Carry my weight around my belly

[SRaeLopez]

Hello FitBitters,

I've had my FitBit flex for about a month now and things are going great. Ive lost about 7.5 lbs during a pretty stressful time (my sister just got married and there was lots of home cooking if you know what I mean)

Now that the wedding is over, I want to step my game up. Before, when I first got the flex, I was focusing on cardio. I carry most if my weight around my belly area (front and back) and need some advice on where to take it from here and where I should focus my efforts.
Can anyone guide me on the following;
1. What kind of exercise should I be doing now (not only for weight loss but for toning up)

2. Im eating better but still feel like I can make this also more focused on the area that I have the most trouble.

Any suggestions?

[WendyB]

I think you need Cardio and Strenght training. Weights will help tone. Altho you can not target certain areas.

I do cardio 6 days and strength training 3 days a week

As for what kind of exercise you need to find what you like doing so you will stick with it.

[Dominique]

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@SRaeLopez wrote:
What kind of exercise should I be doing now (not only for weight loss but for toning up)

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"Toning" really means two things: 1) putting on muscle, 2) reducing your body fat so your muscles become visible. For this, you need a combination of strength training (increase muscle mass) and cardio (decrease body fat), as Wendy said.

You can't decide where from the fat is going to disappear. You may lose some from "undesirable" areas (eg. your chest).

[LaTonya]

I carry my weight around my belly. The upside for me is that I have strong abnominal muscles and large arms so exercises such as planks, crunches, pushups and pullups help me strengthen my middle. Strong muscle is tighter and firmer, and less overall fat means my middle is slimmer. Like Wendy says, you can't target lose but you can affect the shape of your body with muscle definition. Strength and toning exercises help. My experience with HIT cardio training also helps me affect my overall body fat and it's particularily noticeable in my mid-section. I'm talking running drills and interval training on the treadmill.

Diet affects bloating and if you're like me, that means the middle. When I keep my carb intake balanced, I have fewer issues with bloating. For some, glueten also causes bloating. Carbs hold 3xs their weight in water, too, and extra water under the skin gives it that smooth look, softer look which is why bodybuilders restrict carbs to the extreme weeks before a show. Less water under the skin means tighter, leaner appearance to muscle creating greater definition. I love carbs but I also like feeling and looking good. On my best days, my diet is more green and moderate grains. I don't eat meat which can also cause bloating.

Learn how your body responds to diet and exercise and you'll discover what works for you. For me, it's about eating a balanced diet more than less and when I'm on target, I'm learner, stronger, healthier and therefore happy.

[tuddie]

I know  what you mean I take medication to control my anxiety and it makes me gain so much weight only in my belly. i look five months pregnant. 

[emili]

Wendy is on point. I have the exact same routine. I too was an apple shape and I am now celery. healthy food in, cardio out, strength to tone and help with not breaking down muscle from too much cardio. your belly will tighten even if you never do abs just because you need your abs to control every other movement you choose to do. If you want to focus on abs- the captain chair is your best bet. knees up, legs out. don't count how many you do, just keep going until you literally cant go anymore. abs are the biggest muscles, you can put them through a tough workout.

[tine2]

Hi,

I have the same stomach problem also need to loose the hips and stomach any advice on diet?

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@emili wrote:

Wendy is on point. I have the exact same routine. I too was an apple shape and I am now celery. healthy food in, cardio out, strength to tone and help with not breaking down muscle from too much cardio. your belly will tighten even if you never do abs just because you need your abs to control every other movement you choose to do. If you want to focus on abs- the captain chair is your best bet. knees up, legs out. don't count how many you do, just keep going until you literally cant go anymore. abs are the biggest muscles, you can put them through a tough workout.

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[emili]

Hi @tine2... opnions and advice we have in abundance. Just remember what works for some, will not work for you. Here is the simplified version: to lose weight- less in more out. You have to count to lose. When you reach goal weight or close to it, you can wing it - but for me, to this day, I count and weigh. I worked too hard to lose 6 sizes. To lose weight, I kept my food choices really simple so I wouldn't stress the weighing and portions. Fresh veggies, fruit, lean protein, good carbs, etc. Eat what you like- just remember to count. You will automatically make better choices when you see how much of your calorie budget a waffle, candy, potatoe chip or cookie takes up. It's not worth it. For example an egg vs egg white. Scrambled tastes the same- calories- not the same. An egg white with low fat feta and spinach- about 75 calories. Add an oz of blueberries- 16 calories. Add in a bagel thin-110 calories. Highly yummy and good for you- with carbs- just over 200 calories. Plan your menu for the week and buy only what you need and stick to it. You may have to exeriment with some food- for example yogurt, can't digest it quickly so I feel bloated from it- will not eat it unless last resort. Hope this helps, if you would like to know more, please feel free to message.. good luck!

[RexFeral]

I have to agree that what works for one person, may not work for another.

When I was very overweight, I carried a lot of that weight on my middle as well. Its basically visceral fat. My rib cage was so wide that I thought I was big boned or had some kind of genetic body shape that caused this.

I was floored when I lost weight and my rib cage has shrunk to where it looks like am wearing a corset. I couldn't believe it. In fact, I still cant believe it when I look in the mirror. The amount of visceral fat I had inside of me was enormous. Most likely one of the reasons I became insulin resistant. My liver was just full of fat.

I didn't exercise it away. I had absolutely no muscle to be able to do that. I was just too big and weak. I ate it away doing a Paleo diet and going into slight Ketosis. The dang thing just melted away with 0 effort and when it started going, it went FAST. I went from a size 26 to a Junior 13. A lot of dropped inches.

Try different approaches and see what works for you best. Whatever you can do long term is what you're looking for.

[LuV2Train]

Most of your progress is going to come from what you're eating along with working out/cardio.  What's your mealplan look like? 

[tine2]

What does you meal plan look like? I would like to shed 50 pounds this is the most overweight I have every been not sure what happened... Need some advice

[I-train-hard]

SRaeLopez

You can’t just burn fat from one desired place…..doesn’t work that way. Your body chooses what goes first and you have no say from where. Remember that.

People have given great advices.

The only one that mater the most is your diet. When I say diet, doesn’t mean starving, more like eat + lift weight + cardio + HITT if possible.

The key however; it’s you diet.

[tine2]

my meal plan is usually breakfast eggwhites with or with vegetables and with or without a chicken sausage. with a piece of toasted ezchiel sprouted bread with a little bit of smart balance if im not having the chicken sausage .not much of a oatmeal or cereal eater and 2 cups of black coffee and if I eat breakfast I usually am fine until dinner which would consist of fish or chicken with a salad of mixed greens with low fat balsamic dressing or a vegetable with a cup of brown rice .. If I have pasta with shrimp I eat whole grain pasta . I don't really snack if so I may have a piece of low fat cheese and a few of multigrain crackers...

[LuV2Train]

If breakfast and dinner is all you eat with a cheese and crackers as a snack you need to eat more.  Sure you can lose weight at first on eating just that but your calories are too low and your body will plateau making it difficult to continue losing the weight no matter how much you exercise. 

[tine2]

Any meal plan suggestions?   Sometimes breakfast is just 2 cups of coffee then I get on the treadmill or 60 minutes then I will eat lunch which consits of the breakfast meal or maybe tuna with tomato then dinner..I need some advice if anyone has a meal plan I dont really want yogurt  I guess that would be quick for a breakfast before workout ..

[LuV2Train]

I would suggest eating 4-6 meals a day being sure you have1- 1 1/2 g of protein per body weight for each meal.  Pre and Post workout meals add carbs and the rest of your meals I would have healthy fats and veggies with your lean protein.  Hope that helps!

[emili]

@tine2- for what its worth and at the risk of repeating myself...  I have never plateaued, or gone into starvation mode or binged- all the things every dieter worries about- I don't know if I was lucky or it worked because I committed 100% and treated it like science- but my health stats are very good. Here is what I did. Not for everyone, not recommending- just sharing. For three months, I reduced my calorie intake drastically. I stayed away from starch, unhealthy carbs, sugar- and did not exercise. When I dropped 40 pounds, I upped my calories and started to exercise. I experimented with how many calories I could eat per day, weekly based on what I was feeling and what I was seeing. It all boiled down to math and biology. I took my metabolic rate and reduced it by what was comfortable for me. With the calories I had left, I pie charted how many should be protein, carbs, nutrients, fats, etc. Once I started moving, I factored in how many calories I would burn through and adjust my pie chart. I committed to not caring about what the food was- but what the nutrition of the food was. You have to commit, research, and experiment. You won't react the same as someone else, eating the exact same food. Journal, count and read. You will find your way- I know you will! Today, I stay within my food rules, but, I enjoy the food I eat, I go out a lot, I enjoy cocktails and snacks- but rules come first.

[Dominique]

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@ForeverLexi wrote:

I have started to try this tea that seem to help. Here is the link below you should definitely check it out.

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Carrying extra weight in one’s mid-section is quite common, and unfortunately, it’s not possible to "spot-reduce" from any particular area, including with some magical tea detox.

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