Best way to lose belly fat?

JillRock96 · May 2012

That is where I have the most work to do, weight loss wise. I know that some of it is just due to twins and will never fully go away, but I do have a decent amount of fat to shed in that area. I'm running 3 days a week, but I need to do more toning to target that specific area.

I'm not afraid to work hard (I know it will take hard work to tone this area), but I want to make sure I'm doing the right things.

What worked for you?

Mouseygail · May 2012

The South Beach Diet attacks the core first, I swear! At least it helps you ditch the bloat that makes all of that worse! That is the first place that everyone that I know of who has done SB sees a difference!

LnR70707 · May 2012

I've been doing the SBD (started with Stage 2 though since BFing) since March and that knocked off a good 10lbs. I was working out on our elliptical 4-5x a week and that helped, but I finally bit the bullet and started the 30 day shred last week and I think the intensity of that helped break the plateau I was on.

JillRock96 · May 2012

Thanks! I have some questions for both of you!

1) Did you buy a book, or is there a website that you use?

2) Do you make all of the "official" SBD recipes, or do you just try to meal plan with the foods they recommend?

3) How is this diet for the long haul -- is it a lifestyle change that someone can stick with, or is it really restrictive?

I'm not going to lie -- I LOVE food and have zero willpower. I would much rather exercise my butt off than restrict my diet. I am making healthy changes in my diet (cut out most pop, increase fruits and veggies, cut out processed foods, etc.), but I still have to leave some room for a treat every day (even if it is ONE cookie). If it is only the first phase that is really restrictive, I could live with that. But if I'm going to gain everything back as soon as I stop dieting....

Cajun_gal · May 2012

JillRock96:

Thanks! I have some questions for both of you!

1) Did you buy a book, or is there a website that you use?

2) Do you make all of the "official" SBD recipes, or do you just try to meal plan with the foods they recommend?

3) How is this diet for the long haul -- is it a lifestyle change that someone can stick with, or is it really restrictive?

I'm not going to lie -- I LOVE food and have zero willpower. I would much rather exercise my butt off than restrict my diet. I am making healthy changes in my diet (cut out most pop, increase fruits and veggies, cut out processed foods, etc.), but I still have to leave some room for a treat every day (even if it is ONE cookie). If it is only the first phase that is really restrictive, I could live with that. But if I'm going to gain everything back as soon as I stop dieting....

I thought that only whole grain carbs were allowed with Phase 2 of the SBD. I could be wrong. I could never stick with SBD long term. I think Weight Watchers (or counting calories) is a much more realistic lifestyle change for me. But, that will just help lose weight overall, and may not help with the belly bulge in particular. With that said, I need to get back on track.... I was doing great for a while and have been sucking at it lately. And I have belly bulge that is driving me crazy as well. I'll be curious to hear what you decide to try and if it works.

Mouseygail · May 2012

JillRock96:
Thanks! I have some questions for both of you!

1) Did you buy a book, or is there a website that you use? The first time i did it I bought one of the cookbooks, there is a good rundown in the front, but I'm sure you could get the same basics online with blogs and such. (i've done it several times, but never managed to stick with it very long until this time...over 4 months now!)

2) Do you make all of the "official" SBD recipes, or do you just try to meal plan with the foods they recommend? I find it much more rewarding to just meal plan, I hate following recipes. I have several pinterest boards that I have been pinning recipes to that are either phase one or phase 2 friendly. Kalyn's kitchen is a great blog for recipe ideas!

3) How is this diet for the long haul -- is it a lifestyle change that someone can stick with, or is it really restrictive? I honestly feel like this is a lifestyle for us this time...DH is totally on board (he's lost almost 40 pounds in the last 4 months!) and its mostly easy for us. The areas that we struggled with before were avoiding alcohol in phase one (that's not a problem since having DS...) and we tended to struggle with how to start adding back in whole grains and fruits without overdoing it. Phase one is key for me, quick weight loss and helps to curb the carb cravings... and we have been doing a very cautious version of phase 2...we only occasionally eat whole grains, and if we do, its more of a whole wheat breading on some homemade chicken nuggets, one slice of double fiber bread with our breakfasts on the weekends, etc. We've just, in the last month, started having a little bit of fruit as snacks, part of lunches etc. We weigh in daily to see what impact stuff is having on us and if we start having problems, we rein it back in quickly. That being said, we both had quite a bit of weight to lose, so we wanted to be really strict about it. Having a cookie now and then (especially if you make them yourself and try to reduce the sugars and white flour in them) isn't going to really hurt! we cheat sometimes, we've had the occasional ice cream, hoagie, beers, etc and haven't upset the balance much (we usually made up for it by being more restrictive for a few days afterwards). And when I was pregnant for that little bit, I was able to continue eating much the same as I was before, I just was a more liberal with the whole grains and fruits and i didn't gain anything until I had my week of "woe is me" decadence around my D&C. I probably sound like a zealot or something, but I really adore this diet, I like how it makes me feel (my stomach feels awful after eating crazy carbs now) and I'm happy that my son is growing up with these meals. I hope that we are able to just keep this as our way of life! (One other thing i love about it as a weight loss tool...is that there is no counting points, no counting calories...i just eat what I want as long as it is lean proteins, veggies, dairy, fruits or whole grains (limiting my consumption of the last two).

I'm not going to lie -- I LOVE food and have zero willpower. I would much rather exercise my butt off than restrict my diet. I am making healthy changes in my diet (cut out most pop, increase fruits and veggies, cut out processed foods, etc.), but I still have to leave some room for a treat every day (even if it is ONE cookie). If it is only the first phase that is really restrictive, I could live with that. But if I'm going to gain everything back as soon as I stop dieting....

JillRock96 · May 2012

Thanks, Mousey! I'll check out your pin boards tonight. The only thing that I'm really worried about is the fruit. I eat a ton of fruit, especially in the summer. It helps to limit the amount of junk food I eat, since it satisfies my sweet tooth.

Mouseygail · May 2012

JillRock96:
Thanks, Mousey! I'll check out your pin boards tonight. The only thing that I'm really worried about is the fruit. I eat a ton of fruit, especially in the summer. It helps to limit the amount of junk food I eat, since it satisfies my sweet tooth.

I think that just cutting out the flour, rice, potatoes, and sugar would make a big difference!

JillRock96 · May 2012

Mouseygail:
JillRock96:
Thanks, Mousey! I'll check out your pin boards tonight. The only thing that I'm really worried about is the fruit. I eat a ton of fruit, especially in the summer. It helps to limit the amount of junk food I eat, since it satisfies my sweet tooth.
I think that just cutting out the flour, rice, potatoes, and sugar would make a big difference!

Yes. I could definitely compromise on those things if I could keep some of the fruit!

LnR70707 · May 2012

1) Did you buy a book, or is there a website that you use? First time I used the website and I'd recommend it over the book if you are looking to follow recipes exactly. This time I bought a book and I don't really use it.

2) Do you make all of the "official" SBD recipes, or do you just try to meal plan with the foods they recommend? First time (this was 2 years ago) I did. This time I just try to eat fresh as much as possible and limit carbs to one serving a day.

3) How is this diet for the long haul -- is it a lifestyle change that someone can stick with, or is it really restrictive? Stage 1 is very restrictive (no fruit, no carbs, no diet soda, no alcohol) but is only meant for 2 weeks. Stage 2 is pretty easy (no bad carbs, all about finding a healthy good carb balance, allowed diet soda, wine and light beer). Stage 3 is pretty much anything in moderation as long as you maintain your ideal weight.

I've found allowing myself weekends as "breaks" helps. The recipes are actually pretty good, but having weekends off was just more maneagable. Just don't go crazy off course.

perry7285 · May 2012

i'm a big SBD fan too, but for me it helps with the belly only by eliminating bloat--and sadly, that is temporary. it only really gets rid of the bloat for me in stage 1, and then when i add more carbs back my tummy swells up again. but i think i have unusually bad bloating issues, so for you that might not happen.

i think the best thing you can do (that lasts) is pilots to tighten that area up. you can learn pilates well from a book, i think, no need for a class.

good luck--and post if you find anything that works really well for you! i am both a tummy bloater AND a tummy fat person, so i'm always looking for ways to trim that area.

MAK06 · May 2012

I may have to bookmark this post! Overall loosing weight definitely helps but this always seems to be my problem area too!

ladychicago · May 2012

I haven't done SBD... But I do agree that i have always had better luck with diet when it comes to belly fat. Exercise never seems to touch it. But I am like you in my love for food....so it is hard! I still seem to have a little luck if I restrict myself and behave with my diet during the week, and take the weekends "off" and enjoy a cupcake or two. Good luck!

wiscgirl95 · May 2012

I'm really not one that should be giving out diet advice . . . but I agree with pp's. Ditch the carbs.

Mr.&MrsS · May 2012

Mouseygail:
JillRock96:

Thanks! I have some questions for both of you!

1) Did you buy a book, or is there a website that you use? The first time i did it I bought one of the cookbooks, there is a good rundown in the front, but I'm sure you could get the same basics online with blogs and such. (i've done it several times, but never managed to stick with it very long until this time...over 4 months now!)

2) Do you make all of the "official" SBD recipes, or do you just try to meal plan with the foods they recommend? I find it much more rewarding to just meal plan, I hate following recipes. I have several pinterest boards that I have been pinning recipes to that are either phase one or phase 2 friendly. Kalyn's kitchen is a great blog for recipe ideas!

3) How is this diet for the long haul -- is it a lifestyle change that someone can stick with, or is it really restrictive? I honestly feel like this is a lifestyle for us this time...DH is totally on board (he's lost almost 40 pounds in the last 4 months!) and its mostly easy for us. The areas that we struggled with before were avoiding alcohol in phase one (that's not a problem since having DS...) and we tended to struggle with how to start adding back in whole grains and fruits without overdoing it. Phase one is key for me, quick weight loss and helps to curb the carb cravings... and we have been doing a very cautious version of phase 2...we only occasionally eat whole grains, and if we do, its more of a whole wheat breading on some homemade chicken nuggets, one slice of double fiber bread with our breakfasts on the weekends, etc. We've just, in the last month, started having a little bit of fruit as snacks, part of lunches etc. We weigh in daily to see what impact stuff is having on us and if we start having problems, we rein it back in quickly. That being said, we both had quite a bit of weight to lose, so we wanted to be really strict about it. Having a cookie now and then (especially if you make them yourself and try to reduce the sugars and white flour in them) isn't going to really hurt! we cheat sometimes, we've had the occasional ice cream, hoagie, beers, etc and haven't upset the balance much (we usually made up for it by being more restrictive for a few days afterwards). And when I was pregnant for that little bit, I was able to continue eating much the same as I was before, I just was a more liberal with the whole grains and fruits and i didn't gain anything until I had my week of "woe is me" decadence around my D&C. I probably sound like a zealot or something, but I really adore this diet, I like how it makes me feel (my stomach feels awful after eating crazy carbs now) and I'm happy that my son is growing up with these meals. I hope that we are able to just keep this as our way of life! (One other thing i love about it as a weight loss tool...is that there is no counting points, no counting calories...i just eat what I want as long as it is lean proteins, veggies, dairy, fruits or whole grains (limiting my consumption of the last two).

I'm not going to lie -- I LOVE food and have zero willpower. I would much rather exercise my butt off than restrict my diet. I am making healthy changes in my diet (cut out most pop, increase fruits and veggies, cut out processed foods, etc.), but I still have to leave some room for a treat every day (even if it is ONE cookie). If it is only the first phase that is really restrictive, I could live with that. But if I'm going to gain everything back as soon as I stop dieting....

I totally agree with Mousey! I have done SB many times and have always had great results! I would say I loosely follow it now, but it has just helped me make better decisions overall. We always use whole grains and veggies and low fat dairy now. I always feel great when I am doing it, and lose weight fast. And I agree that no counting calories or measuring portion sizes is great! And the bonus is that while the first 2 weeks are restrictive, you lose weight fast and that is a great motivator (or at least it is for me). When I was losing the weight after DS2 was born I lost 5 pounds the first week, 3 pounds the second week and 3 pounds the third week. So in 3 weeks I was able to lose 11 pounds and went down a pants size. And I wasnt hungry all the time. I have kept the majority of it off for the past 2 years. (I weigh more now than I did at my lowest, but I also go to the gym 5 days a week now so I think some of that is muscle). Good luck!!

And planking is great for abs!

JillRock96 · May 2012

Mr.&MrsS:
Mouseygail:
JillRock96:

Thanks! I have some questions for both of you!

1) Did you buy a book, or is there a website that you use? The first time i did it I bought one of the cookbooks, there is a good rundown in the front, but I'm sure you could get the same basics online with blogs and such. (i've done it several times, but never managed to stick with it very long until this time...over 4 months now!)

2) Do you make all of the "official" SBD recipes, or do you just try to meal plan with the foods they recommend? I find it much more rewarding to just meal plan, I hate following recipes. I have several pinterest boards that I have been pinning recipes to that are either phase one or phase 2 friendly. Kalyn's kitchen is a great blog for recipe ideas!

3) How is this diet for the long haul -- is it a lifestyle change that someone can stick with, or is it really restrictive? I honestly feel like this is a lifestyle for us this time...DH is totally on board (he's lost almost 40 pounds in the last 4 months!) and its mostly easy for us. The areas that we struggled with before were avoiding alcohol in phase one (that's not a problem since having DS...) and we tended to struggle with how to start adding back in whole grains and fruits without overdoing it. Phase one is key for me, quick weight loss and helps to curb the carb cravings... and we have been doing a very cautious version of phase 2...we only occasionally eat whole grains, and if we do, its more of a whole wheat breading on some homemade chicken nuggets, one slice of double fiber bread with our breakfasts on the weekends, etc. We've just, in the last month, started having a little bit of fruit as snacks, part of lunches etc. We weigh in daily to see what impact stuff is having on us and if we start having problems, we rein it back in quickly. That being said, we both had quite a bit of weight to lose, so we wanted to be really strict about it. Having a cookie now and then (especially if you make them yourself and try to reduce the sugars and white flour in them) isn't going to really hurt! we cheat sometimes, we've had the occasional ice cream, hoagie, beers, etc and haven't upset the balance much (we usually made up for it by being more restrictive for a few days afterwards). And when I was pregnant for that little bit, I was able to continue eating much the same as I was before, I just was a more liberal with the whole grains and fruits and i didn't gain anything until I had my week of "woe is me" decadence around my D&C. I probably sound like a zealot or something, but I really adore this diet, I like how it makes me feel (my stomach feels awful after eating crazy carbs now) and I'm happy that my son is growing up with these meals. I hope that we are able to just keep this as our way of life! (One other thing i love about it as a weight loss tool...is that there is no counting points, no counting calories...i just eat what I want as long as it is lean proteins, veggies, dairy, fruits or whole grains (limiting my consumption of the last two).

I'm not going to lie -- I LOVE food and have zero willpower. I would much rather exercise my butt off than restrict my diet. I am making healthy changes in my diet (cut out most pop, increase fruits and veggies, cut out processed foods, etc.), but I still have to leave some room for a treat every day (even if it is ONE cookie). If it is only the first phase that is really restrictive, I could live with that. But if I'm going to gain everything back as soon as I stop dieting....

I totally agree with Mousey! I have done SB many times and have always had great results! I would say I loosely follow it now, but it has just helped me make better decisions overall. We always use whole grains and veggies and low fat dairy now. I always feel great when I am doing it, and lose weight fast. And I agree that no counting calories or measuring portion sizes is great! And the bonus is that while the first 2 weeks are restrictive, you lose weight fast and that is a great motivator (or at least it is for me). When I was losing the weight after DS2 was born I lost 5 pounds the first week, 3 pounds the second week and 3 pounds the third week. So in 3 weeks I was able to lose 11 pounds and went down a pants size. And I wasnt hungry all the time. I have kept the majority of it off for the past 2 years. (I weigh more now than I did at my lowest, but I also go to the gym 5 days a week now so I think some of that is muscle). Good luck!!

And planking is great for abs!

Wow! That sounds like great motivation! Thanks for sharing!

regenab · May 2012

For me the best thing to do for that area is push ups. Even doing the girly ones works, you just need to pull in the abs tight when doing them. Also I like to do plank twists to even out the sides as well. I did a challenge a couple of months back to do 1000 pushups in the month of Feb. (that was approx. 35 a day for 29 days). My abs really tightened up and I lost 2 inches off my waist in the month. I have been bad the last 3 months, so I am just starting back on the pushups everyday. And as an added bonus you have some rockin arms and shoulders.

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