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Getting fit... is this good enough?
I'm technically at a healthy weight for my height (just about) but I have obvious tummy flab that I want to get rid of or tone.
I've spent 2 weeks getting used to a new exercise routine, which I do 4 out of 7 days a week, and involves about 4miles on the treadmill in 30-35mins, burning between 300kcal-340kcal. Then I do 100 half-sits/crunches. But I haven't been changing the way I eat much, I like it too much. I've just cut out unhealthy snacks, and my mealtimes aren't full of weight-losey food, but it's not junk. Breakfast - don't have time to eat, I get up so bad on weekdays! At weekends I wake around 10am and then just wait until lunch. Lunch - usually jacket potato, sandwich, or maybe a hot meal at school which is always healthy. Dinner - regular, balanced stuff because my mum is health-conscious. I probably have something unhealthy after dinner, a cake or ice-cream or something. Do I need to change my eating habits if I want to get a flat stomach? |
I don't think you have to change your eating habits. They seem pretty good already. All that's needed to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. I think the running coupled with some good core moves that will work all your core muscles (not just crunches) will help a lot.
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No, you do not need to change it. I use to eat the most unhealthy stuff everyday while I was deployed. At this time I was also going to the gym everyday. I kept in fairly good shape as long as I got all the nutrients I needed which was my intake of suppliments. So in essense was I actually partaking in more food then I really should have.
As long as you keep on a healthy routine you will be fine. =) |
You can't just "tone" the tummy on its own, unfortunately. You have to exercise the whole body to get it to burn off the fat that it has stored there. I wish just doing crunches would get rid of tummy flab, then I wouldn't have to work out the rest of my body to do it. :)
I would do more Cardio exercises maybe, like cycling and running. But it sounds like you're on the right track. Also, I would only eat when you're hungry. If you're hungry when you wake up, eat. It helps to kickstart your metabolism for the day. Not eating is what killed mine. -_- Now that I'm working out, I'm building my Metabolism back up, and I eat small meals 5 times a day. It's usually a bagel with turkey and cheese, and a bowl of beans with carrots or a sweet potato. I looove sweet potatoes... :offtopic: But yes, I would stay on the same general track, and break down your meals smaller and eat only when you are hungry. Big meals tend to pack the pounds on. |
Changing your eating habits alone isn't going to do anything. You have to change how many calories your burn, which means exercise.
If you want to get in shape, that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that. Don't obsess over it though, that's unhealthy. And when/if you start 'toning up' keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. So you might look more in shape, but you'll weigh a bit more, so don't freak out. It's a healthy kinda weight. I wish you luck in however you decide to deal with this. |
If you can find a program or book on it, calisthenic is really good for working out and getting quick results. It really hurts though! The first day after I started I was so sore I couldn't move. But my body was already slightly more toned! (It might have been the second time, something like that)
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I'm all for exercising, but those girls who are uber thin, or super muscular just don't seem to me to be that attractive or healthy.
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You need breakfast. Seriously. No time is not an excuse.
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I have to agree breakfast is important. I too am a get up and go in five or less minutes person and after years of never eating breakfast finally got in the habit living over seas with a host fam where breakfast was mandatory. The result I felt better had more energy and less of a reason to snack. Some thing as simple as an apple or granola bar will improve your entire day.
As for getting the flatter tummy it is as Jenova4 said you don't get a choice on where the fat burns but it never hurts to eat well cause there is no point in getting all fit and not having the rest of the good heath to enjoy it. |
I agree whit the others - breakfast is really important - it's what gets your metabolism going in the morning - I know I don't have a lot of time to eat so I have a Clif Bar or one of those Slimfast meal bars on my drive into work.
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Your routine sounds good with the exception of breakfast, as others have mentioned. I'm sure you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it should also be the biggest! Stock up on food you can grab and eat on the go, such as individual little cartons of yogurt, fruit, and/or granola bars.
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Sounds like you're on the right track, definitely. I do agree you should cut your meals down into smaller portions a little more often. Especially with dinner. When you eat later into the night the pounds stick better because of the fact that you only sleep after that for the most part so your entire body is slowing down. |
Personally. I don't believe anyone really has to change their diet to lose weight. I mean, of course, depending on who you are ( Like if you eat absolutely no fruit or veggies and you eat alot of greasy, oily fat foods, like fast foods then you should cut down on that and eat something green or some fruit and it CAN help ). I just think you can exercise and be fine. I'm pretty close to being just barely at an unhealthy weight for my age and height. I want to lose some pounds and I know for a fact if I pick up a regualr exercise routine I will in fact lose some weight, whether I change my eating habits or not. But I think it's a load of bull when people tell you, you HAVE to go on a diet to lose weight. You sound like you're on the right track though. You already eat pretty healthy. Healthy eating isn't just greens or just vegetables and fruits. You need meat too, for proteins. So don't skip out on that, if you had an idea to do so. And it's ok to eat something like ice cream or cake every now and then. EDIT :: For the tummy, like other people said, maybe add something in that's cardio and works the bodies core. Or just throw something new into your routine. Because when you're body gets used to something it takes less energy less work to do that something, so a change in the routine will throw your body off and it'll cause it to have to do more work. |
It sounds to me like you are doing a pretty good job with what you have been doing. I don't think it really matters what you are eating. You probably will not see results for a while, but if you stick with it, you'll see the fruits of your reward soon enough. I recently started a workout routine as well. I have been sticking to it and slowly seeing results, it's mostly cardio which helps to really boost your metabolism so I know it may take a while to see results on my end too. Good luck and I hope you see the results soon.
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The amount of exercise you're doing is great, and cutting junk food out is really all you need to begin seeing changes. Your stomach probably won't become bikini-model flat (or maybe it will if you're one of those lucky people that loses weight easily, but don't get your hopes too high), but you will definitely see results soon. Probably a lot in your legs, with the walking.
If you're worried about the dessert, try finding something a little better. For example, I have dark chocolate chips. They still have sugar in them, but they have less than normal chocolate. They're in tiny, bite-sized pieces, so I don't feel like I have to finish a whole candy bar or something if all I wanted was a little. Maybe you could try to find some sugar free or otherwise a little healthier ice creams. It's still not GOOD for you, but it's a lesser of the evils. If you deprive yourself of everything you want, your diet WILL fail because eventually you'll go crazy with whatever it was you were depriving yourself of. If you think your sweet tooth could be appeased by fruit occasionally, try that. A smoothie, juice, or just straight fruit is great. But be careful with smoothies and juices. Many have so many artificial sugars added that it's just completely ridiculous and terrible for you. So look for a sugar free one. |
I reckon it sounds pretty good
I've been on a diet and have chucked the unhealthy stuff, as long as you keep up the work outs it should be fine |
Sounds like you're doing great, but I would suggest one thing: try to cut out as many trans fats as you possibly can. It's okay to indulge in non-so-healthy foods that you love, but highly processed foods concentrate fat in the stomach, hips, and thigh region, so you should pick sweets without trans fat. You can also substitute in treats that are healthier but taste just as good. Like, reach for the frozen yogurt (the good kinds taste exactly like ice cream) or a bar of dark chocolate instead of a twinkie.
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Ok, my first question may sound a bit odd, but are you a girl?
A little bit of curve to a girl's stomach is not only healthy, but generally a lot of people find it attractive, but if you're determined to get it down, depending on the amount of tummy fat you have, you might have to lose general weight, or it might just be an issue of toning. Because, no, you can't target where you lose weight, but you can target where you tone. My suggestion? Try some exercises that tone your tummy that also promote weight loss. Like Belly dancing. |
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