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Cardio. You have to burn off the fat in order to have a nice stomach. Unfortunately you have to get to a SUPER Low body fat % in order to see major definition. I was doing long cardio (60 minutes) and intervals 6 days a week and it really helps. 350 minutes/week is my goal right now. It's a LOT but i gained some weight post-wedding and i got a nice squishy muffin top that's not attractive. It's getting smaller every week; you just have to stick with it and change up your cardio styles--elliptical, running, arc trainer, turbokick classes, spinning, etc, to keep your body guessing.
I'm actually so desperate to lose these last 5 pounds I've switched to cardio 6 days a week plus one weight training session a week. Cuz all i wanna do now is lose fat!
I'm like you--I need to get that mid-section tightened and toned! In the past, I've found that doing different types of sit-ups/crunches/ab exercises is really important. Even when I'm in good shape I tend to have love handles, so I need to work on obliques and lower back exercises a lot. And like ejs4y8 said, cardio! That also helps me cut down on those love handles.
Cardio is definately important, that should be your first priority. Another good thing that has been helpful for me is the ab roller. That little wheel thing with handles. It's super hard at first, but man...it works much better than crunches.
There are a lot of articles out there that say that spot training (e.g. just targeting your abs) won't help too much. The first thing that comes to mind is changing your eating habits! If you decrease your carb intake and increase your protein intake, you'll see more changes in your body than doing situps all day. ;)
The fastest improvement will come if you change your diet. Exercising is wonderful and so good for you, but I don't really think it's going to help you lose weight if your eating habits aren't stellar. You can do an hour of hardcore cardio and only burn 300 calories. Then you can eat a chicken parmesan sub and add 600 calories in 10 minutes.
I have been exercising for years. I do a morning boot camp 3xweek and run and lift weights 2 additional times a week. I also play raquetball 1 or 2 times a week. I am in pretty good shape, but I never lose any weight. Recently, I wanted to lose 5 pounds for my wedding, so I changed my diet for one month (only ate 1300-1500 calories a day - I was probably eating 2500 in a normal day before the change) and only then did I lose the weight - it took about a month.
Good luck to you!
Ditto on the healthy eating! I eat 1500 every day, standard. carbs at breakfast or lunch and not at dinner, if you eat them. Definitely whole grain over white. I always have a carb like malt-o-meal/oatmeal at breakfast and a minimal carb at lunch (lean cuisine? eh it works) or pita bread but try to do protein/veggiefruit combos for dinner. Takes awhile to get used to the whoel concept that you don't need every food group on your plate for it to be "dinner"
You might want to invest in a watch cardio monitor. I'm dying to get one! I easily burn over 500 calories a session in turbokick and it would totally motivate me to work that number up to 700 by working harder! I like to watch the numbers go up =].
My problem is, I'm in college, I eat in the cafeteria. I don't always have the great options that I would if I was buying and preparing my own food. But I am trying to eat healthier. Thanks for the advice.
Also, do you guys have any advice of easy calorie counting??
Oooh I feel your pain! i used to have to eat cafeteria food or the stuff our sorority cook made--all deep fried
What kind of meal plan do you have? I dropped down to 3 meals a week in the cafeteria. It is just soooooo bad for you. Pizza, casseroles, oh my gosh.
First off, stick to lean proteins and salads. But do you have a refrigerator in your room? I know i always did. Bring your own salad dressing. Honestly, I had to buy a lot of my own food in college to keep my weight dwon. It sucked, i was always broke, but i always would rather be broke and healthy than have more money and gain weight, then have to buy new fat jeans!
Here's a trick! I know the cafeteria's idea of "fresh steamed broccoli" is boiled broccoli with butter. Put some fresh raw brccoli from the salad bar in a bowl. Put a few TB's of water in and cover with a napkin. Microwave a couple of minutes. Tada! Steamed brocc.
You just have to be super picky and supplmenet. Think oatmeal and fruit, all plain, for breakfast. Lean meat sandwiches, no mayo, lots of lettuce, tomato, mustard etc for lunch, with a side of fruit (no chips). Dinner: maybe a small scoop of casserole or ONE slice of pizza with a salad. It's hard to find filling stuff there. Keep some lean shaved turkey or chicken in your room for snacking on or fiber granola bars.
There is a saying that abs are made in the kitchen.
That saying is true.
You need a very low body fat % to see significant definition in your abs. That means a clean diet moderate to high in protein and a lot of cardio. Feel free to do some ab work every time you go to exercise, it won't hurt, but abs will not show through fat.
There are calorie counting websites you can use. I suggest eating a lot of grilled chicken breast. It's my go-to "get lean" food.
I'm 5'6" and 120 lbs and only in the last five pounds have I been able to see much definition at all.
for easy calorie counting try dailyplate.com
however if you're eating in a cafeteria it might be difficult to find out the calorie content...
Chicagobride092010, I don't necessary want defined abs, but I just want to squishy tummy and love handles to go away.
Then it's just cardio and a moderate diet and don't worry about the definition til you get there! I still recommend the grilled chicken breast because (1) it's filling; (2) it's tasty; (3) it's high in protein and low in fat and carbs. I gained a decent amount of weight in college (from size 2 to size 12 and back to size 0-2 three years after graduation), and I know how shitty some of the food is there. They usually have chicken though for sandwiches, and you can always ask them to nix the bread and mayo, or you can pull some of the stuffing out of the bread. Look for ways to subtract 100-200 calories from each meal and you'll wind up losing about a pound a week before exercise. In addition to thinning out the bread on a sandwich and dropping or thinning the mayo, try removing most of the cheese from a slice of pizza. It usually just peels off. I became lactose intolerant and I learned that pizza still tastes really good even without cheese.
Honestly, I still eat junk and whatever I want, but I eat less of it. I exercise 3-6 times a week with 30-45 minutes of cardio each time. But lean proteins like chicken, whole grains, and a few bites here and there of junk are the mainstays of my diet. I also don't drink more than 2-3 drinks a week. Alcohol is a calorie suck.
Edit: I'm not saying you shouldn't lift weights or do crunches all along. You should if you can. But if you only have 60 minutes, you should devote most of them to cardio. Weight training can be really empowering because you can see how much stronger you're getting. But the muscle you add from crunches and weights won't burn more than a few extra calories a day, so it's not the whole answer.
Cardio, cardio, cardio... you have to burn the fat. That plus a healthy diet are the way to go. I lost about 10 pounds by running 4 miles a day on the treadmill plus some weights (you can do light weights and more reps and get some nice tone) AND I CUT OUT MY ALCOHOL! I have no idea if you drink, but if you do... maybe it's time to be the DD for awhile. I'm not saying you have to completely stop drinking, but maybe cut it to one social cocktail. Oh, and no soda. Not even the diet kind. I went cold turkey one week (free sodas at work... oh, the temptation) and my tummy was so much flatter by the weekend. Keep a bottle of water with you and maybe add those Crystal Light flavor packets or squeeze some lemon/lime wedges in there to add some flavor.
As far as diet goes, lean proteins, lots of veggies, fruit for something sweet... It can be a struggle, particularly in college when you are forced to eat what's available and salads get sooo boring, but try to switch it up (ie, if you have a grill available, ask if they do different types of chicken like spicy or italian marinated). And try to balance out your day. In other words, if you know you're going to be going out to dinner that night and have pasta, have the pasta; but earlier in the day cut your carbs and eat your lean proteins and veggies. The book by Bethenny Frankel from Real Housewives of New York "Naturally Thin" has some really SMART ideas and they're all about how to change how you think about your body, your diet, how you eat, etc.
Good luck! You can do it! :)
Cardio - look up what's called HITT. I like it b/c you can get your workout over much quicker. Watch your diet, the only time I could see anything was going low carb.
I use to do this intense workout. It's only a 8 minute work out, once a day, but once you get use to doing it one time a day you move to twice, and then 3 times. But overall even 3 times day will only take 24 mins of your whole day. But you can take no breaks, you have to do this continually without stopping for 8 mins. I use this site for all my workouts.
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/training-fitness/8-minute-abs-workout.htm
And you have to watch your diet. Bread is not your friend!
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So, the main thing I need to get rid of before the wedding is my stomach and love handles. Now, they aren't huge or anything, but I have gained some weight and just want to get rid of it. I just shouldn't have it anymore. BUT, I was wondering what you guys thought about the best/easiest ways to work your stomach/get rid of love handles. I weigh about 150 and have weighed about 140 for a while, so I gained a few pounds over the summer, and it all went to by stomach and love handles. Nothing huge, but something I don't want.
Help please!