losing my belly.... how?

I've read through this thread and have to just laugh. Replies that turn into an argument over "spot-reducing" and then replies that are nothing but "go here-buy this".


I'm 46. I have a little of a belly and the "love handles" as they're called. As you age, it becomes increasingly difficult to lose this weight. It can be done, but the workout is usually well beyond what we have the time for at this point of our life. More than likely it's just NOT going to go away completely. But you can take steps to minimize it.


Step one. I'm going to actually save you money. Dump 3 things. Soda, bread and pasta. So that means nothing baked with either white or even wheat bread. I know I'll get a lot of crap for this but I've been doing it for 2 months and I'm fine. I get regular checkups and the docs tell me I'm fine also. Dumping the carbs will help greatly. Soda, even diet soda, can be a big issue. Not just the sugar, but the bloated feeling. And pasta falls into the bread category. Trust me, you won't miss it. If you slip up, that's okay. Just being aware of the breads and sodas will help you cut down.


Step Two. Exercise. True, exercise cannot spot reduce, but it can certainly give the appearance of spot reduction. Look around the web. There are plenty of FREE websites that have great abdominal workouts. Tightening the core will help greatly. Don't forget to include exercises that work your sides. This will lessen the appearance of your love handles. Once again let me say I agree YOU CAN'T SPOT REDUCE. But by working the abs 3-5 times a week for about 30 minutes each time will make it look like you spot reduced. Oh, make sure you do different types of ab exercises so your body doesn't get used to one type.


I do both of the above as well as a one mile walk every other day and I've lost almost 20 pounds and gone from a 36 inch waist to a 33 inch waist.


When it comes right down to it, just ignore everyone here (including me) and experiment. Each person is different. What works for me may not work the same for you. But don't ever let people think you can't do something or have to spend money in order to do it. The first step is to just get moving...
 
Hey if you are really serious about losing belly fat this is what you have to do. First thing you must know is you can't spot reduce. Next thing is don't waste your time doing crunches and situps. This is completely useless and all that will happen is your abs will get a little stronger but hardly and weight or body fat will be lost. The reason is the abs are not a huge muscle and they don't burn a lot of fat. What you need to do is drop your body fat and the best way to do that is High Intensity Interval Training. You also need to do full body exercises that will work the larger muscles like squats, pull ups, dips, rows, push ups, deadlifts pretty much anything that is going to work the big muscles. You want to do this at a high intensity. I could tell you a ton of different programs that would work. You could check out bodyrock.tv or you could go to zwow and do her workouts, but to make this as simple as possible you should get a copy of Insanity by Beachbody. Pretty much anybody that does Insanity loses weight and gets shredded. There is not mystery why this happens. Insanity uses big muscle groups done at a high intensity to burn a ton of calories and build lean muscle. If you still can't lose belly fat after completing 60 days of that then there is something wrong. You also need to figure out how much you are eating. You must track all your calories so you know exactly what it is you are eating. Do this for at least a week. There are plenty of calorie tracking websites and apps available. A good one is mydailyplate.com. Another thing you can do is figure out your bodyfat percentage. Then figure out how much weight you have to lose to be at that body fat percentage.


I would recommend doing a Fitness Challenge. The reason I suggest this is because it consist of three components that are proven to get you results. These are a quality exercise program, good nutrition and most importantly support. If you don't have this components most likely you are not getting the result you want. By joining a fitness challenge you really do not have to think to much about what you need to do. You don't need to design any workout programs, and you have the support you need to get you through and keep you on track. (removed)


I know for a fact that these challenge groups work because there are thousands of pictures of people that show it does as proof. If you are serious about losing your belly fat and I think you are then get in a Challenge Group and get those results.


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I just went to that website mydailyplate and to be honest, the calorie calculator is just...well...wrong. It said I needed to eat 1740 calories a day to reach my goal. Really? It knows my body that well? I'm sorry, but it's wrong. I tried this approach and it did nothing.


It's simple to do. Most important is to ignore websites, especially those that want money. Remember, paying money doesn't make you lose weight. And whatever someone is trying to sell you can be found elsewhere on the web for free.


Food - cut the crap. Swap nuts for candy/snacks. I recommend cutting way back on the carbs. Just eliminating any bread or anything with wheat in it will be enough. And swap out sodas.


Exercise - As everyone says, you can't spot reduce. But you CAN MAKE IT LOOK REDUCED. Search the web for FREE exercises. There is one in particular you should look up. The Plank. It's simple to do and it has a HUGE effect on your body. Do the Plank and Side Plank exercises every other day, morning and afternoon, along with mixing up different ab exercises. Then just a nice walk and there you go.


Remember, ignore any site that wants money to help you lose weight. You can do what they want to sell you for free on your own. Good luck...
 
OK I'll throw my 2 cents in. First of all Cardio is not for girls. In my opinion Cardio is the best way to lose stubborn fat but you really need to kick it up a few notches. You need to get you heart rate up to the anaerobic zone , that's 85 to 90% of you maximum heart rate(220 - your age), and keep it there as long as can. Then recover and do it again. Keep this up for about 30 minutes. This will really rev up your metabolism and give you a nice after burn. Your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate then normal for hours after a good anaerobic workout. This should take the fat off. There is no easy answer to fat loss. It takes hard work.
 
This is a very unhealthy place to carry fat, and when you lose weight, this area will go down on its own without any specific exercise. You jsut need to keep losing fat until it starts to effect the belly area and it will be all down hill from there. Stick with it you will get there.
 
hi there,

Great job! you lost 27 pounds.. and if you feel that it was done by reduction of portion size. Then i have a good news for you.. it is easy for you to lose weight...! Really beleive me i have been helping people lose weight since 3 years. And the only things which works in permanant weight managment is self control! And pschychology. It guarentees long lasting success.

Okay now comming to the point.. i would highly appreciate if you could maintain some record of your food and acitivity.. really it will help you a lot and with in week you will start seeing the change.
I can help you if you wish to give little more information about your daily intake and acitivy. that would be enough for us to start!
 
Hi. Cardio will help burn up those calories. You need to do it more than just a couple of times per week. However there has been research done to suggest the type of foods you eat plays a big role in the fat that builds up in the stomach. For example cheap vegetable oils should be replaced with coconut or cold pressed olive oil. Stay away from canola oil, it is one of the worst oils for chemicals that can keep the weight on.
Soybean products may not be beneficial as they have been genetically modified and can cause hormones to be triggered that cause stomach fat. Plus they require a lot of pesticides in their growing process. So keep working out and try to increase the cardio to 4 times a week, you need to be regular with your exercise. I know with work it will be tough going earlier on. BUT stick to a routine that works for you. Good Luck.
 
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