Flat stomach

Hi, I'm looking for advice on achieving well basically a flat stomach. I'm healthy and slim (not a bit fat) but I have a bit of a belly and I don't like it. I've kind of always had it really. I'm starting to take up leisure activities again now it's spring such as jogging and swimming but do you think I have to go to the gym to acieve a flat stomach? Also I heard sit-ups are an absolute waste of time. Thanks for replys.

cmyk

Deleted User wrote: »

(not a bit fat) but I have a bit of a belly

You've kind of contradicted yourself there. You need to reduce your bodyfat to achieve a flat stomach. What is your daily diet like? If you post that, and your planned exercise you'll get a better response. And no you don't have to go to the gym to achieve it.

cmyk

cmyk wrote: »

You've kind of contradicted yourself there. You need to reduce your bodyfat to achieve a flat stomach. What is your daily diet like? If you post that, and your planned exercise you'll get a better response. And no you don't have to go to the gym to achieve it.

I know I did but it's kind of like that! I suppose it's just not toned! I currently have no exercise plans as I'm really clueless to what I should be doing.

Typical Diet.
Breakfast: 1 bowl of porridge with a spoon of suger (my weakness) and milk OR scrambled egg with homemade brown bread (buttered with 'real butter') and a small bit of red sauce. These are the only things I will consider eating for breakfast and I literally cannot leave the house without it!

Lunch and Dinner: I will have a lunch and a dinner but I don't distingush between them well only that I try not to eat carbs for dinner. Can range from couscous with a salad with chicken OR Lasagne OR tuna with whole meal pasta OR homemade burger OR salmon with veg and like 1 small potato. I have roast beef or lamb with veg and pototoes only on a Sunday.

Snacks: fruit mainly, I might have about 5 small white bread scones a week (homemade....and prob my 2nd weakness), a few cups of tea a week, 2 pints of water a day. I don't eat junk food at all except maybe some chocolate once a week.

I think my diet is fairly ok but if you can improve it please do!

cmyk

Overall it seems to be quite carb heavy esp if you opt for the porridge instead of eggs, have you worked out roughly what your calorie needs are? You'll find a formula for that in the stickies as well as some good food ideas.

What height and weight are you also?

Oh really? They are kind of healthy carbs (except the scones!) though no? I supoose breakfast is 50/50 with the porridge and eggs. I believe eggs are the most underestimated food around. There is a website truthaboutabs.com which I had been following very closely but not in the last 6 months. But I'm reading it again. I also forgot to say that since November I actually had so much stuff on my mind that I actually skipped an evening meal alot of the time. But I've started eating them again 2 weeks ago. I'm 5' 9'' and around 11 stone. I would say i could starve or overeat and I would still be the same weight, I've been like it for over 2 years now I'd say. I've tried finding out my body fat online and it varied between 12.5 and 16. I think my BMI was 23 which is ok I believe.

I've taken that thing to see how many calories I need a day and I came up with 2971 without adding on what I need for exercise as I really haven't exercised in the last 8 months. I mean does walking count as proper exercise as I do alot of that. It must be how I stay slim because I haven't done much other than it and one would think I would put on weight then but I didn't. I would also say I have a fast metabolism.

legend365

NO bread, milk, sauces, drinking anything other than water, potatoes, ehh...and anything processed really.

Like sandwiches? Have salads. Bit o dressin can make them bareable after awhile.

Throw a banana/berries/gojis into that porridge to livin it up.

That usually works for me

That plus 3 swims a week = WIN

Wish i was a good swimmer...super exercise

PeakOutput

cmyk wrote: »

You've kind of contradicted yourself there. You need to reduce your bodyfat to achieve a flat stomach.

iv seen plenty of skinny people with bellies or at least not flat stomachs i know the general ideas as well as anyone but i have skinny people with bellys and people with way higher bf but also higher amounts of muscle who look like they have a flatter / better 'toned' stomach. while i know this is just anecdotal it leads me to believe that it is not just as simple as getting your bf as low as possible

cmyk

PeakOutput wrote: »

iv seen plenty of skinny people with bellies or at least not flat stomachs i know the general ideas as well as anyone but i have skinny people with bellys and people with way higher bf but also higher amounts of muscle who look like they have a flatter / better 'toned' stomach. while i know this is just anecdotal it leads me to believe that it is not just as simple as getting your bf as low as possible

True, and I am also in that bracket, 8-10% but still hold more in belly area. I'd exhaust the route of a proper structured exercise plan and play around with better dietary choices first though, considering that both can be improved?

Now you know your BMR try putting your daily diet into fitday.com (it's free to sign up) and see how that compares to your 2971. I'd guess...and this is just a guess, you'll be under that figure.

cmyk

cmyk wrote: »

True, and I am also in that bracket, 8-10% but still hold more in belly area. I'd exhaust the route of a proper structured exercise plan and play around with better dietary choices first though, considering that both can be improved?

Now you know your BMR try putting your daily diet into fitday.com (it's free to sign up) and see how that compares to your 2971. I'd guess...and this is just a guess, you'll be under that figure.

Thanks for replys! So lets say if I totally give up the scones, sugar in my porridge (maybe even just have the porridge 3 times a week, scrambled eggs 4 times) is there much else I can do? Is it not wise to have homemade (sometimes soda) brownbread with my eggs? I always have vegetables and protein for lunch and dinner and I have my carbs for lunch but you need carbs too right? And they are always unrefined, complex carbs. Someone said give up milk....Do I not need it for calcium?

How can I improve my exercise routine? Will Jogging and swimming be enough?