Weight dilemma

Hi everyone,

I only signed up today, but I've been a lurker for a while.

Here's the deal:

I'm 23, 5'5, 119 lbs and have about 20% body fat. This probably sounds pretty normal and maybe even on the thin side. However, most of this fat is concentrated on my gut. I have a huge belly and love handles and I'm sick and tired of it. I've been working out (cardio and weights) for the past 6 weeks to try to lose weight, but I've actually gained a few lbs and it doesn't seem to be of the muscle variety because my clothes are tighter.

Anyway, I'm determined to get rid of my gut and I am well aware that I will lose weight from the rest of my body too (that doesn't bother me).  My belly doesn't become flat until I'm around the 105 lb mark. I don't want to be that skinny again, which is why I'm trying to build muscle. My question is how much is reasonable to lose in this situation? I'm setting my goal for 112 lbs, but I don't know what kind of health consequences there are at that point, if any. 

I have similar stats to yours, and in the past the only way to have a flat stomach for me was to weigh in the 115 range. The only thing was that, although it was flat, the skin was loose-ish- just not toned and tight.

I wouldn't recommend going too low with the weight or BF%, it can lead to a whole host of problems, one of them being losing your period.

Have you ever looked at women in the mag Muscle and Fitness? (or other similar mags) I've noticed that women my height/age usually weigh 5-10lbs more than me, but look incredible, are slim and firm.

Good luck :)

I would love to have a body like some of those fitness women. That would be my ideal. I did join a body building site for women, but they were all pretty rude and told me to be "do a search." I did a search and it was not helpful, so that's why I asked. 

I'm really worried that this is just a matter of bad luck/genetics. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that this can and should be done. But as you said, the body fat % could be a problem.

you shouldn't lose weight, clearly your body structure is not built to have the body that you're desiring...not in a mean way. since it requires you to be anorexic to achieve that flat stomach, maybe focusing on strength training and not weight loss will get you the results. 

your body fat percentage is already low, and healthy, so you store your weight in your abdomen and that can't be changed without decreasing your overall bodyfat which is not something that you should do. so instead, try to build more abdominal muscles. even with fat on top of the muscles, it will be less jiggly and more toned like you want. 

its kinda similar to the thigh thing...no matter how thin some people are their thighs touch..while others can weigh much more and theirs don't. it just depends on your body structure. hope this helps!!

chrissy, by that do you mean that not every woman can have a non-jiggly mid-section? Regardless of what they do? I've never heard that before, not saying that I don't believe it, but I thought that if you work hard enough for it, you can achieve it (healthily of course)

myfatgut, sorry that you got a rude impression on the other site but I've gotta mention that you might find the same rudeness here (on this site) at times! Depending on the topic, how it's worded, etc.

As far as the original query, it might be a matter of trial and error to see what works for you. Check out the fitness forum, there's some really good info there.

Original Post by qmwillcand:

chrissy, by that do you mean that not every woman can have a non-jiggly mid-section? Regardless of what they do? I've never heard that before, not saying that I don't believe it, but I thought that if you work hard enough for it, you can achieve it (healthily of course)

myfatgut, sorry that you got a rude impression on the other site but I've gotta mention that you might find the same rudeness here (on this site) at times! Depending on the topic, how it's worded, etc.

As far as the original query, it might be a matter of trial and error to see what works for you. Check out the fitness forum, there's some really good info there.

what i mean is that, we cannot spot reduce fat from certain areas..so in order to actually lose the fat then she'd have to drop weight to an anorexic level, which would be unhealthy. so yes she can achieve it, but not in a way that would be advisable. `which is why i recommended NOT focusing on weight, but instead on fitness to tighten up the area. i didn't say she won't be able to make it not jiggly, but just not as flat as some girls who have a different body type and store their weight elsewhere. does that make sense?