Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello all. My insecurity is making me embarrassed to post this but I am deperate! No matter how much weight I lose since having kids some years ago, I just can't get rid of my stomach or my "fat" rolls at my bra line. I play tennis at a competitive level 4 times a week and do a small amount of conditioning along with that (warm up jogs, sprints) plus I walk stay active and do yoga stretching, sit ups and push ups. SO my question is what else can I do to eliminate these problem areas? I think my stomach may be a lost cause as my babies were very large (10lbs plus) and I fear they just stretched me to the point where my skin will just not bounce back. Now my back is another story! No idea what to do there. What are some specific target excercises that I can do to help?
You should never be embarrassed to post here. Sounds to me that with your tennis, jogging, yoga, situps and pushups your doing fine from a physical exercise standpoint. Im guessing the problem is with your diet/nutrition intake.
Do you have a healthy eating plan? Give us an idea of what you would eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, etc. Im pretty sure that with a "tweak" in your diet along with your current physical activity you would see great changes in your body.
I would just add that you should incorporate strength training in your routine. Its what has really helped me get lean. I don't have a 6 pack but I do have a flat stomach and actual back muscle. Just doing cardio and eating well is a good start, but strength training, as well as core strength training that specifically targets stomach/back, will really get you results!
I would just add that you should incorporate strength training in your routine. Its what has really helped me get lean. I don't have a 6 pack but I do have a flat stomach and actual back muscle. Just doing cardio and eating well is a good start, but strength training, as well as core strength training that specifically targets stomach/back, will really get you results!
D'oh! How could I have forgotten to mention strength training. You absolutely need resistance/strength training to tone up.
Can strength training be done at home? What would it consist of? As far as diet goes I have been doing WW points systems for a number of years off and on. We moved across country last year and I gained weight due the stress but have done my WW again to get back down. My daily diet consists of something like oatmeal for breakfast with either a tomatoe juice or V8 or hot tea. Lunch might be a sandwich or salad with some fruit occasionally I will splurge and do baked chips or pretzels. I usually have a Yogurt in the day sometime. Dinner can vary but mainly we eat chicken and vegies occasionally some pasta or rice or steak. I used to have 1 or 2 diet sodas a day but cut those out in the past few weeks as I didn't like how bloated they were making me feel. I am quite strict with my diet as I want to keep the weight off. Big splurges for me might be popcorn at the movie theater when we go which is not often. If I stray too much the weight can pile on fast and I have worked way too hard to keep it off to let it get too out of hand. So tell me more about strength and resisitence training.
Push-ups are a great place to start, lunges, tricep dips using a bench, use your stairs to step up and tone your butt.
I also would say it sounds like you need to up your cardio. I was walking, doing the treadmill, but not really getting my heart rate up. As soon as I started running and really pushing myself, the weight started to melt off.
The only thing I would add is to watch your carbs. Whole grains like your oatmeal are the way to go. But don't eat the instant store-bought kind. Make your own using old-fashioned non-instant oats instead. Much better for you.
Avoid regular pasta, white bread, white rice, and pretzels are in that same category. Go for the whole grain breads, pastas, and brown rice. (Low on the glycemic index foods.) But overall, beyond whole grains, this is the category I eat least of. Veggies and fruits we should eat the most of, and there's no limit on that, right?
I'm on the small side, so when I was pregnant the baby had no where to go but out, so I know what you mean and wondered if my tummy would ever be back to normal again. (It's all worth it though, isn't it? ) But, it all works out, when you workout. You can get your tummy back down. You'll do it.
Just watch those carbs. And up that cardio if you know you have room for improvement. Getting your heart rate up in that intense zone for at least 20 min most every day will really make a difference. I've never played tennis, but I have played racquetball. It is quite a workout, but it seems like a lot of stop and go rather than continuous moving of most all of your body (I'm an aerobics girl myself.) But you know the quality of workout you're getting and if you can up the intensity or not. Good luck to you.
No need to be insecure. I do lateral pull down, cable row, and back extension exercises to tone and make my back stronger. These exercises have made my back very flat and toned. Not sure if you have a gym membership, if so you should be able to do these exercises there. If you do not belong to a gym you can do dumbbell rows with weights you have at home. If you do a google search you should be able to find the correct way to do it with illustrations.
maybe the fat at the bra line is just the wrong bra! They had stuff on tv last week on the extra hour of the today show. maybe you can check out the nbc website to see what they recommended in the different bra styles.
Avoid regular pasta, white bread, white rice, and pretzels are in that same category. Go for the whole grain breads, pastas, and brown rice. (Low on the glycemic index foods.) But overall, beyond whole grains, this is the category I eat least of. Veggies and fruits we should eat the most of, and there's no limit on that, right?
Emeraldsky, is totally right on this. A good rule of thumb is to stay away from any white processed food. Wheat pastas, brown rice, whole wheat breads is definately the way to go. There should be a limit on fruit intake because of the sugar (especially grapes). Veggies you can pretty much eat at any time.
How are your meals prepared? You should be eating grilled or broiled chicken breast instead of fried chicken. The V-8 juice is loaded with sodium so a good alternative would be pomegranate juice or to eat your veggies instead of drinking them. Yogurt is good but not the "fruit at the bottom" kind. Try plain yogurt or better yet cottage cheese with raisins or craisins.
When you said that you "play tennis at a competitive level 4 times per week" does that mean you play 2-3 hours? At the end of your match are you sweating like Shaq in the 4th quarter of a game? If so, great. If not, then you should really up the cardio and most importantly incorporate some weight training.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) But, it all works out, when you workout. 
You can get your tummy back down. You'll do it.
