Post preg tummy

[tmaddox]

My tummy looks flat and even feels some what firm when i stand up straight. If I sit down or bend over it is flabby and has some loose skin. I had my son 10 months ago and it has got a lot better. I have lost all my preg weight plus 15 lbs. will this ever go away? my body feels saggy and flabby. will that go away or get better. to be honest i have not really exercised b/c i am having so much trouble maintaining my weight due to breast feeding. anyone been through this?

[Anonymous]

You will not have a good stomach without exercise. What kind of miracle are you looking for?

[tmaddox]

i know women who run 10 miles a day and their stomachs are still loose so I am not sure exercise will def take care of this. I was just hoping there was someone else out there who is going through what I am going through.

[Anonymous]

23:32 needs to chill

I'm 18 months PP and have had two kids. I am thinner now than before pregnancy, and have a pretty flat stomach, but loose skin, like you describe. When I'm doing pushups, I can see my flap flapping

[tmaddox]

thank you 23:57. do you find that it gets better with time? was it worse after your second child? my husband and I are thinking about TTC this summer and I am wondering how it will look after my second! in your honest opinion, do you think exercise helps at all with the loose skin? it's so depressing.

[Anonymous]

strength training, not cardio. sit-ups, other ab exercises, and back as well.

[Anonymous]

23:57 here.

I'm doing cardio, and strength training, including abdominal strength training and am on a fairly strict diet, and am actually quite happy with how I look in jeans - you wouldn't catch me dead in a bikini, though.

It did get a bit worse with #2, but I'm also a bit older, which is part of why it did.

[Anonymous]

Depends on genetics and how loose your skin got during pregnancy. Your uterus grew quite a bit, obviously, to acommadate a baby. And with it so did your skin. However, as your uterus constricts and deflates back to normal you skin doesn't necessarily follow. For some women, it looks more obvious. For others, their skin may be taut and very elastic so it may not be as noticable.

There have been a whole host of threads on muffin tops, pooches, or whatever you want to call them so you may want to do a search.

There are some under garments corset-like things that sorta help push in the extra loose skin. Sorta like control top panty hose. A hollywood secret for years.

[Anonymous]

tmaddox wrote:thank you 23:57. do you find that it gets better with time? was it worse after your second child? my husband and I are thinking about TTC this summer and I am wondering how it will look after my second! in your honest opinion, do you think exercise helps at all with the loose skin? it's so depressing.

It gets worse with a second FOR MOST women - not all. I had a neighbor who had three kids, and I swear with each one, she became thinner and her stomach muscles got tighter. She's rare.

I am "old" - 42 - and just had my second 9 mos. ago. I am thinner than I've ever been, but my stomach is in the worst shape. Part of that is my fault. I started exercising after my 6 week check up - weights (home gym from my single gal days) and cardio (walking with the baby and running on the treadmill). However, with illnesses running rampant over the winter, I had to slow down.

So it's up to you. I suggest toning exercises first, especially if you've dropped your weight. Weights are wonderful. But . . . they do nothing for your stomach. So you HAVE to do crunches faithfully. You may never regain your pre-pregnancy stomach, but at least that pooch will tighten up a bit. It's the best you can hope for w/o resorting to lipo! And try walking. It's a great form of low-impact cardio, and it's relaxing. Bring the baby.

[Anonymous]

I found pull ups and crunches worked for me, along with weight training. I didn't have any flab a year after my first, with that routine, along with dropping an add'l 10 lbs of pre-pregnancy weight (my trainer said I'd need to do that to get rid of the muffin, unfortunately). Now I am preg with # 2 and hope I can do it again and not need the mommy surgery!

[Anonymous]

OK people, I have but three words: 30 Day Shred. Best 11 bucks I ever spent. It works.

[Anonymous]

Pilates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK people, I have but three words: 30 Day Shred. Best 11 bucks I ever spent. It works.

30 Day Shred definitely works--on everything, not just abs. But, when I tighten my ab muscles, I've still got the extra skin. It puckers around my belly button when I tighten my abs. So I think some of us are just stuck with loose skin. Still recommend the video though. It's phenomenal.

[Anonymous]

I second pilates and it is great for back pain and poor posture too!

[Anonymous]

If you had a c-section, when did you start exercising?