter. Not because of actual weight loss, but less bloating and water retention. Good luck!

    Don't get me wrong, I CAN cook for myself, I do it for my kids. It's just easier. LOL!! Thank you though, sometimes you just need to hear it. I think my main reason is because with those dinners I know exactly the calories I am taking in. I just have to get better at counting calories with real food. :)

    It's highly processed foods, lots of sodium as well, it's crap. quit eating it.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,221 Member
    Water intake takes care of sodium and processed foods are not going to effect body composition, lots of guys get ripped eating junk.
  • gusgrace06
    gusgrace06 Posts: 27
    I saw that some of you said remove potatoes, but I've read and heard that Red potatoes are something you want to eat.
  • chrissys74
    chrissys74 Posts: 31
    I have two kids my youngest is 4 and I am sick of the belly! I have been doing this program with no luck and thanks to a lot of help here, I got some great advice as why it might not be working. I think my main issues are not working out enough doing strenth training and not eating a better diet. I eat a lot of lean cusines which is okay sometimes but I need some "real" wholesome foods in my diet. So.....can someone help me out???? :) I really am into nutrition for my kids but I need to get better at it myself. I am 5'4 and about 127-129. My scale is all over the place, I need a new one. I want to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 117 and I don't just want to lose the weight, I really want to get more tone and healthy!!

    What kind of diet should I be following to really get rid of my pregancy belly?? I can eat anything except for NO PEANUTS/NUTS my oldest has a very severe peanut allergy so we will not have that in the house. Also, since I am a mom of a child with such a severe allergy and I also homeschool, life is stressful! One of the reasons I think my belly is out of control! What are some good things to help me relax?? Should I start yoga?? any suggestions?? Thanks all! I am LOVING this board, I just discovered it!!! WAHOO!

    lol belly fat blasting foods? riiiiiiiiiiiiiight, stop watching infomercials.

    Run, exercise, at least 30 mins a day. Preferably 60 mins.
    Eat right, fruits, veggies, STOP EATING FROZEN FOODS like you are, proteins, & drink water.

    You're not going to eat anything to lose fat.

    HA! I have never watched an infomercial in my life. LOL!! I was actually reading an article and I think Dr. Oz had something on his show about how people are shaped differently and gain weight in either the belly or the bottom part and for me it's belly. There are some things you can do to help it along but I can't find the article OR the show that it was talking about so thought someone on here would know.

    Thank you for posinting out the frozen foods though. I do think that is part of the issue.
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    When you make stuff from scratch use the nifty recipe function here on MFP, it will take all your ingredients and tell you what each servings statistics are. I agree, in the old days calculating everything out with a calculator and a piece of paper sucked and took forever, with MFP's recipe calculator it is a piece of cake, and you can save it so the next time you make it you already have the data available. So, don't be afraid to make from scratch.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    The best way to eat is to follow the food pyramid. A person will never go wrong there. Eat in moderation. Eat portion control and never deprive yourself of anything that you like eating. Fit everything into your daily calories. Drink plenty of plain water. Water helps with fat loss.
  • LeBlackstone
    LeBlackstone Posts: 26
    HA! I have never watched an infomercial in my life. LOL!! I was actually reading an article and I think Dr. Oz had something on his show about how people are shaped differently and gain weight in either the belly or the bottom part and for me it's belly. There are some things you can do to help it along but I can't find the article OR the show that it was talking about so thought someone on here would know.

    Dr Oz is a quack. His information is about as reliable as an infomercial.
  • mallred76
    mallred76 Posts: 50 Member
    I have 2 kids and homeschool as well. I have to make exercise a priority. I joined the YMCA and take my kids. They get to play for an hour or two and I get to work out. I workout hard-helps me relieve stress! I also cleaned up my diet, focused on low sodium, increased my calories and drank more water. I started lifting heavy weights too. Within 3 weeks I lost 2 inches off my waist. You can also try to avoid foods that cause bloating.

    Good luck and don't give up-consistency is key!
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    To relax, try Tai Chi.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    Sorry to say, there are no belly blasting foods, just hard work that combines a sustained exercise program, a slight deficit, committment and time.

    THIS!!!!!
    You can't "target tone" but you can be good to your body. Eat nutritious, well-balanced foods in sensible portions, drink plenty of water, and exercise regularly. All of you will get smaller and healthier, which is much more important than one part of you shrinking anyway.

    Also, just tossing this info in for grins and nothing else - Bananas and potatoes are both supposed to be bad for your midsection, but I eat at least one of each pretty much every day and shed 18" off my waist alone, so please don't believe everything you read.
  • sarglava
    sarglava Posts: 206 Member
    Lean cuisines are full of sodium. All that extra sodium is probably bloating you and your tummy. Cut back on those processed/packaged foods.
  • lyssaloo
    lyssaloo Posts: 39 Member
    It's true, there are no belly blasting foods. We gain and lose weight evenly around our bodies. You CAN'T lose weight in a certain section of your body at a time. The best thing you can do is eat lean meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats and oils. Do that and you can't go wrong. You will have more energy because you're actually putting good stuff into your body, not processed. Think about it this way, you wouldn't fill up a fancy sports car with glass cleaner and expect it to run at its highest efficiency. Think the same way about your body, if you fill it up with processed foods and chemicals that have no business being in your body, it's not going to run well and you won't feel good or have any energy. Just eat clean most days that you can and work out as much as you can, count your calories and make sure you consume less than you burn and you will lose that weight. :) Good luck!
  • MoooveOverFluffy
    MoooveOverFluffy Posts: 398 Member
    When you make stuff from scratch use the nifty recipe function here on MFP, it will take all your ingredients and tell you what each servings statistics are. I agree, in the old days calculating everything out with a calculator and a piece of paper sucked and took forever, with MFP's recipe calculator it is a piece of cake, and you can save it so the next time you make it you already have the data available. So, don't be afraid to make from scratch.

    what she said^^..... the best thing i ever did for myself was buy an inexpensive food scale. I was guessing at the weights of my chicken, fruit, cheese, etc and i was WAY OFF. The recipe calculator is fun and easy to use, and you can store your 'meal' for later reference if you plan to eat it often.

    One other tip, is that i like to cook in bulk. A whole bag of frozen chicken breasts get grilled all at once and i eat on them all week. Ditto for a big pot of vegetable soup.
  • MoooveOverFluffy
    MoooveOverFluffy Posts: 398 Member
    i also agree with the above..Lean Cuisine's are okay for a 'no time for anything else' meal. but if you eat them all the time, you may as well be eating junk food. The sodium content will keep your gut swollen with water retention. Also, drink insane amounts of water..........no soda, tea, gatorade, juice, etc.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    My problem with the Lean Cuisine type meals is that for the amount of calories, it was really a teeny tiny amount of food. I'd rather make pasta or rice with some veggies, chicken or fish and a sauce and have a larger portion with more nutrients for the same calories and less sodium. I can stirfry a little meal for myself in maybe 10 minutes, vs the five minutes to microwave a frozen dinner. Granted, I'm out of work at the moment so I have more time, but when I start a new job, I plan on making multiple servings in advance and using GladWare to carry my lunch.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Sorry to say, there are no belly blasting foods, just hard work that combines a sustained exercise program, a slight deficit, committment and time.

    This. Just keep up the good work and eventually you'll get there. However, it might just be that genetically you store fat on your stomach and that you'd have to go really low on the body fat percentage to get rid of it. This is the case with me and my thighs.

    And yeah, Lean Cuisines just aren't very good either. I'm a lazy cook (and just busy) and have to cook for toddlers too. There are a lot of things that can be made lower calories that are easy. We eat English muffin pizzas on whole wheat w/ turkey pepperoni, I just put less cheese on mine. Or black bean quesadillas is another good one. A steak, fish, chicken breast, rice and some salad. Or you can make some heavy side for the kids and the husband and then just skip it for yourself. Spaghetti made with whole wheat noodles and ground turkey.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I heard a mate say he heard a doctor on TV saying that eating lobsters while lying down help reduce belly fat too.


    ...what?

    It's as plausible as all the other methods out there!
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Sorry to say, there are no belly blasting foods, just hard work that combines a sustained exercise program, a slight deficit, committment and time.

    Another vote for this.

    However, I would add that it is more a calorie deficit suitable for you current body composition rather than a slight deficit. Obese people can handle steep deficits and their bodies will lose a greater % of fat over muscle even in the face of a large deficit.

    The leaner you get the less able your body is to deal with the same and you tend to lose a greater % of muscle over fat if you run it. Therefore smaller deficits are the way to go.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,221 Member
    Sorry to say, there are no belly blasting foods, just hard work that combines a sustained exercise program, a slight deficit, committment and time.

    Another vote for this.

    However, I would add that it is more a calorie deficit suitable for you current body composition rather than a slight deficit. Obese people can handle steep deficits and their bodies will lose a greater % of fat over muscle even in the face of a large deficit.

    The leaner you get the less able your body is to deal with the same and you tend to lose a greater % of muscle over fat if you run it. Therefore smaller deficits are the way to go.
    Agreed 100%. I was keeping it simple. Now that my body fat is on the low side as far as an average is concerned, I'm now zig zagging to help lower my body fat. When I was 50lbs heavier it was about deficit, protein consumption and a heavy 5X5 workout and some cardio. Now I do more of the 12 rep range but with more tonnage and HIIT and cardio.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Sorry to say, there are no belly blasting foods, just hard work that combines a sustained exercise program, a slight deficit, committment and time.

    Another vote for this.

    However, I would add that it is more a calorie deficit suitable for you current body composition rather than a slight deficit. Obese people can handle steep deficits and their bodies will lose a greater % of fat over muscle even in the face of a large deficit.

    The leaner you get the less able your body is to deal with the same and you tend to lose a greater % of muscle over fat if you run it. Therefore smaller deficits are the way to go.

    ^ Great posts up here.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    I work full time and have a family to take care of and I still don't eat frozen dinners. It really doesn't take that much time or effort to eat nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks and you can eat a LOT more food - and get significantly more nutrients - when you don't rely on pre-packaged, highly processed junk.
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