Losing the fat on my belly

[mcn2bsn]

you need to really work out those muscles. men need those muscles in particular to support our backs. unlike women, our abdominal fat is under the layer of muscle (advantage for looks only). a normal person "should" be able to do 200 sits ups at any given point and not have a problem with it. I would say work on that, then use some resistance with your sit ups (crunches) to bulk them up, making sure you get all your abdominal muscles. (you have vertical, horizontal, and transverse).

 

[Spiff]

You may be a vegetarian, but that doesn't mean you're eating the ideal foods to make your body more lean. On the contrary, some of the most fattening foods don't involve meat.

There's no such thing as spot reduction. Just doing a zillion sit-ups a day isn't going to give you a lean abdomen. You'll have to concentrate on getting your entire body lean. Only then may your muscles decide to make an appearance.

 

[Spiff]

Do intensive calorie-burning exercise. Try regular swimming, not much else works better.

 

[lonnie1]

I've read that in order for the abs to show, there comes a point where working on the muscles doesn't help anymore. As the earlier people said, you body needs to be lean.

 

[J-23]

I've read that in order for the abs to show, there comes a point where working on the muscles doesn't help anymore. As the earlier people said, you body needs to be lean.

That's what I've heard... "Spot treatment" isn't as effective as overall fat loss.

 

[wildhog]

Have you got any suggestions?

dude, don't know if you have heard of the South Beach Diet. I am on it and it has only been 2 weeks for me. But the result is amazing. I am getting leaner. Better yet, read the book. It tells you what to eat and what not to eat. You know eat lean protein, and more complex carbohydrates, found in most vegetables... Besides, while on this diet, it does not feel like I am in a diet. More power to you.

 

[RicanDAB]

Won't hurt to try Hip Hop Abs either ...

See: http://www.justusboys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162823

 

[skaterboi]

basically for your abs to be visable you need to have under 10% body fat, so the key is your diet, you need to evaluate what you eat over a week (write it all down including calories) then try and reduce your daily intake by 200c's do this for a couple of weeks and see how things are going, if you dont seem to be losing much fat then try reducing your daily intake by a further 100c's

you need to keep doing the exercise and try to keep away from cardio as it can burn muscle as well as fat where as weights will only burn fat, dont focus on just your abs though do the full workout

few other bits of advice, you need to be drinking 8 large glasses of ice//ice cold water EVERY day without fail, stop drinking coffee or any other caffinated drinks, the water will do wonders for your body/skin and at the same time it burns calories as you have to heat it up.
you also need to be keeping your metobolic rate up, so need to be having a meal at 8am, 10am (snack), 1pm, 3pm (snack) and 6pm and nothing after 8pm on the night. you're better off eating smaller meals more often than eating three huge meals a day a nothing else.

good luck and keep us posted

 

[mattyboi_aus]

Pretty much everything Skaterboi said is spot on! However, just watching your intake alone wont help until your entire body becomes more lean and toned. Yes, Cardio work can burn muscle as well as fat, but it is the most effective way to burn fat.

Simplest way? 15 minute run every day (or even 3 times a week) to keep the body fat levels down, a highly controlled diet like skaterboi suggested, as well as different weight workouts on different parts of your body, and you will start to see more and more of your abs!

The run helps break down the fat, the diet stops the fat from piling on, and the weights improve muscle tone.

 

[lifeisamazing]

The south beach diet, when used in short term, helps reduce belly fat first. I would look into that.

 

[weasley]

a simple way to reduce belly fat is running. I read it somewhere that you actually start burning fat after running for 20 minutes. So get on the trendmill every other day will do the trick.

 

[Eternaldarkness]

After of atleast 12 minutes of exercise will your body burn fat. What you need to do is burn the fat more than building the muscle. You can have rock hard abs muscles but with a layer of thick fat, you will never see it. it takes 12 minutes for you body to start losing fat, so you can do a warm up in that case.

Running, swimming, even rope jumping will help you burn these fat faster and more effectively. When you can see your abs, then focusing on using restraints to bulge up those muscles.

For example, do not start out running full speed for 20 minutes then considered you are done. That 20 minutes only meant.. (20-12=8) 8 minutes of actually running and burning fat. If you warm up for that twelve minutes and then exercise, you will have the full minutes after burning fat instead of wasting your energy.

The same for weight lifting or using the machine on your abs, too..if you understand what I mean.

 

[alley]

If you ae using too much weight on that ab machine it can build up the muscles in stomach area and push out the fat making it look like you have a bigger belly--light weight and a lot of reps should help--and a low fat diet.

 

[Luminox]

You don't need to lose weight per se...just body fat. In order for your abs to be visible through your tummy fat, you'll need to be around 10% body fat more or less. Not everyone is the same but that 10% body fat is pretty much on the spot for most people.

I too am quite "light" for my height (1.80 m and 70 kg) but that doesn't mean my abs show like a six-pack.It all has to do with how much of your weight is fat...Even the strongest/bulkiest abdominal muscles won't give you a sixpack if they're hidden under layers of fat !

 

[Luminox]

And the "...you only start burning fat after so-and-so-many minutes" is not completely true either. The actual fact is that it's different for different people. Soem people may start burning fat from after 45 minutes, some only after 15 minutes and so on. Not everyone's body is the same and not everyone's body burns calories the same way.

BUT in general, the more fit and "worked-out" you are, the faster your body switches to burning fat. Professional atheletes for example can burn fat from the first minute already !

 

[theFallenGod]

Work on your legs... the leg muscles are the biggest muscle group in the body so they require more energy.... energy that can be used from the fat storage in your middle..

 

[jockboy01]

I think my chances of having a six-pack are very slight. You see, when I was younger I used to swim 1000 + meters three times a week and even though I had strong abs, it just looked like a belly.

Maybe, maybe not. Distance in swimming doesn't correspond to cardio workout. It's more about how hard you push and how long you are swimming for. I swim 2000+ meters 2-4 times a week. But for some people, that wouldn't be enough and for others, it would almost kill them... all depending on skill. Basically shoot for about 45-60min of 80% of your target heart rate (220- your age). That should help things out.

 

[kowalsky]

skaterboi had the best advice for you - when it comes to abs 70% is diet - 20% is cardio (do a Google search for HIIT cardio) and working out your abs directly is only the remaining 10% - and you can do without this. I know guys with a perfect 6-pack who never do a single sit up. Plan your diet carefully - as a vegeterian you probably have a tendency to overcompensate with carbs - you basically need lots of protein, healthy fats (olive oil, fish oil) and complex carbs only (no sugar, white flour, white rice) and lift very heavy, especially compound movements. The more muscle you build, the more your body will spend calories on maintaining them, and it will stop storing fat around your waist or elsewhere. Only then you'll see a six pack.

 

[Luka]

hip hop abs