lower abdomen

hi

ive posted this befor but somehow the topic got deivated to somethnig else.

well basically I am thin all over and underweight, but i still have a little bit of lower abdomen sticking out. my stats are female, 5''2 and i weigh 40kg.

i use to do alot of cardio and diet heavily. however ive got a personal trainer who is limitting me on my cardio and focusing more on strength training. She also insists on me eating more than wha ti would normal. all healthy and wholemeal food. I have a few  questions,

a) when will i see reults? regarding strength training which also involves ab workkouts.

b)  im worried ill gain FAT...i.e belly fat.

c) should i do cardio? or is walking 2 miles a day ok?

thanks for any input.

I agree with your trainer, you need to back off on cardio and eat more.  You are way underweight.  I'm also  a little unsure if a trainer is all you need, is your doctor involved?  Strength training is good, but if you aren't eating the calories to support it, you won't see the results.  How can you gain muscle if your body doesn't have what it needs to build it?  Concentrate on eating enough calories and get it out of your head  that you are going to get fat.  I won't lie, you may notice it in your belly, but it's not you getting fat, your stomach may just be a bit shocked to have some food in it, so it may bloat a bit.  Once you get your calories under control, that will go away.  Please look into getting health professionals involved, both medical and possibly psychiatry.  I wish you much luck in your journey to becoming more healthy.  

I hope this is a typo but at 40kg you are 88 pounds?  88 pounds seems really small for someone 5'2".  You probably want to trust your trainer as that is what you are paying them for.  You may see a weight gain but as long as you are eating right and lifting weights it should be muscle.  Good Luck!

thanks for the input. yes robynready i am 88 pounds.

so basically if i eat right, and lift weights the tummy /lower abdomen will go away??

its really hard & frustrating to eat a lot more than before  and also thinking that it will make my tummy fat.

YOUR STOMACH BLOATS OUT BECAUSE THAT IS THE CLASSIC PHYSICAL SYMPTOM OF MALNOURISHMENT IN THE EXTREME!

u no those african kids?amy winehouse?

DRASTICALLY underweight with a puffed stomach. this is what ur describing. ITS NOT FAT. ur body is desperately clinging onto any visceral material in an effort to protect ur vital organs.

 u really need to get ur act together. is this obsession going to end up killing u or not? U decide. listen to the people around u.

Your bmi is currently at 16 a normal bmi is 18 (at the lowest possible level) Trust me when I say eating more will NOT make you fat. It seems to me you really want to workout hard but with out the fuel to do so you wont be doing an effective workout and you wont see the results you seem to want so badly.

While I am not sure about you having such a drastic form of malnurtition that your stomach is extended (no offense ktjo) it is very worrisome to have such a low bmi and still be dieting to such an extreme extent. Be healthy and listen to your trainer. Consulting a doctor might not be a bad idea to get a better idea of what a safe plan can be for you.

I completely understand how it can make you nervous to eat more because you fear gaining weight but muscle weighs more than fat so if you eat more and exercise it might go up on the scale but not because your fat but because you have a toned healthy body. Be safe and good luck!

Original Post by rosalyn15:

I completely understand how it can make you nervous to eat more because you fear gaining weight but muscle weighs more than fat so if you eat more and exercise it might go up on the scale but not because your fat but because you have a toned healthy body.

 I partly agree with you. I said the same thing to my trainer... muscle weighs more than fat... His response "what weights more, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead" . Same thing,  1 lb of muscle will weight the same as 1lb of fat.

The way I look at it is that you have much more muscle than you do fat. so by making them grow they will weigh more.

Either way, this girl needs to eat more. Listen to your trainer, they should be lisenced.

With all due respect, the rest of your body is probably not where it needs to be.......and what I mean by that is that your body is probably too skinny. (that wasn't meant in a bad way either, just counterproductive to what it sounds like you want your goals to be).

Eating more might make you 'fill up' a little more, but I doubt it will be from fat. The trainer is having you walk as opposed to run (or has toned your cardio down), because the intensity of your cardio helps determine what you burn more of. 

You should discuss this with your trainer to make sure, but it sounds like their goal is to have you eat a little more (so that you can actually make muscle), and burn more fat by having you do less intensity cardio. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn as well. I would trust your trainer. Gaining weight is *NOT* a bad thing, as long as it is done right, furthermore, it can help you reach your goals quicker IMO.

thankyou all for your inputs.

since i posted this, i have been eating more and doing weight training sessions with my personaltrainer. i have reduced my cardiowork out too.

i have seen my arms getting bigger - she measured it to be muscle.

but for the tummy , well its still there, but im keeping my mind positive to try and overcome this. it is hard to eat more without having the fear of getting 'fat' but with help im getting there.

thank you again. i will keep u all posted

Original Post by ricecake84:

thankyou all for your inputs.

since i posted this, i have been eating more and doing weight training sessions with my personaltrainer. i have reduced my cardiowork out too.

i have seen my arms getting bigger - she measured it to be muscle.

but for the tummy , well its still there, but im keeping my mind positive to try and overcome this. it is hard to eat more without having the fear of getting 'fat' but with help im getting there.

thank you again. i will keep u all posted

I'm willing to bet that after a good time of gaining a little muscle you will start doing hardcore cardio again...this is when you will see most of that lower belly go away and your other muscles tone up even more......but you have to gain a little muscle before you start losing again.

Its wonderful to hear the muscle building is going well! Its going to be an exciting process to see your body become stronger over time. Don't be concerned about the belly for now. Your goals will definitely be accomplished, it will just take a little time and patience. I greatly look forward to hearing more from you!

Original Post by ricecake84:

thankyou all for your inputs.

since i posted this, i have been eating more and doing weight training sessions with my personaltrainer. i have reduced my cardiowork out too.

i have seen my arms getting bigger - she measured it to be muscle.

but for the tummy , well its still there, but im keeping my mind positive to try and overcome this. it is hard to eat more without having the fear of getting 'fat' but with help im getting there.

thank you again. i will keep u all posted

 IF you are following your PT's advice, limiting cardio and surplus caloric intake....you should be doing OK...in order to see/gain muscle...you will have to be eating in a surplus/protein rich diet.

Don't stress over the tummy bulge. That is a common disorder of malnutrition and with proper nutrition, will go away in time.