I've heard that crunches can make it worse, depending on how you do them. A trainer once told me that nothing but cardio, cardio and cardio to get rid of it. Even when you lose weight, it seems to be the last spot to go down.

I have the same problem but I'm not motivated yet to see it go.

I don't think that crunches make it worse, you just won't be able to see the muscles until you get rid of the fat.

I'm struggling with this myself and have made some progress. My weight gain definitely settles at my middle and the way to get it off is fewer calories and more cardio. It takes an overall weight loss to get the weight in the middle to budge.

I read somewhere that you need to cut way down
on the sugars as you age, they tend to cause the
belly fat.

But...don't ask me for sure, I can't cut down on
cookies. :)

Meant sit ups, sorry. Something about toning the bulge that sticks out when you do them incorrectly.

I have belly fat everywhere and I feel lucky it is evenly distributed. When I am dressed, I don't look to bad even at 170, I am 5'6" tall. The last hotel I was in had a full length mirror on the inside of the bathroom door. Did I say this is a horror story? Anyway I was sitting on the stool drying my feet and looked up. I thought "who the that" is that? LOL But the week before I was talking to the ladies at the rehab hospital about not wearing a certain hat because people would stare. One lady said "you have a beautiful body, flaunt it". That is what dressing right gets you. No knits except knit tops that I wear under a shirt or blouse. That simple thing hides so many sins.

I have lost 10 pounds and my belly seems to me to be the same size but since I can get into a smaller size now I guess it must be a bit smaller.

Belly fat, the bane of my existence! That's where my weight mainly gravitates, too.
A few years ago I went on the South Beach Diet & it really, really worked well for me. I remember distinctly after having been on it for 2-3-4 weeks, I was dressing in front of the bedroom mirror & was startled to see that the belly fat was GREATLY diminished.

I am trying to start over with the SBD, but it is soooo hard to start off with having NO fruits for a couple of weeks.

I agree it is really difficult to take off weight when you are post menopausal.

You really cannot spot reduce.
The body will lose fat overall with cardio.

You can do crunches from dawn until dusk, but no one will see that six pack until you get the fat off.

I call it my baby fat..I never had a big belly til I had my baby. That was 35 years ago. I have a big baby and old baby fat. Fact is I have thin arms, legs, neck..lots of belly fat.. Picture beach ball with legs.

zeetera, my pilates teacher says the same thing about crunches. It's important to pull one's tummy in as much as possible when doing small sit-ups/crunches so that one is using the correct muscles.

sjerin I was going to mention Pilates as a method too. You explained the reason much better than I. Thanks.

Luann is exactly right. You can have a perfect 6 pack ut you won't be able to see it if it's under a layer (or two) of fat.

I also read a survey a few months back, don't remember where (Mens Health maybe?), that the Pilates sit up is far more effective than a regular crunch when it come to toning and working the Abs.

Core exercises will strengthen your core, but it won't flatten your tummy. I do Pilates, which has a LOT of core work and I have a lot of tummy fat (think size 10-12 legs with size 14 waist). Unfortunately, the only solution is to lose weight (which I am trying to do). However, sometimes you will get where you want to be everywhere else and you will still have fat there. You can either accept it or get lipo or a tuck. I have a friend who is stick thin (and I mean it, she looks anorexic almost), but she has a wicked tummy every since she had her kids. I think she basically stuck with it.

Carbs do it! Take out carbs and sugar and you'll notice a difference even if you DON'T work out.

Blessings,
Haley

exercise and eat better

Read this.

I use coconut oil. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. Makes a big difference in how your 'belly' looks.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Lose Belly Fat