Can we talk belly fat?

[doxielove]

So is there REALLY any food or diet that can "target" this problem area (my worst), or is just a scam? Can exercise decrease fat stores, or just tone muscle? Any thoughts?

[xo ashley]

i actually think low-carb targets the ab area... i have noticed a huge difference in my stomach since starting this diet.

i've never really struggled with my stomach per se, it's been somewhat "flat" for as long as i can recall. but it had gotten to the point that it was flabby, and had a pooch at the bottom.

within a month of atkins, i can see the muscles that were apparently hiding under the layer of fat.

when i figure skated, my coach put us "big" girls on atkins, or another low carb of his choice.. his belief also was that low-carb targeted belly fat.

i think i've read in a lot of magazines that white sugar, and white flour, as well as diet soda, causes belly fat to be worse.

i'm no expert though. my sister carries all of her weight in her stomach, and it worries me.... because i know it is a precursor for diabetes and heart problems, both of which run in our family.

now, is there a diet that targets big booties, or troublesome inner thighs?! i think liposuction will be in my near future.

[daisyHair]

yes.. VLC (very low carb) works wonders on belly fat. My belly is the first place I lose weight on LC.

[ultracrazy]

You cannot "target" any area of fat with diet or any food without some type of injection or surgery of some sorts. Exercise can help decrease the size of the fat cell but it doesn't decrease the number of them. This is why so many people put weight back on after they lose it.

[Teresa123]

I think it really depends on where your body stores fat--which is based on lots of things including hormones. The belly is where the majority of my excess weight has always been--and very low carb or not that's still where it is. As the overall body fat percentage comes down it gets better and better but there has been nothing miraculous happening in that area compared to any other area of my body--regardless of what I have done.

[daisyHair]

Originally Posted by ultracrazy

You cannot "target" any area of fat with diet or any food without some type of injection or surgery of some sorts. Exercise can help decrease the size of the fat cell but it doesn't decrease the number of them. This is why so many people put weight back on after they lose it.

I am pretty sure high insulin levels are related to the storage of belly fat. There are lots of studies out there re: this.

It would only make sense that belly fat would be lessened with a LC diet.

We are not talking about "targeting" a person's belly with exercise, we are talking about a particular type of diet being better for belly fat loss.

[ultracrazy]

Originally Posted by daisyHair

I am pretty sure high insulin levels are related to the storage of belly fat. There are lots of studies out there re: this.

It would only make sense that belly fat would be lessened with a LC diet.

We are not talking about "targeting" a person's belly with exercise, we are talking about a particular type of diet being better for belly fat loss.

The OP was talking about reducing belly fat as I read it.

[daisyHair]

Originally Posted by ultracrazy

The OP was talking about reducing belly fat as I read it.

yes.. you are right.. sorry about that.

I should have said "I was not talking about targeting belly fat with exercise".. I was talking about a LC diet.. I totally do not believe that you can target any area of your body with exercise but I do believe from my experience that LC REALLY helps you lose belly fat quicker than any other WOE.

[ultracrazy]

No harm no foul Daisy. I still stick with my original statement though.

[SlapHappy]

LC diets have never made me lose weight differently than low calorie or low fat diets. While there are studies indicating that hyperinsulinism can make you gain weight in the abdomen, there are *no* studies out there indicating that low carb diets, or any other diets, make you lose weight in the abdomen first or predominantly lose in the abdomen.

Bodies are not like cars in which reverse is the opposite of forward. How you gain weight doesn't have a whole lot to do with how you lose it.

[beachbumwannabe]

Well, ymmv (your mileage may vary) but when I'm lcing I lose from my belly first.

When I stop lcing, I gain there first. Just my experience, hth.

[sugarless4life]

Abs are made in the kitchen. They are also lost in the kitchen.

And with regular RIGOROUS cardiovascular exercise.

I am a 53 year old woman who rediscovered her 6 pack abs with Atkins and a firm commitment to running.

Betty

[karenann33]

I'm on day 8 of Atkins induction and I've lost one inch off my waist, one inch off my hips and TWO inches off my belly. This happens everytime I go low carb. The belly fat is the first to go.

[daisyHair]

Originally Posted by karenann33

I'm on day 8 of Atkins induction and I've lost one inch off my waist, one inch off my hips and TWO inches off my belly. This happens everytime I go low carb. The belly fat is the first to go.

For me as well..
This is why I think it's so important to measure. I always love how my waist and belly are the first to show results.

Betty I HAVE got to get back to my exercise!
I am so motivated every time I read your posts.

[qbert]

If you have metabolic syndrome, you will store fat in your belly.

[porkfatrules]

Originally Posted by SlapHappy

Bodies are not like cars in which reverse is the opposite of forward. How you gain weight doesn't have a whole lot to do with how you lose it.

THIS is one of the great unfairnesses (not a word, but you know what I mean) of life! It should be just as easy to lose as to gain. If one syndrome causes you to lose weight somewhere, reversing it should allow you to lose in that place. If you lose a lot of weight, skin should go back to where it used to be before you gained. People who were never heavy should be metabolically the same as people who were heavy and lost weight. And, this thing about increasing the number of fat cells on the way up, but just reducing the size of the cells on the way down . . . well that's just not fair, and should be banned.

Just sayin'.

[jem51]

i have very firm abs but in the past coupla years developed a little menopot that conceals their beauty. i am determined to lose that, post menopausal or not. anyway, just keep doing ab work and as you get closer to goal, you'll see a nice surprise....really.

[kimlou]

Originally Posted by jem51

i have very firm abs but in the past coupla years developed a little menopot that conceals their beauty. i am determined to lose that, post menopausal or not. anyway, just keep doing ab work and as you get closer to goal, you'll see a nice surprise....really.

menopot - I have one of those.

[kitcub]

Unfortunately, the belly is the last place I lose, no matter what sort of diet I am on

[slimlizzie]

Originally Posted by ultracrazy

You cannot "target" any area of fat with diet or any food without some type of injection or surgery of some sorts. Exercise can help decrease the size of the fat cell but it doesn't decrease the number of them. This is why so many people put weight back on after they lose it.

So how do we get those fat cells to go away completely? I always lose in the belly first on LC.. but your right this time it's right in the belly and more than ever before...the answer is probley LC for life!

[smarie130]

Originally Posted by porkfatrules

THIS is one of the great unfairnesses (not a word, but you know what I mean) of life! It should be just as easy to lose as to gain. If one syndrome causes you to lose weight somewhere, reversing it should allow you to lose in that place. If you lose a lot of weight, skin should go back to where it used to be before you gained. People who were never heavy should be metabolically the same as people who were heavy and lost weight. And, this thing about increasing the number of fat cells on the way up, but just reducing the size of the cells on the way down . . . well that's just not fair, and should be banned.

Just sayin'.

I totally agree! Mother nature should be nicer to us!

So wait, do fat cells ever go away?

[BikerAng]

Originally Posted by slimlizzie

So how do we get those fat cells to go away completely? I always lose in the belly first on LC.. but your right this time it's right in the belly and more than ever before...the answer is probley LC for life!

Only way to completely get rid of fat cells is to get lyposuction.

[porkfatrules]

Originally Posted by smarie130

I

So wait, do fat cells ever go away?

I think (somebody correct me if I've got it wrong) that a certain number of cells are created and lost up until puberty. After that, if you gain weight the body does it by creating and filling new fat cells. If you lose weight the body does that by just emptying the fat out of the existing cells, but not getting rid of any cells. So, a person who gains weight and then loses it always has more fat cells, just waiting to get filled up again . . . . makes it easier to re-gain later.

Stinks, doesn't it?

Hence, the liposuction comment -- the only way to actually make fat cells leave the body.

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by daisyHair

Betty I HAVE got to get back to my exercise!
I am so motivated every time I read your posts.

YOU CAN DO IT, CARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[ultracrazy]

Originally Posted by BikerAng

Only way to completely get rid of fat cells is to get lyposuction.

Unless you use some type of Mesotherapy. There is a product called (######) It was designed for "spot reduction" without surgery.

Also known as ?fat melt? or ?Non-Surgical Fat Dissolve,? Mesotherapy, offers the
patient an alternative to surgery. Mesotherapy is an injection therapy which can be injected into the mesoderm which is the layer of fat under the skin. The medications that are used in Mesotherapy melt the fat beneath the skin and shrink
the fat cells in the scarpa fascia layer - some times resulting in a temporary
tough feel to the skin local to the injection site . The fat dissolves and, as occurs when fat is broken down during typical weight loss it?s carried through the bloodstream and excreted by the kidneys and bowel.

Mesotherapy involves injecting small amounts of medication immediately beneath
the surface of the skin to break down the fat and cellulite and to improve circulation and lymphatic and venous drainage. The effect is to explode the fat cells and release the triglycerides into the blood stream for the body to dispose of naturally. Aerobic exercise will increase the removal of these triglycerides by increasing the portion of ?good? cholesterol in the blood stream. It should be noted that exercise is not totally necessary but it will increase the rate of localized fat loss.

The combination of ### and #### in #### has the added benefit of
aiding overall fat loss ? something that the more expensive phosphatidylcholine based products do not do. The down side to this is, as stated above, is the frequency of administration which is not at all suited to general cosmetic surgery practice.

Approximately 20-30 minutes post injection the patient may notice some redness,
slight bruising, or experience a stinging sensation, but rarely are the treatments painful. These are natural inflammatory reactions to the emulsion and dispersion of fat, signifying the procedure is successful. Bruises are seldom. The fat tissue is broken down by the body through natural processes and then excreted.

Noticeable localized reductions in fat can be seen within 2 weeks even when the
injection frequency is limited to every second day. Dramatic fat losses are possible with a daily 1 ml injection protocol or with doses greater than 1ml every second day. Doses as high as 5ml per day are commonly used in the body building community. However, this is not recommended due to the extreme #### related side effects that can occur at such doses.

Yes I know I blocked out the chemicals name.

[BikerAng]

<Quote>: the effect is to explode the fat cells and release the triglycerides into the blood stream for the body to dispose of naturally <end Quote>

So this injection makes the fat cells explode? That would be another way to get rid of them. I personally don't mind the fat cells, I just try to manage them by eating low carb and keeping my insulin down so they don't fill back up!

[karenann33]

Originally Posted by porkfatrules

I think (somebody correct me if I've got it wrong) that a certain number of cells are created and lost up until puberty. After that, if you gain weight the body does it by creating and filling new fat cells. If you lose weight the body does that by just emptying the fat out of the existing cells, but not getting rid of any cells. So, a person who gains weight and then loses it always has more fat cells, just waiting to get filled up again . . . . makes it easier to re-gain later.

Stinks, doesn't it?

Hence, the liposuction comment -- the only way to actually make fat cells leave the body.

This is what I read too and yes it does stink. That explains why I can gain 5 pounds in one week from eating junky carbs. My fat cells just EXPLODE. LOL!!

[Faia]

Just conjecture, but it seems the only likely way to target an area for fat loss would be to work the muscles in that area, primarily to increase the circulation. Would not contain fat loss to that area, but only make it slightly easier.