Thread: Losing fat from stomach

Sorry for being a bit grose but I have two stomachs! A belly right under my boobs...then it slims down where my belly button is and then a much larger lower belly. This lower belly makes me look preggers and I absolutely hate it I've been doing Body Combat for about 6 months now and my arms, legs and bum are becoming beautifully toned and lovely but my belly is still a ball of blubber. I feel so self conscious to see that overhang when I wear my lycra gym top.

Is it all about ab crunches? I seriously struggle with only 5 minutes of abs.

I know what you mean about the 2 bellies!!! I have the same. Though I have upped my exercise again recently and have already seen a difference. Instead of 2 mountains, they now resemble humps in the road!! Getting there!!

I have been using kettlebells, running and using workouts to burn fat/tone up. With exercise and eating properly you should see a difference. There's no easy answer unfortunately. Though, if you say you struggle with 5 mins of abs work then that would tell me I need to push at it so I can do more eventually which will help tone. You sau you do body combat? How often?

Remember, though, you can have a lovely toned body, but it will be difficult to see when you're still in the process of losing weight. Hope that helps. Keep at it though, and take pictures of now and in say 4 weeks and I bet you'll see a difference. When you see yourself every day it's difficult to see a loss.xx

I asked an instructor at the gym about burning tummy fat and she told me to find out my fat burning zone heartrate and then when you are on an exercise bike/treadmill try and stay within that zone and it should burn the fat away and then you can tone up =D xxx

push ups, sit ups & jogging or swimming but zumba & that ab circle pro thing are actaully not bad either. eating lighter foods such as fruit and veggies will help too because sometimes your belly can just appear bigger cos it is bloated or swollen from fatty or heavy meals. good luck

While its true that you burn more fat at lower intensity (generally around 60% of max heart rate, aka fat burning zone) you will burn more calories and subsequenlty more fat at higher intensity. The fat burning zone is a myth or rather a misinterpretation. Trainers should know better.

There are 2 types of fat - visceral which you will get around organs including the belly and subcutaneous which is udner the skin such as thighs. These are not the same (e.g. high visceral fat can be a precursor to diabetes which is why belly measurements are used as an indicator). ITs possible you have more visceral fat if its in your abdomal area or sub cutaneous if around your lower belly/bum. Blame your gender and genes. sub cutaneous is accepted as hrder to shift but less health risk

How do models and bodybuilders get their abs?

1. Diet. Main impact is restrictive/controlled diet. Fibre also reduces visceral fat. My lodger some years ago was a body builder competitively and they are obsessive
2. Aerobic exercise will tend to reduce both visceral and subcutaneous. Treadmill, x trainer but work hard and forget fat zones
2. Exercise big muscles - glutes, quads etc.., they burn most cals and do some weights with them (this can be low reps with big weights or high reps with low weights such as kettlebells)
3. De-stress. Seriously this has an impact. Cortisol is ahormone which produces fat when under stress, so have chill out time. Destressed people have less visceral fat.
4. Sleep well.

These have the greatest impact for a firm belly. Exercising abs will add some tone thru leg raises etc.., but its less impactful than the list above. However the list above wont sell any products such as Fast abs or whatever, but it is backed by studies and the success of sports and hyper-trophic bodybuilders.

Not probably what you expected to hear.... the exercises to get very ripped and large abs will involve weighted exercises; you can crunch away but until you overload with a weight like a plate or dumbell you are limited. I can give you a list of them if you want.

oops forgot alcohol. you wont burn fat when your body is processing alchohol.

so aprt from the empty calories, liver damage etc.., staying off any booze will help you carry on burning fat

MartinD , what an interesting reply, enjoyed reading that and made alot of sense.

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Brilliant, very imformative. Shame about the alcohol though :-(

yeah sorry about that...

just have this in mind; to burn a pound of fat needs 250,000 crunches. Or you could do 10 half hour kettlebell sessions or P90x or insanity workout.

then have more time in the pub

Originally Posted by Shazzabir

Brilliant, very imformative. Shame about the alcohol though :-(

Thanks MD

If the fat burning zone is a myth why is it printed on every cardio machine at the gym?? Surely they wouldn't put it on there if it isn't true? xxx