i really need help, i have lost 3 stone since last march and everywhere on me is looking really skinny exept my belly!!! i've been doing weight training and cardiovascular and exercise almost everyday. i have a good set of ab muscles but they are hidden by a layer of fat and i cant shift it at all!!! how else can i get this area trimmed up? i dont want to loose much more weight since my bmi is just under 20 the now. my body fat is 23.4%, muscle is 72.3% and water is 55.6%, i am 19yrs old. any advice would be much appreciated x

1. BMI means NOTHING. Ignore that number. Period
2. how did you determine your bodyfat percentage? 23.4% is not lean at all. You won't see ab muscles...the famed '6-pack' until you fall below 10% bodyfat.

If your bodyfat % is accurate, you have a ways to go. you talk about cardio and weights....but what's your diet like?

i got it checked at the doctor and for my age and being a female he said that it would be unhealthy to hav any less that 20% body fat. i only seem to be losing weight around my top half as my clavicles stick out as do my ribs, my hip bones also stick far out its just my belly thats flabby.

my diet is ok, no brilliant but ok. usually special k with skimmed milk for breakfast, two slice of wholemeal toast for lunch and my dinnier varies. i usually have at least one bit of chocolate a day but i tend to watch my fat intake more than calorie intake.

i dropped from 13stone (182lb) down to 9stone 11 (137lb) and only lost 12% body fat doing that so it would be pretty hard for me to lose another 13% body fat as i dont want to get too muscly

Not to speak for him, but I think Malkore might have assumed you were male. I don't think he'd recommend a female geting down to 10% bf. I wouldn't agree with your doc though that under 20 is unhealthy though....I know it sounds odd, but most primary care docs know ZERO about fitness and nuitrition

I think Females get a "6 pack" around 15% ....but if you don't want to look muscular you probably don't want a 6 pack. It sounds like you might not need to lose that much more

thanks for replying. will need to just keep at it

Guessing from what little info you have given us here, you are making some of the classic mistakes, which unfortunately are based on the common diet wisdom, which is generally wrong.

1. Fat does not make you fat! To reduce body fat, especially without loosing lean body mass, you need to tend your macronutrient breakdown. You should be eating something like 40/30/30 Protien/Carbs/Fat. Most people tend to under eat protien significantly.
2. Things like special K and wholemeal toast are not necessarilly healthy (even though the food processing industry would have you believe they are). They are first and foremost, processed foods, which usually contain unpleasant things like enriched flour, processed sweetners, etc. You are much better getting the majority of your carbs from vegetables and fruits, and limited servings of unprocessed complex carb sources, like oatmeal, brown rice, etc.

I agree with the previous posters, a body fat level well below 20% (12-18%?) is healthy for females.

You mentioned the doctor said "at your age" - how old are you?

First and foremost, I'd like to congratulate you on losing 3 stone !!....that's some going - well done

Moving onto the question though, have you maybe considered you could be over-training ? Depending on your workout, could also depend on how much bodyfat you're likely to lose. Let me explain, if you're doing weights & cardio on the same day you could be 'breaking' down muscle rather than 'building' it, as you are burning too many calories, and your body is then turning to muscle protein for nutrients. Your abs are after all muscle, and need to be treated the same as any other group.

For best results, try using the weights on separate nights/days to the cardio work.....and maybe take a closer look at your diet. I had a lovely 6-pack which you couldn't see for a long time, because my carb intake was simply too high. A little tweak on that front, and all's looking better.

You can generally have your body fat tested at fitness centers and most gyms so ask about having it done. It's better to know you have 30% body fat and work to reduce it to 29, than not to know and only think in terms of body weight. Most people who think only of how much they weigh tend to do everything to reduce that weight, and it's usually at the expense of losing more valuable muscle.

Learn How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat

Hi, i may be able to help you out with your problem! Crossy

this is new, but it works!

If your diet and training in spot on then you should have an overall bodyfat reduction. You cannot spot reduct and sometimes the places you want to go the most take the longest to go away!

Its usually the hip region for female's and stomach for males.

My advice would be to stick at it, stay diciplined with your diet and exercise routine, include a weights circuit into your routine to keep the calories burning once you have stopped training and to increase your BMR.

Hard work always pays off!

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I am by no means a professional, but I can share my personal experience with you as I've lost 65lbs and am finally starting to get some ab definition somewhere besides just under my chest..

I would most certainly cut out the the toast, cold cereal and chocolate. I really do think it's harder for women in general when it comes to how strict we have to be with our diets. I'm sure some people will say it depends on the person and not the gender, but again, this is just IME.

The other plus side to cutting all of that out is that you don't have to worry about it having anything to do with your diet when you aren't seeing the results you want. I know it can be hard sometimes to eat completely heatlhy all the time, but it's worth it.