top heavy

I eat pretty good and I work our 3+ times a week, my legs have gotten thinner, my butt and boobs have gotten smaller, but not my belly, and i have cellulite on my belly now no matter what i do the bottom gets smaller but the top stays the same! I'm not over weight i'm 5'5" and 125lbs, but why cant my belly firm up!!!!!! does any one have a suggestion?

you sound like an apple shape - you carry your weight in the middle. what exercises are you doing? maybe you should focus more on toning your tummy than thinning your legs now.

Eh, I am around your height and weight and I find that I lose weight from top and bottom but my belly's still the same too. Don't take it too seriously, just continue working out (since we can't really spot-reduce), do sit ups and crunches if you really want to.. but at that weight and height, I don't think it's really anything to worry about (Unless you look pregnant or anything.)

I am sure you look fine..

I would avoid generic exercising that tones everything, and start searching for localized toning exercises.  There are alot of exercises you can do to just tone your tummy.  Also, if you are on a weirght loss plan for mass weight loss, alot of the time there is a target area that your body loses weight from first.

Sadly, most of the time its the breasts.  The tummy might just be the last area your body is holding onto the fat.  just keep working out and eventually it will shed.

Original Post by brennamarshall:

I would avoid generic exercising that tones everything, and start searching for localized toning exercises.  There are alot of exercises you can do to just tone your tummy.

Full body routines are going to be much more beneficial for burning calories. Isolation movements are good for body builders who have been training for years, but for a beginner, not so much.

The body loses weight from where it chooses, and doing things like crunches will not preferentially burn fat from the stomach.

panstine, i was reading something about saturated fat goes straight to the belly. i think we need to minimize that, (such as the cheesecake we ate the other day was 65% of the saturated fat we need in a day. my bad...but it was soo good!!i think i need to quit baking for a while =( or maybe reduce it to once every 2 weeks? what do you think.  Also expert mary says try the mediterranian diet which is just use olive oil instead of anything else during cooking, eat high fiber foods,& choose whole grains.

There are no quick fixes for belly fat. You can eat lots of vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fat-free dairy products because research shows that a diet high in fiber, calcium and monounsaturated fat can selectively reduce abdominal fat if you stay within your calorie requirements. Exercises that build the core muscles can make your midline appear smaller. Pilates is a great core training system but it takes consistency and time to work.

To shrink your waist, lose weight by eating fewer calories, especially calories from fat and saturated fat because research shows they contribute most to a wide waist.  Replace fat calories with high-fiber foods like fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains because research also shows that high-fiber diets selectively target abdominal fat.  Both cardio-type and strength-training exercises play a key role in losing body fat.  Perform cardio exercises for 30 minutes or more on most days and workout with weights 2 or 3 times a week.  Read about 8 ways to reduce your belly fat from the Guide to Exercise at About.com.