Tummy rolls....how to banish them?

I figured this was the best place to ask...

So far I've lost 7 lbs, and yes I'm losing the weight, and some of my pants fit better, but what about those tummy rolls?? Will those ever go away?

I've started going to the gym again; my goal is to go at least 3x a week (and I also do mini workouts at home, whenever I can, but that's just the time I have available)

I heard that you can make fat cells smaller but they can actually never go away - does that mean I'm stuck with these three hideous belly rolls forever? If not, what can I do about it (besides lipo)? What are some good routines I can do to diminish them?

The "fat cells never go away" thing has been debunked - fairly recently. You can google around if you're interested. Apparently, fat cells can and DO go away - provided one has maintained their weight loss long enough .... we're talking years and years though!

i keep reading about ab workouts....

granted, you won't see much improvement before you lose the fat covering the muscles that you are toning, but if you persevere and continue the workouts, once the body fat has decreased, you will be able to see more toned muscles rather than rolls!

 

i am in the same boat though... nasty rolls but my pants are smaller... i would love to look better with less clothes on.... ;)

I am a pretty good example if you look at my before and my after pics. I did almost no weights or situps at all from those two pics. But... after losing 103 pounds now you can see some definition in my stomach and that was taken weeks ago, now you can pretty much see a 4pack, lol. I have extra skin right now at the very bottom of my abs so who knows if I will ever have the abs I want but once the fat came off you could see the muscle underneath.

Abs has almost nothing to do with muscle size and 99% losing the fat hiding the muscles already there. For the record I do lots of situps now and crunches to get stronger but if there is fat covering it, forget seeing it.

here is my experience with this situation. it may not be the right solution/answer for everyone, but maybe i can at least help:

first, when i lost 40 lbs and got back to my healthy weight, i had a very saggy belly! but it eventually shrank. i developed an eating disorder and lost more weight, and my belly didnt get worse, but it got loose and jiggly again! people (like trainers and nutritionalists) started telling me it was because i was malnourished/not eating enough, and i didnt believe them because that doesnt make sense to me. then my family doctor/parents/close friends started getting angry with me and yadda yadda, which brings me to the present, and i gained a few poounds back. and my pooch is flat! isnt that so strange? they were right! i also started weight training, and "muscle is a natural fat burner". im sure you know there is no such thing as spot reduction. oh and lastly make sure you're getting enough protein. im a vegetarian, and i always had a big bloated belly (and when i was at my lowest weight i looked like those 3rd world children on TV) and then when i started eating more protein it deflated.

I'll be the somewhat contrarian...

I currently weigh 107 at 5'0" tall, and still have some tummy rolls. Not horrible - nobody is going to run away screaming - but I certainly don't have a 6 pack or a flat tummy.

At my peak - when I was weight training 5x's a week, an hour a day, when I was 13% bf... I still had a bit of tummy rolls/0.8 ratio waist to hips. It's simply how I am built. I'm an apple shape. I'm prone to insulin issues. I'm prediabetic. I gain weight most easily in the tummy. I've had two kids, so no matter how much muscle I build in the abs, I still have a pile of loose skin from previous pregnancies.

On the plus side, I did maintain my first wieght loss for over 10 years, and YES, I do believe that eventually fat cells disappear... this last, still-unexplained, weight gain over a year ago, the weight came on more in my butt than in my tummy.

But I'll tell you what... my best advice, if you are prone towards an apple shape, is this: learn how to select clothing that plays up your assets!!! A big problem is that in recent years the clothing is all about low-rise or extra tight... which is just all wrong....

If you have tummy rolls - no matter what size you are - go up one size!!! Fit the widest part of you. If the rest is too loose, go to a tailor.

It's not you, it's the clothing.

I have been a member to this website for a little over a month, and my belly rolls are disappearing. Depends on my exercise for the week and how many calories from fat I take in. They will get smaller.

All good advice - thanks very much! I do have to realize sometimes that "I am how I am," so maybe it's possible that those rolls won't go away. But I can still try to keep the muscles in shape, though!

 And I wish there was such thing as spot reduction, ha! Thanks guys

I would say cardio cardio cardio. I seen a pic of me just 3-4 months after I had my second son and I had a almost flat stomach.(this pic actually motivated me to get back at it) And at the time I was doing lots of cardio and of course watching my portions.

 

ARCHER-dang you have made alot of progress since May 2007. I was amazed.....shhhhhh don't tell my hubby but your a hottie=)

Good luck everyone=)

Michelle

Regarding the fat cells, I was watching Discovery Health yesterday and a doctor said that fat cells never really leave but they do shrink if you don't keep feeding them to expand them again.

 Regarding the belly, I had two c-sections the same year (11 months apart) so I will probably never be flat but I do agree that if one keeps exercising even when they are heavy, the muscle definition will show up when the weight is lost.

And archer, I agree.