flabby belly oh my!!?

Question

I am 42 and it seems that I cannot lose weight in the abdominal area!! Is it diet related or hormonal? I mean my
periods are hellish at this point....

Suggestions please!!

Answer 1

the only way you can lose it is by reducing your body fat percentage - everybody has different areas in their bodies where fat reserves are most likely being kept and unfortunately we cant spot reduce body fat.
sit ups and crunches wont help you to get rid of it - all they do is build muscle and make it look bigger, they do not burn fat.
find daily calorie intake calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours - it optimizes your metabolism)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have protein (lean meat, legumes etc) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio is the only fat burning exercise and burns fat all over your body (running, jogging, swimming, spinning, elliptical etc) 4-6 times a week for 30-50min (ideally 45min because the first 20-30min body burns carbs and only then starts burning fat), light weight training (more muscle=faster metabolism)
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, pasta etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried, oily.
ofcourse you can spoil yourself once in a while with a little treat:)