# Please help me with my flabby belly!



## elephant29

Hey guys,

Does anyone have any tips on how to lose this horrid overhang of flab on my belly? I had a section 7 weeks ago. Although I am not back into pre-pregnancy clothes, I am almost and have lost a good amount of weight, but this belly thing is starting to get to me!

To be fair I dont do much excersise and my diet isnt brilliant. I went to dance class twice but with snow I cant get out. Isd there any easy, convenient excersising I can do at home. I'm BF so thas def helped.

Thanks.
xxx


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## K1mberley

sit ups? not much help to be honest ive got the same problem, although i didnt have a section, im back in my size 10s but have this overhang of flab/muffin top i joke to my OH i have to tuck it in to my knickers lol. I keep on meaning to start sit ups but tbh i cant be ar*sd!lol


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## chubbin

Hi there, yes I have the c-sec overhang too, although my HV told me it's where your uterus gets stretched out, and no-one is immune. Bit of a shocker isnt it! Wear leggings, cycle shorts, 'hold in' pants or just big pants as often as you can (dunno why it helps it to go away, but it does), and moisturise it. It does go down on it's own, although mine is still noticeable. Its not as bad as it was to start with though, by a long way. The HV said it takes about 9 months-1 year for your uterus to fully get back to where you started - I dont know if this has any basis in medical fact though...
I hid my tummy overhang from my DH for about 3 months. When he finally saw it, he said 'it's fine'. This is a man who will happily tell me when Ive put on weight. So although it's a shocker for us, I dont think it's as bad as we think. Ive learned to live with mine now, but like I say, it does improve naturally over time (as long as you lay off the pies) Im sure exercise would help even more :) xx


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## veganmum2be

wish i knew cos im the same. i've been doing sit ups when i get chance everyday...not noticed a difference!


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## misscream

Oh the dreaded belly pouch.


Still have mine. I haven't tried really hard to get rid of it although I know how to and I'm sure you do too :) 

I keep forgetting that I'm no longer pregnant and I can't keep eating deep fried cheese!!


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## Mrs IKW

I had a section 4 weeks ago and virtually from day 1 I wore a Playtex girdle (massive pants that go up to under the boobs and are REALLY tight! They support the tummy whilst it shrinks back and helps everything go back to normal. I wore the girdle 24 hours a day for the first 3 1/2 weeks, and also, as soon as I could get it round me I started wearing a post pregnancy support belt type thing, and as the girdle has got a bit big on me now Im wearing support pants under the support belt.... Im totally trussed up!!!! ;) 

I have to say that my tummy has gone down so quickly - and Im FF, so I would swear by belly binding/support belts etc etc and Im sure they will help even if you start wearing them a few weeks after birth. 

Unfortunately there isnt a girdle that will shrink my thighs, so Im going to have to do some exercise to shrink them!!!!!!! LOL! :)


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## you&me

:haha: I posted on my facebook status last night that I was thinking of starting a tummy tuck fund!!

My tummy went back to 'normal' quite quickly after my first daughter and that section, but then I only carried her til 29 weeks, this time around, after stretching for 39 weeks and another section I have a floppy ole woman's belly, it grosses me out :nope:


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## aliss

#1- Your uterus takes a LONG time to shrink, several months.

#2- A "flat" stomach comes from eating a proper healthy diet. You can have a 6 pack without exercising, but you can't have a 6 pack without a spot-on accurate diet.

#3- Situps, crunches, etc. are the biggest fraud in fitness. The average person thinks they help create a flat stomach. They do not. Many body builders do not even do them at all - they do heavy compound movements (heavy squats, heavy bench, heavy deadlift).

So, you'll need to get your diet in check and give it a lot of time. You also have a lot of abdominal damage from the pregnancy and the additional C section.

If you look at my journal below, I have my progress pictures in the first post. The first picture is 6 weeks post partum, you can see a HUGE shrinkage between that and 12 weeks, just from the uterus contracting.


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## lauren10

There isn't an exercise that can target the belly fat unfortunately. Diet and exercise!

I wouldn't say that situps and crunches are fraudulent...they are still an exercise that will help your overall goal of losing weight and gaining core strength which is very important for protecting your back...especially when you're carrying a baby around! 

I try to do pushups, squats/lunges and situps every day...it's something you can do in the house and it doesn't take too long. You can even hold your baby while you do squats and lunges for extra weight. Then I have 8lb dumbells that I got cheap at walmart to do upper body exercises. There are definitely things you can do without having to trek through the snow. good luck!


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## aliss

Sorry, not that they are a fraud, but that all the TV, magazine promgrams selling situps as the cure for a flat stomach are a fraud... it's diet! I should have clarified :)


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## kitabird

6 months after having LO my belly is still horrible, and I didn't have a section either! I hate it, it makes me feel about 50 :cry: Sorry, I have no advice, just hope someone else does


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## lauren10

aliss said:


> Sorry, not that they are a fraud, but that all the TV, magazine promgrams selling situps as the cure for a flat stomach are a fraud... it's diet! I should have clarified :)

ah very true! :)


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## bec&1stbump

7 weeks ago? Give it time honey... you're body had 9 months of changes and will take about that long to get it back to how it was. x


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## Kay0102

I had an emergency section same day as you and I have become extremely depressed over the "mothers apron" belly, mines horrendous!!

I keep telling myself I have my beautiful son, but at 22 and married I guess I feel I should look better for my husband (even though he tells me how perfect I am everyday)

I am so down about it, but hopefully as above PPs are saying it will go with time

xx


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## MummyToAmberx

best thing exercise lol

ive not done 1 sit up my large overhang is now a mini overhang.

i do alot circuit training, strength training, bike & walking


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## Rachel S

Hello ladies, I am a fitness instructor and had Darcey my first baby by c section 8 months ago.
I went back to exercising 6 weeks after i had her, had no choice as i run my own studio and no work, no money for me. Anyway i exeercised throughout my whole pregancy only stopping a week before i had her and i was two weeks overdue.
I still have a few pounds to lose, untill i am back to my pre pregancy weight.
I do a lot of Pilates whihc helps tighten it all up round the core muscles and deep pelvic muscles too. Unfortunately unless you are really lucky, you need to do some fat burning exercise combined with strength training and watch what you eat too to lose the belly and after pregnancy it is really hard. It has a been a huge eye opener for me, that it didn't all magically ping back and losing that last few pounds is really hard and i have no idea if the overhang will ever really go, it will get less.
Walking is great exercise as is climbing up stairs. It is a huge myth that by doing hundreds of sit ups or crunches you will lose a flabby belly. The only way to lose the belly is exercise and a healthy diet. Doing the sit ups/crunches will strengthen the abdominal muscles, but they will be sitting under a layer of flab if no other exercise is done.

If any of you would like any furthur help or ideas, PM me and i will be glad to help :)


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## elephant29

Thanks so much ladies!

I find it pretty difficult to even contemplate excersise at the moment but I know deep down that there is no miracle cure! I can def notice a difference in the 7 weeks though so i guess it does just take time!

My diet is starting to stress me out. Due to BF I sometimes have to just grab what I can when I can and it isnt always the healthiest. In fact more often that not I dont eat! My OH is great and when he's home he will make dinner for me but 9 times out of 10 Aria decides she's just beyond starving and starts acting like a little shark and my dinner goes cold so I cant eat it, haha.

I will def try and make more of an effor though as I know when I go back to work in May I dont want to look like this!

Thanks again and good luck to everyone else trying to lose it.

xxx


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## MummyToAmberx

I dunno how things work when BF & loosing weight.

Id take up exercise as soon as you can will LO sleeps alot? 

Im glad i made most of the first 6 months, as after that exercise started to become harder as my LO got more demanding with other things.
Since she started to walk at 9.5months, my exercise basically stopped for couple months so i had watch her non-stop she cut her naps down to 30mins a day in that time i had other things to do.
She turn 1s on monday things starting get easier again as she fully confident walker.


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## emsiee

My tummy is still flabby and not completely flat but its getting there. This is my 2nd child and Ive found it a lot harder losing the weight than the first round. I watch what I eat, and exercise every day. I do sit ups, cardio and walking. Sit ups alone will not lose the flab, you have to eat healthily and do some high impact exercise a few times a week. You only gave birth 7 weeks ago, so I wouldnt worry just yet. Just start exercising as soon as your doc says you can :flower:


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