Can't get rid of some stomach fat

[lumeli]

Hi,

I am 25 years old.  I moved to the US when I was 18. At that time I weighed 100 LBS at 5.5 ft tall.  Shortly after moving in the US I gained 15LBS and stayed at 115-120LBS throughout college.  Since I finished college I have been at 126-130LBS.  My biggest problem is my stomach fat.  It's not terribly much but I feel like i have to suck it in to look flat.  I have always exercised ( run 3 miles 3 times a week) and do yoga/pilates 4 times a week and walk a lot.  My stomach musles are very hard but I just can't seem to get rid of a little flab on the top.  I have tried everything for years.  I do binge on cake or chocolate here an there but rarely, i usually have a vey healthy diet I cook everything at home and cook a lot of mediterranean food with olive oil feta cheese and we don't eat much meat except for fish and white chicken.  Can someone help me figure out why I can't get rid of my stomach fat?  I did not use to have this problem until after college.

Thanks,

Lumeli

[Chocoholic 62]

I'm a marathon runner and could not get rid of some belly fat and saddle bags and a few other "pockets".  No matter what I did or weighed those places would hold fat.  I had liposuction 2 weeks ago and look and feel awesome!!  Lipo is great for small areas that just don't go away!!

[jifnif]

I agree that there is only so much that you can do.  It is not hopeless and w/ diet and exercise you can minimize the belly area.  Some of our physical characteristics are genetic to an extent.  This is my opinion, I do believe that exercising w/ core strength training is essential.  Running is great for this as well as yoga and pilates.  Balance diet is essential and if your binges are everyday i cant see that being too badly contributing.  Key word balance....in all aspects of nutrition and exercise.

[hyepod]

Hello....Same story here.  I began gaining weight in grad school.  I have cravings for cookies and chocolate, but now more than ever, I have it under control.  I've always run 3 miles about 3-5 days a week.  Occasionally I add a few minutes of my stationary bike.  I am a satisfactory weight for my height.  However, all of my life, the LAST thing to go has been my stomach.  I've learned that heredity and stress hormones are very strong determinants of physique.  Actually, I've come to realize that in order to lose the stomach fat, I would have to go back to what I weighed in my 20's.  That means a loss of 25-30 pounds....That will never happen, nor do I want it to.  I do not believe in spot reducing, either.  Don't believe it works.  Liposuction is an option, but so is self-acceptance.  As for myself, since October, I've been using low or no calorie salad dressing, almost eliminated olive oil, reduced my snacking, and swithced to diet soda.  I have lost few pounds, and as a result, the stomach flattened somewhat.