Need Help!

P

pmurray633

New member
Long story short. I was 285 lbs, now I am about 197. I have a tiny little bit of a belly, nothing too much at all, happy with my weight loss. I just want to tighten my tummy up a little bit. I have done all kinds of different things to make it happen, but its a REALLY slow road, and almost not happening, I do 200 crunches a day in 50 rep sets. 10 reps, 5 sec rest, then 10, ect. What else can I do?
 
If you're trying to lose more fat on your belly, aka "tighten up", you do need to have more cardio in your workout. Crunches and sit-ups ONLY build muscle, it won't get rid of the fat on top. So strap on some running shoes and go run ;P
 
Thanks, I do about 1.5 hours of cardio a day, I go in the AM and do an hour of cardio and weights, and then I go again in the PM and do more cardio and weights again, thanks though! I will put that into practice starting today.
 
You can't spot reduce fat in specific areas of your body with specific exercises. That's not how our physiology works, unfortunately. We lose fat in a pattern that is predetermined and dictated by our genetics.

If you want to get a lean midsection, you have to buckle down and lose more fat. Towards the end of a fat loss journey is when things get the most difficult and when the margin for error shrinks the most.
 
Hi Pmurray633,

Congratulations on your weight loss!

It sounds like you don't have much fat left on your abs, and it's more of a problem of loose skin.

Although I agree with the other posters that your continued cardio and lifting will help, (by creating additional fat loss,) I also think you may like to bulk up your ab muscles a little.

Take a look at your midsection and do a little self evaluation- would you like some extra ab and oblique muscle to stretch that skin across? Bulking up your ab, oblique and lower back muscles will make your abdomen appear more fit and tight. Be prepared that your waistline measurement may increase a little with this technique, so make sure this is what you want before you do it.

If you do want to bulk up these muscles, use higher amounts of weight for shorter numbers of repetitions. For example, hold a 25 lb plate across your chest while doing 10 slow crunches. (3 sets of ten with plenty of rest in between.) You can also do side bends and roman chair lower back exercises, etc. Allow your muscles a day (or more, depending on soreness,) to heal between workouts.
 
Based on what we know in terms of genetic limits of hypertrophy... unless this guy is very tall I'd be willing to bet, at his weight, he's not needing a bulk.
 
As of this morning, i was 197.7, and I am 6'2. I am a large frame guy, but I am definitely looking to tighten up the skin around my belly area.
 
PMurray633,

First off I want to just say congratulations on the weight loss as losing close to 100lbs is not easy to do. Next what does your nutrition look like throughout the day? I believe this is the key component to getting a tighter stomach like you're after. Because you are doing plenty of cardio. Also how long have you weighed 197lbs because it will take a period of time to tone up.

Casey
 
For breakfast, usually the same bowl of Kashi cereal, lunch is different, something with greens and protein, and dinner is usually a salad with chicken, or something added to it. I was at 205 and I thought that I wouldn't get past it, but I jumped on the scale and I was at 197, so I am past the "plateau" I would say, but I haven't been there long, I am trying to get about 12 more pounds off. I would love to have dropped 100 lbs total.
 
Do you record how many calories you are taking in a day and how big your approx. deficit is? Could help you figure out how long it might take you to lose more weight.
To speed things up, I would suggest weight training. Crunches won't really be that effective for you, and even supposing they are they only train one particular set of muscles. Going to the gym 2-3 times a week while maintaining a good deficit would get off the rest of those pounds in no time.
 
I actually go to the gym 7 days a week without fail. I don't really record the cals, but I am very conscience of what I eat. I was never big into red meat, so that's not a problem, and I quit drinking beer to help with this weight loss (not a big drinker either) I started last week lifting, not a lot, but some, so that will hopefully help as well.
 
Hi pmurray633,

sounds like you may need to change up some variables in your workout to see the results you want to see.

I'm also thinking that you may need to take a few days off during the week to allow your body to recover and properly repair itself after your workouts.

Here are the variables that you can consider changing to see more results.

Frequency: It’s pretty obvious that the more you exercise, the greater your weekly caloric expenditure will be. Exercise frequency complements the duration and intensity. A daily program is most likely to have you start a habit and promote consistency with your exercise. Engaging in four sessions per week is satisfactory, provided your duration and intensity are at acceptable levels.

Intensity: Intensity refers to how hard your pushing yourself during the exercise. A rule of thumb is that if you’re going to be exercising for a longer period of time then you’re intensity levels will be lower so you can last a long time. If however you’re exercising for a shorter period of time then you can bump up the intensity.

Time (Duration): If losing weight is your priority, then the duration or total amount of energy you burn should be more than 30 minutes. One of your initial challenges is to bring your aerobic fitness up so you can sustain a moderate intensity for enough time to burn a lot of calories. Also remember that duration and total distance are more important than speed (intensity) alone. The slower pace also avoids your body from producing lactic acid.

Type: For weight loss, aerobic exercise is popular for a lot of people looking to lose body fat. It also provides other significant health and cardiovascular benefits. Aerobic exercise involves large muscle groups, so you can look beyond walking, jogging, stair climbing, and bicycling to activities that also incorporate shoulder and core muscles.

For example, activities like cross-country skiing, swimming, skipping, rowing, aerobic dance, and holding weights while walking are really good for developing a number of muscles and decreasing body fat.

hope that helps,

CptG
 
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