To feel ashamed, embarrassed and not know how to fix this?

[Avatarthewayofwater]

I've taken the image from Google as I'm far to embarrassed to take a picture of myself.

Any weight I gain goes on my stomach and due to emotional binge eating I find myself here.

I did have ultrasound scans to check nothing underlying was going on, but no its visceral fat and only I can get rid if it.

The problem is I've changed my diet completely and calorie counting and eating healthy along with exercise. Yet nothing has changed stomach wise.

I'm so self conscious and I can't wear normal clothes because I constantly look pregnant.

Even at the gym I hide in a big hoodie so no one can see.

It's making me depressed and I don't know how to get rid of the stomach fat.

Has anyone else been like this and managed? I had a c section years ago and have an underactive thyroid if that makes any difference.

Please be kind...

Hi. My mum had a tummy like this. She was told that it was because her tummy muscles had separated. So it wasn't supporting her innards properly and ot stuck out. The doctors told her that an operation would help fix it. Exercises like sit ups were the worst thing to do.

I was like this and the ONLY way I could lose it eventually was to not eat after 5pm. No snacks. No chocolate

once I lost the weight I ate snacks and stuff but still not after 5pm. I have the good calories etc and it works wonderfully well

Someone has probably already mentioned it but I’ve just finished reading ‘Why We Eat (Too Much)’. Absolutely brilliant book written by a doctor, explains why we struggle so much to loose and maintain a healthy weight. Dieting/fasting etc mess up your metabolism and you end up putting on more weight eventually.

The whole concept is how to reduce your weight set point, through gradual, permanent lifestyle changes. Basically avoiding processed foods, food high in sugar/vegetable oils, getting regular exercise to build muscle, 8 hours sleep and lower stress levels.

There are explanations as to why some people store fat on their stomachs, I can’t remember if it was to do with insulin or the thyroid but definitely worth a read so you can understand more about why your body is that shape and how to change it.

Weights!!! (and some cardio - see below)
Make sure you use both big and little weights in every session. Someone here mentioned kettlebells - that's a good start.

Running!!! If you don't/can't run atm, do the NHS Couch to 5K. It's absolutely amazing. And free!! Then when you're running, make sure you incorporate a good mix of sprints and long distance stuff.

Oh and forget arm/leg days - do all the muscles/cardio every time you train (if it's good enough for the armed forces...)

So the people saying fruit is bad. That’s not necessarily true. Fruit contains sugar AND fibre which is what makes it a good food as such. It’s not considered pure sugar. It doesn’t spike your blood sugar like actual sugar……

however food is fuel. You really need to be having good food and quite a bit of it. Crisps are wasted food. You eat excess fruit though……

but eat good food. You really need to go to the gym and power through but you MUST eat for the gym. You really must. Otherwise that’s where you’re going to run into strife if you don’t ever and then try to do the gym.

Fodmap really need a dieticians advice backing it.

Very low carb diet is good for this area.

However she won’t be able to change it without her endo agreeing. You have to be so very careful as changing your thyroid medication can cause serious heart problems. So please only change it under the advice of your endocrine dr.

Check that you're not gluten-intolerant. That can lead to bloated stomach

I really understand the way you feel in a gym. Are you in a mixed gym or female only?
Please try to remind yourself that those other people there aren't focusing on you, they aren't judging you, they are focused on themselves and their own gain from the gym.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Can you do exercise classes? I assure you weight isn't the only thing that makes you unfit. I am extremely unfit, but not overweight so in those classes I am one of the first to go red, start sweating and feel like my breathing might stop! But others are fitter than me, but may weigh more on a scale.

You seem to be function on nothing all day and have the only substantial meal at night. I would swap lunch and tea. Also perhaps nordic walking at weekend instead of gym, unless you really like gym?

I think you should try team RH, don’t give up your walking but make sure you’re going at a good pace, and if you can, introduce strength training. You will be able to eat more than 1200 calories per day, they will confirm once you provide your height, weight etc but you will need to up your protein and fibre.

Grapes are very high in sugar, as are most berries, I would skip them

Curable pathway but shifting the weight is a bonus but as I said not recommended

You need to add in some carbs. The protein and veg content is good, but you do need carbs for every. How about overnight oats for breakfast, with yogurt, and fruit? And carbs with your lunch and dinner too. It doesn't need to be white starchy carbs. Have the eggs on granary toast, green lentils would be nice with that pork. If you're exercising particularly you need fuel.

I was thinking metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance too. I have always had skinny arms and legs but a fat bloated belly and boobs. I found out on a routine blood test in July I had diabetes (type 2) I had excessive visceral fat and a fatty liver and pancreas (ultrasound showed this) along with high cholesterol. I lost 5 and a half stone following a diet with 130g or less carbs a day, exercise and 1200 - 1400 cals a day, the first fortnight I lost 9 pounds, it got a lot easier as I lost the craving for carbs, a typical day is 10 percent fat greek yoghurt (not low fat as it isnt as filling and has sugar added normally so higher carbs) with berries for breakfast, then either chicken salad, or soup at lunch time and a meal with loads of green veg and protein for dinner, I also stopped eating at 5pm and snacked on nuts etc. I am now in remission and my visceral fat is normal, and my waist went from 41 inches to 30, in the past I have followed low fat high fibre diets, and still had a belly with stick thin legs, my friends called me emu due to my body shape (think it was affectionately) but this is the only thing that worked for me, so it could well be insulin resistence causing this.

Good call booking the PT though! But be clear what you want. Do you want a session every week, or do you just want to learn how to lift, and get advice on a training plan you can do yourself. If you just want a few sessions to learn stuff, tell them, if they're decent they'll be fine with that.

I’ve just finished the audible version of James Smith’s not a diet book - well worth a listen!

If you’re burning fat you don’t need to add carbs, the whole point is to use the fat as fuel.

many many people do this and it works. I lived in no carb for 10 years

I got like that over lockdown. I calorie counted using the nutracheck app. It's great you put in any exercise you have done and it works out calories burned. So you know if you have enough left for a treat. Sometimes though you feel hungry
But what you actually need is a drink.

I cut out all white carbs and anything with added sugar. Drinking plenty of water helps put some lemon in it helps reduce belly fat. Avoiding the low fat foods I find works best. Fat fills you up often the low fat has other unatural products to make up for the lack of fat. I get full fat Greek yogurt and have that with frozen berries as a treat.

You can't spot reduce fat or choose where you lose fat first, this is rubbish, unsupported and anecdotal.

Please don't listen to the terrible advice telling you to cut out food groups or that fruit is bad for you.

I have diastasis recti - separated stomach muscles, from pregnancy. So it's very hard not to have a big belly.
I also had extreme bloating. I got checked for cysts, ovarian cancer, everything, all checked out fine.
I was googling like mad, and trying all sorts of solutions. The thing that seemed to be causing the bloating was raw veg - i ate a lot of full-meal salads. I dont seem to have enough of a particular enzyme to break it down. Now i cook all veg before eating it, the bloating is gone! But belly is still jot flat, due to the diastasis

Your body cannot access the energy it needs quickly during exercise from fat alone. You cannot workout intensely and rely on fat to provide that energy. You can do low intensity exercise, but not strength training, or a spin class.

You'll lose weight via intense exercise because those carbs you've eaten are used to power you through the exercise, rather than when you go for a walk later. You can rely on fat to provide energy for the remainder of your day, if you're in a calorie deficit you'll still lose weight, but during exercise is not the time for it. The idea that you should stay in the "fat burning zone" during exercise, is a myth.