Ask Me Help Desk - How to loose in the stomach

I am 26 years old and have tried to loose weight for years. I made up my mind 6 weeks ago, and have stuck with it. At the start I weighed 380 lbs. So far I have lost 24 lbs in 6 weeks. The problem is, I am losing below the waist. I haven't lost one pound in the stomach. I am riding an exercise bike 4 miles a day and jogging on a treadmill 1 mile a day. I have drastically changed my eating habits. I now eat healthy and about 60% less as far as amounts. How can I loose in the stomach? I still have 126 lbs to go, but I'm headed there.

I take it you are a male? Are you eating bread? White bread? Drinking beer? What type of carbs are you eating? Are you drinking plenty of water? Are you drinking drinks full of sugar? Tell me what you eat/drink on a normal basis.

You need to do exercise aimed at your stomach/abs. Situps are a good way to start and even an aerobic workout. You are running and biking which is working your legs more then your waist, it's very important to mix it up.

You sound like your doing a superior job, that's quite a accomplishment 24 lbs!! For abdominal fat reducing resistance training is the key, but you must train the whole body. About about working out with weight, this will increase your lean body mass which raises your resting metabolic rate, when you speed up your metabolism your burn more body fat. If your eating natural, low fat, low sugar, low sodium, low calorie foods this is a great change and will help for years to come. But you also got to remember it takes time and patience to rduce the stomach area, along with proper nutrition, you need aerobic exercise, abdominal training. You jogging and treadmill and biking are great for this. Try doing some crunches, hip lifts these are easy on your back and will tone the underlying muscles. Now I know you say that your eating 60% less in amounts, but are you trying to get as close to a one portion size/serving as you can, try working your way down to this goal, reading the nutritional labels will help you under stand what a food products size should be for the calories indicated. Also in case your not aware of this Lowfat 1-2% or skim milk, non fat yogurt and low fat, sodium skim or partially skim cheese will also help you, Calcium regulates energy metabolism, which increases fat breakdown and decreases the amount of body fat. People who eat 3-4 servings per day lose more weight and body fat. The more calcium stored in a fat cell the more calories you will burn. ( Now one serving = 1 cup of milk or yogurt or 1 1/2 oz. of cheese) Just keep in mind how well your doing and keep going, with all this going for you, you'll get there, just be patient, that's the hardest part!

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Originally Posted by karent23

I take it you are a male? Are you eating bread? White bread? Drinking beer? What type of carbs are you eating? Are you drinking plenty of water? Are you drinking drinks full of sugar? Tell me what you eat/drink on a normal basis.

You need to do exercise aimed at your stomach/abs. Situps are a good way to start and even an aerobic workout. You are running and biking which is working your legs more then your waist, it's very important to mix it up.

Yes I am a male. For breakfast I eat oatmeal. For lunch a salad, with fat-free dressing, and for dinner it varies. Nothing fried, only baked or grilled, with vegies. I might have some breads maybe 3 times a week max. I drink water all day ( about 10 glasses) and for dinner I have unsweet tea with Splinda.

Well your diet sounds real good, so you've accomplished quite a lot just making and keeping with these changes (wheat bread?) Just keep at it and use other forms of exercises along with what your doing!

There is a debate about fat free dressings... they are higher in sugar and sometimes will not help you at all. You might want to try a naturally lowfat salad dressing of some sort. Also try adding some grapefruit juice (unsweeten) into your diet. Grapefruit juice has something in that attacks the fat cells in your body.

I myself was overweight at one time. I weighed about 165 in high school and now I'm 125 and have been for a couple years. If you continue doing what you are doing your belly will eventually shrink.

One thing that I had to do in order to make it with out binge eating is treat myself every now and then. Even if it was just sugar free pudding made with skim milk.