I am sure this topic has been touched in many forms before but i needed help on my own personal stomach fat issue.
Basic about me : I’m 5ft 4, i have an hourglass figure ( large chest small waist and a bit of a bottom) i’m a size 8 /10 depending on where i shop! and i have rather longer legs than i do an upper abdomen so not so proportionate.
I am happy with my overall weight although i would be happier to lose weight than put on weight, but my problem area is my stomach. I think i have an aishwariya rai stomach ( when she dosent work out) as in my stomach is just fat. when i sit down it makes a tyre, its basically a pot belly.
I do have a very large appetite , and if i dont eat my 3 square meals a day i cant focus i get headaches and basically i need to eat! i love food abit too much.
What can i do to get rid of my pot belly? i am prepared to hit the gym, gym classes ( such as aerobics, yoga) cut down on foods but i need to know what to do.
Gyms where i live basically don’t have instructors who help and my fiance refuses to help because he thinks i am perfectly fine the way i am. But he hasn’t seen my tummy!!
I have 4 months to get into shape before i am on my honeymoon and will be wanting to wear a bikini ( panic not guppies we are going to a private villa and can do as i please with no-one seeing me!!)
Can someone please help me devise a plan, i can only manage to go to the gym or gym classes 2 times a week or maybe 3! work commitments mean i cant do alot!
i have a similar thing....except that i am not going to a honeymoon or wearing a bikini....but about little tiddy fat.....i need reduce 2 inches off my waist......
I'm about 8 and a half stones right now... typically i have cereal at work or porridge with banana, when i dont have breakfast i consume starbucks white cafe mocha or hot choc and a muffin or croissant, lunch is currently soup and crackers with cheese with some fruit (if i remember to eat my fruit)OR sometimes left overs from the night before dinner either i eat out, or roti saalan, pasta, pies, etccc i have to have my chocolate fix at 3pm every day or i can't focus!! , i do snack randomly on chocolate or snack a jacks or sometimes walkers crisps! my only exercise is walking from the station ( 10-15mins) and walking up the tube escalatars sometimes if i am not falling asleep! .. i get a lift to the station in the morning!!
hahaha, I love your disclaimer about guppans panicking about the bikini.
In order to lose weight off the tummy you are going to have to use both diet and exercise. In terms of exercise there is no way to spot reduce so you basically have to work out your whole body in order to lose weight of your stomach. On the plus side a lot of exercises engage the core and therefore workout your stomach muscles. First you need to do cardio to loose the fat on your stomach and second you need to do resistance training to help build and tone the muscle thats under the fat. Building the muscle helps burn faster which is why its an important part of losing weight.
In terms of cardio you probably want to do this at least 5 times a week to see quick results. I do 30 mins a day of interval training, the benefit of this is that you can achieve the same intensity of workout as you would if you were exercising for an hour in a shorter period of time. This obviously means though that in that 30 mins you have to complete a much more intense workout. check this link out for more info on interval training: Interval training - Wikipedia. Along with the cardio you need to do core exercises, planks, push ups, burpees are all great core exercises. Also anything which means you have to stabilise your body will engage your core.
In terms of diet, you are going to have to balance your calories in with your calories out. So if you eat 1400 calories a day you need to burn more than that (keep in mind that based on resting metabolic rate you burn calories even when you’re doing nothing so you need to eat enough calories to sustain your body). Try 3 meals a day with 2 healthy snacks. Try and stay away from refined carbs such as cakes, pastries, etc. Switch to whole grains; brown bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. Portion control is also very important you need to eat just enough to satisfy your hunger and then stop, don’t give in to the craving of eating the food. Have balanced meal i.e. make sure every meals has a little protein, complex carbs and fruits/veggies. Breakfast is very important as it gives your metabolism a good start, oatmeal is a great breakfast because it is a complex carb which provides slow release of energy and therefore sustains you throughout the day longer than say a muffin. Drink plenty of water as this helps you stay hydrated and can sometimes help curb cravings. Your healthy snacks in between meals should be things like almonds, bananas, apples, carrots, whole wheat crackers with hummus or some natural peanut butter.
If you follow this routine then I guarantee you can lose the weight in 4 months (I lost 20 lbs and I was never fat just had fat around my hips and stomach and ass where I didn’t want it). It might seem tough right now but keep visualising yourself looking uber sexy in that bikini and it should keep you motivated! Good luck!
any gym instructor u meet will say cardio & weight lifting of course with diet control. u can hire a personal trainer if u like otherwise excercise atleast 3 times a week alternating between cardio, weights n yoga/pilateor belly dancing etc. u'll see diff in a month.
I'm about 8 and a half stones right now... typically i have cereal at work or porridge with banana, when i dont have breakfast i consume starbucks white cafe mocha or hot choc and a muffin or croissant, lunch is currently soup and crackers with cheese with some fruit (if i remember to eat my fruit)OR sometimes left overs from the night before dinner either i eat out, or roti saalan, pasta, pies, etccc i have to have my chocolate fix at 3pm every day or i can't focus!! , i do snack randomly on chocolate or snack a jacks or sometimes walkers crisps! my only exercise is walking from the station ( 10-15mins) and walking up the tube escalatars sometimes if i am not falling asleep! .. i get a lift to the station in the morning!!
if it helps my bowel movements arent regular :(
with this much carb intake u still ask abt ur belly ?!!
TLK - I have dinner around 7pm sometimes later depends on what time i get home...
Lafaraiogu ( sorry for spelling error) ... I really dont understand what cardio etc is... could you explain it in lay man terms?
whats good for breakfast? and should my lunch be heavier than my dinner? so if i have like a slimming world recipe for lunch and dinner have a salad? .. breakfast have oatmeal? ( breakfast is so boring is there anything else i can have?)
thank you!!
(sorry for being so thick, i always use to run away from PE lessons!)
Excellent post by Lafuriaroja - That is what you need to pay attention to and you'll be sorted in a couple of months.
Cardiovascular Exercise/Workout or Cardio as it is commonly called refers to exercises that increase your resting heart rate for longer than normal period of time. Things like running, swimming, cycling, rowing, jogging, dancing and even brisk walking for long periods of time are examples of Cardio.
Benefits include:
It strengthens the heart
It strengthens the lungs and increases lung capacity
It boosts the metabolism, burns calories, and helps you lose weight
It helps reduce stress
It increases energy
It promotes restful sleep
As Lafuriaroja said, split your meals into 3+2 or 3+3 and cut down on portion sizes. Start keeping a basic calorie diary. The key is to lose more than you gain everyday but not too much.
Also, combine Cardio with basic weights/strength training because that will really workout your core. At the risk of repeating everything Lafuriaroja said, a few pointers. (AM = Morning and PM = Evening)
Bodyweight/Freeweight Training (PM) - Pushups, Lunges, Squats, Pullups, Step-Ups, Box Jumps, etc. or dumb-bells.
Keep it simple, keep it light and never skip warm ups.
Do workouts on alternating days but you can always keep Cardio everyday (Just make it a lighter walk).
Never eat before you sleep. At most, get yourself some juice if you MUST.
No more fizzy drinks, sugary juices, chocolates, snacks, fatty/oily foods.
Replace your current meals with healthier alternatives like protein rich, low fat meals (Lean stuff, Fish, Veggies, etc.)
Never skip your daily intake of vitamins and minerals, use healthier oils, etc.
Add more fibre to your diet. Weetabix for breakfast perhaps. Also try Psyllium husk (Isabgol) although would recommend you start off with not more than 2 teaspoons in water and drink it and follow up with loads of water throughout.
Water is absolutely essential. Always carry water with you so you can just drink up.
I mean this is the kinda stuff that helped me drop from 90kg to 75 kg when I was training. I stopped working out for over a year and I'm back up to 90kg. Luckily my weight does not go over 90kg no matter what but I've just started this whole plan again and InshaAllah in six months time I'll have swapped most of the fat for muscle.
And remember if this is what you really want, you MUST stick to your routine. Just remember how you want to look like in that bikini? Flabby with a tyre around your waist or fit, healthy and comfortable with yourself.
a question, can results be achieved without using any equipment?
Yeah of course. Like I said, Cardio can be walking, jogging, running, swimming, etc. But ofcourse you need to be doing it at a pace that raises your heart rate from its base. And all the exercises I listed are body weight exercises which means you can do them using your own body to provide the resistance.
The diet is really important along with the exercise.
Just in case it wasn't clear enough, you need to completely remove starbucks and muffins, croissants etc from your diet.
You need to completely remove the crisps and other chocolate from your office or where ever.
Start the day with a healthy, filling breakfast. We all get the munchies at about 11 but eat some fruit.
You DO need a proper lunch otherwise you will want to snack a lot in the afternoon. Soup and crackers and cheese is not filling and the latter not healthy.
I don't usually eat until I'm full because I hate that feeling but I try to at lunch which usually means a half more sandwich. But it's always wholemeal bread and healthy fillings. This means I don't feel like snacking just an hour or 2 after lunch.
I have one late afternoon (about 4pm) cup of tea and then I allow myself some chocolate or biscuits or whatever. It's usually something snacksize and no more than 100 calories.
Dinner is standard but limit the roti and eat more salad. Eating out is not going to help at all, so try to limit that too.
Basically, you do need to monitor everything that goes into your mouth, so do keep that diary.
I suggest running at least 3 times a week. And I am not saying "walking fast" I mean running at minimum 4.5 speed on threadmill and you will see fast results in shorter period of time. Do not cut down on your meals, once you start running regularly you will get much more hungry so you need that food. But hard core running is the fastest and simplest way to loose weight from your tummy and overall body.
Also, cut down completely on sugar intake and replace with lot of fruits, at least 2 apples a day.
wake up your tummy muscles by doing situps, start with 30 a day and go up to 90 slowly but you need to concentrate on your stomach, eat less and along with the cardio or speed walking or whatever, do the situps, or i actually do exercises that don’t involve situps but all other types that are for the tummy area and they really work for me, now after doing these i can really see a flat tummy with well defined muscle
so not so proportionate.