For a good twenty years of my life, I was faithful in doing ab workouts in hopes of getting a flat stomach.

It didn’t work.

I remember thinking something must be wrong with me or my body. I was doing exactly what I had been told to do, so why wasn’t it working? Jane Fonda and her entire crew all had flat stomachs — so why didn’t I?

I hear this from women all the time:

“Why isn’t it working?”
“What’s wrong with me?”

There isn’t anything wrong with you.

The method is the problem.

Before we jump in, I want to introduce myself. I’m Marla, a women’s health coach. I help women with weight loss coaching in St. George and all over.

The truth about belly fat

In one sentence, I can tell you how to get rid of the muffin top, the menopause belly, the spare tire, and the love handles.

There isn’t an exercise in the world that can do it for you.

And there aren’t any foods you have to avoid (I’m going to scream if I see another advertisement telling women to stop eating bananas in order to get a flat stomach).

It’s actually much simpler than that.

You have to eat less than your body needs.

This is called being in a calorie deficit.

To lose fat, you need to bring in less energy (food) than your body uses throughout the day while keeping your activity level the same.

Here’s where many women get stuck: they start eating less, and without realizing it, they also start moving less. The body senses lower energy coming in and naturally tries to conserve energy.

Suddenly it feels like nothing is working.

But again — it isn’t you. It’s the method.

When your activity stays consistent and you eat less, your body begins breaking down stored fat to make up the difference.

This is the only way fat loss happens — anywhere on the body.

You have to understand this

You don’t get to choose where fat comes off first.

That part is genetics.

You have to play the long game.

For me, weight comes off first in my chest and arms. Then later in my waist and legs. There isn’t anything I can do to change that.

What a blessing it was to learn that ab work wasn’t the answer.

I didn’t have to avoid certain fruits (that was so silly!).

I felt powerful knowing that a flat stomach would come from overall fat loss — and that I didn’t get to choose where it happened first.

Realizing this helped me feel more in control and more compassionate toward my body.

One more thing I want you to remember

Before we finish, there’s something important about this part of your body that I don’t want you to forget.

Right beneath the area so many women feel frustrated with is where your uterus lives.

Your uterus changes throughout the month as its lining thickens and sheds. If you’ve had children, your uterus — and the tissues that support it — have changed in ways you can’t imagine.

Be gentle with this part of your body.

Life is created here.

Maybe remember that the next time you feel tempted to speak harshly about this part of you.

The real takeaway

For years, marketers have been telling women lies. Eat this, do this exercise, don’t eat that. It sounds simple and it seems like it should work. But it doesn’t. Which is why you are still looking for ways to shrink your mid-section.

Fat loss just doesn’t work that way.

Understanding how your body actually works doesn’t just change your results.

It changes your relationship with yourself.

And sometimes, that’s the real transformation.

If this resonated with you, I’d love to chat more about women’s health coaching. You can learn more and contact me HERE.

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