How do I get rid of my gut?

[mid20sgirl86]

I've lost a lot of weight over the years. A lot of people think I am skinny. Everyone calls me tiny, but I'm really not. I'm able to hide my belly well, but when I am just in my underwear and bra it's noticeable. I am small everywhere except my belly. I know you can't spot reduce, but I'm wondering why I can't lose my stomach at all. I just lost another ten pounds, and I'm down another pants size but I still have a stomach. I don't think I am overweight anymore, I'm down to 125 and I am 5'4 so I think I can stand to lose another 15 pounds or so. I'm just wondering if there are exercises I can do that will at least help while I lose the last 15 or 20 pounds.

[valay]

for your stomach area, it's all about the cardio and abs. My father is a personal trainer so he's taught me well :) You really need to get in the habit of working out daily. It's good for multiple reasons not just loosing weight. i.e. your health, skin, metabolism... You should always start your workout with at least 30 min of cardio. whether it be on the treadmill, biking, swimming, playing a sport, anything that gets your heart pumping. Cardio is a full body workout so it helps with that gut you want to loose (trust me I know exactly how you feel) Then to really get things going you need to do abs exercises. There are so many different ab workouts just leaf through a fitness magazine or look up online ab workouts. when you find which ones you want to incorporate into your workout do 3 reps always. i.e 3 reps of 30 crunches...3 reps of 25 sec planking (you get the picture lol) and also THIS RIGHT HERE! I promise with all my heart OATMEAL! is a miracle, it's one of the only breakfast foods that burns fat like crazy. Have a bowl every morning burns fat and speeds up metabolism. You really need to watch what you eat too because if your eating "too much" or having too much sodium you can get bloated. You don't necessarily have to go on a "diet" but watch your carb in take and devote to eating healthy which will also give your skin amazing results.

[gtoast]

I've heard before that eating a lot of almonds helps you lose fat on your belly . . . try that!

They're yummy too, I like to buy the big bags of them at Costco and I snack on them while I'm doing homework and playing video games.

I'm 5'4" and 100 lbs, and I don't know if the almonds really do anything or not . . . but they're not making me gain any weight either, so either way I'd suggest making a habit of chowing down on plain almonds :)

Good luck!

[MrEM4N]

Haha, while almonds are delicious and good for you they don't help spot reduce belly fat. They do give your body the good mono and polyunsaturated fats that we need and almonds are known as one of the "brain foods" because chemicals in almonds help prevent the decay of brain cells and improve memory.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Increasing muscle mass in your hams, quads and glutes as a girl won't make your legs look "built" (girls naturally have a higher bodyfat % and thus it's hard for them to get low enough for a six pack or low enough to see definition in the legs) and yet they will lower your bodyfat % thus making the rest of your body look skinnier-- thus less flab.

See this girl (stolen from another person's Q):

link

Really thin waistline, yet you can almost see it like a circle around her belly button-- flab. But she has a really thin waist, and that makes it less noticeable and really quite attractive. To slim the waistline Arnold did Stomach Vacuums-- a man known for his waist size. So you might be interested in that. Because I assure you, a little flab is better than no flab. But if you want it gone completely-- meaning you'll likely have a 4 pack-- then do super amounts of cardio.

If you want it like that girl ^ then do resistance training with your legs and build your lower back some too. Squats, Deadlifts, uphill sprinting and stomach vacuums are some of the key components you'll want to include in your workout regime. Top that off with a high protein diet and you'll be stylin'.

[mid20sgirl86]

yeah I wouldn't mind having a stomach like that, mine still sticks out but I just noticed I actually have lost stomach fat. It's just something I couldn't tell looking in the mirror. I took a picture of myself a while ago in bra and underwear and then I took another a few hours ago. My stomach is definitely smaller. It was just hard to tell. I've been doing cruches, sit-ups, planks up until a week ago when someone told me they don't work, but I think they have been.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

They help build your core, definitely. And they burn calories, yes. They definitely work, it's just not the fastest way to trim belly fat. That's all. But it is certainly a way and ultimately if you're more comfortable with it than other methods, it you can be more consistent with it, it can prove to be the better method. But always, I'd recommend sprints, weightlifting, cycling and running. Those have been the best exercises in getting fit-- at least in my experience and knowledge

[martyfellow]

You should do some weight work. This will buil dup muscle mass elsewhere, while if you keep dieting, you'll lose a little more around the mddle. You can't spot reduce, but you can lose the fat around the middle by building up muscle mass elsewhere if you work out while still trying to lose a few more pounds. What's happenig is you are losing your muscle mass now more than the fat mass around your middle.

[MOZZY10]

YOU'LL PROBABLY STRUGGLE TO LOSE ANYMORE WEIGHT AS IT IS. TO RID YOURSELF FROM THAT TYPE OF STOMACH FLAB, IT'LL TAKE SPECIFIC EXCERSIZES FOR THAT AREA LIKE SITUPS, CRUNCHES ETC. EATING HEALTHY, LOW FAT FOODS WILL HELP YOU . . . THIS IS AN AREA A LOT OF PEOPLE DO HAVE PRBLEMS WITH . . .

[ButterflyXkisses]

Is it bad that I read this as if the answerer was screaming the whole thing?

[mid20sgirl86]

No I see it that way too whenever someone uses all caps.

[LushRot]

When you lose a considerable amount of weight, you can be left with extra skin that had stretched with the weight, especially the arms and belly. If that's the case, the only thing I know is tummy tuck. I'm not good at determining those things.. Hope you meet your goal. :)

[MrEM4N]

I'd say you could lose 5 more lbs but replace everything else with muscle to tone yourself up. I don't mind a little bit of belly fat, it gives guys a little more to work with when you're in the spooning position. I've been with girls that are so skinny it felt like I could wrap my arm around her twice and it made it awkward to hold her.

[Joshbgosh]

You might want to think about joining a martial arts gym, espcially one centered around grappling to work your core strength. If that doesn't interest you, you could do situps, crunches, leg raises, and the overlooked planks, including the side planks. Good luck.

[Prettygurl12]

At 5'4, you can't afford to lose 20 more pounds. That will make you way too small. You can tone your stomach by doing twisting crunches, sit ups, and running, but I wouldn't try to lose more weight if I were you.

[carinabina820]

Of you lose another 15-20 pounds you won't have enough muscle. Shut up. 125 is very healthy and skinny for 5' 4".

[rickyjoebobby]

do planks regularly, and learn about hip flexors/extensors. Sometimes people have a pelvic tilt that tilts forward from tight flexors and weak extensors.

[whydogirlsmesswithme]

Very similar situation except I am a dude. I agree with the posts on gaining muscle mass to replace the fat

[Jager66]

healthy eating + exercise