Well, I have been here for almost a couple months now. I have lost a decent amount of weight through changes to my eating habits and exercise. I am very happy with my results thus far but one big thing is bothering me... My stomach. It isn't a huge gut or anything but it has me confused. You can literally see/count my ribs (I don't look anorexic or anything), but my stomach isn't completely flat! How does that work?! Is that just the way my body is? Is my stomach losing slower? Is it just loose skin that needs to catch up with the fat loss? I know I should be happy with how far I have come, and I probably sound like I am whining, but there has got to be someone who gets it. I have been doing a ton of running, as well as other strength training. I thought I was incorporating exercises to flatten my tummy, but either I am doing the wrong ones or it isn't meant to be for me. Has anyone else had this issue and overcome it? I would LOVE some feedback on how to fix this.
You're not doing anything wrong! It is just how your body is built. I'm the same way, I have big bones so my ribcage, spine, amd hipbones are all visible. Meanwhile I still have a bulge of fat over my belly button and a pouch. The good news is that it has been getting better as I lose more weight.
I think that most people who are losing weight can say, "I am very happy with my results thus far but one big thing is bothering me... My [fill-in-the-blank]." I think this is especially true for females; we carry/need higher body fat levels than males, so truthfully, unless you get down to a very low (possibly non-maintainable) level, there may still be at least one spot, maybe more, that you can fill in the blank with.
For me it's the thighs; the only answer to what I can do is keep strength training + losing fat, and cross my fingers that I'll be happy when I reach my desired body fat level.
How is your belly not flat? Is it a pudge of fat, like Paloma mentioned, or is it more of an overall roundness? It's entirely possible that it's the abdominal exercises you are doing, and more specifically a lack of back exercises. You need a balance in your core muscles, if you focus on your abs only then your stomach will have a tendency to round outwards. Strengthening your lower back muscles pulls those ab muscles back inwards. Both abs and back muscles contribute to posture as well, and your belly is one place where your posture will MOST effect the look of your body shape.
I wouldn't say it is overall roundness, because my sides & love handles have gotten significantly smaller/tightened up too. I would say it is more of a pouch below my belly button. Even my hips have slimmed, like where that "V" is. I have noticeable cuts. But that darn pouch is driving me nuts.
I can totally relate to the whole stomach thing from having two kids. I tried everything and I mean everything to get rid of the loose skin and soft layer of belly fat. I was at my wits end; I even went to a plastic surgeon at one point to see about a tummy tuck. The only thing that's helped me has been running and basically cutting all refined sugar out of my diet. But that being said, will my stomach ever look pulled and taut like a teenage girl? No way but considering my age and two pregnancies later to have it look flat (not taut, mind you) with some nice ab definition is a huge accomplishment from where I first started. Just keep at it and it will get better.
The pouch below your belly button is caused by the presence of estrogen from the nearby ovaries. Estrogen is stored in fat (while testosterone is stored in muscle), so fat naturally tends to accumulate on women where estrogen needs to be stored. This is the area near the ovaries (lower belly, upper thighs area, front and back) and the breasts. It's not a sign of having too much fat- in fact, I think if you looked at most normal sized women, you'll see they also have this bump (although it's often well hidden by jeans or other types of pants). You can even see it on Scarlett Johansson in the below high-waisted skirt.
I've heard a few men say that it's a cute feature on a girl.
Fitmom, you give me some hope that I am not forever doomed to hate my belly. Even as I've been slimming, I've been dismayed at the continued "looseness" around my belly (post 2-kids, one of which was a c-section). I'm not asking for Demi Moore abs... but I sure would like to not be embarrassed if my shirt rides up by accident.
@banananutmuffin: I know exactly what you mean. Although I was losing weight, that darn loose skin was there and when I bent over it looked like elephant, wrinkly skin, lol. It's taken a lot of time and discipline but the looseness is almost gone - now there's a 2 inch section below my navel left whereas before it was my whole stomach that was loose. Planks have also helped tremendously to overall tighten the area/loose skin. Like anything in life, it just takes time.
Just keep doing what you are doing and incorporate some pilates abs. As you lose more weight your stomach will eventually become flatter. Many women cannot achieve a perfectly flat stomach until they hit 18% body fat.
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, that's where they basically state that unless your body fat is b/t 14-20% as a woman, your stomach probably won't be flat.
I'm in that body fat range now and have to say except for TOM or if I've eaten a huge meal, my stomach (99.9%) of the time is flat. Hope this helps.
Confused/Frustrated
Has anyone else had this issue and overcome it? I would LOVE some feedback on how to fix this.
