Pls help - why isnt my stomach slimming down?

Question
Hi there.

I am female, 19 yrs old, 121 lbs and 5"4'.

For the past 6 weeks or so I have been really trying to lose weight, as my stomach, hips and thighs have a fair bit of excess fat, particularly my stomach.

In order to do so, I've been eating really healthy - 5 small meals a day - (mainly soy milk, lean meat, tuna, vegies, whole grains, eggs) eating around 1300 calories, drinking a lot of water, and doing about 30 mins of cardio every day.

I've lost 2 kilos so far, however none of it seems to have come from my stomach. I've only really noticed it from my legs and a bit from my hips. First I thought that it might just take some more time, but in the last few days my stomach seems even bigger than it was in the first place.

At one point I was doing ab exercises but then I realised they would make my stomach stick out so I stopped doing them- is it possible that in the 5-6 days I was doing them I built up some muscle that made my stomach stick out further?

Oh and I'm pretty sure it isn't bloating. It always sticks out, and I have next to no sodium in my diet and the only liquid I drink is water.

Should I start doing the 'vacuum exercise' or something to slim it down?

Please help, pretty frustrated. Been trying to get a flat stomach for more than a year now.
Thanks heaps

Answer
Just keep doing what you're doing. You Cannot Spot-Reduce Fat. If you've been doing 500 ab crunches a day, but still wonder why you've got that extra tire around your middle, you need to know that you cannot spot-reduce fat with specific exercises. Fat can only be taken off by eating fewer calories than you burn. You have to reduce the fat levels across your entire body - and yes, the midsection is the hardest to lose. It's where your body naturally stores fat. For guys, it's the gut. For gals, it's the hips, thighs, and butt. Keep up the crunches for strengthening those muscles so that when you do lose the weight you have a nice six-pack... but you won't see those abs if you have several pounds of fat covering them.

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