belly flab??! help!!

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thatchickbrit
thatchickbrit Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
so, i have been able to loose weight but it seems like my belly just doesnt want to go down and stay flat. there's a million ideas to help this all over the net but i need advice from actual people. what exercises should i concentrate on? foods i should eat? HELP! i don't want to be skinny except for the spare tire.

Replies

  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    You can't spot reduce. Keep losing weight and your body will finally get around to dropping the weight there. That said you need to have a layer of muscle under there to actually see the results so work in some core work.
  • Cosmic_Unicorn
    Cosmic_Unicorn Posts: 150 Member
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    You can't stop reduce actual fat. However I find I'm way less bloated in my tummy when I avoid bread, salt, diet pop, etc, and it makes a big difference in how I look and feel.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    It's genetic. Eventually it will go away.
  • lmalaschak
    lmalaschak Posts: 346 Member
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    l'm close to my goal weight and thought my stomach would be flatter by now too. But I did bear three children so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I'm not sure what to do either...I'm going to get to my goal and then see how things look before I re-assess!
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Strenght training really helped my belly. I gave birth to 6 kids and you can see the results on my Avatar
  • capricorn0120
    capricorn0120 Posts: 109 Member
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    I have the same problem. When I lost weight the first time around I noticed that the more weight I lost the less flabby my stomach was. I also did the Jackie Warner Power Circuit Training dvd and noticed a difference after a few months. A combination of weight loss and excercising.
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
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    Strenght training really helped my belly. I gave birth to 6 kids and you can see the results on my Avatar

    Wow. I see you post alot and really thought I wanted to be your friend...till just now.

    LOL I'm so kidding. You look AMAZING!
  • gioisa75
    gioisa75 Posts: 242 Member
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    I have increased my miles that I run to see if this will help. It's very frustrating. But I did not gain the weight overnight so I will not lose it overnight.
  • duharvalgt
    duharvalgt Posts: 320
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    You can't stop reduce actual fat. However I find I'm way less bloated in my tummy when I avoid bread, salt, diet pop, etc, and it makes a big difference in how I look and feel.

    ^^ accurate description; some of it may be stored water so a little less salt may be helpful.
  • mjsamee
    mjsamee Posts: 215 Member
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    :ohwell: I feel your pain and frustration! my stomach seems to not have budged the only reason I have gone down a couple pants sizes is my hips, bottom, and thighs have gotten smaller! the stomach...not so much!:grumble: I have had 3 c-sections, I wonder if that makes a difference??? well I am going to continue and just hope it starts to go down some!!! good luck and congradulations on your weight loss so far!!:flowerforyou:
  • cutethang1
    cutethang1 Posts: 239 Member
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    Lost 70 lbs first time around and my stomach did get smaller looked fine with clothes but was never tight still flabby underneath it all? It's a mystery to me too. I did hardcore boot camp, cardio and strength training. So not sure what else to do. All the women in my family have either a pouch and or a noticeable tummy (Even my very thin aunt). I HATE genetics! Just have to work harder this time around.
  • yag1630
    yag1630 Posts: 92
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    Less salt.
    After cardio exercises do core exercises.
    ABS exercises would be great and would help in building muscles to better help in burning fats in that area.
  • ctlinj7
    ctlinj7 Posts: 152 Member
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    I was always told that "Abs are made in the kitchen" but still core strength is very important. I've found that kettlebelling has greatly GREATLY increased my core strength. I started with an intro DVD and a 10 lb kettlebell and now I'm up to 30 lb kettlebell!
  • annameier8706
    annameier8706 Posts: 572 Member
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    A couple things that have helped me with my baby pooch (2 kids under 3...):
    -Circuit training, with circuits that focus on your abs. Make sure to target all the different ab areas, DON'T JUST DO SIT UPS/CRUNCHES
    -Watch your salt intake. Too much salt made me retain weight in my stomach area
    -Drink LOTS OF WATER!!! I mean a lot! I drink around 80-120 oz of water a day, and it has been magic
    -Understand your body type. As women we are naturally prone to a higher fat %, which we tend to carry more in all of the worst areas (stomach, thighs, hips, butt...:grumble: ). Some women, due to genetics, will never have that perfectly flat stomach...
    -Posture. I know that seems silly, but the more you stand up straight, the more you r core is engaged in a regular basis and the flatter your stomach will appear.
  • amycool
    amycool Posts: 57 Member
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    Hi, I haven't got an amazing stomach or great abs or anything but for the last few months I've been doing a lot more cardio and my stomach has looked totally flat (in clothes) I had to have a 2 week break though because of a ribcage injury and unfortunately it has gone back to normal but I'm getting back into it next week (and have decided to get back into mfp as well) so we'll see what happens now. Also swimming is brilliant for tightening up the stomach, and it made my boobs go up a size and that's never bad :-)
  • daveainsworth
    daveainsworth Posts: 9
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    You cannot spot reduce fat. A lot of people have said that already, but it's true.

    Women tend to store fat on the belly, bum and thighs so these will often be the last bits of your body to take on a toned look. To get them looking really good you'll just have to get down to the right body fat percentage.

    In the meantime, you can improve your appearance by doing Pilates. If you can build core strength, this will make you stand up straighter and strengthen your pelvis, belly and back muscles, which will pull your tummy in.

    Also, do weights to maintain upper body strength. If you lose a lot of weight without strength exercises, you risk losing muscle instead of fat.

    A lot of women avoid weights because they are worried about looking bulky, but don't worry about this. For women, weights won't make you big, just lead to a firm, toned look.

    Use heavy weights and low reps, three times a week. Exercise triceps, biceps, pecs, shoulders and upper back.

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