I've decided to go for 5 more lbs. 148 is just too close to 150 and my tummy still is a problem, covers pretty well with clothes, but the apron is bigger than I'd like none the less. I don't think 5 lbs is going to give me the stomach of my dreams but it's all I'm willing to lose. My arms are getting thinner than I'd like I can see veins in my hands, feet and arms all the time and when I work out or get hot it's really gross. I can see my ribs on my chest and my boobs are getting a little too small. So anyway I'm wondering what the consensus is on spot reduction, myth or fact? I know that logically it should follow that if my tummy is the only place that fat is left then that's where it will come from, but last week I lost an inch all over including my arms and I didn't think there was anything left in my arms let alone an inch! So I want to do what I can to make these 5 come from the belly, but if it's not possible I don't want to be delusional. Thanks!

I'm not a believer in spot reduction. You know that fat is found all over the body (even in your fingers and toes!) and will come off the body from all over as well. Toning the muscles underneath the fat will help to reveal them, shrink and tighten the abdominal muscles and help your belly to be firmer and flatter. Losing more weight won't only take it off of your belly, as breasts and everything else are fatty, so I recommend the sculpting to tone your midsection.

Yeah, I'm not a believer in spot reduction. I am a believer in toning though. So I think Asharksrevenge has said pretty much what I would say.

If spot reducing were possible I would have the most awesome thighs, calves and rear on the planet. (I do spin class, 20 mile bike rides, 4 mile runs and 5 mile walks frequently) Instead, it's all coming off the breasts and shoulders and face.

Just tone the muscles so you lose a majority of the fat. Then do cardio like mad.

i don't believe you can reduce, but you can make it look better. And a couple of body building websites have said that the more muscle you have in a given area the more fat you will burn in the area--sounds like spot reduction to me?

anyways, focus on that girdle: Here is a great website, with great pictorials of the exercises. just click on the exercise name, and it will show you proper form. http://www.ab-core-and-stomach-exerc...xercises-.html

then here are some overall good exercises: http://www.musclenet.com/abs.htm. I like doing the crunches on stability balls: http://www.ginmiller.com/gmf06/artic...lity_ball.html

i really need to focus on my tummy as well.

I just read a book by Bob Green, Oprah's trainer. In it he says that the only way to lose inches is to lose fat first, and then stengthen the muscles underneath the fat so that they will look toned and show through. He said nothing about spot toning, but others may have different opinions (let's hear them!)
Since you are so close to your final weight, you may be surprised how much comes off your abdomen if you lose even another 3 pounds. You can always stop if you look too thin in other areas.

I guess we all have areas that may never look as we want them. I have very small hips and legs, but bigger upper arms. I'll be very surprised if much weight loss does come off my arms, so I may have to live with it. But I'm strength training and hoping for the best. I guess there is always lipo or a tummy tuck if we can afford it!

Depending on your build, your last "refuge" for fat may be your abdomen. It is for lots of us. A few more pounds may indeed help.

Try googling "abs made in the kitchen".

My body changed a lot in the 6 months after I reached goal. I now look like I should be this weight, not like I've just lost a lot of weight and that is definitely better. I agree with all the suggestions to tone but time may also really be your friend

sounds to me like you DONT have much mo0re fat to lose (ie veins, bones, etc) Yes you CAN spot reduce. Its called surgery and might be your remaining option.
Ive had 2 kids. Even at < 15% bodyfat i STILL had/have a tummy. I ACCEPT it now. Its not bad, its just not PERFECT. I cant lose anymore fat, my body is done. Givee it more time. Seriously.

Well... you just reached your goal. You lost, like, a whole 'nother person. I have read it can take up to a year for everything to settle into place and for skin to stretch back into place. I agree with PP's that time is your friend.
Doing ab exercises certainly won't hurt. It will firm up the muscles underneath which will hold things in place.

I don't believe in spot reducing, BUT I do lose more inches from my stomach than my arms & legs. Also, I lose a lot of inches quickly in my chest too.

I have been programmed to have a flat chest & distended stomach. Currently my measurements are 34-30-35. Not exactly what I was dreaming of, but I can't fight genetics.

I think it's perfectly fine to keep losing weight. But at some point, body acceptance is the best way to love the body you have.

I don't believe in spot reduction. I do believe in working the ab muscles so that you can see those muscles after the fat is lost. I also believe in working the largest muscles in your body hard, because those muscles give you the biggest calorie-burning bang for your buck. Squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc. These exercises work those big muscles to keep the fat-burning engine going, and bonus: your core gets a workout, too. But, at the end of the day, genetics, not exercise, determines where the fat comes off.

Diet also makes a huge difference when it comes to your stomach. Abs truly are made in the kitchen.

Nueceno-- can i make a comment without being offensive?
(FYI- i am the type of person who ALWAYS says what im thinking--no sugar coating-- in case you havent noticed yet)

Youve been losing weight for FOUR YEARS NOW.
Last week you were HAPPY at 148ish.

Is it at all possible that you are addicted to losing weight at this point? Do you know/remember how to live NOT on a diet?
I think you might be a little afraid.
Striving for a fat loss goal is now your comfort zone. Its what you do, its what you know HOW to do. ALL guesswork is out of the equation for you when you are in fat-loss mode.
I totally get that
You ask yourself "WHAT NOW?" You get scared becasue you see a snickers bar (or whatever) and realize you COULD eat it-- but then you might gain weight, or you forget for a moment and think that if you have a snickers bar, your scale wont show a loss this week. Food is an obsession, dieting/calorie counting is an obsession, and i totally get that. I am there with you
Maintenance is HARD. Ya, i think id like to lose 5 more pounds...something over there is not quite perfect....i can see a fat roll with my shirt off when i turn this way is Sunlight........whatever. Thats your perogative.
I can tell you though, my running feels great, now that i eat at maintenance.
im only thinking about food 98% of the time instead of 99T% of the time now, so THATS a relief.
I recognize bloat for what it is (NOT FAT) i dont freak out and restrict because i ate half a bowl of banana bread batter last night (I DID!) and now my pants are tight this morning. Its my own darn fault and i KNEW how id feel this morning. I ALSO KNOW that if i give it a few days of NORMal eating and exercising it will work itself out... no need to diet and restrict and binge and diet and restrict and binge.
ANd you know what else? If 5 pounds creep back on over the next 4 months, than i know how to get it off again this winter..... no biggie. Its not the end of the world. I mean, it would SUCK, but i can get back down

At some point you need to stop FIGHTING yor body. are you really NOT HAPPY with your success? Is it impossible to enjoy it becuase SOME days out of the month you dont like how you look/feel?
As women, i think we should be happy if we are satisfied with our bodies 2 weeks out of the month!

But, back on track, i have a quick question regarding the lower abdomen issue...... do you eat sugar free products? Sugar free gum, candies, syrup, pudding, jello, skinney lattes w sugar free vanillw? Any of that crap? The sugar alcohols CAN cause a Noticable distension of the abdomen. They did for me! I looked 5 months pregnant for about 8 months before i figured it out.

Good Luck

I think you look really great, but then again, I don't see you without your clothes on.

Also, I feel like I should point out that it may not be fat on your abdomen, but simply skin that has been stretched out from when you used to have excess fat or from your pregnancy. You may just need to learn to love your body, in spite of the minor flaws and imperfections.

Ladies, thank you so much for your honesty - I NEED IT! I agree with everything you've said 100%, but I do have to defend myself a little bit.

Yes, it is a little hard for me to stop being in weight loss mode and it's very hard to say ok I'm at goal, but not have the body I had before I gained weight. I understand that this is something that I need to get over immediatly because I'll NEVER have that body again, but on the other hand I've worked way to hard not feel like I'm the best me I can be. I still have fat on my abdomen, some of it is loose skin, but there is fat there too and I still have a bump above and below my belly button. But's it's the apron that is really getting to me. I understand that there will come a point where it's probably all just loose skin and nothing by surgery will fix it, but I feel like giving 5 more lbs a try to see if there is improvement won't hurt anything. It's not like I weigh 110 lbs and am crying oh I'm still fat I'm 148-150 lbs, at the very top of the healthy weight range for my height. I guess I just don't want you all to worry about me. I promise I'm not dilusional about what I can achieve, especially in the apron department, or what my body should look like after losing 120 lbs and I'm not addicted to weight loss. I just don't like the way my brand new wardrobe fits at 150 lbs with TOM and/or restaurant bloat and would like to give myself a little better cushion so my ceiling is 148 lbs when I did feel great. I still do feel great at 148 lbs, but I don't feel great at 150 lbs. I know complaining about 2 lbs sounds insane, but oddly enough those 2 lbs make a really big difference in how my clothes fit and how my body feels. I feel heavy when I run at 150 lbs, I feel light and strong at 148 lbs. I promise at 143-145 lbs I will take a serious break (6 months minimum) and allow my body to naturally tighten and adjust.

mkroyer - I don't eat a lot of sf stuff anymore. It's really not bloating that's the issue. Although I did have a serious bloating issue yesterday, one I've seriously never experienced before and not sure what it was about. I really wish I had the stones to post pics of my belly, but I don't. I know it will never be what I want it to be and I will have to get to a point where I just accept it and move on. I am thrilled with my success, and I know I'll never reach perfection, but I can be the best version of me possible.