coming to terms with my belly...

delfin

delfin

Cathlete
yes, my belly. Here's my rant. It's the one part of my body that I can't stand... and feel like I have no control over. If I starve myself, it gets flatter, but then I feel like my face is looking too skinny. The minute I start eating normally (which is fairly clean) it puffs back up again. I'm at the point where I'm thinking, OK, I've got this puffy belly, learn to like it and live with it. So should I come to terms with my belly? Do any of you guys have a body part you've come to terms with?:7
 
My butt and my thighs. Now that I have reached a certain age, I have elephant-like baggy, saggy skin above my knees. And neither butt nor thighs will ever be slim.
 
That would be my triceps....they're in their somewhere, I put my arm up to wave, the hand stops but the triceps keep on a wavin'. I have come to terms with the batwings....they're paid for:+

I love my upper belly and the first few inches under my navel, then it's a road map of a history of being overweight and bearing 3 of the most beautiful Kids to grace the planet (they really are, I'm not biased!):p

Take Care
Laurie:)
 
I have become resolved that I may have to live the second half of my life as I have the first half -- with chicken legs and twig arms. But darn I'm lifting as heavy as I can, eating plenty and good, and trying like heck. After I read back over what I just typed maybe I'm not so resolved with my limbs. Fooey, just when you think you're ok with something. Never mind.
 
Ditto on the batwings Laurie!!;-)

My grandmother had them, my mother has them, and I don't know about my grandma but my mom stopped wearing anything sleeveless at age 30 because of it ! I LOVE my tank tops and go sleeveless all summer, despite my flabby triceps and my age (42)!!:p

They have firmed up some since I've discovered Cathe and all the dreaded tricep work, but I think I'm destined to flap my way through life!:eek:
 
Delfin,

May I suggest The Woman's Belly Book? www.honoringyourbelly.com

No, it does not contain secrets to keep your midsection toned, butt lifted, boobs perky, thighs supple. But, yes, it does give you a respect for your body that you might be seeking.

It helps you to breathe deeper and allow more gentleness inside your body and spirit. Also, the book helps you to "tune in" to your gut to help lead you. I find that when I do the exercises (or even think of the book), I'm more gentle on myself, and I feel the real stuff surface -- like instead of berating my body for something that's not perfect, I'm grateful for my presence and listen to it guide me to my next step (whether that's a hard or gentle workout, a deep breath, a silent prayer, or new plan of action).

Just wanted to share some gentleness that's worked for me. Take care.

;-)
 
Buffet girl, I can totally relate to the elephant skin above the knees. it never bothers me until i am doing those "doggy" stretches--the ones with your butt in the air and you're like an upside down triangel. Then i see this wrinkly skin and think "I have my mother's legs!!!! But then I stand up, it "disappear" and i forget about it!
 
I have come to terms with little belly poof. I have ab defintion but it's still there. When I was severly restricting calories and super skinny it was still there. I've been working on regarding it as a lovely, feminine part of who I am rather than pinching it between my fingers and screaming "WTF are you still doing here?!" at it. :7

Sparrow


Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
I love me....except for the whole area under the belly button to the mid thigh! UUGHHH, even when I was at my thinnest weight the jiggles did not go anywhere.....it only really bothers me when I put on a bathing suit, I still really only feel comfortable in a little skirty bottom, even though my husband says they look like "grannie" suits....well I guess that still means I love at least 70% of me, right??

Donna
 
Yeah, the skin on my thighs. Too loose and gravity bound. Maybe I can rig up something to lift my thigh skin upward while at the same time lifting my sagging boobs. It'd probably have to go over the shoulders and attach at my heels.

Jeanette
 
You know, I wonder if a duct-tape girdle would help us with that thigh skin. I remember Kathryn saying once that she thought she looked her panty hose were falling down. That's it exactly! But with a duct tape girdle, we could attach the loose skin up high on the thighs and, with luck, removing those puddles of lose flesh above the knees.

We could also use duct tape bra straps. With two straps and a band made of good strong duct tape, under an industrial-strength bra, we might be able to avoid attaching at the heel, at least for a few more years.

Shari





>Yeah, the skin on my thighs. Too loose and gravity bound.
>Maybe I can rig up something to lift my thigh skin upward
>while at the same time lifting my sagging boobs. It'd
>probably have to go over the shoulders and attach at my
>heels.
>
>Jeanette
 
I can totally relate to this thread. All my life - even when I was underweight - I've had this pooch of fat beneath my belly button. Just this past week I had a realization that no matter what I do I will always have this pooch (barring surgery LOL).

BTW, duct tape is a good idea! I wonder if they make it in flesh tones?
 
>I can totally relate to this thread. All my life - even when
>I was underweight - I've had this pooch of fat beneath my
>belly button. Just this past week I had a realization that no
>matter what I do I will always have this pooch (barring
>surgery LOL).
>
>BTW, duct tape is a good idea! I wonder if they make it in
>flesh tones?

>TK



I love your creativity. You might be able to get rich marketing flesh tone duct tape.:7
 
Delfin...I too feel the same about my lower abs. I had to have a hysterectomy when I was 25 (I'm 41 now) and also had several laparotomies before that. I'm proud that I've worked hard and really improved that area, but it will never be flat without surgery. When I severely limit my calories, the lower abs have loose skin. When my IBS acts up, my lower abs are puffed out. I do my best to "learn to live with it" but it's frustrating when you work so hard on something and it just won't change, isn't it?

Thanks for this thread. And thanks for sharing!:)
 
> I remember Kathryn saying once that she
>thought she looked her panty hose were falling down.

Oh my, am I going to go down in posterity with that image? LOL!

I think the only help for that is a lower body lift (they basically cut around the top of your thighs, pull the skin up like panty hose, cut off a band of skin at the top, and sew things back together....no thanks!).

I also have the belly bulge, and the only time I didn't have it was on the third day or so of a juice fast back when I was 20. I console myself with the fact that it makes good 'kneading territory' for my cats!

Another way to deal with loving your belly is to take up belly dancing.
 
I have "thick" legs...I always have. When I go shopping for pants, shorts or capris I have to watch how they fit my legs first and foremost. Depending on the style, pants will often hug my thighs quite snuggly and I'll still have a goodly amount of room in the waist/belly area (and my waist is certainly not extraordinarly small!)!!

This happened to me just yesterday as a matter of fact as I was shopping for a pair of jeans. I found a pair of levis hip huggers that I really liked in a size 7. They fit well in the legs but above that it was a tad bit looser than I would have liked so I went and grabbed a size 5...FORGET IT! The legs were waaaay too tight for me while everything above that fit!

I have come to realize that my legs will always be thicker than I want...even though I can slim them down...they will never be proportionate with the rest of my body. They aren't HORRIBLE, they are OKAY, but I definately have wished on more than one occassion that they were much slimmer.
 
Yup, Delfin, I'm right there with ya. When I shop for pants, in order to fit my waist, the butt and thighs always have to be too big. I always imagine Stacy and Clinton watching a video of me saying things like "look at that baggy butt!". But I can't help it, because my waist and tummy are so big.

I really like low-waisted pants, though. Since the invention of low-waisted pants, I can actually sometimes buy pants that look like they actually fit me. I love my Lucky jeans for that reason.

It was reassuring to read all the responses to your post. It appears that there are very few women who are actually satisfied with every aspect of their figures, so I guess we're all in this together. Apparently, perfect proportions are for models. Since most of us have no intention of being models in this lifetime, and since our bodies do everything we need for them to do, and most of what we want them to do, who really cares? :D
-Nancy
 
Nancy,

Proportionately speaking, I am also large waisted. Only have a 7-8" difference between my waist and hips so when I try to buy pants that fit my waist I have no end of problems!:eek:

At this point though with the low rise in style, that doesn't really bother me. I have become so accustomed to NOT having pants, etc sit on my waist that it bugs me when I have to now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top