Ok, so in addition to trying to cram 16 weeks of school into 8 weeks (see my post Summer Classes Online)....I am also trying to get rid of stubborn belly fat in 8 weeks. I cannot afford to lost weight in any other areas, so I would like to get some serious advice on getting rid of the pooch while toning the rest of my body in a short amount of time. Background info...I love bread, desserts, and I haven't exercised in years due to chronic lower back pain. How do I target this stubborn area?
My problem area is from eating whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted along with the fact that I did not exercise after I had my baby. This was partly due to my work schedule back then. I worked 10 1/2 hour days, drove 100 miles roundtrip everyday to and from work and then took care of a newborn with little to no sleep. I had no energy, motivation and suffered from back pain due to an old injury. I've been to physical therapy, but that didn't go well. I only had to go for one day and the guy sent me home with an exericse sheet and then he moved to another state. In the meantime, I don't have the hectic schedule that I once did and can commit more time to exercise, eating healthy. I just need a good start and regime to get me going. Getting started is the hardest part for me because I don't know what I should be doing or how. I have insurance coverage and it will cover my physical therapy. However, I cannot afford a Personal Trainer or gym fees and would like to workout at home.
I went from being very active to not active at all due to a lower back injury. You must start out very slow. Start out by walking. Ask a doctor to send you to physical therapy for a treat and evaluate visit. Remember that there are good physical therapist and bad ones. Find out which therapist handle pain doctor patients. They are more likely to help you come up with something that won't hurt and not make you worse.
I have chronic low back problems and I want to really strongly encourage you to go back to physical therapy. If your physical therapist is not to your liking or moves then get a new one right away. The other advice is I highly highly recommend a good chiropractor! My PT and chiropractor have saved my life...really. They have helped me so much. And I have seen many doctors and even back/spine specialists and had an MRI done - none of the regular doctors have been any help whatsoever. I do my PT exercises daily and I am SO much better than I was. It's a long, slow process. My PT now gives me weight training exercises to do in the gym and at home. My chiropractor is amazing as well and going regularly really helps. And now (per their suggestion) I am taking postural strengthening classes to retrain my soft tissue/muscles to not be out of alignment. If there is no class near you, there is a book you can buy on this called Pain Free - it is the Egoscue method and it also is helping. Every little bit helps. For me swimming really hurts my back (because I end up extending my spine). I cannot run anymore. Riding my bike outside is painful yet I have found I can take spinning classes in a gym (I am sitting much more upright) and it does not cause pain. I also take yoga which has been extremely helpful. So...for your back I recommend you take action and start physical therapy again, go to a good chiropractor, AND start a gentle yoga class. You can ask your physical therapist what yoga moves you should NOT do...basically if it hurts don't do it - don't try those poses till those back muscles get stronger. Along with these things to lose belly fat you really have to eat very little to no bread/pasta/carbs. No sugar. And most importantly eat smaller portions. Eat lots of protein and veggies....LOTS. Eat only small portions of whole grains only (like quinoa, brown rice, etc). Avoid potatoes and bread. No sugary drinks. Drink tons of water. No processed foods/snacks. This is what works for me. Give yourself a year of PT/Chiro/yoga and then talk to your physical therapist about strength training. If you can work out your large muscle groups safely this really helps you to lose weight. Ok, I just read your SO What Happened. You don't have insurance? My insurance pays for physical therapy and the chiropractor. I do have to pay a $20 co-pay. If you do each of these only once a month (but daily do your PT exercises at home) this is so worth it. My insurance covers half my gym fee as well (this is found in the small print - luckily a friend alerted me to this). Ok, if you are doing everything at home you can find yoga for free on Hulu. Do it DAILY. Feel free to PM me and let me know exactly what is wrong with your back, and if it applies I can email you more info/back stretches that I have learned from my physical therapist. You can check out Pain Free by Egoscue at a library. You have to do back work every day (at least I do) or else the pain comes back. The other thing I was told is to walk daily...on flat stretches. Get out and move and walk for a half hour to an hour a day. This is really good for your lower back. Another thing that helps most people with low back pain is to lie on your back with your knees bent. Have your husband push/hold inward on your knees while you push them outward. Then switch and you push your knees outward while he holds them still (by pushing inward). Do this daily. I have so many exercises I could tell you...if you want to know again just PM me.
Cut out the bread, desserts and sugary drinks etc. Get a workout ball and use that to exercise, it will help you not put stress on your lower back. There are different exercises to do with a workout ball to tone your belly and tighten up those muscles.
Duh, cut out the desserts, the bread and start to exercise!
What, are you looking for a quick fix? There is none! Your bad habits have given you the belly fat. Only switching to good habits will fix it.
Try removing all high fructose corn syrups (which have been shown to increase belly fat in rats), all soda pops, all fast food. Eat organic whole wheat breads.
Try to eat as many organic foods as possible. Eat whole foods like fruits and veggies.
Exercising your stomach muscles will help with the chronic low back pain. Your stomach muscles will help stabilize your back. Get to a chiro and they will tell you what exercises to do. It will also reduce the fat in that area.
You already know what to do! So find a fun way to exercise so you will do it.
Good luck!
You can't really target an area to lose fat. It's a matter of eating better which will make your body use fat as fuel. You of course already know this. I've been losing weight by tweeking my eating. Very few carbs, lots of fruits and veggies (usually 2 different fruits and veggies at every meal plus snacks), good quality protein (nuts, chicken, fish, lean meat). Desserts are always sugar free jello with fruit. Very little processed food in my house at all.
Take yourself for a walk every day for at least a half hour.
I would suggest working on your core to strengthen your back. There are low impact excercies you can do, such as water aerobics. My yoga class is full of back patients. It gives them thier mobility back.
There is a belly band, looks like a weight lifting belt that is supposed to help. I don't believe the hype that it will melt belly fat, but by holding that area in all the time, I have seen an improvement. Even if it doesn't - I wear it under clothes and it makes me look flatter!
Look up the Belly Fat Cure on line...
You can't spot reduce fat, sorry. You can tighten the abs but the fat decides to come off of where it wants, such is life.
Green tea , fresh fruit and Greek yogurt can help from packing it on there though.
