I'm wondering what special exercises do you all do to help smooth the tummy? I have a BIG stomach, where ALL my excess weight is located! I need to know what you do to help smooth that tummy.

Mind you, I walk almost everyday (fast paced, jog)... And I'm following south beach.

Unfortunately, there are no special exercises to smooth the tummy. You can do core exercises to strengthen the muscles underneath the fat but the fat can not be smoothed. Exercise and a calorie deficit will eventually help get rid of the fat though.

Hi Loriann:

That is where I carry alot of my weight too.

If you find something that works for you, let me know.

Angela

Make sure that you are sucking in your stomach when doing any kind of ab exercise. It should feel like you are sucking in to get on a tight pair of jeans. If you don't do this, your stomach will stick out and your muscles will actually form outward. Practice this while you are driving and you are killing two birds with one stone.

Ugh, same here. I carry ALL my weight in my stomach basically. I believe walking is the best way to lose weight in the tummy. So keep doing what your doing!

I notice that when I work out on the treadmill and use the elliptical (about 30-40 mins each around 3 times per week) I lose a lot of inches off my waist and hips area and my stomach does not look so protruding. And like beth said, you need to remember to suck in your tummy while working out and keeping your back straight.
As for food, I'm not sure if there is anything you can eat that helps with this problem. I notice also that when I eat certain foods like broccoli or beans my tummy is a little bloated, also when I'm on my TOM it seems to be sticking out I guess because of water retention etc.

Hope this helps

The mantra of weight lifters and body builders is "abs are made in the kitchen". Unfortunately, spot reduction is a myth and the only way to make a body part look smaller is to get down to our ideal weight. For some people the last place they lose is the belly, for others it's the hips and thighs.

Weight training is the best way to do this as muscle burns more calories than fat does and women do NOT have to worry about bulking up - that is another myth. Stumptuous.com is a great website for information on female weight lifting. Resistance training/weight lifting is ideal for us PCOSers because it enhances insulin sensitivity in our muscles which is a major problem for most women with PCOS.

Low Carb / low glycemic is also the most effective diet for us.

HI Sol, thanks for that! I did purchase Denise Austin's Boot Camp last week and have done the strengthening portion twice so far and have noticed a difference! I think I'll up this work out to no less than three times a week! I like it because it';s only 20 mins and makes a huge difference. Keep in mind I do walk about an hour a day, have to to give puppy exercise.

most of people with weight problem , not big weight problem , have problem same as you , from research , 50% of them have problem like you , and problem is what you eat and your life style , so you have problem with insulin and cortisol , higher level of cortisol will cause fat around belly , and that is big health problem for women , cardiovascular diseases , also don't look god , so thing you should do is it less high GL food , eat more protein and good fat , and take some supplements that can help you , like a lot of fish oil , and 1-2g of vitamin c , also add apple vinegar to salads , ALA can help ,and less stress

I don't have PCOS/insulin resistance, and I don't mean to intrude, but I am struggling with the same problem. Even though my weight in general is under control, I am disproportionately heavy around the middle.

Cortisol does seem to play a role in forming visceral fat. Alcohol raises cortisol levels, so limiting the consumption of alcohol is recommended (not my problem -- I'm nearly a teetotaler). Stress seems to also be a major factor, so maybe yoga classes would help. Fewer refined carbs is always a good idea. I wish you the best of luck!

Stubborn belly fat - please go away.