Okay it's almost summer and.......

[BlondeChelle]

I need a flatter tummy with more visible abs.

Everyone knows I am a health addict, and now that it's becoming bikini time in Florida I would like to get a flatter tummy to show all my hard work!
I am currently 112lbs and 5'3. I have been lifting heavy for months, and working out 5 days a week for over a year now. I have some good muscle, but my midsection carries all my fat. (I always thought I was pretty proportionable but my tummy and "love handles" have been last to loose.) I haven't been the best on my diets (due to my sweet tooth) but I know it's time to change that.
For the past week I have been eating low carb. I was wanting to do this for about two or three weeks before I cycle them.

10am - Eggs, Cheese, Bacon (big breakfast!)
12 - Tuna with lime - post wo
3- Tuna wrap (lettuce, peppers, onion, cheese)- Side salad if wanted
7- Low-car shake
9:30 - Dinner chicken/steak with green beans, broccoli, etc.
And I might snack on a hard-boiled egg or something before bed.

And after a week of that I've maybe lost a pound.
I work out my abs 4 times a week (kinda visible on upper tummy), and bumped up my cardio to 45 min and 5 days a week. I also reduced my weight training to 2 full-body workouts a week (too busy for more.)

Anything I should change? I just want a flat tummy and no love handles!

and some pics for fun

[blackfrankwhite]

Cut the bacon first - unless you are trying to build a lot of muscle

You sure you HAVE to reduce weight training from 3 to 2 times/weekly? (weight trainiing is great for keeping high metabolism)

If you really want to get rid of those love handles: eat less and cardio more

Its as simple as that - if pure fat loss is your goal - cardio + less calories

[AangleN]

Originally Posted by blackfrankwhite

Cut the bacon first - unless you are trying to build a lot of muscle

so, if she did want to build muscle, she should mow a pound of bacon??? i dont think thats what you meant.

you look fantastic right now, i see what you mean by lose a bit of fat, but you're starting at a great spot.

eat more often. dont fear carbs, they're not the devil. only the bad carbs are. you can throw in some oatmeal, especially after you work out. also, don't fear healthy fats....same is true for them. fish such as salmon is high in healthy fats, as are oils (natural PB has them, olive oil, etc).

do not overdo the cardio, keep lifting heavy (assuming you do now).

if you want to be defined, all that means is that you want the muscle to stand out so to speak, thus you still want to make your muscles grow or at least stay as they are.

again though, you're like a month away from your goal if you do it right.

[terracotta]

summer, what's that?! It's still snowing up here.

[BlondeChelle]

Originally Posted by AangleN

so, if she did want to build muscle, she should mow a pound of bacon??? i dont think thats what you meant.

you look fantastic right now, i see what you mean by lose a bit of fat, but you're starting at a great spot.

eat more often. dont fear carbs, they're not the devil. only the bad carbs are. you can throw in some oatmeal, especially after you work out. also, don't fear healthy fats....same is true for them. fish such as salmon is high in healthy fats, as are oils (natural PB has them, olive oil, etc).

do not overdo the cardio, keep lifting heavy (assuming you do now).

if you want to be defined, all that means is that you want the muscle to stand out so to speak, thus you still want to make your muscles grow or at least stay as they are.

again though, you're like a month away from your goal if you do it right.

A month would be awsome. I am going to add carbs back to my diet. Thanks for the help.

[AangleN]

the biggest thing about good carbs is to figure out what ones you can tolerate. for instance, i'm not a huge brown rice fan, but can eat oatmeal, broccoli, sweet potatoes, wheat bread/pasta until the cows come home. it goes in stages though.

search articles on bb.com mainpage and there are a lot of good cardio/diet/training articles, both for men and women.

[AlwaysSucceed]

You look great but I am understanding the "getting lean by summer" so it will all be in what you eat. I too have a huge sweet tooth and sometimes it can really set you back more than you know. I started www.fitday.com and it helps tp count all of your % for the day. Give it a try and I bet you will realize just what you are eating!! Keep working out with weights, do oblique exercises with the Med. ball and you will notice a big change. I promise. Try sitting on the ground with feet out front of you, knees bent. Slightly lean back and hold Med. ball out front(12pounds) and twist it to each side. Do 3 sets of 15 on each side.

[Nagano21]

Soooo hotttt! Want to touch the hiney!

[ItFit]

Hey girl, looking good already. You're not far from your goals. I have 2 things:

1) I don't know what kind of bacon you are eating, but eat turkey bacon if you're going to eat bacon (the reduced fat kind). It's yummy!
2) I know you are trying to lose extra fat (almost all of us are around this time of year!), but make sure you are eating enough calories. Sometimes if you cut them too low, your body will go in 'starvation mode' & will not lose fat. You may or may not already know that but I figured I'd throw it out there anyway.

Good luck!

[gmanz73]

hey BlondeChelle, your looking great, are you on any supplements? are you considering any supplements? since summmer is just around the corner you could invest in buying some Lipo6, its a supplement which helps you lose weight in areas where its hard to.....

BTW how old are you, if its not too personal..

The Gman

GL with your goals, im sure you'll reach them, if you need any help im only a PM away!

[BlondeChelle]

I take xyiance and I am 18.
thanks for the help

[sagepark]

honestly, you look fine. but, if you do want to lose weight, and get a "flatter" tummy, than the best thing to do is cardio.

keep in mind that ab work wont get you abs - running and do high-calorie expending exercises will.

since abs are a relatively small muscle group, they don't quite burn off a lot of calories. not burning a lot of calories means not burning a lot of fat. so yeah, you're creating a strong core, but you're not going to get a defined one.

if i were you, maybe cut down the intensity of your abs, and do more jogging (with light weights).

i'm guessing that you want to have a feminine body, and not really striving for a buff look. for that, weights are great to do, but don't underestimate the power of just running.

running works on all parts of your body - legs (duh), arms, and your tummy (diaphragm and your abdominals constantly contracting and relaxing in inhalation/exhalation).

[gunterwis]

I think you look great, very beautiful. I like the tan too. Concering your question, I think your tummy is already pretty flat. You could always do some situps and crunches but you already look very good.