# Tips!!!



## BAMBOOLINA (Jun 20, 2008)

I need to lose my belly, I lost weight and all that but my belly seems big, or at least i feel it like that. what things should i eat or not eat, and exercises/ how much per day or week, I´m totally lost.

help me pls!


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## Divinity (Jun 20, 2008)

Ugh, I hear ya!  Stick to good nutrition - I have to have sugar at least once a day.  But I have fruit and a serving of veggies every day too and I find eating small portions every 3 hours is better than 3 big meals too.  Keeps your metabolism up
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




As for exercises, I really enjoy Pilates.  It's great for core strengthening and a great stretch and strength class.  I also incorporate crunches as well.  I would recommend running too - it's great cardio AND you use your abs
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



If you're looking for more outdoor activities, snowboarding will work the abs too


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## cupcake_x (Jun 26, 2008)

For diet, I would eat whatever you feel like, but in small, healthy portions- 6 small meals a day helps you lose weight better than 3 bigger meals. Always make sure you have fruit and veggies, too.

And don't forget water 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




For exercise, do 30 minutes of cardio (walking, running, etc) and work your way up. That burns the fat. Weight training helps build muscle and tones up your tummy. 
Try doing this a couple times  week and then work your way up.


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## pumpkincat210 (Jun 27, 2008)

lessen your portions of food and stick with fruits, vegetables and lean meat, like grilled chicken and fish.  Stop eating sweets(candy, cookies, ice cream) and sodas, i know it's hard but they really add unnecessary calories that go right to your stomach, hips, and thighs.  Try to drink only water for a week and plenty of it, it should help your bowels clear out as well as other toxins. Stay away from salty things as sodium makes you retain water.
Do alot of crunches in the morning and at night.  If you stick with it you should see a difference pretty fast.


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## Simply Elegant (Jun 27, 2008)

I wouldn't necessarily cut everything out because this is something that you have to be able to live with for the rest of your life. Start off with some light cardio if you're not used to exercising, like maybe 15 to 20 minutes at first and then continue to increase it a bit more. Don't forget weight training and varying your workouts to avoid plateaus. One thing that might help you is calorie cycling. I do that and it works at keeping off weight for me. Also, I use spark people and it tells you how many calories you have to burn off and gives you a range of calories to eat per day to get to your goal. If you're competitive or need a challenge, they have them there to help make losing weight more fun, like losing 10% of your body weight by the end of summer, lose 5 pounds this month etc. Just try to keep a realistic goal and that this is for life and not just an easy fix and you should be able to continue it without getting discouraged.


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## stacylynne (Jun 27, 2008)

There is no such thing as spot training. If you hold your weight in your stomach first, it will be the last to come off.

As far as nutrition goes: east well balanced meals. 6 small meals a day. I eat a salad every day & make it colorful, meaning not all green. Eat lean meats, chicken, turkey & fish. 
I personally don't eat red meat or pork
Make sure you get in your veggies & fruit.
Also don't eat anything white: like white bread, eat brown rice instead of white rice. If you are going to have pasta, have spinach pasta. It's made from artichoke flour rather than glueton flour.

I also eat on a cake plate rather than a dinner plate. A cake plate is so much smaller & it controls your portions.

Drink plenty of water & excercise.
Start out 30 min 2-3 x a week & build yourself up to 5 days a week w/ yogo or pilates.
Take your time & have fun with it. Try differnet cardio excercise such as: treadmil, boxing, kick boxing, trampolean, walking, go on a hike, swimming, dance. The main thing is to spice it up & not get bored. Even try pole dancing.

I also get colonics 1x every season to clean out. You feel amazing afterwards.

Remeber, Rome was not built in a day. It will take time & have fun with the excercise. 
You can eat almost anything you want in moderation & small portions.

Also, the most important thing for you to do for yourself is to reward yourself.
For ex: your goal for the month is to lose 5 lbs. If you succeed, treat your self to a mani & pedi, makeup, 1 outfit or a pair of shoes. But, do not make food a reward. 
If you can't afford to buy a reward then take a nice hot bath w/ candles, give yourself a facial, give yourself a mani & pedi.

All of us Specktra ladies are supporting you. 
Good luck!!!


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## cupcake_x (Jun 27, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *pumpkincat210* 

 
_lessen your portions of food and stick with fruits, vegetables and lean meat, like grilled chicken and fish.  Stop eating sweets(candy, cookies, ice cream) and sodas, i know it's hard but they really add unnecessary calories that go right to your stomach, hips, and thighs.  Try to drink only water for a week and plenty of it, it should help your bowels clear out as well as other toxins. Stay away from salty things as sodium makes you retain water.
Do alot of crunches in the morning and at night.  If you stick with it you should see a difference pretty fast._

 
You don't want to cut out sweets altogether- you could end up breaking down and eating 2 times more than you would have if you just let yourself eat that tiny piece of cake.


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## BAMBOOLINA (Jun 27, 2008)

I don´t eat sweets frequently, I´m not crazy about sugar really, the problem is that when I don´t eat something sweet my blood pressure gets (sp?) pretty low, like I said I only eat a cookie once in a while when my pressure is very  very low.
I´m not fat at all, I´m 5´6¨ and my weight is 112 lbs. which i think is pretty ok, I don´t wanna be skinnier, I was 164 lbs. a year and a half ago, due to depression I started to eat a lot, and i was out of control. anyway, back to topic, yeah, tomorrow saturday, I´m gonna start running and working out! I´ll posts pics of myself!
Thank you so much ladies for you support, and I´ll let you know what´s up with my belly lol.


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## lovelyweapon (Jun 27, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *BAMBOOLINA* 

 
_I don´t eat sweets frequently, I´m not crazy about sugar really, the problem is that when I don´t eat something sweet my blood pressure gets (sp?) pretty low, like I said I only eat a cookie once in a while when my pressure is very  very low.
I´m not fat at all, I´m 5´6¨ and my weight is 112 lbs. which i think is pretty ok, I don´t wanna be skinnier, I was 164 lbs. a year and a half ago, due to depression I started to eat a lot, and i was out of control. anyway, back to topic, yeah, tomorrow saturday, I´m gonna start running and working out! I´ll posts pics of myself!
Thank you so much ladies for you support, and I´ll let you know what´s up with my belly lol.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
When a diabetic with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)'s  sugar levels get too low, the type of sugar your body will ingest most quickly are simple sugars. Yeah, that means soda too, but if you are trying to keep healthy eating in mind, a better option is orange juice. You will get the added vitamins and not the empty calories. Also, keep in mind that if you are trying to consider your blood sugar levels, sweets such as cake and chocolate are not absorbed by the body as quickly as sodas or juices, so it's better just not to reach for them at all. You can also end up counteracting the problem and getting your sugar levels way too high.

Unfortunately, other than for emotional or self-indulging purposes, there is never a good reason to opt for cookies, ice cream, cake, or chocolate. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 As mentioned earlier, don't completely cut it out so that you don't binge later, but I'd recommend only doing so when you have a true craving and a very small portion (if you are a constant health nut, you can even lose weight more quickly by giving your body a little metabolism shock once a month with high levels of healthy fat).


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## rachybloom (Jun 29, 2008)

I would just limit (not totally cut out though!) your amount of fat and monitor your carbs. Like, instead of eating a bagel, eat toast, and instead of butter use olive oil. Just simple stuff like that can def. help. Also, cut out processed sugars and carbs (bleached stuff like white bread and sugary sweets).

As for exercise, I would run 3 (at the least) to 6 (at the most) days a week for 30-45 minutes. Additionally, alternate days and do a pilates class or core strength training on your own! Good luck :]


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