[LeaderBiz]

Patty,

that makes a lot of sense!!! Now i just wish my mom hadnt fed me silly to make me look like a chubby doll or something!

Ive seen every one of my friends who were skinny during puberty have retained awesome figures while i sat bingeing on hot choc sundaes, burgers and rice!ugh!

Another point.....ive heard steroids/ steroidal drugs change the entire body fat distribution. I can vouch for it. A pear shape becomes an apple shape. Basically steroids make u put on on yr belly and all the fat starts residing there whereas the legs and thighs become skinny. I was a pear shape but after steroids yup!Im an apple!!!

[oB8LI2kP]

I agree with everyone else, the belly fat is the last to go. If we still wore high waisted jeans like in the 70's I would be good to go. Unfortunately we live in the age of the hip huggers and I still have that pudge below the navel. They say excess belly fat makes you more likely to suffer heart disease and our waist measurement should be only 80% of our hip measurement. Funny thing is that when I was a little heavier I was within the 80% ideal but now my butt and hips have shrunk faster than my belly so I am now above the 80%.

[yWleIJm4]

I must have lost inches from everywhere except the tummy!!!

Just got an equipment called the Ab King pro something which concentrates only on the lower Abs, belly. Every time i try it, i feel my waist getting thinner but never the stomach. I dont know what im gonna end up looking like that way....

Is it just my problem or does everyone face it?Is the belly fat the last to go or something? I think most ladies r battling with that slightly bulging tummy...does it ever go or is it something hormonal?

[Brareevor]

I guess it just depends on our shape and where our fat cells are distibuted. I've heard 2 theories on fat loss.

1) no matter what, it comes off evenly over the entire body (depending on where most cells are). I don't particularly buy this one.

2) fat comes off on a last-on/first-off basis. This one seems to hold true for me. I gain and lose in my hips and thighs, while my waist up stays virtually the same. I can't lose a cm off my arms for anything. My waist stays about the same, but I have that bulge below my belly-button, which goes up and down. I'm guessing I need to lose every bit of fat from everywhere else before my arms are impacted

Exercising will firm and shape the muscles beneath, but since muscle and fat are 2 different tissues, you still need to burn fat in general to lose that fat layer.

I'd concentrate more on total body workouts as opposed to targetting just your belly. You want to work as many muscle groups as possible, especially the larger ones. Of course, lots of cardio helps fat burning, too.

[ZZChristopher]

Lexi's Omi

Ok...ok...so i should have said something like slightly MAJORLY bulging tummy lookin like its got the circumference of the earth within!hehe! ....got the joke i think!

And....ive never been pregnant..........also i thought men had more of a disposition for belly fat....yeah, ill be waiting too! :P

[Cersdog]

I think most ladies r battling with that slightly bulging tummy...does it ever go or is it something hormonal? ....... Bwahahahahahah... :wink:

[Yb4bulVR]

Lynn, the ab machine does NOT work! I think whatever adverts there ever are for toning abs r just all a farce.

I think i agree with Patty, firelady and Lunacat. I gs exercise, core/aerobic/pilates/ cardio for the entire body might help break fat in any area and start building muscles. Ive never beleived in spot reduction exercises/techniques anyway and tummy tucks sound dangerous.

I was reading Atkins yesterday and he seemed to point out that any kind of sugar if eaten, went straight to the waist and stomach. Do u think that explains the tummy bulge? Women as it is have a tendency for sweets so maybe...

Of course if i have to wear a sleek dress i try on a corset for the belly but i hate constricting clothes so its not very often. How did the ladies of ancient era deal with it!

[cialviagra]

All I can say is, your not alone. (You being you individually...and you being you women....)

I've found muscles in my arms and legs I haven't seen in 20 years...My sholders are starting to have a shape other then round...my hips have these sharp pointy things sticking out of them...I think they are bones!!

But my belly...I don't see any loss there. (Sure, there must have been some, the new holes in the belt and the growing space between me and the stearing wheel are not just my imagination...but I don't see it.) I'm pretty happy with the way everything else looks...everything except my belly.

[WournGona]

Sorry Shainara...was not making fun of your post. :wink:

It definitely is a huge problem for most of us female types. Just something we women are genetically predisposed to due to our 'perpetuating the species' abilities.

I'll be waiting here with bated breath to read the solution, if someone has one. :

[medshop]

I guess that would go back to the hormone's determining the distribution. I wonder how long it takes for it to go the other way ?

[MarythePuppy6]

I agree that belly fat is the hardest to get rid of. Every time I think I start to see the slightest definition in my abs, the next bite I eat seems to change instantly to belly fat and the definition is gone! In fact, the fat in my body seems to readjust every few days to I have a fresh supply deposited right on my abs! Frustrating, but at least it gives me something to aim for!

Men are predisposed to carry more weight on the bellies, whereas women frequently carry it more in hips and thighs. Belly fat is more dangerous for the heart than hip/thigh fat, so trying to get rid of belly fat is a good goal!

[LianneForbess]

Here's some interesting facts:

You can only get fat in parts the parts of your body that have fat cells. If you have lypo suction to remove those cells, you will never get fat there again.

The difference in fat location comes from the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.

Fat cells are formed in the developing fetus during the third trimester of pregnancy, and later at the onset of puberty, when the sex hormones "kick in." It is during puberty that the differences in fat distribution between men and women begin to take form.

One amazing fact is that fat cells do not multiply after puberty -- as your body stores more fat, the number of fat cells remains the same. Each fat cell simply gets bigger!

Other sources I've read state that the number of fat cells can increase when a significant amount of weight is gained (50-70 pounds). Once increased, they cannot be lost.

So, pretty much, puberty is the critical time for developing fat cells. Now, I wonder if we have control over how many fat cells we develop over that time ??

[Gosxjqum]

I guess that would go back to the hormone's determining the distribution. I wonder how long it takes for it to go the other way ? Unfortunately i dont think there seems to be any way to reverse it except probabaly to take synthetic female hormones but then ide be scared that even my skinny thighs wld balloon up and the tummy stays the same!

[JMLot]

Hi Shainara,
I can relate to your problem. The last time I measured myself I had lost a couple or three inches from everywhere EXCEPT my belly. I'm afraid I look a little like Homer Simpson. I'm hoping eventually when I'm thinner and fitter it will go down somewhat. Does your ab machine seem to be working?

[MaigicyuNinia]

So many good pieces of advice,, maybe I can help explain each one, within one post..

as Patty said:

Fat comes off on a last on/first off basis.. this holds true for me also. It does have everything to do with how you are built. I am small in my hips and gain weight there last. My waist is wide (not really protruding) and gain weight there first.. so my hips readily shrink, and my waist waits until I'm ready to take a bite of a donut to show improvements. lol...

Lunacat said:

Core exercises are vital, rather than crunches and situps.. Never truer words spoken.. While most people focus on the abs you can "see",, they are forgetting about the structural support basis that was built into our bodies to make us stand erect and walk on two legs.. Meaning, if you are not working hip flexors and all of your BACK MUSCLES,, which is spinal support, then you are only doing half the job. The lower back muscles are what helps support the abdominals and vice versa.. with weak lower back, you will use more of your abs when doing lifting,, but this sets you up for injury and you lose the ability to sufficiently pull your tummy in.. additionally upper back muscles help support your posture and draw your shoulders back.. if you are working at a desk even typing, and not concious of your back muscles, you have to consider that you chest is constantly engaged, and your upper back muscle fiber could suffer from shortening (across the shoulders).. I know this doesn't sound like it matters, but it does, because of posture and the ability to pull you tummy in also..

Patty also said:
fat and muscle are two different types of tissues,, so require two different methods.. yep yep yep..!!!! We can build all the muscle we want,, and it will lay there,, UNDERNEATH THE LAYER OF FAT FOR ETERNITY,, if we don't make a conscious effort to burn more fat.. Building muscle does increase metabolism,, but no nearly enough to effectively burn fat by itself.. so cardio is MANDATORY,, if you are only doing strength training/resistance workouts,, then you are only trying to spot reduce,, which we have repeatedly seen,, does not work.. If your problem area is the belly,, great,, keep working the belly,, but don't leave out the cardio.. also,, creating muscle,, means a bigger circumference.. muscles get BIGGER!.. not smaller,, so you could actually experience an increase in waist size, as you build muscle there,, and fail to remove the fat..

So, what's the solution??

Work core muscles...for every ab exercise you do,, do an equal hip and back exercise that contrasts that same group of muscles.. (abs/lower back/hip flexors) (chest/upperback/shoulders) (obliques/middle back) **upper abs are easiest to work.. traditional situps, work the hip flexors/upper,,, and crunches work the upper,, NOT lower... reverse crunches, leg lifts and lower body curls work the lower abs**

Don't forget the cardio.. it's not an option.. it's mandatory.. walking, at a moderate or faster pace, is probably the best solution because it concentrates only on cardio,, where as most others incorporate some other type of resistance,, (like stairs, running, swimming).. but there is nothing wrong, in doing the other types of cardio and can actually improve abs.. (stairs work lower, running support total core, swimming works waist **traditional crawl**)

Last,, give it time,, if you still have residual fat deposits on other parts of your body that gained last.. the tummy will still take some time.. it doesn't mean you won't lose anything,, but it does mean that you will probably continue to look "lopsided" until the other parts are sufficiently down to suit your bodies standards, before it will release the fat from the belly.

Most of all,,, it can be done.. it takes time and dedication.. I haven't achieved it totally yet, , but I will,, you can bet your sweet cheeks, I will,, but it does take time and a tremendous amount of effort!!

[JoZertekAdv]

Thanks for yr replies guys. At least its a releif to know iam not the only one looking like Santa!

But i still dont get the REASON why it happens. Ive known some 'pear' shaped people with v heavy hips and stomach so flat it caved in!And they never put on in that area!So iam thinking maybe its just tendency or an acquired tendency over the years along with hormonal problems. Its also interesting to note that the belly has the least number of bones as in its just all organs after the rib cage and maybe thats what makes the fat so easily deposited there? Weird logic but something anyways......

Well, gs ill just have to keep exercising then! :P

[ZX3URrBH]

I'm pretty thin now but still do have the belly bulge and some hanging flesh under the arms. I think this is a female problem that we may not have total control of. I do a Pilates tape every day. After about a month I did see 1.5" off but it's been months and more hasn't come off. Don't know what else to suggest. Throughout the day I do do the Pilates breathing exercises and pull the back up and belly in. I'm hoping it will help but we all may have a natural shape and once you've had a pregnancy or more I'm not sure it's possible to be flat short of surgery.
Possibly Ev could comment or Patty C as they are major exercisers.

[Soadiassy]

I have the same problem and I imagine most of the world does. A lot of us gain weight in the stomach area first which means it's usually the last place we lose it. I'm fairly happy with most of my body but I still have a good 10-15 pounds of flab hanging around my stomach. I know it's slowly getting smaller but it's so hard not to get frustrated. I'm also afraid the rest of me is going to look emaciated before I finally lose it all.

Regardless, the best thing we can do is keep up with the aerobic excercise, stay true to this WOE and I know we'll get everything we want.

[Waymninelia]

they have an advertisement at my gym to stop doing crunches and sit ups for your belly and start doing core excercises. Supposedly the muscles build faster therefor replacing the fat quicker as well. I am an all-over fatty. Meaning, I dont just gain weight in my lower body or my upper body but everywhere, all over. Even my forarms were fat. So needless to say, my belly is fat too. I started doing the core excercises but then stopped. I do think my waist was shrinking faster when I was doing them, but they are so boring that I dont actually like doing the core excercises, but my gym lives by them. I figured when I lose 10 more pounds I will start doing them again.
I honestly dont know how to explain what they are so u may want to look it up and read about it a bit. But Pilates does work the core and balance. So that may be a start.

Good luck Shainara.

Tonya

[regfortruegoo]

can I just say........



WOW