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I'm 19 years old and over the last couple of years I've started to gain weight where I've never had it before. It used to go straight to my butt but lately subcutaneous belly fat (starting directly beneath the belly button) has become a problem. Could anyone give some insight as to what could be responsible for this kind of fat? oestrogen? cortisol? insulin?
Thankyou for any help you can give, I've become somewhat obsessed with this
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(16-11-2013, 13:13)isobasic Wrote: I'm 19 years old and over the last couple of years I've started to gain weight where I've never had it before. It used to go straight to my butt but lately subcutaneous belly fat (starting directly beneath the belly button) has become a problem. Could anyone give some insight as to what could be responsible for this kind of fat? oestrogen? cortisol? insulin?
Thankyou for any help you can give, I've become somewhat obsessed with this
Oh, and I'm a stone lighter now than when I was before I started gaining fat in this region.
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Been looking a different solutions, will post some research and maybe try a few soon. At the moment the general categories seem to be:
Massage: this seems a good idea straight after exercise and in starvation mode. Otherwise I worry that fiddling with it may make it more pronounced.
Fat-burning creams or masks: these may just temporarily dehydrate the area.
Neoprene band: Again, might just be that it makes you sweat and dehydrates the area.
Corsetry: Hard to tell if this relocates fat or just the organs - also, many tighlacers have a 'pooch' under the area where the corset stops
Hormonal manipulation: Difficult to tell if your disposition for belly fat would come back twice as strongly after stopping. I've heard about a glycyrrhetinic acid cream to block cortisol's effect in the desired area and Aminophylline cream which I've heard various things about - maybe it blocks the effect of oestrogen in the area, maybe it dehydrates or maybe it shrinks the fat cells. arg.
Omega 3: Supposedly stops abdominal viseral fat being preferentially stored, but my problem is mostly subcutaneous.
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When I gain weight it all goes to my pooch. I think many women are like that.
The thing that seems to help me the most is eliminating foods that bloat from my diet. I am off wheat and don't eat much grain. Alcohol bloats and so does soda/carbonation. Fried foods can bloat. You can find lists through google.
I have to be sure I'm always getting enough fiber to be regular and enough water.
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Oh, and obviously exercise helps. Walking and hiking work really well for me. I also enjoy hula hooping to strengthen my middle.
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(06-09-2014, 15:10)wishinandhopin Wrote: Oh, and obviously exercise helps. Walking and hiking work really well for me. I also enjoy hula hooping to strengthen my middle.
Yeah, obviously. The problem is that I don't want to lose fat all over, just that particular bit! I had it even when I was very thin.
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(06-09-2014, 15:43)isobasic Wrote: (06-09-2014, 15:10)wishinandhopin Wrote: Oh, and obviously exercise helps. Walking and hiking work really well for me. I also enjoy hula hooping to strengthen my middle.
Yeah, obviously. The problem is that I don't want to lose fat all over, just that particular bit! I had it even when I was very thin.
Strength training would be better than aerobic. Hiking/stair climbing, lifting, squats. And make sure you get enough calories, especially fats and protein. You would be re-organizing your body composition rather than burning off all your fat.
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(06-09-2014, 16:24)wishinandhopin Wrote: (06-09-2014, 15:43)isobasic Wrote: (06-09-2014, 15:10)wishinandhopin Wrote: Oh, and obviously exercise helps. Walking and hiking work really well for me. I also enjoy hula hooping to strengthen my middle.
Yeah, obviously. The problem is that I don't want to lose fat all over, just that particular bit! I had it even when I was very thin.
Strength training would be better than aerobic. Hiking/stair climbing, lifting, squats. And make sure you get enough calories, especially fats and protein. You would be re-organizing your body composition rather than burning off all your fat.
Agree with all of those things! and I did make an attempt last year to do them. I have a decent amount of muscle, so it's not that I'm lacking in that department, and I don't need to make up for lack of butt-fat with massive glutes haha, I have quite enough back there. I think diet is defo a major help - since being in spain and having a lot of refined carbs and none of my beloved milk the problem has defo worsened. But even when I'm lifting, slim (but not malnourished) and eating right, I still have this lump under the belly button when I turn side on. It's defo subcutaneous as I can grab it when sitting down (ok, now it's bigger I can grab it standing, too xD).
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Maybe it's just bloat and water retention?
Sometimes I wake up with very flat stomach lol.
Dandelion tea can help about that, and don't eat high glycemic index food that spike insulin and don't stress too much.
Stretching seems to help a little too.
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(07-09-2014, 11:14)Lunice Wrote: Maybe it's just bloat and water retention?
Sometimes I wake up with very flat stomach lol.
Dandelion tea can help about that, and don't eat high glycemic index food that spike insulin and don't stress too much.
Stretching seems to help a little too.
Nah, I can grab it
and if i tense I can feel my muscles hard underneath it.
Is dandelion tea about water retention? fatty areas tend to retain more water, so maybe it's that too.
