Belly Fat
 

How many inches of belly fat can reasonably be expected to be lost in 4 months? What is the best diet to loose the belly fat. I must drop some fairly quickly for medical reasons and do not know where to find this info so I am hoping some of you have some advice. Thanks
Sheridan

To maximize fat lose, exercise at 50% of your metamax (220- age) for as long as possible.

I don't know how much you can lose, each person is different and every diet is different. A diet that supports weight loss is a diet high in fruits and veggies, with lots of lean protein and some fiber. I find yogurt and berries and leafy greens to be particularly helpful. And of course cardiovascular exercise helps immensely.

What is a metamax????

If its for medical reasons, ask your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietician.

Hi,

Thanks. I so agree about the exercise but bad knees and worse back make it hard to do as much as necessary. I used to walk 4 miles a day and that
did the trick but those days are long gone.I guess I should dust off the exercise bike and make increased effort.

I will definitely put more fruits and vegetables in the table. I love salad so I need to get out my chopper and eat them twice a day.

I tried the professional diet dietician and she was good until she was not supprtive due to a minimal weight loss during one period when my life was especially difficult. I thought I did well considering but she made me feel terrible. That was the end of her-I will not pay people to not help.

My doc could lose a few pounds himself but at least he understands the challenges and attempts to be supportive.

Someone told me about a book called the belly fat diet so I am going to get it from the library and take a look. The breast weight came of easily but the belly just will not give it up. lol.

I am going to revisit my ww materials and get back to the tips I learned there. I have to lose the belly or I will be looking at more invasive treatment.

Now that the weight requirements for the weight loss surgery have been lowered,I could go that route but I want to try more on my own.

Good luck to everyone fighting the weight loss battle.

Sheridan

I can tell you what works for me (I'm super morbidly obese and was in poor physical shape when I started). I cut my calories drastically. For example, my bmr ( the cals you burn just living) was 3700, so i ate. 1500 a day. I also cut carbs quite a bit. Talk to your doctor about just how many calories to eat, but when you're at a higher weight, you have some leeway. I drink a ton of water, and try to eat only clean, pure natural unprocessed food. Talk to your doc about supplements too.

My joints are shot too, so I started using the pool for exercise, and in the beginning I could only walk back and forth in the water. I started super slow, and added new movements every month.

Like I said, everyone is different, but I believe everyone can do it!! Good luck!!!

Hey Sheridan,

I'm sure you've heard it all before, but it's just a case of watching what you eat and moving more.

Also, don't forget that just because you're eating fruits & Vegetables you shouldn't forget that they also contain calories (in fact, some fruits are laden with sugar!).

One thing I'd suggest is determining your metabolic type (just do a google search). This will help you determine the best food types for you.

You can then find an activity you enjoy doing, it can be anything from gardening to just simple walking and do that ...

I am loving this thread. Normally people say you can't spot reduce - but I am loving the advice - please keep us posted on your progress. I am in the same boat, need to lose for health reasons - borderline diabetic and painful joints from arthritis. I am also swimming as one person posted. Great advice here - please please keep us posted!! I love 3FC!

P.S. - what is the metamax thingy? Can someone please explain? Sorry to be so stupid -:o

220 - your age refers to a formula that gives a prediction of maximum heart rate in an individual for exercise purposes... But it is my understanding there are newer ones that are being used now... If you google maximum heart rate formulas for exercise or something along those lines I'm sure you can find the new methods that are now being used...

This is not about spot reducing. Belly fat is the most harmful fat that a person acquires. It seeps into every crevice of your belly, between all your organs and is the biggest cause of many illnesses. While increasing strength in your muscles all over like glutes, biceps, hamstrings etc is important, cardiovascular exercise will help reduce fat all over your body. It's not great to gain weight on your thighs, but it's especially harmful to increase your waist size. It's important to know your waist-to-hip ratio http://www.healthcalculators.org/cal.../waist_hip.asp

I disagree with you on cardio. I've studied a lot on this subject and evidence (both in literature and from personal experience) shows that strength training is way more efficient than cardio.

Cardio will burn a fair amount of calories during the period of exercise and for a bit after then that's it until your next 'hit'.

Strength training on the other hand, especially if it involves the larger muscle groups like legs, back, chest etc not only burn calories during training, but burn even more long after training.

In fact, strength training by it's very nature tears up muscle fibres which only start recovering after the workout and during that recovery period use up a tremendous amount of energy/calories to facilitate repair.

So, provided you don't mess up on your diet, intense strength training is the way to go ...

I found that eating veggies and lean sources of protein worked for me. I avoided all forms of starchy carbs for two weeks straight, and avoided fruits for two weeks was a quick jump start to my weight loss and it showed in my belly area substantially. It's actually the south beach diet, you should check it out, in my opinion i think it is effective :)

This is a great question and I don't know the answer! smile! While I still have my kangaroo pouch belly; it has been getting smaller from doing running and jump roping. Also belly dancing can help also.

I have tried Slimsaf, but only took it a week because while i was taking it i did not lose anything.

What's your point? What do you mean it's more "efficient?" Efficient at what? Cardiovascular and strengthening exercises are equally important. Cardiovascular training conditions your heart, provides necessary oxygen to every part of the body, burns calories, and increases your endurance. Strength training builds muscle, increases your metabolism, strengthens your joints, and makes you more resilient. Saying that strength training is better than cardio is like saying carrots are better than tomatoes.... each has their benefits.

Saying that cardio only burns calories until your next "hit" is misleading, it makes it sound like it has no purpose. And whatever you've been reading and learning you don't site your sources so it's hard to take your accusations seriously.

Of course you can combine strength and cardio, for example doing push ups and squats not only strenghtens but also raises your heart rate.

But for a person who is trying to lose belly fat it is absurd to think that crunches and sit ups will do that. Muscle does not replace fat. Building muslce and losing fat are different.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...042001772.html

Low carb. It is the only diet that has ever reduced belly fat on me (didn't lose a lot of weight, but lost abdomen fat). Get an Atkins book or Protein Power or even just go to the carb counters section on this board. You have to have an open mind: veges are fine, but it is eating eggs, meat and animal fat that will cause you body to burn belly fat. I am not an expert. Do your homework like I did.
Please, I am not trying to start a low-carb war. Just offer another idea.

I think in this day and age all diets seem to be pointing towards a low-carb solution. If you're a calorie counter then you know that carbs are worth way more calories than protein so you'll cut down on them that way. If you're diabetic then you know that carbs can have an adverse effect on your insulin. Now there's the gluten-free diet, the paleolithic diet, and the sugar-busters diet all point towards the obvious - We have been steered to eat way way way more carbs and sugar than our bodies really need and now our health and waistlines are paying the price for it. There is no low-carb war in this day and age my friend :)

Actually, a carb has 4 calories per gram which is the same as protein. Fat has 9 calories per gram, but with not using many calories on your carbs you do have more for fat and protein.


I'm on Atkins and I agree that it does help greatly with belly fat. I'm also gluten intolerant though, so my belly doesn't appear as bloated when I've cut that stuff out.

I'm also a weight lifter and through lifting weights I have built muscle and lost fat. I notice while strength training that my weight doesn't go down very quickly, but I lose inches rapidly. Combine that with HIIT and you have a good fat burning combo.

What exactly do you mean by "carbs are worth way more calories than protein" ?

For example, 10oz of sirloin steak is about 350calories where as 10oz of pasta (cooked, no sauce) is about 450cal, that's about 2 cups. And if I could I would eat way more pasta than that, with lots and lots of sauce which adds lots more calories. But I certainly can't eat much more than 10oz of steak, kwim?

I don't calorie count anymore but I remember when I weighed all my food and caloried counted I naturally geared my plate to be more protein than carbs because the carbs were so calorie-dense.