Stomach fat - getting me down, how can I adjust exercise to burn?

[AbsolutelyCreamCrackered]

Some background to issue:

I am 53 and in good health. I think I am menopausal because 4 years ago I had very serious peri-menopausal symptoms and I was given the mirena coil to shut down my cycle. Because of this, I don't know what is going on there.

4 months ago I set myself the challenge of doing 7 workouts a week. I have to do things like this, or I lack motivation. For 3 months (month 4 was mostly away) I mostly did;

Body pump x 2
Cardio - running/ cross fit x 2
yoga x 2
1 other from above or YIN Yoga is I was too tired and to stretch it all out.

4 months later and I am feeling a lot fitter. My legs, and arms have toned up and my boobs now are slightly more north than they were before. I tried to diet, lost 10 pounds, and then it refused to budge. I have noticed this as I get older. It doesn't want to come off. I now literally have zero cellulite on my legs, and I am looking more defined.

Now the main issue. I seem to have core strength, but of my god, I have no waist line. It is 29". I look pregnant. I have a massive layer of fat going all the way up to the bottom of my boobs. It is hideous. I am now box shaped.

I am passed ever having a flat stomach. I'd just like to lose a couple of inches of this fat so I go in a bit in the middle. It's horrible.

I'm now doing 6 work outs a week. I am doing more running than I was before. 5K twice a week, working up to 10K, 2 or 3 times a week.

I've worked so hard, but this stomach fat is making me depressed. I am sending clothes back because they don't fit round the middle.

Moving forward is there anything I can change in my fitness routine to have some impact on burning middle fat? My DH says we eat crap but we really don't. I eat healthily compared to most.

I have tried reducing bread from four slices to three daily but I get hungry and it makes no difference. A friend suggested to give up bread altogether from menopause but that is too extreme for me.

if I won the lottery I would walk two hours a day o h well.

That’s clearly not true though. Anyone who has gained or lost weight knows this. Who gets an “even” spread of fat?

Your fat comes and goes from specific area in specific ways and the fat round your middle is internal fat and well as external. Cut the carbs. It cleans out all the fat around your liver and kidneys first.

It'll be your diet rather than the wrong type of exercise, because you're doing plenty. I would say that you should have some rest days in there though.

You need to reduce sugar (lots of fruit is high in sugar), yes reduce portion sizes and reduce other carbs too. This will work if you stick to it.

Cut the carbs. It cleans out all the fat around your liver and kidneys first.

Lol. Who actually believes this crap?

It's my job but hey ho. You literally cannot target fat loss. Scientifically it's been proven, as for all this liver, kidney, eat at a certain time, only between these hours, cut out certain food groups. It's all shit.

Do minimal cardio to get your heart rate up and then do weights (4 x a week until you're sweaty and your breath is laboured) eat a healthy balanced diet, things you like but try to avoid ultra processed crap and eat 3 sensible fillings meals a day with healthy snacks in between to stop you teaching for crap when you're hungry. It's a lifestyle change, obviously you can have the odd treat but not everyday.

When people say 'do weights', would that include a kettlebells class? Or more literally lifting weights in the gym?

You can't lose fat from specific parts of your body. All you can do is reduce your overall body fat composition through diet and exercise.

However, if you build muscle, you can "sculpt" your body. Broad shoulders and glutes will make your waist look smaller. Stop looking at the scales and get your measuring tape out.

Body pump is too quick for you to lift adequately heavy weights correctly.

Honestly there are ladies in our village who post crap like '3rd class of the day' and I think god you still don't look great and you're wasting half your life jumping around when you could be smarter and get better results faster.

Less cardio, more weights and odd yoga session for your mind and to keep muscles flexible and strong to avoid injury and aid recovery.

I think you need to adjust your expectations. You have a 29 inch waist in your fifties. When I was 17, weighed 7 stone, and wore a size eight, my waist was 28inch. You’re in your fifties, have presumably had kids and have only a 29 inch waist? Or was that a typo and you meant 39? If you already have a 29 inch waist it is not going to shrink further, all you can do is tone it up with exercises targeting the stomach area.

I’m not sure if I’m getting the waist size right. I buy size 29 Levi’s. If I buy trousers, they are a 12. My hips are tiny, my bra back is small. It doesn’t seem massive but my waist seems bigger than my hips and shoulders, which doesn’t feel right.

That really sounds like that's your body shape @AbsolutelyCreamCrackered Some women don't have an hour-glass shape (Men rarely have it).

When people say 'do weights', would that include a kettlebells class? Or more literally lifting weights in the gym?

I always mean barbell lifting and accessories to that.

Problem with kettlebells (unless used like a dumbbell) is that people tend to rely on the momentum of the swing, rather than training the kettlebell swing to push force through the glutes & hips from a squat with their back supported by braced abs (as in a barbell back squat).

Absolutely @Paq And I didn't mean my post about lifting heavy to imply that it would lead to "spot reduction" of stomach fat.

It won't.

But proper heavy lifting with good form can give you abs of steel (try holding a hollow hold for a minute to test this!)

The thing about steady state cardio vascular exercise (eg running) is that your body adjusts & adapts. So the energy expenditure (ie calories out) get lower as your body adjusts - the training effect.

If you want to keep running, maybe substitute interval training for one of your longer runs. Or incorporate fast intervals into your run (run like the dickens for 45 seconds, then walk for 15 seconds; repeat a few times). They will stress your system and cause your body to have to work much harder than it's become used to in the steady state cardio.

But sooner or later, running gets tougher on an older body. I'm rehabbing a knee injury (probably nicked cartilage) from running very fast (I was doing intervals of 14.5 kph on the treadmill at the time). I'm 64 and have learned over the last 5 years to lift heavy (100 k deadlift) and I find that is less stress on my body than the metcon/HIIT sessions I also do.

I'm not saying give up the CV exercise because there's an exhilaration in running fast! But mix it up a bit. Our bodies generally find the easiest way to do something ...

If lifting weights (or low carb diet or less cardio or "diet" or HRT) will help OP's problem, is that because

"lifting weights will locally reduce fat in OP's stomach area"
or
"lifting weights will NOT locally reduce fat in OP's stomach area but lifting weights will 'tone' the stomach area to look less fat"
or
"lifting weights will reduce OP's over all body fat %"

You might find this video helpful in explaining the relationship between different types of exercise, insulin, cortisol and fat burn.
.StenEkberg

So the answer is "yes no maybe it's complicated" ?

Weights have definitely increased my metabolism. So I imagine they would help with fat loss - if you can manage to avoid doing the same as me and just increasing what you eat!!

I agree that cutting carbs right down has an enormous impact, start with high GI carbs like sugar, bread/anything flour based, mash.

I think all that cardio is making you very hungry OP.

You’ve mentioned portion sizes. I think that portions are just out of control these days, nobody has any idea what is normal any more. It’s so easy to overeat. This is what I was served this morning as a breakfast for one person- “Turkish Eggs”. It was delicious but I’d have been happy with half the amount of food. The menu did not say it would be three eggs, two massive bricks of halloumi and a flatbread about a foot in diameter. . Also, men can eat bigger portions than women so if you make my mistake of serving the same portion size for yourself as your husband eats, it soon mounts up. Easily done.

Exercise is so very overrated for women’s weight loss. I’d target diet. Used to be a work out fiend but lost way more sitting on my arse doing keto.

You can't lose fat from specific parts of your body

Liposuction 😁

God that looks lush. Shame my local jacked prices for a bit of halloumi up to a fiver 😵‍💫

if you make my mistake of serving the same portion size for yourself as your husband eats, it soon mounts up

I’ve done this. I’m still resentful that I can’t eat the same as DH who is a foot taller and has the metabolism of a nervous racehorse. Snot fair.

Is that your body shape though ? Some women don't have waists , have you ever had one ?

It was bloody delicious. I did eat all 3 eggs and the yoghurt but I left half the halloumi and half the flatbread. I felt that the place was probably creating quite a lot of food waste actually. £10.50 it cost.