Flabby belly - help!

RoisinDove

I have realised I have put on a bit of weight around the middle, while the rest of me is pretty skinny (small size 10). I have been extremely lazy with regard to fitness and don't get much exercise except for a bit of daily walking and the odd longer walk in a forest or something at weekends. What can I do to get rid of the flab and tone my overall body? I've started doing 10 sit ups and 10 push ups each night but thats already very difficult for me at the moment.

metamorphosis

It will be highly dietary based - lay out in detail what your typical daily diet is.

RoisinDove

Usually have a banana or a couple of small madeleines, occasionally piece of toast or muesli, for breakfast with 2 mugs of green tea

Lunch is my main meal as I get it in work and have no cooker at home. It obviously depends, but most days I'd get a medium sized hot meal (could be steak and chips, Mexican tortilla, pasta bake, vegetarian curry, anything really, but I try to pick something with a good bit of veg). This is always followed by a salad of 2 chopped fruits (usually kiwi and pineapple) and a mint tea after.

Dinner is usually something small, like crispbreads with spreadable cheese, a ham/cheese sandwich on brown bread or soup. If I'm hungry or didn't have the big lunch, I'd have a frozen pizza or curry takeaway but not too often.

Snacks are apples, bananas, a couple of rows of chocolate or sometimes a bag of crisps.

I suffer from IBS (or other as yet undiagnosed issue) which causes bad bloating and diahrrea so I do have to be careful with eating raw fruit and veg. I get very sick if I eat too much of it (tho bananas usually fine). I haven't changed my diet much or started eating more, but I've noticed the weight creep on over the last year. Drinking wise, I would drink quite a bit of beer but have cut back a lot in the last few months to an average of a couple of bottles a week, more if there's something special on like a concert. Would now drink wine with meals, if anything.

As I said, I look skinny overall and am ideal weight for my height but my arms and legs are lacking in muscle tone and the tummy is bothering me! A mix of being bloated and flab, I think. It's better in the morning before I eat anything, but when I sit down I get a little roll so I'm sure I could improve a lot.

alyuciao

WALK... go for a walk 3 times a week. Try to keep a quick pace for the 1st few sessions and then try to lengthen your stride and quicken the pace.

That'll do the job. Push ups and sit ups will only build muscle under the flab. Walk first and then work on the rest.

RoisinDove

alyuciao wrote: »

WALK... go for a walk 3 times a week. Try to keep a quick pace for the 1st few sessions and then try to lengthen your stride and quicken the pace.

That'll do the job. Push ups and sit ups will only build muscle under the flab. Walk first and then work on the rest.

How long should I walk for? Would jogging also be as good?

As for the push ups, I want to build muscle in my arms and improve my strength as I have no flab there at all, I am very puny. Have trouble opening heavy doors and lifting my heavy suitcase, so I want to be stronger, and also I look like a bit of a twig in a vest top so I want to improve the appearance of my arms. What can I do about that?

alyuciao

Walk for about 45 mins. after a month, you should be able to walk about 5.5k's in that time. Easy.

Jogging is good too, but you should have a checkup before starting and you can do damage to yourself if you just start running.

Walking is the best exercise for losing stomach flab.

If you have no fat on your arms, then push up all you want.

tallaghtmick

im the same as you i have ibs and the best thing is walking,i lost 3 stone before walking to and from work good luck

Doug Cartel

Hi Roisin, some of the exercise advice you're getting here isn't all that great. I'd agree that diet is going to be the main factor though.


Check out posts 4 to 8 of the Better Body Super Challenge, I think it covers a lot of stuff that would be of interest to you. The sticky threads at the top of the forum also have good advice, but they're a bit disorganised at the moment.

RoisinDove

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Hi Roisin, some of the exercise advice you're getting here isn't all that great. I'd agree that diet is going to be the main factor though.


Check out posts 4 to 8 of the Better Body Super Challenge, I think it covers a lot of stuff that would be of interest to you. The sticky threads at the top of the forum also have good advice, but they're a bit disorganised at the moment.

Thanks for the link!

As for diet, can you tell me where I'm going wrong? I would have thought I had quite a good diet - I eat little chocolate and crisps and virtually no puddings/fizzy drinks bar the odd special meal out. I used to eat cake after lunch but that's cut out now. I don't have a particularly sweet tooth either. I read the Nutrition bit of the challenge and it seems I'm already doing most of it, unless I'm suffering from delusion! The one thing I can see is that perhaps I should eat a better breakfast? I can't really prepare anything at home so it's often a banana and tea at work. I will definitely cut out the breakfast madeleine buns, they can't be good for the waistline.

And for the exercise - the thing is I already do 2 x 45 min walks a week and see no difference at all really. I used to do a bit of jogging and found that I lost weight from places I didn't need to (arms and legs and boobs) and not from my belly. That's why I thought perhaps I should do some more targeted exercise like sit ups or something. But I will certainly try to walk more- a 50 min walk to work in the mornings would wake me up alright!

Doug Cartel

I'm no expert on nutrition, so all I can really do is point you to the info that's been posted here already. It does look like you could be getting a better breakfast, also getting your lunch from the canteen may be a problem. If it's anything like my place, the food is usually not that great and comes in large enough portions.

If all you're doing is walking then it may be worth trying something more intense - you could try running or maybe something from this thread, or this one, if you're up for it.

You can't spot reduce fat though, so doing situps won't specifically remove fat from your waistline - it comes off all your body, and the ratio for each area is mainly dependent on genetics.

RoisinDove

Doug Cartel wrote: »

I'm no expert on nutrition, so all I can really do is point you to the info that's been posted here already. It does look like you could be getting a better breakfast, also getting your lunch from the canteen may be a problem. If it's anything like my place, the food is usually not that great and comes in large enough portions.

I do eat quite a bit at lunch, but then I eat very little at dinner. Generally I'd do it the other way around but that's difficult to do now. I would have thought a big lunch was better than a big dinner anyway?

If all you're doing is walking then it may be worth trying something more intense - you could try running or maybe something from this thread, or this one, if you're up for it.

You can't spot reduce fat though, so doing situps won't specifically remove fat from your waistline - it comes off all your body, and the ratio for each area is mainly dependent on genetics.

Thanks, I will try that. Is there any harm in doing sit ups as well to tone my stomach muscles or do I really have to wait for when/if I lose the fat?

Doug Cartel

RoisinDove wrote: »

I do eat quite a bit at lunch, but then I eat very little at dinner. Generally I'd do it the other way around but that's difficult to do now. I would have thought a big lunch was better than a big dinner anyway?

I just look at it as a daily total, I don't think it really matters which meal is your big one.

Thanks, I will try that. Is there any harm in doing sit ups as well to tone my stomach muscles or do I really have to wait for when/if I lose the fat?

No harm in the sit ups, but they're no better than any other exercise. Your stomach won't look "toned" until the fat starts to go though, if that's what you mean.

optimistic_

Hi Roisin,
*
The stickies will guide you to healthier options, and while I appreciate you have no cooker at home (is this by choice, could you get one?) a major part of controlling what you eat is preparing your foods yourself. A decent day’s diet for you might be as follows: *(This is generic, please do read the stickies, do your calculations and follow the guidelines for fat loss)
*
Morning: Bowl of Porridge – 40g of oats made with water – add in handful of blueberries
*************** * 1 Egg
*
Mid Morning: snack – berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc) small piece of cheese
*
Lunch – grilled chicken breast, broccoli, carrots
*
Afternoon – Cottage Cheese with berries (sweet) or chives / various herbs (savoury) – I would only have the savoury with carrot sticks or celery etc.
*
Dinner – Tuna or chicken, with various mixed veg with hard boiled egg.
*
Drink green tea when you want a different kind of snack, or if you must eat something crunchy (I often do) I would have oat cakes (various different brands – kelkin, Nairn )
*
I’d alternate the breakfasts depending on the activity for the day, above I would say that breakfast would be suitable for a day on which you might do a run or a jog. On days when activity will be low, swap the porridge out for two eggs.
*
As for your exercise, you will be unlikely to notice any results from 2 45 minute walks a week. What you need is 2 a day, or one brisk walk in the early morning before work – followed by a 15 minute session of various bodyweight exercises in the evening (these would be where your pushups come in). Squats, burpees, pushups, star jumps, sit ups, plank – no equipment needed.
Just be sure to avoid things you know you should avoid – don’t snack on chocolate, crisps, toast, sweets.
*
I’ve tried to include protein in every meal there, and each meal should be high in protein and green veg – broccoli is your friend here, you can fill up on a lot of it and it is very low in calories.
A poster on here “Transform” is a highly respected Personal Trainer, and I recommend you read his blog and take heed of his posts. If I’m not mistaken he’s recently moved to a new address, but I wouldn’t want to post it here as I haven’t seen it mentioned.. I will PM the address if you would like to check it out, don’t want to step on toes. His videos are fantastic too,

optimistic_

Not sure why there's so many asterisks there. Copy Paste from word as I'm in work. Could be it!

Iwannahurl

I'm not being sarcastic here, but there really is no substitute for eating less and exercising more.

Abdominal fat is also age-related (I should know) and therefore you may have to work harder than you did when you were younger.

The flabby stuff you can feel/see is subcutaneous, but you also need to be mindful of visceral (internal) fat for general health reasons.

In my experience, doing intensive situps regularly is essential for making a big improvement with the flabbiness. You'll need a lot more than ten!

Now, I better start practising what I preach...

AB1980!

If you are quite slim overall but carrying weight around your middle then you could be mildly insulin intolerant, so maybe have a look at how much carbs you are eating.

You mention toast, sandwiches, pasta, tortillas, and quite a bit of fruit. Now I have absolutely no qualifications in this area but am also apple shaped (can't claim to as slim overall as you though) and have had periods ofIBS-y symptoms in the past and for both of those reasons all those starchy and sugary foods would be red flags for me.

Maybe try an egg or youghurt based breakfast and cut out some of the fruit (but have extra veg to make sure you get your 5 a day)

hacked

I don't know whether anyone on here will consider my advice to be "good", but I was in the same boat as yourself the last month or two.

I have a very small frame, and am a size 8 or a small 10 also. I look overall very thin, but with being snowed in and then all the christmas food, my diet was quite poor and I was getting little to no excercise. I was fine everywhere except for my stomach, which got quite flabby.

I switched my diet to a more high protein diet....not even anything all that strict, just seriously upped the amount of protein. A lot more fish, a lot more chicken, cut out a lot of the red meat i eat...started eating a lot more eggs, wholegrains, quinoa. etc.

I combined this with regular walks, at least 30 minutes a day. I don't know your main method of transportation, but even walking back and forth to bus stops, walking to the shops etc can make the difference.

I did some stomach excercises, but probably not ones that are usually recommended in fitness regimes? They were the ones I was told to do in Holles Street after I had my little girl earlier this year, and I have personally found them to be the most effective for me.
It's almost like you are sucking your stomach in....you pull your stomach muscle in, and then up towards your diaphragm....you feel quite a pull when you first start doing them. The aim is to build your strength up until you can hold that pose for 30 seconds at a time. You then release for a minute and start again. You might find you have trouble breathing at the same time as doing them for the first while, but you will soon get used to it.

This routine has my stomach much more toned and flat as a pancake. The beauty of those stomach excercises is you can do them anywhere....while you walk, while you are sitting at the office, while you are lying in bed at night....so no real excuse not to be able to find time.

hope some of that helps anyway!

RoisinDove

optimistic_ wrote: »

Hi Roisin,
*
The stickies will guide you to healthier options, and while I appreciate you have no cooker at home (is this by choice, could you get one?) a major part of controlling what you eat is preparing your foods yourself. A decent day’s diet for you might be as follows: *(This is generic, please do read the stickies, do your calculations and follow the guidelines for fat loss)*

I have no cooker because I'm basically living in a hostel, doing a short term thing abroad. I'l be back in March and will have my own place again then, so I'll be able to cook whatever I want (thank God!)

As for your exercise, you will be unlikely to notice any results from 2 45 minute walks a week. What you need is 2 a day, or one brisk walk in the early morning before work – followed by a 15 minute session of various bodyweight exercises in the evening (these would be where your pushups come in). Squats, burpees, pushups, star jumps, sit ups, plank – no equipment needed.
Just be sure to avoid things you know you should avoid – don’t snack on chocolate, crisps, toast, sweets.

How much of a walk should I do every day? I could get on/off the bus 4 stops early each way, that's 30 mins walking in total, as well as the longer walks I do for fun.

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I'm not being sarcastic here, but there really is no substitute for eating less and exercising more.

I will exercise more, but I can't really eat much less! The doctor says the amount of food I eat is already on the low side.

Abdominal fat is also age-related (I should know) and therefore you may have to work harder than you did when you were younger.

I'm only 25 but I guess I've been lucky so far.

The flabby stuff you can feel/see is subcutaneous, but you also need to be mindful of visceral (internal) fat for general health reasons.

In my experience, doing intensive situps regularly is essential for making a big improvement with the flabbiness. You'll need a lot more than ten!

Now, I better start practising what I preach...

Oh I know, 10 is just to start off with. I can barely manage that right now. I hope I'll be able to build it up gradually after a while.

AB1980! wrote: »

If you are quite slim overall but carrying weight around your middle then you could be mildly insulin intolerant, so maybe have a look at how much carbs you are eating.

You mention toast, sandwiches, pasta, tortillas, and quite a bit of fruit. Now I have absolutely no qualifications in this area but am also apple shaped (can't claim to as slim overall as you though) and have had periods ofIBS-y symptoms in the past and for both of those reasons all those starchy and sugary foods would be red flags for me.

Maybe try an egg or youghurt based breakfast and cut out some of the fruit (but have extra veg to make sure you get your 5 a day)

I have polycystic ovaries, but the last insulin test I did was OK and I was told not to worry about a low GI diet. Perhaps I should consider it anyway.

hacked wrote: »

I don't know whether anyone on here will consider my advice to be "good", but I was in the same boat as yourself the last month or two.

I have a very small frame, and am a size 8 or a small 10 also. I look overall very thin, but with being snowed in and then all the christmas food, my diet was quite poor and I was getting little to no excercise. I was fine everywhere except for my stomach, which got quite flabby.

I switched my diet to a more high protein diet....not even anything all that strict, just seriously upped the amount of protein. A lot more fish, a lot more chicken, cut out a lot of the red meat i eat...started eating a lot more eggs, wholegrains, quinoa. etc.

I combined this with regular walks, at least 30 minutes a day. I don't know your main method of transportation, but even walking back and forth to bus stops, walking to the shops etc can make the difference.

I did some stomach excercises, but probably not ones that are usually recommended in fitness regimes? They were the ones I was told to do in Holles Street after I had my little girl earlier this year, and I have personally found them to be the most effective for me.
It's almost like you are sucking your stomach in....you pull your stomach muscle in, and then up towards your diaphragm....you feel quite a pull when you first start doing them. The aim is to build your strength up until you can hold that pose for 30 seconds at a time. You then release for a minute and start again. You might find you have trouble breathing at the same time as doing them for the first while, but you will soon get used to it.

This routine has my stomach much more toned and flat as a pancake. The beauty of those stomach excercises is you can do them anywhere....while you walk, while you are sitting at the office, while you are lying in bed at night....so no real excuse not to be able to find time.

hope some of that helps anyway!

Brilliant, thanks! I do already walk a lot, but not as much as I could. The bus to work is outside my house and leaves me just outside my work, so I could always get on/off early for the opportunity to walk more.