Mommy Belly Fat- hangin' on?

During a conversation with some friends, I mentioned that I'll be happy with my weight once I lose my "spare tire". I have 2 kids (youngest is almost 2) and have been lugging this thing around since before the first one. Anyway, one friend said, "I don't think you ever lose that." Now, that was a TOTAL downer.
I'd like to hear from mommies out there who are losing weight or who have lost weight... is your mommy belly fat hangin' on?
And for those of you who fought and WON the battle of the bulge, what did it take? Are there certain exercises that worked for you? What about Pilates?

Thanks :P

Sat. Mar 25, 7:51pm

Hi I have 4 kids ranging in ages of 21 months to 9 years, I never had a really flat tummy before my first preg so I don't expect it now I have lost 35 pounds and still have the roll I am going to start using the exercise ball I hear that is the best so you may want to give it a try GOOD LUCK

Saturday, March 25, 2006, 8:44 PM

Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. You aren't going to see a 6 pack until you lose the layer of fat covering them. No amount of crunches or ab work is going to get rid of the bulge - you have to decrease the fat stores and you have to eat CLEAN.

I recently started following the Body For Life program which recommends doing High Intensity Interval Training 3 times a week and having ~45 min. weight lifting sessions 3 times a week. They say to workout in the morning on an empty stomach and then wait an hour after your workout to eat - this way you burn fat stores instead of calories you've recently eaten. I've been doing this for the last 4 weeks and my baby pooch has REALLY shrunk.

The link below is my Body For Life profile with pics as proof that it works. I really think the key has been the High Intensity cardio on an empty stomach and the weight training (adding muscle burns more fat). Those are the only things I've changed here recently - my eating has been the same as January 2006.

Blozzom :-)

Link

Saturday, March 25, 2006, 10:22 PM

I did a lot of research on this. Most signs (that aren't trying to sell "miracle pills") point to losing body fat %. As Blozzom said, you have to lose those fat stores under the skin, by properly maintained diet and exercise in the form of cardio and core work (weights, pilates, yoga). Both are very important.

Most people who have lost weight and still have the pooch or loose skin either lost weight unhealthfully, or did it without much exercise, and didn't lose enough of the fat layers.

So instead of focusing on losing #, focus on losing body fat and gaining muscle. It will not happen overnight and it is not easy, but it can happen!

I'm 5 ft, started at 145 #, had to lose 30# of fat to get to 25% body fat. I've lost 10, working on the other 20. The difference in my belly (and my boobs, my chin, my cellulite, etc.) is noticable, even at this stage.

Good Luck!

Monday, March 27, 2006, 6:49 PM

Well, and it has a lot to do with genetics and cortisol levels as well. A lot of people can have low body fat and never have a flat stomach.

Monday, March 27, 2006, 7:14 PM

ooooh yeah, I forgot about cortisol level!! That's been in the news a lot lately as being a big culprit for tummy fat!! Stress can make cortisol levels higher - so definately try and get the stress under control!

Blozzom :-)

Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 8:07 AM

belly fat

I have had 2 children (ages 11 months and 4 years) and I think my belly has bounced back great. I have always noticed that when I lose weight it is in the belly first, which continues to be true for me even after kids, so I think it IS possible, but you may lose weight in other places first. All depends on genetics! Good luck!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 10:30 AM

Belly fat

I have a seven month old baby and still have a little baby pooch. I run twice a week and do crunches also. I was 100 pounds pre pregnancy, and now weigh 103. I don't want to lose any more weight, but I just want this pooch to quit showing. What can I do? Should I try dieting?

Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 4:05 PM

i disagree with you blozzom--my belly isn't made in the kitchen, it was made the day they cut my daughter out of my stomach, 15 months later another c-section for my son, 3 months later another stomach surgery. I will NEVER lose the "c-pooch" as we call it. it's dead muscle. i had rock abs before pregnancy and will never get to that point again.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 5:08 PM

This may sound like the easy (ha!) way out, but after I'm finished having kids and am at my final goal weight, if I still have a c-pooch I may consider getting a tummy tuck. I think c-sections really do create a little belly that you can't get rid of!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 9:29 PM

9:29 pm---this is the 5:08 poster--my sister in law is a size 0, yes that's right, a size ZERO. She had two c-sections, runs 5 miles a day, looks fabulous for her age, but cannot get rid of her pooch from the surgeries. Once those tendons and muscles are cut, they don't have the same strength.

I agree, when you're healthy and where you want to be size wise, there's nothing wrong with a tummy tuck (my doc wouldn't do it during my third stomach surgery--even tried to bride him with money on the side--didn't work).

Thursday, September 20, 2007, 10:41 AM

I can't speak for c-sections, but I had my baby 7 months ago and my belly is flat, except for a little loose skin, but I blame that on losing 96 lbs. I'm working on toning up now.

Thursday, September 20, 2007, 11:25 AM

glad your stomach is flat, but for those of us who have had c-sections, our bellies weren't made in the kitchen as blozzum ignorantly stated.

Thursday, September 20, 2007, 11:32 AM

I haven't had a c-section (or any children for that matter), but had adomincal surgery with the same incision that's made for a c-section. I haven't had a flat stomach since (and this was 6 years ago). I don't think I ever will. It's seriously depressing...

Thursday, September 20, 2007, 2:18 PM

I'm back to my pre-baby weight, which was bikini worthy, and I've still got a funky belly. I look fine in clothes, but I don't see myself hanging out in that bikini ever again - not unless I never have to bend over again! Sigh...oh well. It's a part of life - I just hope my husband never dies - I can't imagine exposing this thing to anyone else!!

Thursday, September 20, 2007, 4:25 PM

I had my second baby about 12 months ago . Both my kids were c-sections . I have lost all my baby weight plus some . I went from 115lbs to 103lbs (and still trying to loose ). (I weighed 105 when I was 17 years old) . ..... And just a few day ago a woman asked me if I was expecting !!! I was horrified . After all my hard work . Dieting and walking and some weight training I still look pregnant enough for some one to say something . I don't want to loose to much weight but my baby belly is large and in charge . It makes me want to cry on a daily basis .
I am still working at it . I hope to someday be able to afford surgery .

Sunday, September 19, 2010, 4:29 PM

DIASTASIS RECTI. Check it out ladies! Most women who've had children have this condition in varying degrees. Your stomach muscles were stretched so much that they separated down the middle, leaving a gap. Some women only have 1-3 finger-width gaps, others have them as wide as 8-10 finger-widths! Do a search on this DR, and you'll find out more and how to feel your gap to see how big it is.

Sit-ups and crunches will only make it worse! This condition is only repaired two ways. One is to have surgery to connect the muscles back together. (Insurance does not usually cover this, although I don't know why. If your muscles have separated due to pregnancy, they should cover surgery to fix it!) The other is to try special exercises. Julie Tupler, RN, has a website about this, and has written a book. She has a diastasis rehab clinic. The exercises involve working up to 1000 'belly squeezes' a day in addition to a 15 or 30 minute workout and holding your stomach tight. She says that if you follow everything she says, you should be able to close your gap in 6 months to a year.

In general, the medical community and doctors are ignorant of this problem. They usually just tell women to exercise more and do sit-ups (wrong!), or that it will go away by itself (wrong!).

So, if your 'baby fat' isn't going away, no matter what you do, please look into this! I'm only 125 lbs, but I look several months pregnant, although I try to conceal it with looser clothing. I have about a 3-4 finger-width gap.

I know the options for this problem aren't very appealing, but at least you'll know what your problem is!

Monday, September 20, 2010, 1:16 PM

When you say there is a gap what do you mean. When I stand up I am pretty flat except for a pouch that hangs down at the bottom a little but when I am in push up position I have what looks like two bags of loose skin hanging down with a valley down the middle. Is that the gap you are referring to? If I lay down flat on my back my stomach is flattened out and there is no gap... I thought it was just all stretched out of wack...

Thursday, September 23, 2010, 5:08 PM

1:16 yes I have heard of this b/f and I remember my OBGYN told me notto do situps too soon for this reason, well that was 2.5 yrs ago, I too had a c-sec but honestly mine is poor eating I am just inconsistent with my eating so after I get that in order I will feel much better to offer any other opinions but as far as the gap it was decribed by my doc and it is not discussed enough not sure why..

Thursday, September 23, 2010, 9:27 PM

5:08--The gap is in the muscles. The way you describe your stomach sounds like the way mine is, except my belly skin bulges on either side of my belly button even when upright.

maternalfitness.com is Julie Tupler's site for repairing diastasis recti. A picture right on the home page shows what has happened to your muscles.

The 'gap' in the muscles and how big it is can be easily detected by yourself. Here's an excerpt from Julie's site-

"A diastasis can be checked both during and after pregnancy. The object is to determine how many fingers will fit in the space between the two recti muscles. You also want to determine the condition of the connective tissue. The deeper your fingers will go towards your spine, the weaker the connective tissue. If you feel a pulsing while you are checking, this is a sign of very weak connective tissue. Start with your middle three fingers. You will also want to measure your waist before you start on the program. This measurement will get smaller as the muscles start coming together.

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place your fingers in your belly button. Your fingers should be pointing in the direction of your toes.
Relax your abdominal muscles and lift your head. If you are holding your abdominal muscles in as you check it will give you a false reading as this will make the diastasis appear smaller. The muscles will get closer together the higher you lift your head.

To get a more accurate reading, it is important to check yourself when you first start feeling the muscles coming together. You might have to come up and down a few times so you can feel how the muscles work. If you don’t feel the two ridges of the muscles with 3 fingers you may have to put more fingers in. If you see the football- like ridge you should start by using 4 to 5 fingers. You may even have to use 2 hands if your diastasis is very large.''

9:27-- You should still see if you have a DR gap by following Julie's directions above. She says doing something like situps with DR will keep it from reconnecting, or even make it worse.

Friday, September 24, 2010, 7:35 PM

ok I am 9:27, I did it I laid down and yup I felt the "empty space almost like a line missing" so now I will go to that site you referred to to see what to do next .. I also need to truly pull the whole thing together like eating well and clean and working out consistently... thanks so much for posting 7:35 I found this so helpful

Friday, September 24, 2010, 11:47 PM

New PEERtrainer article on this subject:

http://www.peertrainer.com/health/how-to-get-rid-of-belly-fat.aspx

This is a look at the latest science- tons of footnotes at the end in case you have any questions!

-PEERtrainer

Link

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