How do I lose FAT but not necessarily weight?

[JohnP]

Originally Posted by sacha

There are women who, at 5'2, have a 6 pack and are 115-125lbs.

I think your problem is one of two things:
1) You don't have enough muscle to support a 'flat' looking stomach
2) You have unrealistic expectations.

And judging from your picture in your blog, it seems to be both. I see cardio, cardio, cardio. 1/2 marathons. Are you eating enough protein and doing strength training to prevent muscle loss from such a restricted diet, low body weight, and cardio regime? I'm guessing not. You wrote on May 13 of THIS YEAR that you were exciting to fit into a size 0. I don't know if you see what the rest of the world sees.

WHoa! Are you reading my mind??

To the OP. If you want to be shredded as a woman - goodluck! Hard enough to do as a man. Normal dieting is not going to do it. Building muscle will help a lot. You're also going to have to cycle calories and get real hardcore on your calories and macro nutrients. I would suggest you look into Ultimate Diet 2.0 or Leangains.

[rawbanana]

MariaMaria-the 7 foods was not to lose weight, but rather to find what it was that my baby was allergic to at that time (she had HORRIBLE eczema and was exclusively nursing), the rapid weight/fat loss was just a perk =)
I can also already fit into a 0 in some brands, but I would like to lose more tummy fat and tone up that area...
Sniperhil-'baby' #5 is now 3 years old! I have heard Pilates is good, but I am SO not flexible!!
Landon's baby-there are definite rolls. It has gotten better the last few months but I still have HANDFULS of fat on my lower tummy-above the belly button looks fine! =)
Sacha-I do a sit up routine 3x a week but I probably need to do more-its a long routine and usually takes 20-30min to get thru but I dont fatigue my abs enough when I do it I think...
As far as protein, I try to get 50-75g a day or more...my breakfast alone is usually 20-30 grams...do I need more?

[canadianwoman]

If you eat any white sugar or refined carbs drop those from your diet and you might lose the bit of belly fat.

With that said, I *wish* I was your size.

[shrinkingflower]

Wish I could help you out... I guess you could up your protein even more and do tons of ab workouts but I really don't have any other ideas for you. You look fabulous by the way!

[sacha]

Originally Posted by rawbanana

Sacha-I do a sit up routine 3x a week but I probably need to do more-its a long routine and usually takes 20-30min to get thru but I dont fatigue my abs enough when I do it I think...
As far as protein, I try to get 50-75g a day or more...my breakfast alone is usually 20-30 grams...do I need more?

I believe I've found the problem

To retain muscle when losing fat, you'll want 1g/pound lean mass of protein (you have more than 50-75lbsof lean mass, more likely, I would up your protein intake to 100g/lb minimum). As you've been running so much and eating so little (I did that elimination diet too!), you've lost a lot of muscle along with fat. So you are lower scale weight, but same composition.

Your 'strength' routine needs a lot of work. Your full body compound movements (ie. with an Olympic barbell) such as squat, deadlift, press, will work your abdominals far more than a bunch of situps. MUCH more. Imagine strapping 100lbs on your back and attempting to squat that - imagine how hard you must use your muscles to balance that. I used to have a 6 pack (my baby is quite young too), and I actually never did a situp. Ever. Heavy compound lifts were all I needed.

I suggest looking at the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women" <- it will help dispell a lot of myths about lifting AND help you break out of the "skinny fat" mode that you have entered (low body weight but higher body fat and still unhappy).

Good luck!

PS you do not have to give up running, but I suggest that effective cross training be a more important element in routine.

[Beach Patrol]

Originally Posted by rawbanana

I have heard Pilates is good, but I am SO not flexible!!

I was thinking pilates too, & ya know, if you DO do pilates, you might get more flexible... just a thought!