Even though I have lost 50+ pounds, and I am generally smaller all over my body, I am still not seeing much difference in my midsection. I do cardio and resistance training at least 4-5 days a week and count my calories. I am happy with how much smaller my legs, arms, and back are (even though I still need to work on toning up these areas) but I just can't seem to make a big change in my midsection. It is definitely smaller than it was 50 pounds ago, but I'm not seeing as much change as I would like.

I don't really like doing crunches or situps, I find them very awkward. Is there something else I can do to make my midsection flab lessen? I am definitely not looking for a six pack, or even a flat stomach - just less flab. I've heard/read that the only way to really get rid of the flab is to continue with the cardio, and this will eventually take the fat away. I've heard you can do crunches and get rock hard abs, but if you have fat on top of it that 6 pack won't matter.

Every day I've been telling myself to just keep at it and eventually I will see a smaller midsection. Do you think doing belly exercises (crunches, core exercises) will help this, or should I just continue with the cardio and resistance training and eventually the fat will go away and I will be smaller?

Thanks for any advice.

Wow - congratulations on such a fantastic loss! Re: the belly flab, you've heard correctly -- you really need to continue (and increase) the cardio to lose the fat. It tends to be the case that the places we put on weight first also tend to be the places we lose it last, and for me, that's my belly. While there's certainly no harm in doing crunches or other abdominal work (in fact, having a strong core is great for balance and aids you in doing other exercises) you won't see the flab melting away without a lot of hard work in the form of calorie-burning cardio work.
As you lose more and more weight you'll find that you need to increase the intensity of your workout to see the same results. I had to really step up my routine and drop my daily caloric intake further to lose the final bit of weight and reveal a thinner abdomen. You're well on your way to your goal, and I have a feeling that giving your routine a little revving up will eventually result in a thinner middle!

I agree with fatburner77. No excercise can make you spot-reduce. However, what's the alternative to trying...giving up? Then, you might end up getting back to where you started. You are doing so great!!! Keep trying and one day, you will see changes. One thing that studies have shown to really work on fat loss is bursts of high intensity and then, recovery. So, if you're walking, run as fast as you can for 30 seconds and then walk for a minute, then, repeat that again. Apparently, these types of bursts release a hormone in your body that makes you burn a lot more fat (I read about this a few months ago in Oprah magazine and Women's Health as well). I think they said you burn about 35% more fat with this type of cardio, as opposed to a steady, moderate pace the whole time. I hope that helps and congrats again on your amazing progress!!!

I have had the same issue with my midsection and I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, after losing 85 pounds, it's still out of proportion with the rest of me. The good news is, the rest of me is really pretty small, and therefore so is my stomach. I've come to the conclusion that this is the way I am built. No one else notices it, and I can fit into non-elastic waist pants that are appropriately sized for my legs. (As a heavier person that was a real problem for me - I needed to stuff myself into elastic waisted clothes and the waist was always the part that caused problems in fitting. Not now.)

I will say, as I reached my lowest weight, cardio has reduced it (since there was not much else to lose elsewhere, I think). I also think that the overall abs efforts I've been making have toned it up some and that gives the effect of reducing it a bit, too (At least now no flabby jiggle). I think that the others' advice fits with my experience. Working harder as you get thinner is the reality, but it did make a difference. I wish spot reducing worked and I'd be crunching all day long, believe me, but I think what you're doing now will show results, maybe slowly, but will work if you keep at it.

I've found that I had no idea what my body would look like as I got thinner and in better shape. I'm pleasantly surprised! The stomach thing used to bother me more, but I don't think about it now, because overall I'm very happy with how I look and feel. Maybe it just took me some time to get used to things now.

Have you tried yoga or pilates? While these are not cardio or even 'fat burning' exercises necessarily, they are great for core work and overall strength and flexibility. Try incorporating a few workouts of these during the wk. Yoga is especially great after other workouts for the stretching part. The Firm's 'Power Yoga' is a good 30 yoga/stretch. Great for the novice. 'Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss' is also another great beginer yoga dvd. Check out http://www.collagevideo.com/searchre...=yoga&type=all for all types of exercise dvds. Great site for info and reviews. Also, have you ever tried a stability ball? You can do your wt routine (most of it) on a stability ball to work more muscles. Oh, and resistance tubes/bands are another way to work muscles differently.

I agree w/the other posters that losing fat overall will get it off your belly (mine too!) but by strengthening your core and working your muslces you will burn more and firm up more.