Hey all! i am 13.. :wave: .. and i was wondering how i could get a flatter tummy.. i have school and all so i dont rly have much time.. but ill try! wat r the best exercises/foods to eat for a flatter tummy..?? any ideas? :confused:

What you need to focus on (especially at your age) is simply good nutrition and general activity. Are you involved in any sports or activities? What you you generally eat on a daily basis?

well.. i havnt done any sports in like a year or two.. :rolleyes: .. but on febuary 1st i am goin 2 try out 4 softball... and practice is like 3 times a week.. i eat alot of fastfood beacuse my family and i dont rly have lotz of time to cook.. and i am usually bummed because i feel fat.. all my other friends are so much skinnier than me... i weigh like 128-130 somtimes.. :(

As bad as fast food is, you can still make better choices (salads, no condiments, smaller sizes, get rid of sodas etc). And often a suggestion to your parents about a desire to eat more healthfully will help a lot. There are literally hundreds of ways to eat more healthy and still not spend hours cooking.

ya.. but i have started drinkin diet cokes instead of regular and wheat bread instead of white... and i dont rly kno if that will EVER help.. lol. do u kno if it is possible at my age to get a flat tummy?cause most of my friends do..?

Of course it is, but a big part of it is getting enough exercise and eating well. Unfortunately genetics play a large role in our metabolisms, so we just have to learn to work within our boundaries. Many of your peers may still have very high metabolisms, different eating habits, different body types... there are a hundred variables. But starting to live and eat more healthfully now can help you get and stay lean and healthy for the rest of your life.

Well as far as genetics go my mom is pretty shorter than me and is even skinnier than me.. shes always been like that since he was little. my dad however is morre like my older sister.. very tall.. but my dad is more on the heavy side, he also had diabetes awhile ago. i am pretty short to.. but i feel fat almost.. all of my friends are like 110-115.. and im 130! lol..will sit-ups and crunches help? and wat is a good way to speed up ur metabolisim safely?

No. situps and crunches will not make you thinner. Exercise is the best way to increase your metabolism safely.

It is possible to get a flatter tummy but you can't just wave a magic wand and have it appear or dissapear as you might say LOL.

As said by the other poster diet is the key. Whole wheat bread is better for sure and drinking diet pop is better if you have to drink the chemicles. You need to increase the fruits and veggies and decrease sugar and salty snacks.

You cannot spot reduce. If you want a flat tummy you have to shape up all over. The soft ball should really help and then throw in some crunches for the tummy. You could get a video that concentrates on abs that would take a max of 20 minutes a day 3-4 times a week. As long as you are getting your cardio in and your eating is healthy (do not starve yourself) at your age the weight should just melt off. Good luck.

ok.. cool.. i do have one of those soft ball thingies! so more fruits and veggies! ok. :) since i have that ball thingie how many crunches do u reccommend daily? i also have an elliptical trainer.. is that a good carido workout? (if so. how long should i do it a day?) lol. thanks!

I meant softball like the game because you said you would be trying out. LOL The ballance ball is great for that though. I would not try for a number so much as I would fatigue. I would do three sets of 10 on several differant types of crunches. Then start over until I could do no more. I never really had a number. I would just go with the beat of the music. You can find all sorts of exercises on line if you do a search.

The elliptical machine is great. I would do at least 30 minutes each time though. 5 days a week would be ideal.

Good luck!

Abs are created mainly in the kitchen NOT the gym.

Get rid of simple carbs, fizzy drinks, pasta, beer, candy, bread (i know its hard!!) and don't eat after 6pm.

Instead eat lots of veg, especially the green variety, lean protein such as tofu, organic chicken or fish, nuts, fruit and moderate amount of beans and whole grains.

For exercise do lots of cardio to get rid of the fat that is covering the muscles that are already there and specific abs exercises.

Good luck.

[QUOTE=veggie girl]Abs are created mainly in the kitchen NOT the gym.

Get rid of simple carbs, fizzy drinks, pasta, beer, candy, bread (i know its hard!!) and don't eat after 6pm.

thats like all that i eat!
:( . LOL. thats so hard for me to..cause i usually stay up late studyin for school and on the weekends i stay up till like 1 or 2! lol.. mayb im not gettin enought sleep.. cause im so tired to exercise..LOL..

if you're up that late then 6 PM is not a good time limit. Rather think of the restriction as "don't eat 3-4 hours before going to bed". And you really do need to clean up the way you eat if you want to get and stay thinner. =\ Sorry.

ya.. is there like a certian plan can follow or somthin? bcz.. im like either lazy or busy to think up a meal.. lol.. plus i sont like any veggie except corn.. :(

I am not the biggest veggie fan either, but I manage. I prefer my veggies raw. Can you eat any of them? It takes a lot of work and planning and self control to get your eating to the peak level of clean and healthy. If you think you are too lazy to make changes, you are not going to see any resuts. It isn't easy, but you have to figure out what is really important to you.
Once you get everything ballanced and steady, you will stop craving the junk food because you are getting all your body needs.

Also 6 small ballanced meals a day are better that 3 big ones. You can get many meal plans in the fitness mags or you could probably go on line. Keep it nutritious, do not eliminate any food groups, and watch your portion sizes. Once you create good habits, everything will start falling into place.

okay.. but i guess u could say im like addicted ot junk food.. i love chex mix and peanut butter! lol.. and fast food like Burger King and stuf. but its hard ot get salads wen i go there bcz i dont like salads.. and weneve i try to eat healthy.. i just think to myslef "ur not gunna eat healty tomarrow.. so y waste ur time now".. i guess i just kinda need somthin to occupy myself.. so i dont think bout food so much (since i watch tv alot.. eating is a main thing.. lol

Try some different activities. If you keep yourself busy and don't think about snacking and sitting around for 30 minute increments it's really a whole lot easier to not be preoccupied with food. Try bike riding, painting, sewing, beading, reading, see if your local rec centers have any classes you might like. I know it's a little off topic but it really does help a lot if you're staying productive to not obsess about eating.

oo.. ok. do u think softball 3 times a week will get me into shape? and.. how many calories should i consume a day? :confused:

I think that's a good start. What's your current height and weight? Although you shouldn't be concerned with exact calories just yet. If you just clean up the way you eat, I guarantee you will notice a big difference.

I'm really, really trying to help to prevent you from having a life-long weight issue and it kills me to think of a 13 year old sitting in the kitchen counting out the calories you can have for the day. Eating more healthfully isn't as hard as the general public might make you believe, but it is all in your hands. There is no trick to it. You're in control and you should try to make that first step before you get to involved in all the details.
But for the record, please do keep asking any questions you have. I'd rather you make educated decisions than ignorant ones. :)

i think im about 5'4 and im 130 pounds.. :)

ok.. cool.. i do have one of those soft ball thingies! so more fruits and veggies! ok. :) since i have that ball thingie how many crunches do u reccommend daily? i also have an elliptical trainer.. is that a good carido workout? (if so. how long should i do it a day?) lol. thanks!
The elliptical is a great way to exercise. However, if you do the same exercise over and over again, your body will adapt and you'll quickly hit a plateu(which is a sustained weight in which you can't seem to lose anymore weight with your current diet/exercixe routine). So....If i were you, I'd use your ellipticla for the first 3 weeks and maybe do another form of cardio(if you don't have a gym membership collagevideo and amazon have a great selection of videos)and do something else like a workout video or walk/running on a treadmill for 3 weeks. In other words, alternate a different form of cardio about every 3 weeks. You may like dancy, athletic, step aerobica(great calorie burner) or kickboxing, it's your choice. :) Also, I've seen some good workout videos at target and Media Play. Also, I would start out slow maybe 10-15 minutes at first few days then 20 for a few days then 30 then 40-45minutes. Make SURE you do proper streching before exercising like your calves, quads, etc. How tall are you?

[QUOTE=veggie girl]Abs are created mainly in the kitchen NOT the gym.

Get rid of simple carbs, fizzy drinks, pasta, beer, candy, bread (i know its hard!!) and don't eat after 6pm.

thats like all that i eat!
:( . LOL. thats so hard for me to..cause i usually stay up late studyin for school and on the weekends i stay up till like 1 or 2! lol.. mayb im not gettin enought sleep.. cause im so tired to exercise..LOL..

Your poor eating habits could be making you more tired. Eating lots of bread, pasta or cookies etc sends you blood sugar on a constant cycle of up and down; you eat - sugar goes up, you feel great, then soon after - sugar level goes down, you feel RAVEOUS, exhausted and probably get a headache and feel nauseated. And the cycle goes on and on.

For many years I got headaches every day and was always hungry and tired. I couldn't even go a minute past the hunger or i'd feel sick - and its the refined sugar that did it.

It takes time to change your eating habits - sometimes even years. Try to cut some of the refined sugar products from your diet. You'll feel worse when you first do it but stick with it.

im 5'4.. and ill try to do the elliptical 4 like 3 weeks along with my softball 3 times a week.. hopefully i start to get thinner.. LOL

ok, i need to put in my 2 cents here.

I'm 19, weigh 142 pounds and am 5'5.

I've kept this steady weight for a good deal of years, and when I was your age was tall and fuller than other girls. The way I see it is, how to do view your body? Don't give a crap to how others look, your body isn't theirs. It's seeing yourself and thinking "Do I need to change and what".

A lot of the people here are saying "Get rid of stuff". Not going to help, especially at our age group. At least not by just dropping it all in one go.

Limit your intake. Drink like one or two sodas a week, and not like Cola or Pepsi. Try the sparkling juices. They have MUCH less sodium, and calories and have much more juice. Then have like one Pepsi a month, that way it'll feel worth it :D And in place of those sodas, drink juices or water. My favorite drink is Sobe Green Tea. It's healthy and tastes great! Water, yeah that's a tough one because teachers won't let you drink in class. So try to drink at least a few mouth fulls during breaks, and about half a bottle at like recess and lunch. It may not be the full 8, but it's better than nothing.

Also, eat like one fast food thing a week to start one, til you can get to like one or two a month. Also, try eating chicken burgers without cheese and lettece and tomato.

Working out is a major thing, though I do know myself that it's hard trying to do at home with the schedule of school and parents. The way I do it is every two days (your body needs 48 hours of rest each time) I do a full body workout. Also, I love using Dance Dance Resolution, just in trainging mode or light mode and a part of it. That way it stays fun!

cool! LOL... well i want to lose weight 4 myself.. not bcz my friends bodies r like that.. and im currently doing 20 min. of elliptical on mon. wed. and sun......on tuesday thurday and fri. i hav softball for 1 and a half hours.. i rest on saturday.. is this 2 much?? lol (i mainly want my abs.. but i have so muhc trouble controlling wat i eat..
:(

yes it is possible to get a flater stomach at your age. I would suggest to don't drink any pop...stick with water. yea drinking water probably don't sounds that good. But it helps ..water is a big fat burner. So drink about 5 to 8 cups of water a day... this will help... and lift weights or do some crunches every day or something....also watch what you eat... like naxis said try to eat salads.. or something healthy....

um, one thing i realized is doing zone workout ONLY doesn't help, especially with the baby fat still on. you need to work everything, but your routine should do a great job and doing a full body workout :D

okay! :).. i hope my routine will help! is it true though that if i do the elliptical alot then my body will get used to the workout and keep the same sustained weight? (there r like 8 or so diffrent ruuning styles that u can choose from on the elliptical.. like hills or slope or incline.. lotz).. :). and does the elliptical work my WHOLE body?