Wanting to lose Chest/Stomach Fat

[McAven]

Hey guys!

I've been having a lot of trouble with this for quite some time. I'm extremely self-conscious about this, so posting about it is a pretty big step for me.
I'm 19 now, and I'm 5'6 and I weigh about 140lbs, so my BMI is 22.6. So I'm actually not overweight by any means, but I'm not fit.

I have a good bit of chest and stomach fat, but it's odd because in-between my chest and stomach you can SEE my rib-cage. Anyways, I've been exercising about 5 times a week, doing around 80-100 crunches/push-ups and then jogging/walking 2-2.5 miles. I've been doing this for a couple weeks now, and I've noticed some changes in my legs and butt, but have yet to see any changes on my torso.
(You'll have to excuse me if the pictures are flipped around, I'm not quite sure how to fix it.)




See what I mean? Now, I'm not really interested in losing weight as much as I am losing fat. So gaining muscle or just slimming down is what I'm going for. If you guys have any suggestions on how I can fix this, that would be fantastic. Like I said, I've been very self-conscious about this, so I'm willing to do whatever I can to slim me down.

Thanks!

 

[swerve]

YIGHTZ!!!

Your pictures don't seem to match your stats...

But you DEFINITELY need to tone up some -- and the GOOD NEWS is that at 19 it SHOULD be EASY!!!

CIRCUIT TRAINING is probably your BEST bet -- if that is available -- otherwise, maybe a Nordic Track machine???

SOMETHING though -- Like I said -- the pictures make you look WAY WORSE than the weight/height stats...

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[McAven]

YIGHTZ!!!

Your pictures don't seem to match your stats...

But you DEFINITELY need to tone up some -- and the GOOD NEWS is that at 19 it SHOULD be EASY!!!

CIRCUIT TRAINING is probably your BEST bet -- if that is available -- otherwise, maybe a Nordic Track machine???

SOMETHING though -- Like I said -- the pictures make you look WAY WORSE than the weight/height stats...

GOOD LUCK!!!

Yeah, it baffles me as well. It seems all of the fat in my body just congregates in that area, hah.
I honestly don't have any kind of machines available to me, as I don't go to a gym and don't have the money to do so.

But thank you haha

 

[swerve]

^There are a LOT of SMART people on here -- and I'm SURE that they'll have OPTIMAL solutions...

From you post -- it SOUNDS like you're doing EVERYTHING RIGHT -- WITHOUT the CORRECT outcome...

ughhh...

 

[McAven]

^There are a LOT of SMART people on here -- and I'm SURE that they'll have OPTIMAL solutions...

From you post -- it SOUNDS like you're doing EVERYTHING RIGHT -- WITHOUT the CORRECT outcome...

ughhh...

Well thank you for trying to help! I really appreciate it.
And I honestly look pretty slim while I'm dressed (though my butt is a little big, but eh I'm not complaining), but when I take my shirt off it looks completely out of place from the rest of my body. I'm just ready to be proportionate, haha.

 

[Benvolio]

You haven't mentioned what you are eating. I would not recommend a severe diet, but you should count your calories and try to limit the amount of fat that you eat. Learn to know the fat, protein and carbohydrate content of foods, and reduce fat. If you are living at home ask your Mom to help. Again, at are 19 you should be able to do this.

 

[McAven]

You haven't mentioned what you are eating. I would not recommend a severe diet, but you should count your calories and try to limit the amount of fat that you eat. Learn to know the fat, protein and carbohydrate content of foods, and reduce fat. If you are living at home ask your Mom to help. Again, at are 19 you should be able to do this.

I'm glad you mentioned this, because it prompted me to do some research.
I honestly didn't think my diet was that bad, considering I'm only 19 it shouldn't be a major issue (and I'm a fairly small person all around, except for what you see in the pictures).
Although it should have been common sense, I learned that my diet is absolutely horrid. I tend to skip meals quite often (whether it's because I'm busy or I just forget), and later I get hungry and substitute my meal with things I can just pick up and eat (i.e. junk food, microwavable food). So that is more than likely what is hindering fat-loss, and is probably why I have so much trouble in these areas.

 

[Corny]

Also, how long have you been working out? Have you been on the scale every day? Can you show us the curve? You don't immediately see the changes, but you should notice it in the weight.

 

[KaraBulut]

I have a good bit of chest and stomach fat, but it's odd because in-between my chest and stomach you can SEE my rib-cage. Anyways, I've been exercising about 5 times a week, doing around 80-100 crunches/push-ups and then jogging/walking 2-2.5 miles. I've been doing this for a couple weeks now, and I've noticed some changes in my legs and butt, but have yet to see any changes on my torso.

To be blunt, the problem probably isn't your workout. The problem is patience and realistic goals.

You could increase the intensity of your aerobic workout. You could add some weight-bearing exercise. You could probably get out the tape measure and start tracking muscle growth and fat loss.

But in the end, it's too early to really be sure whether the issue is your workouts or whether it's just too soon to determine if it's working for you. I once heard an aerobics instructor say that it takes about 2-3 years to get into peak shape. In these days of P90X type extreme workouts, that seems like it's a long time. But her point was that it's easy to lose weight but it's not so easy to get into good cardiovascular shape.

Keep doing what you're doing and be patient because it takes longer than a couple of weeks to see results.

 

[shyguy1990]

They say it takes 30 days in the gym for you to notice a difference, 60 days for your friends to notice and 90 days for everybody else to notice.

So with that being said it may not seem like it right away but your losing the weight. The key is to keep @ it and don't get discouraged if your not seeing a difference, because your going to be more critical of yourself than others. Your doing great for starting up a routine, some folks talk about it but never commit to keeping a workout routine.

Also the pushups and situps will help but have you thought about throwing a few extra exercise in there, such as planks, mountain climbers, cherry bombs, etc? or challenging your personal best as far as reps or miles ran? Throwing a few extra exercises in the mix will help you mix things up and challenge yourself.

 

[Benvolio]

With cardio exercise and watching you diet better, you should begin to lose excess body fat and it should not take long. You do not have a lot to lose. How often do you eat pizza and chase it down with sugary sodas? My guess is that the single biggest reason teenagers put on excess fat is that they love pizza and eat multiple slices several times a week. It is very heavy in fat and it takes a lot of activity to burn it away. We all love it, and if the truth could be known, it is probably the single biggest reason Americans are getting fatter. Not the only reason, of course, but the biggest single one. Don't get discouraged, you are the right age to take control and develop a body that you and others will admire.

 

[thefishinthesea23]

I think diet is the most important factor here. I am not an expert, but I did personally managed my weight loss after reading many articles and using my knowledge of biochemistry/chemistry (which I have a degree in). I would recommend you to stop drinking soda/pop/carbonated sugary beverages like pepsi, coca cola, 7 up etc. Do this at least until you reach your fat loss goal. Also juices. Drink only water. Its a bit extreme, but so many calories from sugar come from these everyday things. If you can't cut on sugary beverages because you love them so much then limited them to once per day and cut gradually.

Do cardio! I did a lot of stair climbing (to the point I was running up and down stairs for 30 minutes straight) running and odd exercises I came up with myself. You have to sweat!

Well anyways I am no expert, but this are some of the things that helpmed me lose fat around my waist and torso.

 

[Benvolio]

I don't disagree, but I would point out that while a can of Coke has 140 calories, a large slice of pepperoni Pizza Hut pizza has 203 including 9 grams of fat and 25 carbs. Who eats a single slice? Then wash it down with a soda.

 

[McAven]

Okay guys, here's an update.
The pictures I put up before were taken the 13th (16 days ago), so here are some new ones:




(Again, apologies for the flipped pictures, I'm not sure why the uploader does that to them.)

I can't tell too much of a difference, but it's been almost a month of doing some daily workouts and cutting out certain things in my diet. I honestly don't drink soda too much, but I did used to drink a good bit of juice (probably my biggest downfall). I'm strictly drinking water, with occasional milk and orange juice at breakfast. I've cut out all sweets in my diet, since when I tend to eat a little bit of one I keep going and going and going.

 

[Benvolio]

You have only been watching your diet a few days (Post #7) so don't get discouraged yet. You are on the right track.

 

[Kulindahr]

I'm glad you mentioned this, because it prompted me to do some research.
I honestly didn't think my diet was that bad, considering I'm only 19 it shouldn't be a major issue (and I'm a fairly small person all around, except for what you see in the pictures).
Although it should have been common sense, I learned that my diet is absolutely horrid. I tend to skip meals quite often (whether it's because I'm busy or I just forget), and later I get hungry and substitute my meal with things I can just pick up and eat (i.e. junk food, microwavable food). So that is more than likely what is hindering fat-loss, and is probably why I have so much trouble in these areas.

Two things about diet:

1. Eat a high-fiber, low-sugar breakfast. It sets your metabolism for the day to a good balance.

2. Take your weight in pounds; divide by two. Turn that number into ounces: that's how much clear liquid you should be consuming daily in order to burn fat (among other things).

If number 2 seems hard, keep this in mind: most of the time when we feel the urge to snack, our bodies are really asking for a drink! So train yourself to substitute four or five ounces of clear liquid (non-cola, non-sugar) every time you get the urge to munch.

Note: as a late teen, you're in the range where drinking skim milk can tweak your body toward losing weight. Drink some instead of one of those snacks.


Most people aren't drinking anywhere near the right amount of water. Don't try to make the switch all at once; add a few ounces per day for however long it takes.

Trivia: chewing gum for two to three hours per day burns on average enough calories to take off two pounds in a year, for most people (thus, chewing gum is a double benefit for many: it makes your brain think you're snacking, when you're really burning calories).

 

[fourozfree]

Yeah, it baffles me as well. It seems all of the fat in my body just congregates in that area, hah.
I honestly don't have any kind of machines available to me, as I don't go to a gym and don't have the money to do so.

But thank you haha

just jogging is perfectly fine (and fun).. no machines necessary.
it's been said above but watch what you eat a bit closer, drink water, exercise. the key is to be patient and disciplined and you should see results within a month. it can be frustrating when you feel like nothing is happening from all your hard work but it takes time. good luck!

also, you don't "need" to do this, but good for you for wanting to!