Flatter stomach

[surfsup]

I just started doing more raw - got myself a vitamix on order and been eating a heck of a lot of veggies/fruits and limiting my meat intake.

My stomach is strong. I have good muscle tone, so I know i'm not carrying a gut. However, my stomach is "large". In other words, it protrudes out quite a bit.

has anyone experienced a flatter stomach from eating 100% raw?

[spicyfull]

CUT the meat and your Stomach will go down. That stuff stays with you, in your Belly for TOOOOOOOO Long. It sticks to your Colon. I am just a Firm Believer that, I don't have to eat another animal to stay alive and I believed this way before I became RAW. I was Vegeterian for MANY Years.

This is MY Belief and MY Journey. Hope things work out for you........

[shaydovgreen]

Another important thing to bear in mind is what time of day you are exercising.

If you exercise in the evening, after you've already been eating all day, your body tends to burn calories you've eaten, rather than calories in your body. So exercising in the evening tends to build muscle and mass.

On the other hand, exercising in the morning helps slim you because the calories you burn are those already in your body.

Hope this helps.

Anandi
SproutYourSelf.com
Raw Spiritual Nutrition Coaching

[Belladonna]

On the other hand, exercising in the morning helps slim you because the calories you burn are those already in your body.


I didn't know that but it makes a lot of sense! I bet if you cut out the meat and exercise in the morning (if you aren't already) you'll either lose the stomach a little, or if you don't then maybe it's just your body's natural shape.

I myself have found that my tummy's muscles don't stick out as much in the middle after being raw, vs before being raw.

[cara4art]

I've heard it really doesn't matter what time of day one exercises as far as fat loss goes - that's largely a function of diet. As far as exercise, counts is what time of the day and a solid program you will stick to consistently. Now I know there are people who swear by exercising first thing in the morning on a completely empty stomach for fat loss, but I'm not one of them. I'm one who HAS to eat soon after she gets up, and cannot tackle anything until I've done so. My sweet spot for years for exercise is late afternoon, as that's when I'm physically the most energetic for workouts. The people who say that first thing in the morning is best are often ADDING this to workouts later in the day(or they're early birds by nature), so the increased use of calories from that extra workout is likely more responsible than the time of day, IMO.
As far as tummy sticking out, that can be from so many things, time of the month for those still of reproductive age, gas, how much stuff you have backed up in the colon, water and salt retention, eating too many refined starchy carbs(if one is on SAD), OR, if just starting raw, the bloating because of the unaccustomed load of fiber and water. OR, if one is sensitive to certain foods, bloating can happen too.
Over time, with proper diet and exercise, that stomach should flatten out. Solid exercise tones and builds muscles, while proper diet reveals them. They say abs are made in the kitchen, so we have a tremendous opportunity here to bring out that six-pack that we all have hidden under whatever!
On my own end, it's proceeding, but slowly(especially being post-menopausal) - the tummy is usually the last place to show progress, especially if one has ANY tendency to store any fat there, and especially if one has a shorter torso in proportion to legs the way I do.

[surfsup]

FYI I'm a guy. I have strong stomach muscles already and can see definition. My question was that my stomach seems large (kinda bloated) even though I'm not carrying a whole lotta fat (probably 8-10% bodyfat).

I am curious how it got this way and whether raw would eventually clean up whatever is "stuck" in there (sorry about the graphics...)...

[cara4art]

to surfsup: sounds like you're doing great already - your body fat% is impressive - just keep on rawking! Maybe a colonic or a milder cleanse to jumpstart the loosening up the old junk, or over a period of time the raw will do it too. Give the raw a serious go - as there are so many benefits.

[isley333]

Do you food combine or eat your fruit alone? It sounds like the bloating might be fermentation from not combining your food properly- especially if you're eating meat. Eating fruit on an empty stomach (at least 3 hours after anything else or a half an hour before you eat protein/starch) helps a lot. Eating non raw at the end of the day, when your body has the most time to digest it, is good too. If your making green smoothies, try just making fruit/veggie or protein/veggie combos for awhile too. I hope this helps :)

[rawmiss]

I'm sure raw will help you but you could speed it up by doing colon cleansing there are lots of ways to cleanse the colon, a favorite is the
PSYLLIUM & BENTONITE COLON CLEANSE
http://www.curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=120380

I found this cute story on curezone:

Pooed out a 1974 Penny!!!
"Holy Moly!!! Well...here's the story: I was sitting here on the computer checking the forum posts when I heard hysterical laughter coming from the bathroom amidst unprintable exclamations. I ran to the bathrooom to find my boyfriend (who's been on the Bentonite & Psyllium drinks 3 times a day cleanse for the last 6 days - eating normally) saying, "You are not going to believe this! This is material for an excellent post on the forum!" He comes out of the bathroom brandishing a bright shiny penny from 1974!!! He pooed it out! In 1974 the pennies (canada) were still solid copper and this one is super bright, has full detail, with only slight discolouration! We were rolling on the ground laughing. He was 7 in 1974 and vaguely remembers sometime around that time (maybe a bit later) actually swallowing a penny. Too funny! He has been getting out tonnes of mucoid plaque ropes, but was still a little skeptical about what this stuff was. I think this hilarious event has dissolved any skepticism he had! phew! He is reeeally getting cleaned out! yay! He has migraines every now and then and Edgar Cayce says migraines are caused by toxic bowel (or at least can be helped by cleaning out the toxins in your bowel) He is very excited. And even after only doing the B&P drinks for two days (and getting out ropes on day 2 already!)....he said he felt healthier...like his constitution was getting stronger because those toxins and old buildup is being flushed away! Yay!!!"

[Johnny B]

Something to think about:

Your gut or apparent "bloating" may not be related to your diet at all. I have a similar issue - low body fat, good amount of lean muscle, defined mid section, "bloated" gut.

Through self assessment, I've gauged that it's from an anterior pelvic tilt. There are a few ways you can check to see if you have APT. The easiest and most telling way to look for anterior tilt is the belt test. Stand next to a mirror, looking at yourself from the side. Pay attention to the position of your belt. If the font of your belt is lower than the back, then that’s a pretty good indicator of anterior tilt. You’ll want to make sure that your beltline is at hip level. If you pull your pants up to your belly button, this test won’t work, so pull your pants down a bit.

Here’s a list of common causes for APT:

* Shortened hip flexors
* Weak abdominals – particularly the transverse abdominus (TVA for future reference)
* Weak/under active glutes
* Lengthened hamstrings
* Tight spinal erectors


Here’s another list with some common effects of APT.

* Protruding stomach and butt
* Over pronation of the foot
* Poor hip mobility
* Thorasic extension
* Low back pain

If you do a google search for anterior pelvic tilt you'll come across a ton of articles and recommendations to shore up the issue. I sit at a desk all day long, but I'm using some yoga corrective postures to address the issue.

[surfsup]

What yoga postures are you using?

I did see a chiropractor and he told me my hip flexors were extremely stiff. Thanks for the post. I've been doing some stretches for this but would like to know more.

isley333:
Do you food combine or eat your fruit alone?

This is from b4 starting raw but in answer I usually eat my fruit separately from any other foodsource.

[Johnny B]

Supine Bridge, Front Warrior, Elbow Thinker to name a few. I also perform a higher ratio of posterior chain strength movements, such as clubbell and kettlebell swings, band pull-throughs, supine power wheel movements, etc.

[wholegraingal]

ive been trying to get rid of my little belly and love handles for years! its so hard