I have lost 50+ lbs since last fall. Im currently 5'6" 164lbs and wear a size 10. I seem to carry all my weight in my lower belly and upper thighs. My goal weight is 139.5 which isnt to far away,just 25lbs, but Im thinking that at that weight I will still have a belly....Im wondering if any of you ladies at this height have had this issue and did you have to go below your goal weight to get the look you wanted?

man, it's so different for everyone.  I'm 5'6'' and 164 pounds as well, but a snug size 14.  my waist is 28'' now, but my bust (size a) and hips are both 40.  and my arms?  jesus.  still 13''.  with time, my body will have to pull together and choose another place to burn fat.  that, or else, I'll look pretty silly when I (hopefully by the fall) hit 150.

(and fifty+ pounds lost -- you are amazing!)

Hi there,

I'm fairly similar to you...a couple inches shorter at 5'4" and I weigh 168 right now. I carry most of my weight in my middle and I hate it! I don't know how it will ever go away! I'd like to be around 130 but 135 is probably more realistic for me.

I lost 30 pounds last fall and my belly didn't really change at all. 

I carry my weight on my stomach and upper thighs as well. I'm also 5'6" and my CW is 121pds. At 115 my stomach is mostly flat, but still flabby (I'm sure my 3 kids contributed to that- lol) I would say everyone is different in how much belly is considered too much. Right now most of my sz 2 jeans are snug enough that I have a muffin top going on. I know, cry me a river, right?! :D

Congrats on the weight already lost!

wowee 50+ thats so great, well done :):))

I'm 5'1 and 110, and I still have a belly compared to the rest of me - thats just where the weight hangs on lol, I think you could end up lowering and loweing your goal weight in the plan to remove it, but I think its only a weight thing down to a certain point, and then its just how toned you can get your stomach muscles. And you still want other curves made of fat to be in proportion.
I suggest sit ups & the plank every night, and cardio :)
But I'm a hypocrite, I never can be bothered lol
Keep it up :)

Ooooh I'm so like that it hurts :)  I'm trying to be where you are, and my belly is hanging on for dear life.  The rest of me is slimming up, and my belly is too - just not as readily or as nicely.

I've tried yelling at it - doesn't seem to help XD.  But the sit-ups and crunches aren't bad advice.  You can't spot-remove the flab, but if you tone up the muscles underneath it, it'll pull it in a bit. 

But women + belly flab is the way a lot of our bodies are built.  It's womb protection XD  Darn you, biology, why can you not conform to what I think would look good?!

I'm no expert (and I am still working on my own giant belly too!) but I read that people who store their weight in their belly are more prone to insulin resistance. So it might help to try paying attention to the glycemic index of your meals. Also, when you're really stressed your body releases cortisol, which is supposed to store fat on your tummy--so maybe take up yoga or some other relaxation technique, make sure you're getting enough sleep, etc...

Check out:

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/19 99/E/199904687.html

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cor tisol.htm

EDIT:  added websites

First off, Congrats on your weight lose. That is amazing.

I am a couple inches shorter than you at 5'4" and 154 lbs. I am in a size 12 to 14 pants depending on the style. I have the same problem with my belly and thighs. I now only take in 1100-1400 calories a day and I burn 300-900 calories a day with exercise to help me lose the fat.

One thing that I have found that helps reduce my belly is lying on my back, pressing my lower back into the floor, lifting my legs up so that I look like an L, lowering one leg at a time as low to the floor as I can go, and pulling it back up. Alternate your legs and do reps of 10-20 for each leg. This concentrates on my lower belly between my hip bones and it works. I also do latin dances by Core Rhythms that concentrates on my abs and doing cardio, which is very tough.

Dancing helps burn calories and fat while creating lean muscles without so much bulkiness.

I'm 5'6" and 155 lbs and am also in a size 10.  I've been wearing a 10 since about 164 as well, though for me the 10s are more comfy now, and mostly because my belly, hips and upper thighs are finally getting some tone to them.

The exercises I notice that seem to help most are squats, the abductor and adductor machines, captains chair crunches, and back extensions.  I also have to steer clear of a lot of pasta and bread, because for some reason they really tend to make me puff up. Lean protein, veggies and lots of fruit definitely helps make me feel lean.

My short goal is 140 but I'd love to ultimately end up at 130, which is where I was prior to three kiddos. 

You're doing a fabulous job!  Keep up the great work!

Oh, I just thought of something else.  I didn't really see that much difference with fat loss until I cut back on straight cardio in favor of a cardio/ strength training circuit, under advisement of one of the trainers at the gym.  He said the more muscle you build the more calories you burn at rest, whereas straight cardio burns calories while working out, but not as long afterwards.  Now my workouts are 45 min -- 15 min of cardio and 30 min of strength training where I keep my heart rate up at a cardio level the whole time (130-ish).

Original Post by tweetrita:

First off, Congrats on your weight lose. That is amazing.

I am a couple inches shorter than you at 5'4" and 154 lbs. I am in a size 12 to 14 pants depending on the style. I have the same problem with my belly and thighs. I now only take in 1100-1400 calories a day and I burn 300-900 calories a day with exercise to help me lose the fat.

One thing that I have found that helps reduce my belly is lying on my back, pressing my lower back into the floor, lifting my legs up so that I look like an L, lowering one leg at a time as low to the floor as I can go, and pulling it back up. Alternate your legs and do reps of 10-20 for each leg. This concentrates on my lower belly between my hip bones and it works. I also do latin dances by Core Rhythms that concentrates on my abs and doing cardio, which is very tough.

Dancing helps burn calories and fat while creating lean muscles without so much bulkiness.

Tweetrita, it sounds like you should be eating more than you currently are! Try plugging your numbers into this site...

 

I am also 5'6'' and am currently at 142lbs-- i am just now fitting into some (loose!) size 8 pants. When i started i was 157 and wearing size 12... darn those big hips!

 

I am 5'4.5, a size 10, and 163 lbs.  I carry weight the exact same way you are describing and honestly, some people are just built this way.  One thing you might check out though is polycystic overian syndrome.  It's pretty common in women, is aggravated if you are over weight, and causes the stubborn belly fat.  The only way to help it is...to lose weight!  

Just keep going for your goals!  You might never be perfect, but let's face it, NO ONE IS PERFECT.  Focus on loving yourself and feeling great about your natural, healthy body and you will ooze attractiveness with all that confidence!

Queenmedia, I did and I do need to be eating at least 1500 calories a day and up to 1800 calories. I will increase my caloric intake but I will make sure that I do include high protein meals. Thank you so much for pointing this out to me. That could be why in a month and a half I have only lost a couple of lbs. Now hopefully I will see more weight falling off me.

Tweetrita--YAY!! When the site was first pointed out to me with the advice that I'd have to eat more to lose, I was skeptical, but I checked it out and have been following (not strictly so) the zig zag pattern they show for the past 5 weeks. I've lost 6.6pds since starting CC (March 3). It doesn't sound like much, but it's half of my goal!

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way. Good luck to you!

well, as most people said, its different for everyone. I lost 25 pounds and gained 5 back and I feel like the belly is tougher to fix. I am not sure about you, but my upper body is slim, but my lower belly has a lot of flab there (like you, I guess)

I think that losing 25 more pounds, however, will make a HUGE difference, no doubt! Your thighs will most likely shrink to your liking and basically when you get to 139, and this is my estimate, you will only have to work on toning your belly because you wont reallly have flab there (sorry if that doesnt make any sense at all!)

Good luck and congrats on 50 pounds! It took me forever just to lose 20! and dont worry, you will look fantastic at 139 and dont think otherwise:)

Queenmedia,

Since you gave me such great advice about my caloric intake, I have increased them, and now I have lost 11 lbs and 4 pant sizes (total since I started in Feb). I also feel so much better. I don't have such hunger pains as often now and I have so much more energy. Thank you so much for your help. Also, if you ever need any help or any motivation, please let me know and I will do whatever I can to help you. Thank you again.