Pot Belly / Lower stomach Fat

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BLAAKL
BLAAKL Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All,

I seem to be losing and toning my mid torso but I have lower stomach fat / pot belly which i cant seem to shift as fast,

Anyone got a good exercise to specifically target this area?

Thanks in advance

:)
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Replies

  • katz22
    katz22 Posts: 116 Member
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    The area you mention is the place where the body stores fat. You can't spot reduce the area through specific exercise, you just have to lower overall fat percentage. What are your goals looks wise?
  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
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    The area you mention is the place where the body stores fat. You can't spot reduce the area through specific exercise, you just have to lower overall fat percentage. What are your goals looks wise?

    This is correct. You need to get to a low percentage of body fat to ultimately conquer that area. It's a battle I'm in too.
  • furekurss
    furekurss Posts: 74
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    chest flys on the smith machine

    but really, read about nutrition first
  • BLAAKL
    BLAAKL Posts: 9
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    Thanks All,

    Main goal is to lose fat / tone my whole torso - Ill try get a pic up here to show what i mean

    (main areas are hip / love handles and lower stomach but at the same time build and define my chest)
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    A lot of lower belly fat has more to do with nutrition than exercise. I'd suggest researching a bit and see if you can't tweak your diet a little to help out in this area.
  • klynnwalker4
    klynnwalker4 Posts: 21
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    I have issues too since I had my baby. It's all about cardio to get rid of fat. Just have to keep going. It can't stay forever.
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,323 Member
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    I've always heard "clean eating." I think a lot of us have this issue, male or female.
  • klynnwalker4
    klynnwalker4 Posts: 21
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    I've always heard "clean eating." I think a lot of us have this issue, male or female.

    Definitely clean eating. Eating 1800 calories (or however much) of "clean" food and eating 1800 calories in pizza and other junk will have different effects on the body.

    And drink lots of water!
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
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    I am having a real issue with this also! I am tone everywhere else but the lower stomach and it gets to me so much!! I have always had stomach buldge in that area and I have researched this topic alot. I have been into nutrition and fitness for years now and still have this problem!! I also read that posture can affect this area. I eat so clean, drink so much water, and workout hard (lifting and cardio). What else can be done??!! I did go through a phase during Christmas where I ate well and worked out during the week but ate a ton of junk 2 days in a row on the weekend. This went on for alittle over a month. I am sure this affected it but still..it makes me crazy!
  • kperk91
    kperk91 Posts: 226 Member
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    That has always been my issue. I have always had a smaller frame so I don't look big, but turn me sideways and you'll see I have potbelly/love handles :(
    I'm on MFP to help control my eating and weight loss to finally lose it. What exactly is a "clean" diet? I eat fruits/veggies and if I do eat carbs it's whole grain. Should I up my cardio (currently 5x/wk for 30-45min)?
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
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    It is a struggle!! As for clean eating, I am not some body builder woman haha, I just eat very healthy. I try to get that balance of vegetables, fruits, fats, proteins, and fiber into my diet. I have not eaten butter (although I have heard certain types of butter are healthy), certain types of cheese, and some other items that would cause weight gain, for some time now. I also have not salted my food for god knows how long mostly due to not wanting my stomach pouch to expand :) I WILL splurge once a week, like a Sunday or something (although the splurges have been happening more often ha!) but I have self control for the most part.

    As for exercise, I mix strength training with cardio. Most of my cardio consists of sprint intervals because I don't have time after a strength training workout to do 45 minutes of cardio. Some days when I don't have alot of energy I will do 30-40 min of low impact cardio. I feel that cardio should def be included at least 3-5 times a week. I know that HIIT is questionable for some but for me it helped a ton and still does! Try some sprints :)
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
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    That has always been my issue. I have always had a smaller frame so I don't look big, but turn me sideways and you'll see I have potbelly/love handles :(
    I'm on MFP to help control my eating and weight loss to finally lose it. What exactly is a "clean" diet? I eat fruits/veggies and if I do eat carbs it's whole grain. Should I up my cardio (currently 5x/wk for 30-45min)?

    Different people have different takes on exactly what a "clean" diet is. Basically, cutting out most or all processed foods. Then what "you" consider processed foods could be different from someone else's. The less ingredients the better. I consider my veggie burgers to be processed, but I love them, so I won't give them up. :smile:

    Edited to say my nutritionist told me pilates was the best way to tone up the lower belly, but that was a pretty long time ago. Tone it up, not get rid of it. That's diet.
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
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    That has always been my issue. I have always had a smaller frame so I don't look big, but turn me sideways and you'll see I have potbelly/love handles :(
    I'm on MFP to help control my eating and weight loss to finally lose it. What exactly is a "clean" diet? I eat fruits/veggies and if I do eat carbs it's whole grain. Should I up my cardio (currently 5x/wk for 30-45min)?

    Different people have different takes on exactly what a "clean" diet is. Basically, cutting out most or all processed foods. Then what "you" consider processed foods could be different from someone else's. The less ingredients the better. I consider my veggie burgers to be processed, but I love them, so I won't give them up. :smile:

    I agree. Clean eating is different for everyone. I do want to try to get rid of some processed foods.
  • hexrei
    hexrei Posts: 163
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    calories in/calories out. if your body is getting enough calories to retain the fat on the belly then you won't lose it. end of story. whether you're eating raw and organic or mcdonald's.
  • duharvalgt
    duharvalgt Posts: 320
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    The fat on the lower part of the stomach is one of the last areas to go, there is no one diet that will make it magically disappear.
    You just need a calorie deficit in order to burn fat.
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
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    I did know it is one of the last things to go but it has just been such a life-long issue for me. I know there is no spot moves and that you have to eat right..that is why it's frustrating.
  • PMargueritaHughes
    PMargueritaHughes Posts: 3
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    a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
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    a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

    Eating healthy def helps the stomach but exercise also is important! When I first got into a healty lifestyle I started out by changing my eating completely and after some time I started to add exercise. This worked for me and def my stomach. Now all that is left over is my lower pouch haha. I will have to deal with genetics ;)

    That sounds like a good exercise, thanks!!!!!
  • hexrei
    hexrei Posts: 163
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    a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

    You cannot spot-reduce fat in this manner. This will build abdominal muscles, but it will not remove that pot belly any faster than burning the same amount of calories with another exercise like running.
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
    Options
    a pot belly is my problem too. i think i am having success with this exercise, along with clean eating and lots of water: lay on your back, extend your legs out at 45 degrees. open and cross your legs like broken scissors, twice. (you know - left over right, then right over left.) put them back together, then come in for a double crunch. do as many as you can. you can definately feel it in the lower belly. i keep hearing that abs are made in the kitchen, but i think exercise helps too.

    You cannot spot-reduce fat in this manner. This will build abdominal muscles, but it will not remove that pot belly any faster than burning the same amount of calories with another exercise like running.

    We both know that that exercise is not going to get rid of it completely. With my experience, there were absolutely some stomach exercises that helped tone my stomach.

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