I mean like 2 or more hours of walking, on fairly hilly terrain, 3 times a week… And eating healthily (i.e. enough carbs and protein to ‘fuel’ the walking or replenish energy, but not too much fat)
I am losing weight, but I have flab around my waist (Imagine letting water out of a floppy baloon, and when 80% of the water has gone, the remaining 20% sloshes around in the bottom of the baloon.
Summer is around the corner, so I may be able to step up the pace (even do some cycling) but if that doesn’t happen and I just do a lot of walking can I end up with a flat tummy? Or is that not going to go away unless I do some way-increased-heart-rate-for-over-40-minutes type excercise?
Walking is great exercise! IMHO, I’ve found that I lose fat the fastest, regardless of cardio, if I’m also doing some minor weightlifting. Instead of making yourself run, I’d pick up a set of freeweights and begin on those. I think you’ll get more bang for your buck, quite frankly.
You can certainly lose fat by walking, especially on hilly terrain. That’s actually pretty good exercise. Just make sure that your hard work isn’t undone by unwise dietary choices and you’ll be fine.
Ideal! I didn’t mention in the OP, but I am also lifting weights. I alternate that with the walking.
Call me paranoid, but I don’t want to do a long walk and lift weights on the same day, in case my body diverts protein and stuff to repairing my leg muscles, and away from repairing my arm muscles. I’m sure someone will correct me.
Anyway, I try to do weights regularly, and with a sensible amount of carbs/fat/protein close to the time of doing the weights.
The Body for Life plan, that I’ve had the most luck with as a framework, advises 20 min of cardio 3x a week as compared to 45min of lifting 3x a week, with the premise being that, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you’ll burn just by sitting around, whereas the cardio will burn calories but the effects don’t last through the day like the effects of having more muscle will.
An interesting article on loose skin… actually, the whole website is interesting, but the woman is way too hardcore for me
It didn’t for me. I lost about 20 pounds over about 4 months (years ago!) by simply walking during my lunch hour. I didn’t however loose the little paunch of loose skin around my midsection.
There is really nothing (short of plastic surgery) that you can do to get rid of the loose skin. Whatever will go back on its own is all you can hope for. Creams and massagers and the like don’t work. I myself have a lovely shar pei on my midsection from about belly button to mid-thigh, from my weight loss. I’ve been at this weight for about a year and a half.
Another tip (and I can’t believe how much I sound like my mum when I say this), remember your posture!
If, while walking, you make a conscious effort to maintain the correct posture, you’ll be improving the line of your body. So even if the flab’s still there, it’ll be less noticeable because your tummy won’t be sticking out as much. You might not be able to get rid of the excess skin, but it will minimise the appearance of what’s there.
Nope. As **Gingy **and **Antinor **indicated, you’re out of luck unless you opt for plastic surgery. I lost about half my body mass and am considering plastic surgery if or when I lose what I’ve regained and keep it off.
But half your body mass is a lot! I’m talking going from nearly 14 stone, to 13 (or 12 and a half if I’m lucky) in a period of a few months.
And I’m 29.
I’m not sure how much weight you’re trying to lose, so I don’t know whether loose skin will be a problem or not.
For me, even walking much less than you are, I lost weight easily. I walked daily, in 5-15 minute increments, to work and school and back. I dropped 10 or 15 pounds without doing anything else differently. So, on a much stricter weight loss regimen, you should drop the pounds in no time.
If you don’t mind my asking, how much weight are you trying to lose that loose skin might be a problem? Also, have you added any abdominal exercises to firm up what’s there?
ETA: OK. 1 or 1 1/2 stone isn’t that much weight, I don’t think loose skin should be much of a problem. Do some crunches.
It’s still very unlikely. 1.5 stone is half of what **Antinor **lost and he has loose skin from his loss. It can happen but, outside surgery, bulking up or adding muscle mass to replace the fat you lost is your best option.
And crunches won’t do a thing to reduce a tummy. Spot reduction does not work.
Regardless of what you’re trying to firm up (your stomach or your lower back), I think it’s always a good idea to include some core muscle training in with your weight lifting, including all the major stomach muscles and your back. Even if it doesn’t reduce any spots significantly, it’ll improve your posture, and when you sit and stand up straight (rather than hunched over), you’ll look slimmer and you’ll feel tighter. Then there’s the added benefit of being more comfortable because of improved posture. Of course, with all that walking, you’ll be slimmer period.
On a personal note, sitting with bad posture makes me feel like crap. Not only do I feel marginally less confident than when I sit up straight, it gives me a lot of lower back and neck pain. So even if it doesn’t reduce any spots, that added comfort and strength is absolutely worth it.
I know spot reduction doesn’t work. But the “core” muscles everyone’s talking about these days do have a sort of girdle function. If you can strengthen those muscles, it helps pull your tummy in.
The guy who wrote the “You on a Diet” and similar books promotes walking as the main exercise you should do and the only way to start an exercise routine. His book focuses on how to lose abdominal fat and also tells you what foods to eat and avoid.
