Dont get me wrong, I am freaking excited!

Just when I was getting down on myself about my weight (Something to do with dating-while-fat) I jump on the scale, something I havent done in awhile, and the number was so low that I had to weight myself three times!

And while that is great and all, my stomach is not where I'd like it to be.

Part of me knows that the reason it looks the way it does is exercise, but the other part of my brain thinks "Im losing weight, why should I have to work on my abs? my stomach should just SHRINK!"

The thing is, when I was 260 before (About 6 years ago I was 260, and eventually made it down to 180 before gaining it all back plus more) my stomach didnt look like this.

But, at that weight, I was ALWAYS working out.


I guess I am afraid that so many years of not doing any physical activity has made my stomach area look really dumpy and lumpy.

EDIT: I want to add that I do workout 3-4 times a week right now, but 6 years ago I was working EVERYDAY, for more than two hours some days.

I dont know what to do about it. I'm losing weight like crazy, but my stomach prevents me from wearing certain clothes, and showing my body off.

Its starting to get depressing.

I've never had such a squishy belly, and its pissing me off. I touch the thing, and its almost as if its a separate entity.

Can anyone recommend any specific exercises that may help me tone that area?

I would greatly appreciate any advice, or personal stories, or general insights.

Thanks!

63 views and no support. Ah well, I guess Ill go elsewhere.

For many of us, its midnight or later =) I'm a night owl right now, but many of the regular posters are probably sleeping lol!

I think my issue is similar...when I started my weight loss journey, my stomach was fairly firm. It was bigger, but I could press it and it felt harder than say the fat of my thighs (which has always been squishy). Now that I've lost some weight (albeit 7lbs), I've noticed the fat get a bit more jiggly. There's a thread in the body image section that you might find helpful ^_^

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...good-sign.html

If you're looking for exercise to target your stomach and abdomen, the sit-up/crunches would probably be your best bet. I'm sure someone who exercises a bit more than myself might be able to give more insight on some particular moves to do...right now I just walk and occasionally use the elliptical, so I'm not targeting anywhere specific at this moment. and I don't want to recommend something that could be harmful

Congrats on your current weight loss =D I know it will get better!!

I'm afraid there's not much that can be done about it, just enjoy the fact that it'll be gone in a year or so. Also, a lot of this may have to do with your body image. When I was gaining weight I was in denial about my weight and honestly didn't notice how huge I had become by 260 (and even higher). Pictures - however - don't lie, so if you have some old pictures from that time to compare to maybe you'll notice you are in fact not bigger? Or maybe your stomach has become a new problem area for you, in which case it'll still go away but it'll take longer.

As for trying to burn fat off problem areas by exercising certain muscle groups; it is unfortunately a myth. I'm unsure of whether this is what you meant in your post, or if you merely wanted to make the fat firmer (which I can't help you with either).
3fatchicks.com/forum/exercise/78440-top-ten-exercise-myths.html - Here's a good post on 3FC to read. (I can't post clickable URLs yet)

On the up side of things, you lost 10 pounds! Awesome!

I've been posting on this board for a while. Occasionally I've gotten over a hundred views without a response. Depends on time of day and topic. In this case, you're doing everything right, so people may feel they don't have much to contribute. You can't "spot reduce" fat in any area. The weight will come off in a genetically determined, unalterable sequence. All you can do is tone the muscles underneath the fat (which you're doing). Once you lose more weight, assuming that's what you want to do, you should start to see bigger and bigger changes.

Freelanec

Hehe. I feel the same way about my stomach. Last time I was 160 it was a lot flatter. And I wasn't exercising. So I'm not sure what happened. I'm hoping in the next 6 pounds it comes off, but considering my thighs aren't exactly slender either, there are a few places it could disappear from!

Anyway, keep your chin up, you may not look exactly like you wanted at 260, but if you make it to 240? 220? The stubborn flab will soon have nowhere to hide.

Time + the damage done from losing & regaining will cause different appearance.

I am the same size I was 6 years ago but my stomach looks completely different, despite working out consistently that whole time. There is only so much corrective work we can do when we damage our bodies by gaining and losing (& repeat).

Thanks you guys.


I am totally aware that there is no such thing as "spot reduction"! I constantly preach that to my family members!

Hehe.


But, I have noticed that my body reacts rather quickly to certain types of exercise. I mean, even just 3 months ago when I was working on my abs everyday that area was..."tight".

I'm thinking I need to start targeting my abs more often.

Gotta hate that. I'm losing weight from my face, thighs, and knees. All my pants are baggy in all the wrong places, but I can't fit in smaller sizes because my stomach and butt aren't really shrinking.

I also have the issue with jiggly fat in the abdominal region. It doesn't seem to be getting much smaller, but it is getting squishy. I believe that's a good sign though.

FWIW - Planks have helped firm me up more than crunches. By no means has it gotten rid of the jello belly, but I was doing crunches daily and was getting to the point that I wasn't even sore. Nothing was happening. I started doping planks and I can feel the muscles work and have started to see a slimmed waist line, and I haven't lost but 4 pounds since starting the planking three weeks ago. I still have the jiggly belly, but it DOES feel firmer underneath than what it did a month ago. Just my two cents...