Toned Legs, but Flabby Stomach? What am I Doing Wrong?

I've been watching what I eat (~1200-1400 cals a day) and working out on the treadmill (2-3 times a week 4-5mph for 30-60 minutes).  My legs have become slimmer, however, my stomach has stayed exactly the same.  I do a lot of squats and lunges, and I also do abdominal work to balance everything out (sit-ups, reverse crunches & planks).  My stomach has not gone down at all.  Does the stomach lose fat based on cardio or situps?  I hear that in order to have a flat stomach you must loose the fat first by doing cardio.  Am I misinformed?  Does abdominal work help achieve a flatter stomach?

I've lost 7 lbs this month, and I have no clue why I'm losing the weight only on my legs.  Am I doing something wrong?  Is this just something that comes with time?   

Are you talking about the area that's around or above the belly button? Or below the belly button?

If it's your waistline (around or above the belly button), then the culprit might not be subcutaneous fat, but visceral fat. This is the most dangerous kind of fat. We have an organ called the omentum - do a google on this term. It's what gives people the protuding "beer belly" look.

This sort of fat is an indication of inflammatory processes in the body. To lose it, diet is very important. You need to steer clear of trans fatty acids and reduce saturated fats, yet don't go on a fat-free diet. A diet high in omega 3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation and some experts believe it can directly tackle belly fat. Try eating a handful of walnuts every day.

Eliminate refined carbs from your diet. Some people with expanding waistlines may already be insulin resistant so reducing (but not eliminating) whole grain carbs can also be helpful.

Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 drink per day. Too much alcohol can increase inflammation because it overloads the liver.

Find a way to reduce stress in your life, which can produce cortisol, which leads to inflammation. If you can't very well leave a stressful job, try meditating or yoga.

Also get ample sleep - being chronically low on sleep can increase cortisol too.

Cardio is great for reducing visceral fat. It truly tackles fat "from the inside out." Be patient though - often you don't see the changes early on because they are going on inside of you. Visceral fat goes first - as fitness increases. Subcutaneous (fat below the skin) goes last. Puffy muscles (including puffy abs) can be a result of fat within the muscles. Like when you buy a steak, and it's marbled with fat. If you are unfit, this is what your muscles probably look like. This is what cardio tackles first.

As for running and your abs, I have this personal theory - I could be all wet on this, BUT, if you've ever watched a marathon, you'll notice that the elite runners have 6-pack abs. But as the marathon wears on, and you get to the mid-packers, you'll start to notice that many of them are lean everywhere except for their midsections: if they have any fat at all, it'll be carried here.

I've always wondered why that is. It could be that people who are genetically prone to midsection fat are more likely to take an interest in running, and be good at long distance running.

Or, could it possibly be a result of body mechanics? Think about it... if you are running and you needed to carry a 10 lb weight, where would you position it for most comfort? You wouldn't put it on your back, or your legs, or hips or butt. You would probably position it around your waist for greatest efficiency, balance, and comfort.

I just joined the site and have the same problem as you.  I'm 5'9 and 154 lbs.  I'm actually OK with every part of my body EXCEPT my stomach.  About 3 years ago I was on a diet and exercised a lot and got down to about 140 :).  I noticed at that time though that the only way to get rid of your stomach is to RUN.  Any cardio is good but running is best.  It not only works your leg muscles but really does help loose weight around the stomach.  Try one of those tight rubber belts.  I wear one whenever I work out.

My stomach tends to be a trouble spot too, but spot reduction doesn't work, you just need to wait until you lose the weight for the fat to go away.  Of course once that's gone you probably want some kind of definition.  I found this http://www.exercisexpress.com/abtraining.htm site while surfing the web, you might want to check it out.  It kinda briefs what works and what doesn't with abdominal workouts.

Thank you for that!  It makes a lot of sense.

Original Post by jenmcc:

Are you talking about the area that's around or above the belly button? Or below the belly button?

If it's your waistline (around or above the belly button), then the culprit might not be subcutaneous fat, but visceral fat. This is the most dangerous kind of fat. We have an organ called the omentum - do a google on this term. It's what gives people the protuding "beer belly" look.

 Jenmcc, Thank you very much for the post.  You gave very good advice and explained everything very well.  I have also been hearing about Omega 3 Fatty Acids as foods that slim you down.  Actually last week I read an article saying that you can lose belly fat by having 5 spoons of olive oil a day.  They did say that you must work off the extra calories but by having the oil it will help get rid of the inflammation.  The link is in Portuguese, but here it is for those of you that understand or want to translate it:

http://boaforma.abril.uol.com.br/edicoes/249/ fechado/Dieta/conteudo_753.shtml

The diet promises that you will lose 4 kilos (~9 lbs) in 15 days, but that just seems like an exaggeration, and if you do, it sounds unhealthy for your weight to go down that fast.  But then again, I've never tried something like this and I don't know what adding so many good fats will do to your body.  The article mentions a study from the British Journal of Nutrition.  If I find it I will pass it on to all of you :-)

wow, theres something i hadn't heard...just researching the omentum now and apparently it is advised not simply to diet, but also to reduce stress, as stress hormones cause the omentum's ability to store fat to increase!!

nkkyny, I don't read portuguese but I'm dubious about any diet that makes claims about how much weight you can lose in so many days. Also olive oil actually contains little omega 3's. It's still good for you, just saying the amount of omega 3's isn't a lot.

Better sources of omega 3 fats include:

- flax seed (grind it up fresh in a coffee grinder, 1 TB, and put it in your morning oatmeal or smoothie)

- walnuts

- fatty fishes

And I also forgot to mention that the latest research is showing that it's all about the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6's. Omega 6's are found in corn oils and also in beef raised on corn. Our modern day diet gives us way too many omega 6's and not enough omega 3's.

Here's more detail than you ever wanted to know:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_ac id

"Healthy ratios of ω−6:ω−3 range from 1:1 to 4:1.... Typical Western diets provide ratios of between 10:1 and 30:1 - i.e., dramatically skewed toward ω-6."

and this site is great:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/f ats.html

Definetly use olive oil instead of butter or other cooking oils, but  i would try eating a handful of nuts each day, and maybe a tablespoon of flax seed, instead of 5 TB of olive oil. For extra credit bonus points, switch to grass-fed beef and poultry.

And it's also just as important to make the other changes - eliminate refined carbs, reduce alcohol, reduce stress, get ample sleep, etc.

Good luck and let me know how it goes for you. I was doing all this awhile back, and I did notice a difference in my abs - they were improving. But I admit I've since gotten lazy about it. :-(

bt145, in your photo you don't look like you have a fatty omentum at all!

But your profile did remind me of one other interesting factoid I gleaned during my internet adventures: smoking is bad for your belly too. Good thing you quit... as did I - 1 Y 7 months now, woo-hoo!... I quit after I discovered this factoid: every time you inhale on a cigarette, your body releases insulin... same as if you'd taken a sip of orange juice. This is why smokers weigh less - the release of insulin curbs appetite. But over time - smoke long enough - you increase your chances of becoming diabetic.

I have been prediabetic for years, managing to not go full-blown through diet and exercise.... and I somehow rationalized for years that smoking was helping me control my weight thus reduce my chance of diabetes. But smoking does no such thing. Even if you are an underweight smoker, you're trashing your insulin each and every day. Even if you don't gain weight, it's just as bad as eating donuts all day long.  

People with insulin resitance or sensitivities typically have a larger, puffy waistline. It's the inflammation thing again.

Thanks for all that info, Jen! I'm curious: when you say you were "doing all this" and noticed a difference, had you just changed things about your diet, or about your exercise as well, to see the difference? How strict were you about calories, refined carbs, etc?

Also, how would one go about finding out whether one is or is becoming insulin resistant? I wouldn't expect that I am, but I find that my stomach is often bloated. I don't know if this is fat bloating or food bloating... how do you tell?

You can see in my profile what I was doing, and my before and after measurements. For exercise, about two years ago I started with yoga and walking up to an hour or so a day - on hills (apparently walking downhill helps control blood sugar, walking uphill controls blood pressure!). Then I progressed to running. I only run about 10-12 miles a week, nothing major. No weight training this time around due to back problems - but I highly recommend it.

I did lose weight but it kept coming off my hips butt and thighs, with no dent at all in my abs. I've always been prone to an apple shape, but it was getting ridiculous. Never in my past has my body responded quite this way. I really have no hips or thighs or butt left - they are nearly fat-free, I'm not exaggerating! Yet, my waistline - at the belly button- still looked like I was 4 or 5 months pregnant.

The general wisdom I rec'd was that I just needed to keep losing more, that once my body fat percentage got low enough, the stomach would disappear. But my BMI is 20, bf% is pretty low... it just seems all the fat was in my waist. When I sucked in and pulled the tape measurement hard, you could feel this fat, deep inside... not the same as under the skin.

That's when I discovered all this stuff about the omentum - Dr Oz's book, You on a Diet. So I gave it a shot, started eating flax seed at breakfast and a handful of walnuts every day. I did notice an improvement.

I should've kept it up - maybe by now I'd have a flat stomach. Actually, that's doubtful (I have a lot of saggy skin from previous pregnancies which won't disappear short of surgery). But yeah, my stomach does look  better and my waistline has shrunk to acceptable levels. One more inch would be great, but I guess I'm just not motivated ... as long as I can fit in my clothes I'm happy for now. :-)

My diet was about 1400 calories (with frequent cheat days where I'd go up to maintenance at 1800), 30% fat, 50% carbs, 20% protein. No more than 4 oz of wine a day. I didn't worry to much about the fat percentage since I mostly focused on the good fats. Carbs - no refined carbs and i did reduce even whole grain starches way down to just 1-2 servings a day. Still hit 50% carbs because I'd eat at least 7 servings of veggies and 2 servings fruit a day. (You can't ever get enough veggies and fruit!)

Now that I'm maintenance (ever since about October) I'm eating 1800 and the ratios are about the same. I just got lazy about the daily dose of flax seed and the walnuts, and I've loosened up about the wine too. In the spring when the weather gets warmer and I'm more motivated, I'm planning to start increasing my running. I just needed a breather and some time to practice maintaining the status quo. I'm at a perfectly fine weight right now and don't really want to go any lower. I really don't care about having perfect abs anyway... general health is my bigger issue.

As for finding out if you are insulin resistant, you need a blood glucose test. It's actually more involved than that. If the blood test reveals a potential problem, then they give you a glucose challenge test. I flunked mine during my second pregnancy, 13 years ago - that's when I developed prediabetes. My blood tests continue to be out of whack ever since, but within range that my doctor says I have not developed full-blown diabetes. It runs very strongly in my family - nearly everyone on my dad's side developes diabetes by the time they are 50 or so.

If you have an apple shape... a waist to hip ratio greater than 0.7... then it is an indication you are susceptible to developing diabetes. Doesn't mean you have it, just means you are at higher risk. My ratio is about 0.8.

I am the complete opposite.  I have a 6 pack, andthunder thighs.   I think its all about where your body stores fat.  I am a swimmer/biker/runner, so cardio isn't a problem.  I eat very healthily and do abs ANDleg workouts regularly.  The first place I lost weight was in my arms/stomach. 

 My sister and Mom are quite the opposite, they both tend to store excess fat around their middle.  While strength training/cardio tend to strengthen muscles under the fat, where your body chooses to store the fat is the main issue.

 If you store fat around your middle you're probably "apple shaped" verses me who is "pear shaped."  Although apple shapers may have an increased health risk (as Jenmccwas saying) due to the closeness of fat storage to the heart/lungs a healthy diet and exercise regimine should help to reduce the risks. 

Sounds like you're doing everything right, Keep up the good work! As for the abs, if you can dream it you can do it!!!!!! : )

I guess after reading these posts I would have to say "ditto" to Tommy21.

There is another web site that I found that has a wealth of information for women..... www.stumptuous.com  it is a site that helps women with weight lifting, nutrition etc.  I just read an article on body fat there, and it basically echoed what Tommy was saying. The first place you gain weight is where it tends to "hold on" to your body and it's the last place to come off. 

I'm no expert, but every trainer that I have worked with, has pretty much told me cardio is the way to melt fat off your body.  You might also try to tweek your eating habits a little and change up your ratio of calories in.  I recently tried this and had success with increasing my protein, and fat ( yes I said fat- but make sure it's the good stuff) and reducing my percentage of carbs.  30%, 30%, 40% ..... you might give it a go and see what happens.

Good luck! Oh, and as a slightly older more mature women..... "only dog's like bones".... it's good to have a little meat on your body!  So if you were delt the hand of cards that give you a little pouch on your abdomen.... work it.

T

Sorry, kiddos,

but this is all due to genetics.  We all store fat in different places.  and there are names for the body types.  I learned them in one of my nursing classes, adenoid -I remembered this one by thinking "apple" cuz it's more of that shape.- it's the kind where you gather fat on the belly. there is also Gynoid (gyn- cuz it's the shape most associated with women, but not always true)  which is a pear shape.  Adenoid figured people have to watch more for cardiovascular disease because they gather fat on the organs inside the belly as well as on top.  in other words a gynoid and an adenoid person with the same fat percentage do not have the same cardiovascular risk.  even including cholesterol levels, etc. 

ANYWAY... i'm getting off on a tangent.

my point is you will probably always be a little softer in the middle.  just like I will always have my saddle bags.  my advice?  wear clothes that give the illusion of a thinner waistline and learn to love your belly because it makes you you!  ab workouts will build muscle and also make your back stronger- so keep doing them!  but you can still have abs of steel that you can't see cuz of the fat covering them.

EDIT:  I just read over my post before posting it and i think that it's not really adenoid but something else that is similar sounding that starts with an a.  i know gynoid is correct cuz that's my body type and I had to know it for a project during my class.  Adenoids are part of your tonsils and are in the very back top of your pharynx (aka throat.)  I just wanted to edit in case someone actually remembers these terms from their own education and was laughing at me- cuz I would be! :)

A quick Google search suggests: android

HONEST to goodness, coming from the been there, done that grl, Just drop any form of sugar or simple carbs out of your diet for a while.   I switched to egg whites in the morn with a SINGLE piece of wheatttttt toast, then for lunch and dinner, ate only fish " any lean meat will do I suppose" with different arrays of black, lima & kidney beans or dark leafy greens, mainly spinach.  Within I dunno, a month of two, COMPLETELY toned tum tum!  I was runnin 6 miles a day and lifting ALOT of wieghts and the abs DID NOT say HELLLOOO! until I completely tweaked my DIET to that.  Just thought this may help.     Really, try only using veggies as the limited carbs in your diet, and maybe some dark berries &    &nb sp;          t h a t s  i t .  Wish you the best of Luck!    

 PS on the ABS Diet,  It reallly works GREAT if you want to follow that instead.  I watched  My brother widdle down to a six pack and toned EVERYTHING He has, with that Book.  Just be sure to realize, that most of their meals are directed towards MEN, so you may want to minimize the portions a little bit. I believe they may have even written a women's edition by now, good luck and   TAKE CARE!

Do you have to keep doing  that to keep the abs?

I am a new member, just joined.  Here is a little background, looking for some advice please.

I realise I am a little under weight for my height, however I do eat like a horse, just dont appear to gain much weight, my upper muscle tone, arms, shoulders pecs are all fairly well toned (I guess) and my shoulder muslces do show some ripple, and I know I am fairly strong for a smaller build person.

I work as an ambulance driver, so do not get that much exersise daily and eat irregular, sleep irregular, often not at all, not because of insomnia, more because I work a night shift pattern 4 days on 4 days off, and the days off I find I am often awake up to 4am.

My diet is not at all healthy, ham and cheese roll, cake, water, etc.  I drink maybe 1 bottle of 2% larger a month if that, and no other alcohol, however I am a smoker of maybe ten a day.

My tummy has started to show signed of getting a little larger and flabbyer than I am used to, and I thought perhaps one of those electric stimulators would help re-tone it, would you say this is likely to work.