how do I lose belly fat?

I used to have a very flat stomach, a six-pack even.  My metabolism has slowed down since high school, and I'm starting to get a little pudgy around my mid-section.  I excercise (running, elliptical, etc) at least 5 days a week for 40-60 minutes, and I do ab workouts very regularly.  I try to vary my ab workouts as well.  I've been limiting my calories to around 1500 a day for over a month now.  I'm wondering if anyone has any good ideas to get my muscular stomach back?  My love handles are a problem that is increasing too.  

I forgot to mention that I lift weights 2 days a week to try to increase my metabolism. 

I'd like to know this answer too!!! Back fat, love handles, pudgy stomach- all new to me!! GROSS!

Janet Jackson was on Oprah yesterday and she had lost 60 lbs or something and does 100 crunches every day but she does it on an exercise ball.  She said it makes a big difference.

    The only real way to be able to see your abs again is to reduce your body fat percentage for your ENTIRE body instead of focusing on one spot.  Seems so many people fall into the myth that doing more crunches will actually allow you to see your abs.  Sad fact is that abs do not build up that much and even a small amount of fat will cover them up.  For women I think you need 18 or 16% body fat to see your abs clearly, for a guy its around 9-10% body fat. 

   Also just a warning not to go all out and work your abs and obliques to exhaustion everyday.  Working out abs and onliques too much will actually make your waist appear larger even when your body fat is really low. Just have to limit yourself to working abs like every muscle 3 times a week and remember abs is about 95% diet and 5% exercise.

working out and buidling core muscles will help it look smaller and flatter, but there isn't any way to spot reduce. Your body burns it from where it wants, regaardless of how we feel.

However things such as eating high fiber, low refined sugar, healthy monounsaturated fats and omega 3's, along with eliminateing corn syrup and trans fat will help prevent you from gainging more belly fat.

Sitting up straight can also make things look better and help improve the muscles in that area.

I agree with the cranky one, in addition to the cardio (about 40-45 minutes, interval works best for me) a very restrictive diet is required for getting a six pack.  As a postpartum mommy I too am facing the battle of the bulge mainly my lower abs.  I tried this the week before Christmas and I really got results.  I eliminated all processed foods (with the exception of Morningstar products)  I ate eggs with salsa and morningstar bacon for breakfast, I ate a huge salad with morningstar chicken and steak strips for lunch or some other protein variation and for dinner I ate broccoli and rice and carrots, for snacks I munched on whole almonds and cashews, I drank water only and I worked out alternating aerobics one day and running the next.  I also incorporated a 30 minute ab workout which I did every other day.  I did crunches ( I have a ball), I did the plank pose, leg lifts, the bicycle, a move similiar to the workout you would get from the ab lounge minus the ab lounge, I found this one on prevention.com website from Denise Austin and I did lots of other moves I got from FitTV.  That really worked but like I said it is very restrictive and when I entered it it was pretty low in carbs and whole grains so maybe if you do a daily alternation, you know one restrictive day, one day with lots of whole grains, supplements it can work for you too.    I hope that was helpful

I was curious about the answer for this as well.  I'm not even looking for a 6-pack.  I just want to get rid of the belly fat.  My stomach is HUGE (I still look 9 mos. pregnant) not to mention stretch marks and all that.  I swear, about 1/4 of the total weight I need to lose is in my stomach.  How much (on scale of 1-10, with 10 being 'the most') does cardio exercises figure in to burning calories and fat?  (I understand it's not a spot exercise and that it will come off the body however it wishes).

::considers having a serious heart-to-heart with my body and telling it, in no uncertain terms, that it needs to concentrate on removing it from my stomach FIRST::

Try increasing the intensity of your workouts.  Instead of doing 40 to 60 mins cardio, reduce it to 20 mins but at a faster pace.  Or try intervals at maximum effort, you'll notice a big difference.

 

 

Geesh there are a ton of spam replies.

So one thing is excess fat around the tummy can sometimes be an indicator of insulin resistance, or metabolic disorder. 

Google them, there is a lot of info.

Reducing sugar and carbohydrates in the diet can effect stomach fat if it comes from insluin resistance.  I personally have insulin resistance as part of my PCOS.  I  have been following the ideas of South beach (any low glycemic will do, not advocating this "diet"- just using as a guidline) and have noticed a lot of change in my tummy.  Normally this does not happen for me.

A blood test of insulin levels could tell you if you have insulin resistance.  If not, it is likely as everyone has said, and you just need to loose all over weight to see results in your tummy.

Good luck :)