Any suggestions on how best to address ab weight. I am an apple shape so most of my fat is in my mid section which makes it really dangerous for my health. My legs are pretty strong and my arms while getting flabby are not horribly bad. It's all in the abs. For those of you who have been successful in losing your weight in this section of your body, please advise. What food did you fine helped most in this area?
What specific exercises (besides traditional crunches) did you find to be most effective?
How long did it take before you started to notice a difference in size?
For me, it seems like the ab area is always the last area for me to see any difference which is why I give up so easily. Not giving up right now, but I keep falling off the path and hanging on with dear life.
It's 3am and I'm having the worst insomnia ever. All I can think and worry about is how overweight I am and how my life is passing me by.
Unfortunately there is no way to spot reduce. Whatsoever. The only thing we CAN do is reduce our weight ALL OVER. Getting down to healthy weight, should take care of the tummy. It might not be the first thing to go - or the second, but believe me, when you do indeed get down to that healthy weight, your tummy will be greatly reduced.
I did sit ups from Day one of my journey. I figured it was something I could do while laying down, so it had some appeal to me. . Anyway, that's a great way to get the abs in shape for when your stomach is reduced.
As far as food goes, I don't know that there are any specific foods that will help your stomach. But I find that protein and fiber and sticking to my calorie allotment has proven VERY successful for me in reducing my overall weight - which is what we want. OVERALL weight reduction. Do you have a food plan? What about your exercise plan?
By the way, I used to spend many a night awake thinking the same thing as you. I wondered how I was willing to settle for second best, when first best was well within my reach. It bothered me TERRIBLY that I was not able to FULLY partake in life. And I worried CONSTANTLY, just CONSTANTLY about the added risks I was putting my health at. Take some ACTION, get into fitness and health and good eating and you won't have to have any more sleepless nights spend contemplating the fact that life is passing you by.
How did you determine the number of calories and amount of exercise your body needs to lose weight without feeling hungry or having cravings? Whenever I start eating healthy, within 2 days I'm back to my old ways. Any tips on how you pushed forth past the gate and hit the ground running?
I am built like you--most of my weight gain goes on my abdomen. The main thing is to lose the fat. Certainly toning exercises can help tighten up that area, but you may want to start with crunches or crunch machines. I found situps to be really hard when I was larger.
Aerobic machines or exercises (low impact) also help tone things generally, including the abs.
My abdominal area is much smaller now, but I still am carrying some pounds there. I think I always will have some fat there--I did even when I was a thin teenager!
As for the hunger problem, you can expect to feel hungry sometimes when you are restricting calories. It goes with the territory. It can help to space your eating out during the day, say, into 5 or 6 small meals/snacks.
You'll also have cravings--many folks crave carbs, for example, because they are used to having them. It's almost like drug withdrawal. Those will pass the longer you avoid giving in to them.
What plan are you following? There are many reviewed here on 3FC--go to the main page and click Diets in the purple strip. Also, if you're counting calories, go to the Calorie Counters forum. Aphil has posted a Sticky on that page about frequently asked questions:
I have had this big old stomach for years, and thought it would never be able to be smaller, but it does. I say wait until some more weight comes off, and you might be surprised. I do crunches and sit ups to help my stomach, and it has. I started off only doing 3-4 sit ups, now I do 14-15, and hope to work my way up to 24 a day/4 days a wk.
cheryl
Not food or exercise advise but what has helped me…
I am also an apple shape and understand how frustrating carrying your weight in such an obvious place can be. When I started losing my weight I had really hoped that the majority of my weight would come off my stomach and it has, but not to the same extent it has come off other areas.
I seem to lose weight from the top down and the bottom up and I look like a smaller version of myself, still apple, just smaller. I think with our type of shape the most look transforming weight comes at the end when we really start losing the last of that stomach.
I don’t post very often but I am a faithful reader. One day I read a post that said to make sure to keep records of your weight, take measurements and take pictures so you know where you are in your program. Simple advice that, for me, has proved to be very valuable. I have had times I wanted to quit, I felt nothing was working and I was a failure at my program, which is calorie counting.
I took out those pictures, looked at my calorie logs and I looked at my weight loss record. I was doing a great job, it was my head that was playing tricks on me…I think the same has happened to me in the past, this time however I was able to recognize it and not let it pull me off my program.
I wanted to give you this information to consider because it has helped me keep on going. Good luck.
How did you determine the number of calories and amount of exercise your body needs to lose weight without feeling hungry or having cravings? Whenever I start eating healthy, within 2 days I'm back to my old ways. Any tips on how you pushed forth past the gate and hit the ground running?
Like Jay said, for starters, check out that thread over at calorie counters. We are not doctors or nutritionists here, we only can talk about what we have gone through with our OWN experience. I would say at your weight, perhaps 1600 calories would be a good place to start. Only with trial and error could we know for sure.
In the begining, there ARE going to be times of hunger and cravings. I found after 2 short, though granted, difficult weeks, that those things practically ceased all together. So therefore, you MUST stick to it REGARDLESS. It is the ONLY way to get rid of that tummy, and those sleepless nights. It's a decision you must make. It's a commitment. Period.
I found for me, eating foods rich in protein and fiber and then ELMINATING the starchy ones - the flour, bread, rice, cakes, sweets was the real key to taming my cravings and hunger. And I eat very often, every 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
As far as exercise, I started out slowly and then increased. A short walk turned into longer one and then the one walk a day, turned into 2. Like I said I did sit ups from day one. I then added in strength training.
The bottomline is - you've got to really, really want this and then it most certainly is very, VERY doable and attainable and you too CAN do it. Without a doubt. You don't have to sit back and watch life pass you by. It's all within your control. You've got the power. Good luck.
Ab weight
For those of you who have been successful in losing your weight in this section of your body, please advise. What food did you fine helped most in this area?
. Anyway, that's a great way to get the abs in shape for when your stomach is reduced.
