stubborn weight around lower abdomen

Question
Hi,
I am a 17 year old female, size 8/10 and 5 foot 7 and a half. (171cm) and my current weight is fine, at 55 kgs, I wouldn't mind being more but as a dancer it is important to me that I have a flat stomach for dancing. I dance/exercise 4-5 times a week and I have tried everything to get rid of this "belly" including crunches every day, exercises and toning on top of my dancing routine. I have also adhered to a strict diet of low whole meal carbs and veges, fruit and lean meat. I cut out nearly all fats and sugars ( my most recent attempt) for two weeks, and this time I lost weight, but no change around my stomach. I have abs from my exercize routine! But you can't see them with the layer of fat on top!  Do you have any ideas about what I should do, as I don't want to lose weight anywhere else on my body, it's just that one area.
I really appreciate your feedback,

Kind regards,
Alex  

Answer
Crunches alone do not train your entire abdominal area. Crunches are great for only the upper two quadrants.Full sit ups and leg raises help to isolate the lower abs.Your BMI is perfect for developing great abs if you work your abs hard enough. Your abs need to be worked out evenly to get the look you desire.

The problem is that perfect abs that are not genetic take a lot of hard work and many , many repetitions. Boxers have great abs but they also do about 1000 sit ups throughout the day. But if that is what you want, build up to it slowly and remember rest your muscles and feed them with the proper nutrition to keep them strong. Do not push yourself to the point where you feel pain. Pain means stop and rest for a few days. The old adage no pain no gain is not a safe one to live by.

Good luck with your new abs.

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