Belly fat

Q

QuickSilver

SF VIP
Location
Midwest
As we know... fat around the middle is the most dangerous kind. It not only shows from the outside, but the fat is encasing your organs.. SO... getting rid of that spare tire is important. I find that at my age, it's easier said than done. I have lost a total of 32 pounds since June. I've done this through diet and exercise... mostly walking 10-15 miles per week. I find that my legs and butt have lost the weight.. My legs look great!! I have no Butt to speak of... however, try as I may, I cannot loose belly fat or boob fat. When I was young, my boobs and my gut were the first to go. Now it's the opposite... Has anyone figured out how to lose the stuborn fat around the middle?
 

Some of it could be loose skin. I've got loose skin that refuses to tighten up after weight loss. Just no elasticity any more. I still lose first in belly and boobs. You could do tons of abs exercises, which is a good thing, but it will put muscle under the excess skin/fat.

Do you need to lose more weight? Bellies don't need to be 6 packs to be healthy, but I think the healthy proportion is that your waist should be 80% of your hip size.
 
If you were heavy earlier in your life and you have lost a lot of weight, you may need to have the excess fat trimmed. This can be a dangerous procedure and I would never recommend it, but everyone decides for themselves what's best for them. Like Ameriscot said, we lose our elasticity as we grow older; same for the face.
 
oldman said:
If you were heavy earlier in your life and you have lost a lot of weight, you may need to have the excess fat trimmed. This can be a dangerous procedure and I would never recommend it, but everyone decides for themselves what's best for them. Like Ameriscot said, we lose our elasticity as we grow older; same for the face.
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I would never have surgery no matter how annoying the loose skin. Yea, and the face. Gravity sucks!
 
I was NEVER fat... In fact most of my adult life... that is until post menopause, I was quite thin.. However, after menopause the weight piled on.. and most of it was on my trunk.. belly, back and of course boobs. What is there is FAT... not skin. My legs are thin.. I can really rock a pair of leggings and high boots with the best of them.. So the question remains.. how does one get rid of it? I have 20 more pounds to lose before I reach my ideal weight according to most weight charts.. I'd hate to lose more in my legs, hips and butt.. but not around my middle. I don't know if targeted exercise does any good.. but I'm not sure.. I know liposuction would work, but I'm not going to go there, that's for sure.
 
QuickSilver said:
I was NEVER fat... In fact most of my adult life... that is until post menopause, I was quite thin.. However, after menopause the weight piled on.. and most of it was on my trunk.. belly, back and of course boobs. What is there is FAT... not skin. My legs are thin.. I can really rock a pair of leggings and high boots with the best of them.. So the question remains.. how does one get rid of it? I have 20 more pounds to lose before I reach my ideal weight according to most weight charts.. I'd hate to lose more in my legs, hips and butt.. but not around my middle. I don't know if targeted exercise does any good.. but I'm not sure.. I know liposuction would work, but I'm not going to go there, that's for sure.
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No, targeting certain areas does not work. Unfortunately, you can't choose what area the fat comes off of (otherwise no women would have fat thighs!) If you're going to lose another 20 pounds surely your belly will shrink as well.
 
QuickSilver said:
I was NEVER fat... In fact most of my adult life... that is until post menopause, I was quite thin.. However, after menopause the weight piled on.. and most of it was on my trunk.. belly, back and of course boobs. What is there is FAT... not skin. My legs are thin.. I can really rock a pair of leggings and high boots with the best of them.. So the question remains.. how does one get rid of it? I have 20 more pounds to lose before I reach my ideal weight according to most weight charts.. I'd hate to lose more in my legs, hips and butt.. but not around my middle. I don't know if targeted exercise does any good.. but I'm not sure.. I know liposuction would work, but I'm not going to go there, that's for sure.
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Maybe if you started doing some weight bearing exercises that target your calves and thighs, you'd get past the skinny legs. My daughter has that problem and she doubles up on her leg exercises and they're looking less 'bird-like' than they used to. It would also be great for bone density and strengthen your hips probably. Less chance of being the old lady in bed five who broker her hip!

Good luck with the struggle.
 
QuickSilver said:
I have 20 more pounds to lose before I reach my ideal weight according to most weight charts.. I'd hate to lose more in my legs, hips and butt.. but not around my middle. I don't know if targeted exercise does any good.. but I'm not sure
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QuickSilver: I predict if you get to your target weight you will lose the belly fat. I had to get down to a BMI of 20 before it went away. Gained 5 pounds and it all came back around the middle---like strapping 5 butter cartons around my waist. ;) But then there were more wrinkles in my face:shrug:. Oh well....
 
NancyNGA said:
QuickSilver: I predict if you get to your target weight you will lose the belly fat. I had to get down to a BMI of 20 before it went away. Gained 5 pounds and it all came back around the middle---like strapping 5 butter cartons around my waist. ;) But then there were more wrinkles in my face:shrug:. Oh well....
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I hope so Nancy... It's true that after menopause we gain weight like men... around the middle... When I was younger, if I put on a few pounds, it was always in my hips and thighs... Problem with belly fat.. it's so hard to come off.. I don't feel like I have a waistline any more... I'm shaped like an apple now when I used to be a pear.
 
The women in my family, including me, are all apple shaped. Even when I was a skinny teen, I had a little bit of a belly. I've bought 'as seen on tv' exercise equipment like the 'Ab Roller' and the 'Easy Crunch' over the years, and they ended up in the trash. I've done many crunches and sit ups in my younger years, and they never produced a noticeable change for the better.

I agree that fat in the mid-section can cause health problems, even if you don't worry too much about appearance. A coworker of mine, young gal, had her belly liposuctioned and tucked. Falcon, I believe she kept her navel, but it was relocated surgically. When they removed the fat and the skin, it had to be adjusted. Sad thing is, even after this operation, she started eating donuts, fried burritos, etc....so it was not a cure all.

I do find that when I lose weight, even from just walking, that my stomach will go down as I shed the pounds. But it's never completely flat, and I don't expect it to be...but I'm okay with it.

There's a book out called "Wheat Belly", I haven't read it, but supposedly whole wheat turns into sugar and makes you gain weight, wheat belly = beer belly. I switched to whole wheat breads awhile ago, and am not will to change my diet at this point. Here's more...http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/09/wheat-belly-total-health-dr-oz-show/
 
I stick with whole grain... like whole grain pasta.. but not sure exactly what whole grain means.. I would assume not just wheat.. but other grains like rye and oats and barley.. All of which are in beer and liquer I may add.
 
Good video, Oldman!

Good points, you can't spot reduce, full body exercise is needed - cardio and strength training. Interval training is very effective as well.

Another point - weight loss is 80-90% what you eat/drink and the rest is exercise. I've heard many complain that they workout hard but can't lose weight. It's because they are eating too many of the wrong calories.
 
QuickSilver said:
I stick with whole grain... like whole grain pasta.. but not sure exactly what whole grain means.. I would assume not just wheat.. but other grains like rye and oats and barley.. All of which are in beer and liquer I may add.
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Yep beer is full of nutrition! It's on my food pyramid. It's just those damn calories!
 
SeaBreeze said:
The women in my family, including me, are all apple shaped. ........There's a book out called "Wheat Belly", I haven't read it, but supposedly whole wheat turns into sugar and makes you gain weight, wheat belly = beer belly. I switched to whole wheat breads awhile ago, and am not will to change my diet at this point. Here's more...http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/09/wheat-belly-total-health-dr-oz-show/
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The flours in general act like that whether whole wheat or white flour. In the case of that book you mentioned, he also contends that over the decades the wheat plant itself that's used for our modern day flour has been changed by crossing with other varieties of grasses and our bodies react to it differently and not in a healthy way. It's been a while since I read the book but I think that's what he said. Then of course there's the fact that we eat so much of it (pasta, breads, baked goods) and so many processed foods have wheat in it.

And when the 'starch' is digested, it turns into sugars, which causes your body to produce insulin which then causes your cells to absorb glucose and if you aren't burning those calories then it gets saved up as fat. So if you eat too much of any kind of wheat product (or other flours or sugary foods or potato's) that's what is going on inside.

So keep to the whole wheat (because there are more benefits in that than the white) but if you're thinking of your weight and health, then cut way back or get ready to work 'your buns off'.

After reading that book I began limiting my intake of wheat and don't eat sandwiches or any kind of baked goods anymore and a very small portion of an organic corn pasta maybe once a week. The one grain that I do eat on a regular basis is rolled oats but only about 1/4 cup every morning.
 
Belly fat is a problem for me. I'm nearly 6 ft. tall and have my weight down to 160 lbs. but I still have a fat belly. Most of my pants are 34 and 35 inch waists. I can get the 34s buttoned but they are sure tight. The 35s are snug too. I guess I need to lose a few more pounds.
 
Debby said:
The flours in general act like that whether whole wheat or white flour. In the case of that book you mentioned, he also contends that over the decades the wheat plant itself that's used for our modern day flour has been changed by crossing with other varieties of grasses and our bodies react to it differently and not in a healthy way. It's been a while since I read the book but I think that's what he said. Then of course there's the fact that we eat so much of it (pasta, breads, baked goods) and so many processed foods have wheat in it.

And when the 'starch' is digested, it turns into sugars, which causes your body to produce insulin which then causes your cells to absorb glucose and if you aren't burning those calories then it gets saved up as fat. So if you eat too much of any kind of wheat product (or other flours or sugary foods or potato's) that's what is going on inside.

So keep to the whole wheat (because there are more benefits in that than the white) but if you're thinking of your weight and health, then cut way back or get ready to work 'your buns off'.

After reading that book I began limiting my intake of wheat and don't eat sandwiches or any kind of baked goods anymore and a very small portion of an organic corn pasta maybe once a week. The one grain that I do eat on a regular basis is rolled oats but only about 1/4 cup every morning.
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This is exactly what my doctor told me.....and I do try to stay away from the starches, don't always succeed.
 
I've followed the "stay away from white things" plan... No white rice, potatoes or pasta.. I've been eating a lot of the ancient grains of late, Barley, Rye, Quinoa, Millet, Red Bulgar wheat, as well as flax, wild rice and brown rice.
 
I have an online friend who is having excess skin removal surgery in Dec.-necessary after losing 150 pounds and having four children. She is a workout fanatic-in fact that is her occupation-but no amount of working out will help with the skin. Hers is really severe-she has an "apron" of skin that causes her all sorts of problems. She gets horrific infections that cause her horrible pain. She and her doctor have been trying to get her insurance to pay for surgery for over a year but they have a criteria where you have to have like 6 infections and be treated with several different drugs for a period of 3 months each before they will consider covering it. Oddly enough,if she had lost the weight by having gastric bypass surgery,they would cover it no questions asked. Weird,huh? She has posted pictures on her private blog of what these infections look like and I`m telling you,they are just awful. Anyway,she has sold pretty much everything she owns to come up with the money herself and is now having the surgery. And yes,they will be "resituating" her belly button.
 

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