For everyone who has achieved great looking abs.

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fitinyoga14
fitinyoga14 Posts: 448 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This question is for people who haven't always had flat abs, but have achieved them in their lifetime. HOW DID YOU DO IT? what kinds of work outs and eating habbits did you follow in order to loose the stomach fat? i'd say i have a pretty strong core, i just need to get rid of the fat the covers my muscle!!! please add suggestions and tips :happy:

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  • kmurph37
    kmurph37 Posts: 16
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    I have started to notice great improvement in my abs since I cut out the beer :) and started doing stomach crunches.
  • fitinyoga14
    fitinyoga14 Posts: 448 Member
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    i think i'm going to need a little more change than that. i've never drank beer and i've been doing crunches for years. By the way, people call me murph too. we probably share the same last name.
  • kaytbognar
    kaytbognar Posts: 249
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    I haven't tried it and have yet to experience the joy of not-flabby abs, but this is an interesting article you might find helpful

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/high-fat-diet-no-cardio-washboard-abs/
  • borjanap
    borjanap Posts: 232 Member
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    cardio. u have to run. thats the only thing thats worked for me. u need to burn the fat
  • Younger_at_50
    Younger_at_50 Posts: 24 Member
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    I agree with borjanap, my cardio workout is the elliptical machine and stationary bike. I was very impatient when I first seriously started my workout routine because my stomach didn't seem to change compared to other parts of my body. It took me six months before the tone of my stomach and hips were noticeably changed (based on working out 6-8 hours/week). Here is a link to an article that confirms this.

    Hope this helps .. :)

    http://ezinearticles.com/?Want-a-Flat-Stomach?---Heres-the-Best-Exercise&id=53554
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    I have to agree with the posters that said cardio. If there is flab/fat on the belly the only way to get rid of it is cardio, crunches may tone the muscles but the fat/flab will still be on top of them. I am still surprised at how much my stomach went down when I started running. And you don't have to do long distance running I do a 40 min workout three times a week that involves running (I do a different one each day) then I walk with my dog the other days. The C25K is a good place to start, I did it at 48. Now I'll be turning 50 in a couple of weeks and am probably in the best shape I've ever been in.
  • emmy133
    emmy133 Posts: 7
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    Jillian Michaels says it is all about diet and cardio, not crunches, because the belly is where the body stores excess body fat.
    http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-specialist/belly-bulge.aspx. I feel I can do the cardio, but the crunchs are going to be harder for me to get back into since having a baby (c-section) 2 months ago.
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
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    I have to agree with the posters that said cardio. If there is flab/fat on the belly the only way to get rid of it is cardio, crunches may tone the muscles but the fat/flab will still be on top of them. I am still surprised at how much my stomach went down when I started running. And you don't have to do long distance running I do a 40 min workout three times a week that involves running (I do a different one each day) then I walk with my dog the other days. The C25K is a good place to start, I did it at 48. Now I'll be turning 50 in a couple of weeks and am probably in the best shape I've ever been in.


    Pretty much what I was going to say. :tongue: Do abdominal workouts to strengthen your abdominals. However, to actually see the toned muscle, you need less body fat. So cardio in combination with strength training is the best. But just strength training won't get you the results you want. My belly has shrunk a ton since i started running. I just finished the C25K program and plan on running 3 miles three times a week and work up to 5 miles 3 - 4 times a week.
  • oregonlady
    oregonlady Posts: 2,743 Member
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    my abs are not flat, but they are better than when i was young!

    i do lots of cardio, but i seen great improvements since i began doing pilates regularly.
    pilates helps make my middle feel strong and fit.
  • barbarella
    barbarella Posts: 609 Member
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    Ditto on all exercise mentioned above..........

    Food choices make a diff too. When I eat mostly veggies & protein, the belly jiggles much
    less than when eating wheat, dairy, alcohol etc. no matter how good my workouts are.

    Only time in my life I've ever had a flat stomach............
    years ago: sick with pneumonia & couldn't eat for a week!!!

    NOT recommended............... :laugh: :love: :bigsmile:
  • musclebuilder
    musclebuilder Posts: 324 Member
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    You need to lower your bf%..I personally just diet hard and work to stay in a calorie deficit.. The leaner you get the more the body will resist weight loss. So it is good to have a plan in place and follow the plan. And you have to be prepared to make whatever adjustments along the way you need to in order to keep yourself moving along and losing bf.. I like to slowly lower cals over the course of my diet and slowly increase cardio the same way. I focus on losing 1lb a week. I don't just rely on a scale, I rely on the mirror more and weekly side by side pictures. you can purchase a bf% caliper also which is usefull.

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