Big Stomach

[Jesus Angeles]

It started when I ate rice in the morning.

I am small built but my stomach is like that of a 4 to 6 month pregnancy. (Yes, I am not pregnant; last time I checked I am male).

Any tips?

I am 130 lbs and 5'6" which sounds normal or even small, but my tummy is bigger than normal.


What are the things that make it bigger? smaller? doesnt affect it?

I dont drink.

Maybe I prick it with needles while I code java.....
[ July 15, 2008: Message edited by: Jesus Angeles ]

[Jesper de Jong]

Exercise! Do you do any sports?

[Akhilesh Trivedi]

Push-ups
-with legs on your chair and hands on the floor.

[Amit Ghorpade]

Skipping and running are the best options

[Arvind Mahendra]

buy foods (like chocolate bars) that are only 50% fat, then break it in half and eat the fat free part. Easy!. You can also stick those vibration electric powered heat producing thingmusses they show on T.V all over your self, if you've seen the sexy models in those infomercials any doubt as to its effectiveness would be cast(casted?) aside.

[Arvind Mahendra]

Originally posted by Jesper Young:
Exercise! Do you do any sports?

As programmers are exercise needs are different than other athletes like say race car drivers. We need to keep our fingers toned and their pull strength solid. I recommend getting a gaming console like an xbox to build these lesser yet vital muscles to maintain stamina while fingering.

[B.Sathish]

I reduced about 14 kgs of weight when I was in the US. There is no short cut. I used to run hard till I was about to drop. I would be very careful with my diet eating salads, fruits and low fat items. I almost halved my intake of rice. After doing this for about 6 months, I lost my big pot belly and became very lean. Some people used to ask me whether I am suffering from some sickness bcos I became so thin. But I did not like my skinny appearance and after coming back to India, I gained about 8 kgs of weight.

[Jesus Angeles]

Originally posted by Jesper Young:
Exercise! Do you do any sports?

No, I dont exercise.

The only exercise I get is getting up from sleep, and walking to work (less than 750m a day).

Lately, I asked the doctor and he said, do situps 30 each on morning and night and it will be okay.

I also am starting to do exercise now, e.g. at work I take the stairs from ground to 12th floor, 3 times daily, and do also the situps that the doctor mentioned.

It has been a week only so Ill see.

I am curious, on what food 1) causes it, 2) has no affect on it, 3) and decreases its size.

[Taariq San]

Originally posted by Jesus Angeles:

I am curious, on what food 1) causes it, 2) has no affect on it, 3) and decreases its size.

The belly is the first place to gain weight and the last to lose it. Consuming more than you burn will blow up the belly then filter to the rest of your body. Maybe you've just caught it early, as I did a year or 2 back.
I'm quite tall at 183cm or so but I've always weighed about what you do, so when my belly grew I noticed it quickly.
That was after quitting smoking, so cigarettes seem to be good for weight loss.
Anyhat, my doc recommended little to no breads which I found ridiculously hard, but also lean meats and lots more water. That's been working really well for me, the bread thing aside of course though when I did stop the bread for a month or so my belly flattened totally so in my case that may be the number one cause. The way it is now I can live with.

Long story shorter, what works for us may not work for you, I've learnt very slowly to listen to my body.
That's a vague thing to say but you need to do that, food is meant to make you feel alive and really power you up, when it doesn't do it's job you should notice that and correct it.
If you feel tired maybe you've eaten too much, or maybe that particular thing doesn't sit well with you, be it wheat or whatever. Just to start noticing these things is important, rather than follow everyone else diet.

[Eric Pascarello]

You can use this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9_amg-Aos4

Eric

[frank davis]

Fat concentrated in the abdomen, e.g. a "potbelly", rather than distributed throughout the body, is considered more dangerous for the health. Google potbelly and include terms like insulin resistance or diabetes : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102334.php

[Arvind Mahendra]

Originally posted by Eric Pascarello:
You can use this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9_amg-Aos4

Eric

Is this a device to help people make poopy?

[Joe San]

Jog everyday

[Bear Bibeault]

[Jesus Angeles]

Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:

I searched monster.com. I wont do this. It doesnt pay much.

[Jesper de Jong]

Originally posted by Jesus Angeles:
I am curious, on what food 1) causes it, 2) has no affect on it, 3) and decreases its size.

Have a look at this: The Beginner's Guide To Diet, Nutrition & Healthy Eating

[Paul Sturrock]

Originally posted by Jesper Young:
Exercise! Do you do any sports?

Excercise, though good for you in other ways, is not the best way to loose weight. The body can't metabolize fat above a certain level of heart rate, so if you try to loose weight this way you need to do something like jog slowly for hours rather than go to the gym for 45 mins. The weight loss heart rate zone is something like <70% of your maximum (maximum is supposed to be 220 - your age).

[Sonny Gill]

Originally posted by Jesus Angeles:


I asked the doctor and he said, do situps 30 each on morning and night and it will be okay.

A polite response to that would be - Bullshit!!

This is a common misconception. Doing situps builds the abdominal muscles, it does not make you lose fat. Moreover, doing situps improperly or without warming up can injure your back.

You lose fat by burning more calories than you consume. And, there are only two ways to do that -
1. Increase your energy consumption by doing some kind of exercise.
2. Reduce your calories intake by watching what you eat.

Mmm.. and what Paul said above.

In general, doing some weight training esp. working out the big muscles like legs, back (lats) and chest, and some jogging, swimming, cycling or some other aerobic exercise will help you slowly lose fat and gain fitness and strength at the same time.
This must be coupled with changes in diet to limit the amount of fats and carbohydrates. But there is no need for any drastic changes. A few simple changes like 2 slices of pizza instead of 4, and drinking water instead of coke go a long way.

[frank davis]

Originally posted by Paul Sturrock:
[QB]

...The body can't metabolize fat above a certain level of heart rate, ... .QB]

True, but limited and misleading. At a high level of exercise intensity fat is not used as a primary energy source at that time. HOWEVER, overall metabolism can remain elevated up to 24 hours after a high intensity exercise session. During the period AFTER the exercise more fat could be burned than during the exercise session itself (unless your insulin levels are elevated from high carb intake).

[Paul Sturrock]

I thought your basic metabolic rate rate was proportional to your heart rate? If so, how can you have a higher metabolic rate while your heart rate is back at its normal level? I'm no expert myself, and could very probably be wrong, but what you are suggesting contradicts what I've been told by doctors when I've asked them about this. Do you have a source?

[frank davis]

Originally posted by Paul Sturrock:
I thought your basic metabolic rate rate was proportional to your heart rate? If so, how can you have a higher metabolic rate while your heart rate is back at its normal level? I'm no expert myself, and could very probably be wrong, but what you are suggesting contradicts what I've been told by doctors when I've asked them about this. Do you have a source?

Heart rate is influenced by many variables that are orthogonal to metabolic rate.

Here's some help from our friend Google: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319629 (Study 2)

Doctors don't know jack about current research generally speaking; they're too busy telling people to take 2 aspirins and call them in the morning.