Stomach Fat!!

[ELLA]

Having just successfully lost 2 inches from my stomach using the AE diet does anyone know what are the best exercises to do to help tone and reduce the stomach area. The owner of my gym says that no amount of sit ups will do this for me. He says more cardio vascular work outs will work more effectively.
Any advise on this would be appreciated.

ella

[Rachel421]

 Im a little foggy on this EL, but Ive read studies that suggest that visceral or belly fat is more aleviated through calorie restriction than any thing.   like you can develope your abs, but with diet and exercise as a addition you have to let the abs show by burning off the belly fat.    the fork being the best piece of equipment to utilize, less for fat loss, i ve also been reading about how doing tabata or intense short workouts followed by cardio is ideal.   you release a bunch of fatty acids during the intense, brief training, then exploit those fatty acids in your longer cardio.  its worth a shot.  ive already got my squats, rock climber, jumping jack, high knee tabata routine down, i just have to be able to keep the 8 sets up.  i could go on about it, but its easier to look at some videos on the net.   really effective stuff they say.    congrats on the two inches!

[Ró-fhéinní]

From what i understand, spot-reducing is a myth. There are theories though that say if you do some sort of ab exercises before doing your cardio then more blood will be directed to the abs because of the sit-ups for example. this increased blood flow during a time of calorie burning means that there is an higher chance that the fat that is converted to energy will be from your stomach/ab area.

Rachel is right though, diet is most important for fat loss. There are many theories out there on what is best and what isn't ideal but you are obviously getting results so stick with your ae plan and be patient. Any exercise will help speed up the fat loss so long as the diet is in check.

[ELLA]

Ok  thanks for the advice! I will stick with what I am doing ....which is spinning classes twice a week~pilates once a week~cardio vascular work out at the gym twice a week.

Ella

[fotakou]

To tone it up just do variations of plank.They mimic the way we move around the was,that is using our abs to stand straight and stuff.Try to hold the basic position for sets of one minute or less.I have found out that it works better after aerobic workouts.Also here is something from Poliquin

2. High umbilical (abdominal) skin fold measurements alarmed health care professionals because one study consisting of 30,000 women over a period of 12 years discovered that women with higher umbilical fat measurements, (abdominal fat accumulation) were more likely to develop heart disease than other ordinary overweight women. As I mentioned before, this group had to deal with high stress and chronically elevated cortisol. The popular supplement phosphatydylserine has shown a dramatic reduction of circulating cortisol, (as well as improved mood, memory, and motivation ­ to fight stress and depression). Charles also recommends fish oils rich in essential omega-3 oils and Licorice Root, which helps the regulation of cortisol production. Glycerrhizin is a component of licorice, which is capable of inactivating cortisol. Another good idea for any person belonging to this particular group is to limit (reduce) their caffeine and simple sugars consumption. These are factors that could impact (increase) their levels of cortisol in the body.

hope i helped 

[clake16]

Ok  thanks for the advice! I will stick with what I am doing ....which is spinning classes twice a week~pilates once a week~cardio vascular work out at the gym twice a week.

Ella

If you have access to kettlebells, I would add them.  I just started them and they work the midsection in a whole different way.  Make sure you get guidance with them as they can be dangerous if done improperly.

[ELLA]

Clarke 16~Hi thanks for your suggestions but Kettlebells is pretty much unheard of here in the UK. Can anything else be used that would work in the same way?

Ella

[clake16]

Clarke 16~Hi thanks for your suggestions but Kettlebells is pretty much unheard of here in the UK. Can anything else be used that would work in the same way?

Ella

I don't see why Turkish get ups and some of those things couldnt be done with dumbbells.   I know people have also made a "t" handle to attach weights to for swings.  I'm not 100% sure on how safe they all are though.  I would wait to hear from Bob on ways to simulate KBs....he'll have a better idea.

[KeepThat]

Hi Ella, what I think is more cardio exercises, it helps to lose the fat.
But perhaps you can post a picture here and see what kind of exercise
best suits you.

Since different people have different types of "fat".

[Vega]

Doing sit ups will tone your abs but they aren't as effective at burning the fat. I would spend more time on the treadmill or other cardio exercises to burn fat as well as eating a healthy diet. In my early 20's I had nice definition to my abs but then I gained a beer belly later in my 20's. I eliminated soft drinks and limited the amount of beer I drank and lost the weight fairly quickly.

[Geronimo8201]

Eating good, whole foods and consuming less calories than you burn = burning of fat.  It's as simple as that.