Can I lose the belly fat?

[gahorse]

I am 35, mother of two. I never had belly fat, even after having kids, but the past couple years I gained some weight. I have always been small, around 110 lbs. Last year, I got up to 158 lbs. I'm 5'4" by the way. Okay so now I have lost weight, back down to 124, back in a size 4 jeans. I have this left over belly flab now that makes me sick. I joined a gym last week and I was just wondering, does anybody know, can you lose the left over belly flab and tone up from working out? Or am I stuck like this?

[ShishKabob]

You can't specifically lose belly fat, although if that is where it's mostly accumulating that is where you'll mostly lose it as well.

Diet and exercise, quite simple. Everybody has different routines that work for them. Some find it easier to diet, others love to exercise. The best results are usually somewhere in the between. You can research online how many calories/hour certain exercises burn, and you can get a rough estimate of the calories you normally eat. 1lb of fat is about 3500 calories, so if you burn 500 calories more a day than you eat, you'll lose roughly a pound of fat a week.

Other than that, just stay away from fad diets. You metabolism is slowing, if you want to stay in shape you won't be able to just work hard for a few months. It's only going to get worse, so it needs to be a slow life change.

Good luck!

[gahorse]

well I can't diet because I can't lose anymore weight, I look anorexic as it is. I have lost too much weight but the belly flab is still there. I am actually trying to gain about 10 lbs back and get back to looking healthy again, but at the same time, trying to work out to tone up. I just get sick at the thought that I am stuck with left over belly when the rest of me is skinny.

[ShishKabob]

My mistake, I misunderstood the question and took "flab" to mean "fat".

There is mixed evidence of skin re-tightening after losing weight. It seems younger people are more able to. I've yet to see conclusive evidence of older people who tend to have looser skin, have their skin go back to it's original tightness. At 35? It's probably possible.

Gaining muscle will help, but building substantial amounts is extremely hard. For you to gain 10lbs of muscle in a year would be a huge feat.

[Anonymous]

You can't really target your stomach muscles exactly. Crunches will help. But running will really help you get fit and toned all over.