After 13 years of coaching Women in Cayman, this is still one of the biggest misconceptions I hear.

If you're trying to burn belly fat with crunches...You're focusing on the wrong thing. Because your body decides where it stores fat...And it decides where it loses fat.

The Myth

"I can target belly fat."

• So people try:
• Hundreds of crunches
• Fat-burning creams
• Waist trainers
• Ab machines
• None of these specifically burn fat from your stomach.

The Reality

You can't choose where your body loses fat first. As you reduce your overall body fat...Your waist will gradually become leaner. For many people...The stomach is one of the last places to change and that's completely normal.

What Actually Works

Step 1: Stay in a calorie deficit

• Eat slightly fewer calories than you burn consistently over time.
• Fat loss is built on consistency, not shortcuts.

Step 2: Prioritise protein

• Aim for 25–40g of protein at each main meal.
• Protein helps preserve muscle while you're losing body fat.

Step 3: Strength train 3–4 times each week

• Building muscle improves your body composition.
• As body fat comes down...
• You'll look leaner, stronger, and more defined.

Step 4: Walk every day

• Aim for 10,000–15,000 steps most days.
• Daily movement increases your overall energy expenditure and supports fat loss.

Step 5: Be patient

• The stomach is often one of the last places to lean out.
• Don't mistake slow progress for no progress.

The Performance Lab Rule

You don't lose belly fat first. You lose body fat consistently...And eventually your belly catches up.

Here's the truth...

Most people quit because they don't see changes in their stomach after a few weeks.

Meanwhile...Their arms are leaner. Their legs are stronger. Their clothes fit better. Their lifts are improving. Progress is happening.

They're just measuring the wrong thing.

Keep showing up.

Keep lifting.

Keep hitting your protein.

Keep walking.

Your body will change it just won't always happen in the order you expect.