REached my goal weight but tummy flabby

[jaygirl3]

Hi everyone.

I am new to the forum...............having some little problem getting fat off my abdomen. I heard spot reduction was a myth so i was doing lots and lots of cardio, but i got thinner while my abs stayed as they wee, so now i look thin with a very big tummy. Please any suggestions? Has any one suceeded in reducing thier waist line only? I cant lose more weight before i become unhealthy thanks

[andrerox80]

Hi everyone.

I am new to the forum...............having some little problem getting fat off my abdomen. I heard spot reduction was a myth so i was doing lots and lots of cardio, but i got thinner while my abs stayed as they wee, so now i look thin with a very big tummy. Please any suggestions? Has any one suceeded in reducing thier waist line only? I cant lose more weight before i become unhealthy thanks

that's the problem w/ losing by cardio and not lifting too. you become a smaller version of yourself, but don't change your body shape at all. yes, spot reduction is a myth. what are your stats? are your skinny-fat? you probably would benefit from bulking and then cutting in the proper way. see the sticky on calculating cals and macro's and the one on training prgm basics. eat at a modest surplus and get on a good lifting prgm and lift heavy.

[oregonchick76]

A year ago I lost 10 lbs to reach my "goal" weight of 118. I did it strictly through cardio and eating less. At 118 I simply looked like a smaller version of my larger self, with the same proportions... I had no muscle! So I started over, with lifting heavy and doing very little cardio. At 124, I wear the same clothes I did at 118!

Often times, when a person loses weight by diet and cardio, a large part of what they lose is muscle - which leaves you "skinny-fat" at your "goal" bodyweight. Sounds like you need to start lifting...

[PattyOLantern]

As a trainer, one of the hardest things to change is the general misconception (seemingly by women more than men) that tons of cardio = getting in shape.

Fortunately, I have a few clients who trained with me long enough to understand what they're doing, and then took their fitness into their own hands. If I ever need a demonstration of what resistance training can do for a woman, I just look for one of them.




My advice to you is to read as much as you can on here, learn what you're doing, and apply it to yourself. It's unfortunate that you suffered this very common setback but with some dedication and hard work, you can turn it around.

[jaygirl3]

Thanks for the advice. Would crunches help? I thought lifting would increase my biceps?

[Amanda76]

Definitely focus on gaining lean mass. I had the same issue you had when prioritizing cardio. I got down to 110 pounds which was nearing underweight for my height and still had a flabby belly. I'm by no means ripped to shreds now but the appearance of my abs has improved over the years as my lean mass has gone up. I RARELY do direct ab work and still haven't hopped back on the cardio bandwagon so neither of those things are necessary to see improvement.

Don't get scared off by my pictures if you're afraid of developing biceps. I'm genetically fortunate, there and my goal is to continue to become more and more developed until the day I die. Focusing on gaining lean mass, yes, you can expect a change in the appearance of all of your muscle groups. But if you're not dedicated to eating to grow for YEARS, you won't experience much increase in size. You'll just start to look more defined or "toned" if that's a word that makes you feel more comfortable. Look at my progress pictures. There are obviously many areas in time I could have quit focusing on gaining size. Also consider that I weigh 18 pounds more now than I did when I started and have bulked up to between 140 and 150 pounds several times in order to look relatively lean at 128. You've got to overeat to accomplish that. Using weights lets your body know what to do with that extra food, but lifting weights in and of itself won't cause you to gain weight. What it can do for you is tip the balance of whether your body is comprised of more lean tissue or more fatty tissue.

If you were to remain the weight you are (by eating at maintenance) and create stimulus for growth your body is going to have to pull the extra calories (energy) it needs to grow from somewhere. You can expect it's going to have to break down some of what it has stored in your belly to meet those energy requirements. If you choose to change your approach in this way, expect to see a big difference in the way you look by this time next year. Building muscle is not an easy feat for women (I've been at it for close to a decade!) so there's no need to fear hulking out all of the sudden.

[wakechica]

Thanks for the advice. Would crunches help? I thought lifting would increase my biceps?

No, because lifting doesn't just use your biceps.

My arms got bigger when I first started lifting then smaller as the fat surrounding the muscles disappeared. We aren't the right genetics make up to get mahusive without a LOT of work in the gym.
My legs got bigger since I stopped lifting. I starting doing HIIT, squats, deadlifts and good mornings and lost 2" off my thighs in just under a month. Yet the weight i squat goes up.

Have a read of the stickies on here and also go look at some of the girls body spaces at their progress pics and you'll see how as they lift they got smaller and more defined. The figures on the scales certainly will go up but you'll end up wearing a smaller dress size guaranteed (if you do it right). Take on board the advice from the girls on here if you want to look the best you have ever looked. Don't be scared of lifting heavy, you aren't going to turn into the incredible hulk.

[oregonchick76]

Thanks for the advice. Would crunches help? I thought lifting would increase my biceps?

LOL. What would be wrong with bigger biceps? If you have big arms/biceps, chances are they are just carrying extra fat. If you lost the fat and gained muscle, probably your arms would actually be smaller than they are now, and more shapely. I don't get women's fears of getting "bulky". Not gonna happen! I'd die for some bulkiness (from muscle of course), but it's not something that just happens. It takes a ton of time and hard work.

[andrerox80]

Thanks for the advice. Would crunches help? I thought lifting would increase my biceps?

is this real life?

[jxu27t]

A couple of years ago I made my mind up to lose the weight I'd accumulated over about 10 years of not taking good care of myself. I lost about 40 lbs over a 9 month period by eating less and walking. From my limited reading now, I can see that I'm now skinny-fat, especially since I still have the belly fat that I was hoping I would lose as my weight decreased. I like the replies to this thread and after going through several areas of this site to figure out how to get started on a journey to overall health and a nicely toned body, I'm still not sure where to start. I don't just want to lose belly fat....I want to improve my muscle mass everywhere.

Currently I'm 5'3", 119 lbs, and 44 years old and my body fat % is probably awful. I travel frequently due to work (mainly on the road driving a lot), so I don't think it makes sense to join a gym right now as I wouldn't be able to go often enough. I do have access to a limited home gym about 2 weeks out of the month (cardio equipment and free weights, bench, etc.). Any suggestions on where to start? I don't mind putting in the time to research what I need to do and know about how to eat and what exercise plan to start so that I can feel good about my body shape again. However, this site is packed full of information and it's overwhelming to know where to start! Please and thank you!

[SpeculatorSam]

A couple of years ago I made my mind up to lose the weight I'd accumulated over about 10 years of not taking good care of myself. I lost about 40 lbs over a 9 month period by eating less and walking. From my limited reading now, I can see that I'm now skinny-fat, especially since I still have the belly fat that I was hoping I would lose as my weight decreased. I like the replies to this thread and after going through several areas of this site to figure out how to get started on a journey to overall health and a nicely toned body, I'm still not sure where to start. I don't just want to lose belly fat....I want to improve my muscle mass everywhere.

Currently I'm 5'3", 119 lbs, and 44 years old and my body fat % is probably awful. I travel frequently due to work (mainly on the road driving a lot), so I don't think it makes sense to join a gym right now as I wouldn't be able to go often enough. I do have access to a limited home gym about 2 weeks out of the month (cardio equipment and free weights, bench, etc.). Any suggestions on where to start? I don't mind putting in the time to research what I need to do and know about how to eat and what exercise plan to start so that I can feel good about my body shape again. However, this site is packed full of information and it's overwhelming to know where to start! Please and thank you!

Hi jxu. Please read the stickies in the Nutrition, Losing Fat, Workout Programs, and Female Bodybuilding sections of these forums. Here's a website to help you guestimate your body fat percentage. Keeping in mind, bodyfat percentage is just a number, don't obsess over it. Hope this helps.