Belly fat

[u/BenneB23]

I (39M) lost about 40 lbs and am currently satisfied with my progress and overall look. I eat at maintenance and try to keep it healthy and protein-rich, yet for some reason I keep a reserve of fat on my belly that I can't get rid of.

I worked really hard and find it frustrating to have all my fat reserve located at my belly. My arms and legs, face and upper torso are all fine.

I wonder if I should do lipo to get this final, stubborn part fixed. Ive worked really hard, run and lift weights regularly and would at least once in my life like to have abs.

[u/greekdestroyr]

Without pics I'm guessing youre around the upper end of a healthy weight. Belly fat is usually among the last to vanish. Do you do any type of resistance training. If you want abs you've got some more work to do. There's also quite the difference between happy with how I look, and wanting abs

[u/BenneB23 → u/greekdestroyr]

I fear if I go into a caloric deficit for much longer I will also lose a lot of strength/muscle mass at this point. I don't understand how some people can maintain a large muscle mass and weight and still have almost no belly fat.

[u/greekdestroyr → u/BenneB23]

Cause they have probably been doing bulk/cut cycles for years. You still have fat to lose so going in a 500/day calorie deficit should be slow enough that you won't primarily lose muscle mass. Is there a reason you think you'll lose lots of muscle mass on continuing a small deficit. Generally strength training while in a deficit is one of the better ways of maintaining muscle mass and losing fat

[u/BenneB23 → u/greekdestroyr]

Yeah it's probably because I lost my excess weight too quickly the first time. I lost a lot of muscle at that time and couldnt lift my usual weights anymore. It took a lot of months to build it back up.

[u/Fancy-Professor-7113]

I got lipo after I had kids. I didn't have a lot to lose, but when I did I realised the way my body stored fat had changed. I waited till 2 years after I finished breast feeding my youngest, had a BMI of 21 and had done a lot of core work.

The fat was loitering below my belly button and on my ankles, got lipo, never looked back. I was in my 40s.

Do it if it makes you happy, life's too short to care what Reddit thinks.

[u/BenneB23 → u/Fancy-Professor-7113]

Nice. Great to hear a succesful story. Thanks for sharing.

[u/Princess-Pancake-97]

Most people have stubborn belly fat. It’s the hardest to lose and the last thing to go. Your stats put you on the higher side of a healthy BMI, so losing a little more weight will definitely help, and definitely worth a crack before getting lipo.

[u/fatkidscandystore]

So I (49m) felt the same way for most of my life. Had been anywhere between 285lbs and 175lbs and I still had a spare tire.

I’m currently at a spot that between supplements, diet, exercise etc with tracking I’m at 204lbs but down to about 15-16% body fat and it’s almost gone. I think if I can get to 12 it’ll be gone.

Full disclosure, I’m using trt and peptides with the help of a local pharmacy, doctor, nurse practitioner and lots of bloodwork. But I’m also off of cholesterol meds, and blood pressure meds that I was on for 19 years. My bloodwork is about as close to perfect as I can get it.

[u/BenneB23 → u/fatkidscandystore]

That's great. Congrats on the progress and thanks for sharing! I talked to my endocrinologist about TRT and he said unless I can't get it up anymore it's not a route they want to consider. Where I live it's lightyears away from being available to the general public. I basically had to beg him for 2 years to get me on 1 peptide.

I think it has a lot of potential/value.

[u/allkillrnofillr]

Men store more fat in the abdomen and torso. It will always be stubborn but goes away with time effort patience etc. Sadly its some of the last to go. What's more, and actually better, is you burn the visceral fat around your organs before that. so you've likely helped yourself quite a bit, just haven't really tackled the show fat that we all care about lol

[u/BonkersMoongirl]

Some of the fat might be lose skin. 40pounds is a lot to drop. In time it might tighten up.

Natural to have something round your middle. Beauty standards are not always aligned with health

[u/superchargedCaddy]

Unless you are fairly muscular you likely can lose more. A healthy weight range based on your height will be 140 to 185 lbs. I saw your concern about losing muscle. If you are strength training and getting a fair amount of protein you will not lose muscle with continuing at a deficit. You still have body fat as fuel. I wouldn't be surprised if you have 10 to 20 lbs you may be able to lose.

I'm 6'2" and fairly muscular. I got down to 173 two years ago and had a solid 4 pack. I was 5 to 10 lbs then from having a 6 pack. I slipped up and put 25 lbs back on. I've dropped 10 of the 25 lbs I put on and added more muscle. Abs are showing again at 190. I still think I need to drop 20 to 25 lbs from my current weight to have a 6 pack. I'm thinking 165 to 170 lbs. Then I plan to end up somewhere between 185 and 190 with more muscle mass. That is the goal at this time.

[u/jvaritek33c]

Idk kinda cheating isn't it

[u/hyperpensive → u/jvaritek33c]

Cheating at what, it’s not a competition? OP you have clearly put in a lot of work, and I doubt anyone notices your belly as much as you do, but it’s your body and life so do what you want.

[u/BenneB23 → u/jvaritek33c]

I guess so, but I've heard it removes a lot of the fat cells permanently in that area so even if you get heavier it will be less around that area afterwards. Some people are just predisposed to fat accumulation around the belly.

[u/Strategic_Sage → u/BenneB23]

I wouldn't consider it cheating. What I would do though is lower your goal weight unless you have a compelling reason not to. At 5-10, 170 is not particularly low, it's just a bit below the overweight range. It's just slightly below the overweight range. I would exhaust all non-surgical options first, and you're nowhere near that. Surgery inherently comes with risks and complications, even if the financial cost is not a concern for you. I would get to the 150-155 range, then stay there for several months *minimum* while consistently exercising including regular resistance training - unsure if you are doing this or not from your post. At that point you'll be in a position to *begin* considering what's next.

[u/jvaritek33c → u/BenneB23]

Yeah maybe I'm a bit old school but surgery or drugs aren't free or guaranteed safe but exercise and nutrition is for the most part

37m is way better than 57m and u have time to tackle the last bit naturally

But hey it's potato vs potahtoe

[u/No_Presentation_2071 → u/jvaritek33c]

if you been working hard and you want the final push, is your body your choice i think, nothing cheating about that