stubborn lower belly pooch

[mini-natty]

Hi Cathe!

You have probably been asked this so many times...a real problem for women who have had children

With the pregnancy of my daughter (now 2 1/2) I gained about 50lbs due to a high risk pregnancy. I had to quit my full-time job and stop my exercise regime. I was really determined after she was born to lose all the weight. With a lot of hard work and dedication, I lost all of it (and some!). I am in better shape now than I was before my pregnancy, losing lots of inches and gaining muscle mass. The only problem I have now is that stubborn lower belly pooch. Should I just accept that my stomach will never be flat again after having a child?
A few tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much! Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday.

[nkhansen1]

Well, I think it all depends on if it's fat or stretched out skin and tissue. I have been to a few doctors and a plastic surgeon about by very pronounced pooch, and the consensus is that it's just all stretched out. The muscle underneath is flat and strong which is very frustrating. I can pull my skin around my back and pretend I have a flat stomach! I got bad genes when it comes to my skin bouncing back to normal. It never happened and got worse with each baby. I am very slender at 16% body fat. My only option is surgery which I will never do.

[RapidBreath]

Try seeing a surgeon to determine whether or not its skin or a hernia. If your abdominal wall was breached during the pregnancy, you might need a laparoscopic procedure to repair it. My uncle just had a laparoscopy to repair a hernia that he had and he is already feeling a lot better. Its very common in both males and females, and females often have that happen during the pregnancy.

[EllieB]

Hi miny-natty!
This issue is very common among Moms, I still have flabby,hanging skin that I want to pull back to the muscle. My main concern though was to close my diastasis recti( I was almost 4 fingers separated) and once I closed it I focused on flattening my transversus abdominis and thanks to the Lis I've seen dramatic improvement. Anyway I thought you may find inspiring this post by Cathe, it dates back to 2002 but it is so beautiful and true that I often read it when I'm looking for motivation:
Http://cathe.com/getting-back-in-shape-after-the-baby
Your question is very interesting, hope Cathe will give some nice advice!
Anyway, kudos on your weight loss: you did an amazing job,I'm sure there's hope even for your abs!

[Terina]

Wow!!!! What a great story !!!! Thank you for posting this

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