Group: Experienced Exercise

Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 50, Messages: 19484

For intermediate and advanced individuals. Share and learn how to take your fitness to the next level!

Join group

gut and love handles

fig22214
fig22214
Posts: 2
Joined: 2007/04/12
United States
2007/05/03, 10:42 AM
can't seem to lose gut and handles, everything else great tone and actually building. been working abs 3 times a week and dieting fairly well (occasional cheat). what can i do??
Pemdas
Pemdas
Posts: 973
Joined: 2004/07/22
United States
2007/05/03, 11:01 AM
Doing ab work won't give you visible toned abs. It will help develop them, but it comes down to your diet. You need to reduce your body fat percentage to make the abs visible.

Keep in mind that this doesn't mean just losing weight. It means changing your body composition so that you have less fat.

Fat is a weird animal. It likes to hide out in certain places of the body more than others. This is the reason that you can have "toned" legs and arms while still looking a little chubby in the midsection.

I can't tell you exactly what to do because this not really my area, but I am sure that some who can help better will ask you for more specific diet information. What exactly are you eating? Don't forget about drinks like juice or soda.
blaind6
blaind6
Posts: 63
Joined: 2007/03/27
United States
2007/05/03, 01:42 PM
I have the same problem. Ive lost about 32 lbs but it doesnt seem to be coming off of my midsection. I know that some of it has but that was the place with the most to lose. Ive read that love handles are the last place to go. So I will have to keep working to get this spare tire gone. It has changed from a tractor tire to a car tire, so thats progress. It really comes down to losing fat, no spot loss, its just diet and exercise. You should use some info on this site to figure out your daily calorie needs and start counting, you may find that youre not eating as well as you think you are. Also, what is your exercise routine like? All the crunches in the world wont do much for gut and love handles.
adalos
adalos
Posts: 174
Joined: 2006/02/04
United States
2007/05/30, 09:41 AM
from what i've read, fat comes off in sheets. different areas of your body have different amounts of these sheets, which is why your shoulders, calves, and forearms will pop out long before your stomach, obliques, glutes, and quads will show definition. that doesn't mean you're not losing fat there, it just means that those areas have the most fat and thus take the longest to finally show definition. focus on eating healthy and keeping a log of your body fat % and circumference measurements so you know you're losing sheets even though it might not look like it to your human eyes.
asimmer
asimmer
Posts: 8,201
Joined: 2003/01/07
United States
2007/05/30, 10:12 AM
nice answer, adalos!

Just keep pushing, reevaluate your diet(enough calories, lots of fiber, lowfat but good fat, high protein), switch your routine if you haven't in a while, add 5 minutes to your cardio....boost your intensity. Seeing those abs takes dedication.

--------------

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
Thomas Carlyle


k-ok
k-ok
Posts: 163
Joined: 2007/02/24
United States
2007/05/30, 03:35 PM
Eat quality protein, high fiber, vitamin-rich foods. Drink plenty of water. Make sure you consume more calories than you burn or you will find that your protein will become a very expensive energy source, indeed.

It might also be helpful to mix up your food choices as you would mix up your exercises. Our bodies easily get used to routine and become very efficient. Trick your body and it will work harder for you.

Time to mix it up, Kip! (Am I talking to myself?)