The FastDay Forum

Hi All,

Just wondered if you could listen to me moaning for a minute. I would really welcome your views. I know I don't have a lot of weight to lose, it's no secret, you can see my tracker!! But what I'm wondering is........ I have always had a round tummy even when I was as thin as a rake as a child, teen and most of my adult life. This weight gain thing is relatively new for me. I am 5'4" and currently 9st 11lb woo hoo but my tummy, measured round my belly button (and held in ) is still just over 50% of my height. My first target is 9st but I am wondering if I am going to have to waist away before my tummy measures less than the 50% height/circumference ratio? Does anyone have any idea of what target I should be aiming for?

What I mean is...... I will have to lose too much weight all over in order to get the tummy down I think.

Thanks

That is my goal too, to get my waist down to less than half my height, but as you can see from my tracker I still have a lot of weight to lose, unlike you. Are you doing exercises/ I know it is a pain, but no pain, no gain (or in this case waist!). Sound like a broken record but the best waist whittlers are to be found in the old callanetics exercises. They're not aerobic, so won't be terribly difficult and they do work. My waist is getting smaller and firming up nicely and muffin top has vanished.

Hi Wendy Darling,

I too have a problem waist, but being apple shaped, it goes with the territory. I am 5'5" and my target weight was 8st 7lbs which gave me a 28" waist. I then dropped to 8st, not deliberatley, but my waist altered not one jot. I still have a fat little belly but I am reluctant to lose any more weight as I just don't think that is the answer. My waist is nowbelow the magic 50% ratio so I suppose that is something. The last time I was this weight I had a 25" waist so it looks like the proverbial middle aged spread has struck.

My winter project is to get my waist smaller without dieting and I have the Actiderm body wraps to look forward to, as have all of you, don't think you are all going to escape that do you? Might try one of the new hula hoops.

I'm back on 'B du J' today after yesterdays debacle on the forum, page 20, more hair raising tales, enjoy,

Ballerina x

hello wendy. I was just about to suggest a hula hoop. when I went to weight watchers a few years back one of the girls there did hula hooping during the ad breaks when she finally sat down to watch telly in the evening (she had 3 small children).

25" waist. haha. thats about the measurement around just one thigh Ive given up trying to get my belly smaller. 5 children at one point I had 3 under age 3 & then 4 under age 5 so having a nice firm belly is never gonna happen.

pilates is very goood for toning up the supporting muscles underneath. supposed to be better than doing weights as I think weights or sit ups tend to bulk up the tummy. hope that makes sense.

congratulations on getting under 10 stone.

what will your bmi be when you get to 9stone? will it be edging towards the under weight mark?? sorry, not really very good with all that bmi stuff.

hope someone else can give you more of an idea of what you should be aiming for. shelley x

I too have always had a round tummy - i can remember my mum drawing attention to it - this was when I was about 20 and 8 and a half stone I'm 5’6" and my primary goal is to lose inches off my waist, which has been out of proportion with the rest of me, to the extent that trousers don't really fit properly, as if I get the right size for my waist - really too baggy on hips and thighs (jeans looks all right though )
So far so good - I have lost 3” off the waist relatively easily, but only about 3lb in total ( about 10st 11lb now) - this means about 2" to go until I make the 50% target, which is my first goal. Fingers crossed I continue to lose off the waist as easily as I have done ... Not too bothered about weight, but anything lost is a bonus

But I still have the round tummy I wonder if this is down to posture?? I can't really say I'm one for exercise unlike a lot of people on here ... To be honest I will be pleased just to get the waist back below 50%, then will take it from there ...

I know exactly what you mean! I'm also 5'4" and (today!) weigh 9st 8lbs but in spite of losing 1 1/2 inches off my tummy it's still 51% of my height. Been thinking for a week or so now that it's evil sit ups for me. My tummy is lots flatter and isn't obvious, it's just the numbers on the tape measure

Wendy Darling,

Sounds like you are almost my twin! I am your height but just 2.0lbs heavier than you (having lost 6.0lbs now on 5:2/16:8) but my waist has stayed at an annoying 52.98% for the 6 weeks since starting this WOE (I'm shrinking everywhere else though, especially hips, upper arms). Mind you, I am doing no exercise right now due to life getting in the way but I did get good results on my waist measurements before this WOE while doing appropriate stomach exercises (see below).

I put my own waist stubborness right now down to a poor muscle tone between the 2 sides of my six pack (aka Diastasis Recti syndrome) after having had 2 kids quite late on in life which pushed the two sides of my six pack apart (never to return?!) + the age old reasoning that your waist holds on to fat in menopausal stage because that's where the residual oestrogen pumped out by your adrenals clings on. Have done some research and help seems to be....

1) Have you had kids which stretched your six pack apart? - you could try looking at http://www.mutusystem.com to self diagnose a diastasis recti gap and then follow the good exercises there to close the gap.

2) Are you in peri or full menopause? Look at foods that give you phyto-oestrogens (ie. sweet potato) or supplements that do the same (ie. red clover), and trick your body into thinking it's got enough oestrogen to let go the fat cells around your waist that store it.

Hope something here might be useful to you.

Wow, thank you ladies, I'm so pleased that its not just me, I was getting a bit worried about looking too thin in the quest for the -50% ratio.

Dhana, pleased to hear that your muffin is no longer topping. I always wonder why that sounds so cute, it wouldn't if we still called it 'midriff bulge' that just sounds like ugly fat I wasn't doing any exercise, so I have just dug out my Lycra leotard, leggings, leg warmers and co-ordinating sweat band, looked at the Callanetics on YouTube and have completed 100 reps of arm exercises and 50 waist whittlers on each side, so we will see. Thanks for that idea. I should have known really I suppose.

Ballerina, I think that 8st would be the minimum I would want to be (if I could get that low) I think you look great at that weight, so I'm hoping I look as good as you when I get there. Have you not started the Actiderm yet? I wondered why there had been no photos of you wrapped up. I am saving B du J for my late night treat so that I go to sleep with a smile on my face. Or is that Annie's song?

Thanks Shelley, well done to you for hitting your target today. I love hula hooping but I can't do it. I might get the Wii fit out and have a go, I love the hula hooping on there. I will have a look at Pilates, I think it is a bit like Callanetics. I'm not very good at sit ups and the like. What a lovely big family you have, I bet running around after them is enough exercise in itself. Bmi at 9st is 21.5 and it is 19.1 at 8st.

Silverdarling, yes, my trousers are always tight on the waist because I have no bum, I have to wear a small size for fear of looking like a clown and then I get the dreaded muffin top although not as much now, so I am definitely getting smaller. Isn't it funny how you have lost more inches than me and I have lost more weight than you and less inches. Just goes to show how different we all are. Have a look at the Callanetics on YouTube, I reckon they're not too taxing.

Joneil, I am no good at sit-ups, I never feel as though they are working in the right place, I think the Callanetics sound a much better bet for me. My tummy is flatter than it was but the numbers on the tape measure are just so annoying aren't they? They need to be beaten! Amazing how similar we are.

Brendabell, wow! I don't think we've ever been seen together in the same room! Do you know me in real life? I looked at that link and yes, that makes sense, will give it a bit more thought in the morning. Everything you have said rings true and makes sense. It was all very useful, thank you.

Thanks again all for taking the time to reply and giving me food for thought. I am away now to read the latest instalment of B du J and will be Thursday fasting tomorrow. Night x

Hi WendyDarling,
I think that 5:2 does cause different weight loss to other diest.
I'm a (large) hourglass shape and have also so far lost very little from my waist. The weight has come from my thighs, back, arms and face and neck areas but not much from tummy, hips and midriff.
I'm going to go back to pilates next week, more for the health benefits, but we'll see if it also affects the shape.
Any loss is wonderful though, the figure part is just interesting!

My tummy is always flatter when I cut out foods that cause bloating such as wheat and some dairy. Google wheat belly. Maybe that's the real issue?

[carorees]

Is the tummy fat just that pad of fat under the skin mainly below your belly button or more of a protruding tummy starting under your boobs? If the fat is just under the skin it it not a health problem but if it is inside your abdomen then it is. If you read my post on where to measure your #waist you'll have spotted that it should be done above your belly button so as to measure abdominal fat. It is this measure that should be less than your hips and/or half your height.

Wow, so many doppelgangers in this thread! I'm in this club too. I've been losing weight since starting 5:2, but the flabby belly is very stubborn. Jeans hanging off my thighs, but the next size down is too tight on my waist. It's interesting about oestrogen stored in fat, maybe losing that is causing more hot flushes etc (as commented on in another thread).

Hi all excuse me for being dull but how do you get your waist/height ratio? I'd like to check my percentage.

Well done on the weightloss Wendydarling and thanks for the post, makes us feel we are not alone with our protruding tums!

Well,being someone who has a 66.9% ratio I doubt I can offer much advice for you wendydarling!!!! I can't really tell where my weight had dropped from as the dreaded tape measure isn't willing to budge at all.the only thing I have noticed is that I SEEM to look slightly narrower head on but still the same old bulky look from the side view??? I just try to stay positive and think that the weight has got to come off my waist/torso eventually-hasn't it????
Well done everyone on your fab weights,that's something I could only dream of,to get to 12 stone would be my wish!!

Mizzo
It tells you on your tracker page xx