Lose Belly Fat FRUSTRATED

[pickles7904]

I have worked out and lost almost all the weight I need except this darn belly fat! I am losing my boobs and butt and dont want to lose anymore. i dont want to look anorexic. I just want to get rid of my belly fat but they say that you can only do cardio to lose fat and that everything will go away first then belly but i dont wnat to BE SUPER skinny and i dont want to feel my butt bone when i sit which is almost to the point i am at. I just wante a way to lose this belly. I am so frustrated. I look great except for that. I eat all protien and veggies I am a Zumba instructor so i DO my cardio every week PLUS take Extreme Fit classes and lift weights. The more sit ups i do it still doesnt work. Just frustrated. Dont want to be a twig just to lost some belly fat. sigh...its like whats the point of trying to lose weight when the fat parts you want gone dont go away 😞  sorry for the grammatical errors. was typing fast at work. 

[swduncan]

Have you looked into cortisol? If not do some reading -  cortisolconnection.com has a lot of info, but there are other places. The gist is that stress can cause us to hang on to belly/visceral fat via the creation of cortisol. Cortisol's supposed to be created only in response to real stress, but some of us evidently create more than we should, or have more stress than we think. 

There are supplements that help, along with the usual stress reduction stuff: meditation, relaxation techniques, etc. 

I had done low carb very successfully in the past but when I tried it recently it wasn't working AT ALL. I would be motivated in the morning, ears-deep in a bag of chips in the afternoon. Any reduction in calories changed my mind from wanting to lose weight to 'maybe next year'. 

I started taking Rhodiola, Theanine, & Fish oil, and a few days later the diet started working again. Not a miracle, no super fast loss or anything, just working like it used to. I eat sensibly, don't feel hungry, and the weight comes off. 

So what changed, aside from the supplements? Last time I lost serious weight I didn't have: Wife, 3 kids, dog, house, new job, long commute, and the tail end of a mid-life crisis 8-). 

[tamtbell]

Emchuw,

Where do you get a water infuser? I'm curious about that! I grow a lot of mint, love lemon in my water, cucumbers, and what not. I'd love to do that to mix up my water from time to time. 

[AdwoaAmoah]

Why not just have the things that you like every once in a while in moderation? 

There's really no reason to complete deprive ourselves of the things that we like that might not be the healthiest for us (foods and drinks). A glass or two of wine every now and then will not kill you. Nor will a piece of cake once a month.

If having a flat tummy is more important that enjoying food and think then go for it. But if enjoying foods is what gives you more pleasure, then have what you want, focus on being healthy and belly fat be **ahem**ed.

Enjoy life!

[Mermaid3011]

Yup wanting to lose Belly Fat but losing boobs instead... VERY FRUSTRATING !!! LOL

But seriously - I have lost 60 lbs so far and have 40 lbs to go, but since I have started a Pilates & Yoga exercise and real food program and I am also doing the "easier" version of P90X my stomach muscles have improved and I feel my belly is less "jiggly". 

It's the core muscles that keep things from jiggling as much and they sure are being toned by my programs. Eating healthy, real food (and enjoying a treat once a in a while) has really made a huge difference for me. I have more energy, am happier and feel better overall. 

Just my two cents... eat well, exercise sensibly, strengthen your core and let life happen (including birthday cakes) and life will be good! 

[Piglet0403]

 You can get water infuser bottles or pitchers at Kroger, Walmart, Target or other similar stores.. I bought a infuser bottle for me and my husband liked it so much I had to get two more one for him and daughter. I wish I had saw the pitcher first though so I could let water sit longer and infuse more flavor.

[MRose]

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@tamtbell wrote:

Emchuw,

Where do you get a water infuser? I'm curious about that! I grow a lot of mint, love lemon in my water, cucumbers, and what not. I'd love to do that to mix up my water from time to time. 

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@tamtbell You can get infusers at Target, Whole Foods, or somewhere similar, but I went for Amazon!! Large selection, all the reviews, and they were cheaper 😛 

[divedragon]

Someone else hit on this a little...fat storage is genetic and it goes on to places and comes off in an order specific to the individual.  You cannot target fat loss - it will come off when it's programmed to come off.

One aspect that plagues most dieters is the loss of muscle while dieting, thus limiting the weight loss potential.  This is especailly true with women due to estorgen and other hormones that fight the fat loss process to preserve the reproductive and baby raising processes.  As with many things that come easier for men, women have to work twice as hard to put on muscle which will help with fat burning.  I have come across a method of fat loss and muscle building that may help (there are indications it works better for men, but women do derive a benefit).  It's called intermittent fasting.  Do not focus on cardio with this process, go for resistance training.  Eat your maintenance calories in a consistent 8 hour window every day and fast the hours inbetween so that you have at least 16 hours of fasting time each day.  The 16 hour fast will put your body into fat burning mode.  Do your workouts while still in fasting mode, but at the end so that you get a post workout meal.  The claim is that you can burn fat, retain muscle and change your body composition without actually loosing any weight and especially muscle.  Eat lots of protien as part of your diet to help with the muscle building/maintenance.  At this point you don't want to loose any more weight, just the fat, so I think this protocol is what you're looking for.  Good luck!!!

[Hellfreedumb]

You really need to cut carbs (no bread, sugar (fake/real), and FRUIT!) Yes, fruit. Try the adkins diet and to more caloric deficit (like 100cals).

[lynnsudden33]

Drop the sugar, honey, agave, sweet and low and other artifical sweeteners, period end of story... try Stevia instead or better yet, slowly ween yourself off the sweeteners all together.  Also try a waist trainer, but do not put it on so tight that you cannot breathe and also only wear it during your cardio routine.  Good luck!!!

MLT

[Dominique]

Well, belly fat isn’t caused by eating a certain food or macronutrient. Likewise, you won’t get rid of belly fat by avoiding a certain food or macronutrient. Eating fruits is desirable for a number of reasons (vitamins, minerals, fibre), even if they contain sugar. If they fit in your calorie allotment, they won’t get stored as belly fat. 

[Corney]

Sorry, but genetics may not be on your side.  When you gain weight fat is distributed over the entire body according to genetics, when you lose weight it is lost throughout the body according to your genetics.  There is no specific exercise known to man that will spot reduce, anyone who tells you that is lying to you.  Situps, crunches, planks, strengthen the muscles below the fat, but will not selectively get rid of belly fat.  If I were you I would look at your Mother and any other female relatives and see where thet store their fat, chances are you will store your fat in the same places.  Keep up your exercise program and you may still be able to reduce that belly fat, but six pack abds are not going to suddenly appear.

[Corney]

Pickles7904  As a side light, don't believe web sights, or persons  that have come up with some product, supplement or exercise that will miraculously get rid of that ugly belly fat with little or no effort. The only thing you will lose is MONEY.  Be glad you lost weight and are healthy.  I know you seem frustrated, but your body follows it's own genetic code, which can not be changed.  I was the exercise consulant for a surgical bariatric program, believe me if I had had the answer to getting rid of the excess belly fat my clients experienced, I would be a multi-millionaire, which I'm not.  I believe in being honest with people, suppling them with Physiologic facts learned through 38 years of practice.

[Corney]

Pickles 7904, I just read a post that really upsets me and the reason I blocked any post that mentioned fasting, intermittent fasting and cleansing.  From my experience it's unhealthy, it's voodoo medicine.  You have just proved to yourself that your exercise program has led to weight lose but not where you want to loose,  so why would any other questionable weight lose scheme do something that your proven exercise program hasn't done.  These advocates who claim great success at weight lose are only using anecdotal evidence, but do they mention the loss of belly fat?  Please use your common sense when it comes to fasting,IMF or cleansing.

[A_Lurker]

@pickles7904 - one thing I've seen suggested for people who carry their excess weight in their lower half is to work on building upper body strength and definition.  It won't necessarily shrink belly fat, but carrying a little extra weight down below and having excellent sculpted arms might make you feel less off balance.

[JasaSEO]

Not just alcohol, but also things with artificial sweeteners (which really sucks but they truly can make your body turn them to fat). Because abdominal fat is largely jasa seo visceral and keeps our organs from playing bumper cars, it's one of the hardest to lose, especially in women. And since so much of it is hormonal or genetic, it is going to change from person to person.

[Dominique]

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@JasaSEO wrote:

artificial sweeteners (which really sucks but they truly can make your body turn them to fat)

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Can you point me to a study showing artificial sweeteners are converted into fat? The quantity used are so small anyway I fail to see how they could have any significant impact on overall fat gain.

[SunsetRunner]

I've lost around 40lbs in the last year but my belly fat remains. I do consume a lot more sugar than I probably should. I'm making a conscious effort to cut it down/out and see what difference it makes.

[Corney]

It's probably a good idea to cut down on sugars since they are empty calories, but unfortunately where individuals carry their excess weight as fat is most often determined genetically.  It is a myth that people can spot reduce their fat by doing specific exercises or consume some miracle substance sold by con artists.  If you look at your parents and see where they carry their excess weight, chances are you will carry yours in a like manner.  Good luck, keep exercising and cut back on the sugar.