Losing fat round tummy

[JapanNextYear]

Inspired by a thread on AIBU I measured my waist and I need to lose 20 cms. I'm 2 stone overweight but tall so in a size 14 - but, hell yes, have I got a stomach.

Why I'm on here is to say that I've started circuits and kettle bells as well as doing some pilates. Will this help lose that tummy - or do I have to do cardio as well?

I don't eat that badly so I've cut out snacks and booze to see if that helps and looking at portion size.

Kettle bells is about increasing strength and muscle, mostly your arms as that's what you use to swing them around. Circuits is about getting the heart rate up in short bursts, moving from exercise to exercise. Neither of those hugely target the mid section/abs. If you want to lose stomach fat, then cardio is the only way to go. The heart rate needs to be increased for a sustained period of time, which means you will start to burn calories, which will come off the body in sweat, or through urine. To target the mid section, you're going to need to do specific exercises targeted at that area, i.e. sit ups, planks, side dips with kettle bells, anything that gets the abs crunching and strengthening the core . You can incorporate the kettle bells with this- do sit ups with the kettle bells, for example. If you wanted to focus on your bum, for example, then you'd need to be doing squats, and lunges etc (can also hold the kettle bells whilst doing this). If you want to get serious about your training, then look at doing cardio every day (or however often you can manage it), and focus on a different muscle group every day (one day back and shoulders/biceps, the next triceps and abs, the next legs and glutes, as an example). With cardio you'll start to see weight loss all over, (tummy is always the hardest to shift, as that's where the body wants to store the fat), and then the weights (like your kettle bells) are going to help you tone up so you don't get that excess loose skin from weight loss. Alcohol is one of the worst offenders for creating belly fat (think of those typical old men down the pub with their pot bellies) so cutting that out should help, and watching your fat (cheese, dairy products, sweet treats, etc) intake will also help. And if you want to get really, really serious about your training, hire a personal trainer, or try one out for free at your gym- they should all offer complimentary sessions and can show you exercises you can go away and do by yourself.

Your shape is largely genetically determined. Whether weight gain is visible on your tummy or hips or legs etc is down to nature.

Cheers Both.

Bobo I agree with you up to a point, but up to the menopause I was always a pear with a very definite waist. Since the menopause it's just piled on round my tummy. My legs have gone skinny and I've got that ball on a couple of cocktail stick look that is so attractive.

Japan - you put it so succinctly - ball on a couple of cocktail sticks! That's the look I'm dreading....I've been wondering when it starts to happen? I'm 46, always had a definite waist (hour glass) but wondering when it'll start to fill in! I'm trying to up my cardio as I believe that's what's imortant for the fat burning. When you get hot and sweaty, that's when it's happening, by all accounts. I store my fat on my stomach too - well, everywhere actually, but mainly on the stomach.

Well done on starting your exercise routine, by the way!

my understanding is that as we get older our capacity for subcutaneous fat storage declines and so any fat we do have is stored centrally, everyone is different but this is the general trend of things for men and women.

My suggestion is to try and do some strength training and some endurance type training as well as the usual stuff about careful eating

I go to a circuits class where kettlebells/ weights are used. When I've had a good run at that, the toning shows more benefit than from straight cardio such as running, especially on my waist (although this is not hidden by significant fat stores)

HITT (high intensity interval training) is good for fat burning blasts.

I'm pretty sure that calories don't leave the body as sweat or urine

Very true, they leave via your exhaled breath
But raised body temperature can be a result of intense physical activity so there is a correlation between being hot and burning up calories
Although being hot isn't always the result of raised metabolic rate

Respiration:
glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water (+ energy)

The body generates energy by burning glucose
the byproducts (co2 and water) leave the body as you exhale
Some of the energy is lost as heat, excess heat is dispelled by sweating