Losing nicely but tummy still there
tallyintheair
Posts: 4 Member
Hello! I'm dropping the weight finally with lchf but noticing my tummy still sticks out like I'm 6m pregnant. I've had 3 kids in the last 5 years so it's probably just still so stretchy. I only do yoga as an excessive but find it really unmotivating when it blobs out like that! Anyone had a similar issue, is it just the last area to go?
Thank you
Thank you
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You don't get to choose where your body loses weight, unfortunately. Tummy can be last to go. Mine definitely likes to hang around until I'm quite a bit leaner than I am now. I hate it, when everything else is smaller, guess what looks bigger? But I know from having been leaner last year than I am now that eventually it will start to go. May it go and never return!0
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Mine is the first to go. First 2 months of Keto and it's flat, I'm just generally squishy everywhere else. You don't really have a say in it though, we're all built differently.0
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How long have you been LC ? I see such a huge difference in how I am losing weight eating keto, compared to previous weight losses when eating a carb laden SAD diet. I am a mother and looked like I was still pregnant up until my kids were 12 and 13 ! I swear I could even feel the babies still kick !
I lost 100 pounds eating conventionally, but not only did that weight loss not stick, I looked larger when eating carbs.
Now the weight is coming down again, and I look the same size as I was 10 years ago eating carbs.....but I was 25 pounds lighter then than I am now. I find this amazing ! I can fit into clothes that I wore when much lighter, just by eating LCHF. My waist is much smaller.
I still have 40 pounds to go, but I am pleased at the way the weight is coming off. I am sure that the past 7 months of eating this way has made all the difference.
Maybe you just have to keep at it and wait for this effect to occur ? We are all different as well. And we can't predict how it will come off. I wonder how many others here might find themselves looking more compact. My only form of exercise is walking so far.
Maybe you just need more time.
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Hormones have some influence, but I don't know how much we can affect the distribution of fat.
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I have gone from the 9 month pregnant look to a 5 month look. The gut visceral fat is about all I have left and I expect by next spring the last 25 pounds will be gone.
I made Total Health my goal so I factor in all measurements. My last set of labs indicate I continue to move in the direction of Total Health so I will wait on the gut to melt.
@tallyintheair welcome to MFP forums. Best of success.0 -
I have felt the opposite from th OP. I have been like @Kitnthecat and have seen a big difference in the weight lost this time. I've been able to see my ribs since two months keto (i started in March) and have been seeing the shadow of them on my back too! I've notice a much thinner feeling and it's great. It's another situation that proves it's different for each of us. I believe it will catch up once your body is ready for it.0
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My recommendation is to take some pictures of you now or and before pictures for comparison. It is very difficult to see the huge changes day to day, a side by side comparison is the best. Also we tend to be more judgemental of our selves, I still look I the mirror and try to flatten my belly like I used to before I lost weight. To me some days my belly looks as big as before though I know it isn't.0
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Hormones have some influence, but I don't know how much we can affect the distribution of fat.
Wow, that was a really good find! cause it gives a starting point on what to try change if very imbalanced body comp. A girl in high school...she was thin as a stick on upper body, but her booty and thighs were...enormous.
Of particular note, high cortisol on midsection...stress is evil and insidious.
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This is me as well - I feel for you. Have lost 40lbs but my belly is the same measurement as it was when I started. This means that I am very slow to size down clothes as they still have to fit round my belly. Oh well. Maybe it will go when I lost the remaining 30lbs.0
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@wabmester, where did you get that from? and do you have a male version by any chance?0
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I just googled it, and I can't vouch for the veracity, but it there seems to be general agreement with other google hits.
From http://healthhabits.ca/2009/08/12/hormones-problem-areas-and-your-body-fat-map-part-2/0 -
Thanks, @wabmester!0
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I've been seriously considering a tummy tuck. I've lost around 13+ inches fron my waist, but I have a lot of loose skin. I can feel the muscles underneath, but no matter how much I exercise the skin is still the same.0
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I had a baby each year for 3 years in a row and started this WOE when my youngest was 5 months old. My belly has gone down, but the skin is loose still. I am confident that if I stay the course everything will go as far back to normal as possible. And if it doesn't, maybe a tummy tuck...
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I had a tummy tuck 10 years ago after having lost 100 pounds eating a crappy low fat diet. I had an "apron" of skin hanging down. I am glad it is no longer there, and I am especially glad that despite having gained all that weight back plus more, and now down 97 pounds again, my tummy is still flat. I'm pleased so far, however still want to lose 35 to 45 more pounds yet, so there is no telling how I will look by then.
I have a scar that runs 3/4 of the way around my body, low in the front and curving upwards around my hips....and a new belly button ! I have to say that this was easily the most painful surgery I have ever recovered from, but my tummy tuck was far more extensive than the normal surgery. Maybe the larger surface area has something to do with it ? I don't know. What I do know, is that my body will never feel the same again.
I would suggest that anyone considering having this surgery done ask their doctor lots of questions about the risks, the results and how their bodies will feel afterwards. I had liposuction around the incision sites, and I'm not sure how far the lipo went, but I still have pain around some of these areas 10 years later. These areas never gain fat again, so can be sore to the touch. I had areas of skin simply numb for years. This has improved, but other areas are still sore to touch, or I have pain when brushing up against objects. Not serious pain, but noticeable. Another weird feeling is like an itch inside my body that I can't scratch. I'm sorry if this may be TMI, but it's a reality of how I feel as a result of my desire to have a flat tummy.
I ask myself now if I would go through this type of thing knowing what I know now, and I don't know what I'd say. My main concern would be that no one should rush into a decision like this. I am so curious to see what some of our LCHF friends out there really look like as they lose weight, compared to people eating a low fat high carb diet. My suspicion is that the carb eaters have more bloating, more tummy, less elasticity in their skin as they lose. My theory is that folks who eat high fat have better skin integrity, better skin elasticity etc. Of course, age is a factor too.....but I really wonder if the surgery may be necessary at all if weight loss is gradual, and if eating a LCHF diet, which naturally reduces inflammation and makes our tummies appear smaller already.
I guess time will tell how I will feel about how I look as I continue on my own weight loss mission. I suppose I am glad to have had the surgery judging by the way I looked back then. I likely do look better even now, after having gained then lost after surgery, than if I had not had the surgery years ago. I just wish I had found out about a keto diet many years ago, and who knows, maybe I could have avoided all this weight fluctuation and surgery completely.
Only you will know if this is the right decision for you.0 -
Kitnthecat wrote: »I had a tummy tuck 10 years ago after having lost 100 pounds eating a crappy low fat diet. I had an "apron" of skin hanging down. I am glad it is no longer there, and I am especially glad that despite having gained all that weight back plus more, and now down 97 pounds again, my tummy is still flat. I'm pleased so far, however still want to lose 35 to 45 more pounds yet, so there is no telling how I will look by then.
I have a scar that runs 3/4 of the way around my body, low in the front and curving upwards around my hips....and a new belly button ! I have to say that this was easily the most painful surgery I have ever recovered from, but my tummy tuck was far more extensive than the normal surgery. Maybe the larger surface area has something to do with it ? I don't know. What I do know, is that my body will never feel the same again.
I would suggest that anyone considering having this surgery done ask their doctor lots of questions about the risks, the results and how their bodies will feel afterwards. I had liposuction around the incision sites, and I'm not sure how far the lipo went, but I still have pain around some of these areas 10 years later. These areas never gain fat again, so can be sore to the touch. I had areas of skin simply numb for years. This has improved, but other areas are still sore to touch, or I have pain when brushing up against objects. Not serious pain, but noticeable. Another weird feeling is like an itch inside my body that I can't scratch. I'm sorry if this may be TMI, but it's a reality of how I feel as a result of my desire to have a flat tummy.
I ask myself now if I would go through this type of thing knowing what I know now, and I don't know what I'd say. My main concern would be that no one should rush into a decision like this. I am so curious to see what some of our LCHF friends out there really look like as they lose weight, compared to people eating a low fat high carb diet. My suspicion is that the carb eaters have more bloating, more tummy, less elasticity in their skin as they lose. My theory is that folks who eat high fat have better skin integrity, better skin elasticity etc. Of course, age is a factor too.....but I really wonder if the surgery may be necessary at all if weight loss is gradual, and if eating a LCHF diet, which naturally reduces inflammation and makes our tummies appear smaller already.
I guess time will tell how I will feel about how I look as I continue on my own weight loss mission. I suppose I am glad to have had the surgery judging by the way I looked back then. I likely do look better even now, after having gained then lost after surgery, than if I had not had the surgery years ago. I just wish I had found out about a keto diet many years ago, and who knows, maybe I could have avoided all this weight fluctuation and surgery completely.
Only you will know if this is the right decision for you.
Thank you for sharing this. It gives me a whole new perspective on tummy tucks.0 -
Yes, thanks @Kitnthecat that helps to put my dissatisfaction with my belly area into perspective.0
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I have always carried weight in my belly, even at normal weight, it seemed like my belly protruded and was fat and I was always unhappy with how it looked. And it is worse now at 50+. However, I am seeing progress, it just takes time. LCHF has been helping a lot, more than anything else ever has actually. I thought it was going to be impossible to ever get rid of it, but I think now it is possible, just will take more time and patience. Lifting weights and doing body weight exercises helped a lot to strengthen the muscles underneath so that there is a bit of firmness under there, but you still have to wait and work on reducing the fat.0
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Remember, too, that there is the genetic component especially for women to carry extra fat in the belly. It has to do with species survival and carrying children even in times of famine, so genetically, we are wired to have a bit of extra fat stored there in case of emergencies. It is hard coded genetic stuff.
Also, another perspective from a woman with pelvic floor dysfunction and prolapse. Women are meant to have a gentle curve outward in the belly area (I know most of us are more worried about GUTS than CURVES). This supports the formation of the cradle of our hips, proper posture, and lower back support. It is highly likely that in later years, all these women with 6-pack abs and flat tummies will end up with some form of back/hip joint issues or pelvic dysfunction/prolapse/disorder unless they maintain the balance of the lower and more internal muscles most of us don't even know there are exercises to tighten/firm! I'm not talking about kegels, but true internal pelvic floor exercises. It is easy to err too far to the tightness or the looseness of those muscles, so if you have any sort of urinary or bowel difficulties that aren't specifically tied to food, I highly recommend a visit to the doc, as the longer you go, the worse it gets, and the lower the "best" level you can regain...
Just some perspectives about bellies... When I remember that a certain amount of belly is protecting my health, I can accept it a little easier.0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »When I remember that a certain amount of belly is protecting my health, I can accept it a little easier.
Yes, we can love our bodies, knowing that things are there for a reason.
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Similar in a small way to one of Kitnthecat's points.... I recall watching an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis years ago discussing, in part, all the multiple efforts she made cosmetically and her vowing to never do more again... What I remember most vividly was her mention of liposuction and that you never regain fat in that area again, which causes any new fat deposits to simply go around those spots which potentially looks quite unnatural and possibly bizarre.
So many things to consider.0 -
Yes, that's a good point. I do have a small indent where my incision line is. But it's not too bad. It's the weird feeling like a fishing line is strung around me pulling that is the hardest part. I don't know if losing more weight will help, but one can hope. Ohh... There goes that odd itching again.... I am hoping that the small amount of puffiness outside of the lipo zones go down a bit more as I continue to lose weight.
Lol, this sounds like a botched Hallowe'en experimental surgery.... It doesn't really look as bad as I describe. The scars are part of me. And the way the surgery was done has sculpted my stomach, hips and lower abdomen near the groin in a way that it is not likely achievable without surgery. It's just that it has changed the ways body feels. If you guys were here, I'd give you a peek0 -
My stomach started to flatten out when I had lost 45 to 50 pounds. It is a long way from flat. It is getting better. not sure it will ever be flat like when I was young again. It no longer bulges like a roll when I wear jeans. I still have 34 more pounds to go. Who knows how it will look when those pounds are gone.0
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MissMaggieElizabeth wrote: »My stomach started to flatten out when I had lost 45 to 50 pounds. It is a long way from flat. It is getting better. not sure it will ever be flat like when I was young again. It no longer bulges like a roll when I wear jeans. I still have 34 more pounds to go. Who knows how it will look when those pounds are gone.
That's encouraging - I'm at 42 lbs lost and am really keen for my belly to flatten out. I am aiming to have lost another 9lbs by Christmas, so it's nice to have the potential for a more comfortable fit for my trousers/pants. Of course, everyone's different and it may not pan out for me as it did for you, but I'll have it in my mind anyway. Thanks for posting that!
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Kitnthecat wrote: »Yes, that's a good point. I do have a small indent where my incision line is. But it's not too bad. It's the weird feeling like a fishing line is strung around me pulling that is the hardest part. I don't know if losing more weight will help, but one can hope. Ohh... There goes that odd itching again.... I am hoping that the small amount of puffiness outside of the lipo zones go down a bit more as I continue to lose weight.
Lol, this sounds like a botched Hallowe'en experimental surgery.... It doesn't really look as bad as I describe. The scars are part of me. And the way the surgery was done has sculpted my stomach, hips and lower abdomen near the groin in a way that it is not likely achievable without surgery. It's just that it has changed the ways body feels. If you guys were here, I'd give you a peek
How close were you to goal when you had this done? I'm planning on consulting next year for myself, but I want to be completely down to goal first, thinking that will net me the best results.
Did you also have to have any muscle recontruction with it? I've read those that have had children, it's sometimes necessary along with the abdominoplasty. That won't be an issue with me, just curious due to your pain levels.
I'm also curious how long the healing process was, before you could get back to normal activities and/or work? I'm a key person at work and it will be difficult taking any amount of time off.
Thanks for any insight, apologies if too personal.0 -
I have had two children and was what I considered to be near goal weight back then. It was a matter of having so much excess skin that I felt urgency to be rid of it. I did intend to lose more weight afterwards, but that didn't happen.
I don't mind answering questions at all, no worries. I did have muscle reconstruction as well. My muscles still feel tight surprisingly. I took about 6 weeks off work, and had to wear a very tight compression garment for at least a couple of months and had to limit activity, no exercise. I felt like I was going to fall apart without the compression garment.
I have heard of someone I know who had a smaller operation who was off work for 3 weeks with hers. This was no picnic to recover from. I can't remember how long the drains were in, maybe 10 days to 2 weeks, that was gross.0 -
I'm only 12 lbs to goal and I have quite a lot of floppy belly fat/skin. Many years ago I was 205 and got down to 145 and maintained that for a few years then went back and forth from 165 to 155 for a few more years until starting Keto in May at 164. I'm at 138 now and I don't know how to make my belly look good or even decent. I'm able to wear a 7/8 jeans but I still have a loose floppy belly
I heard that Dave Asprey uses hydrolyzed collagen and whole body vibration and credits it to tightening up his extra skin. Is anyone familiar with any such claims?0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »Remember, too, that there is the genetic component especially for women to carry extra fat in the belly. It has to do with species survival and carrying children even in times of famine, so genetically, we are wired to have a bit of extra fat stored there in case of emergencies. It is hard coded genetic stuff.
Just some perspectives about bellies... When I remember that a certain amount of belly is protecting my health, I can accept it a little easier.
Another tidbit about bellies from my family. If you've had children and have a muffin top or some flab/loose skin/whatever, own that *kitten*. Yeah, it's not societies standard of beauty but so what? That belly carried one or more wonderful little humans and it's a badge of honor. Enjoy the flatness while you're young, but after kids, enjoy them more than you worry about what they left behind.
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sweetteadrinker2 wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »Remember, too, that there is the genetic component especially for women to carry extra fat in the belly. It has to do with species survival and carrying children even in times of famine, so genetically, we are wired to have a bit of extra fat stored there in case of emergencies. It is hard coded genetic stuff.
Just some perspectives about bellies... When I remember that a certain amount of belly is protecting my health, I can accept it a little easier.
Another tidbit about bellies from my family. If you've had children and have a muffin top or some flab/loose skin/whatever, own that *kitten*. Yeah, it's not societies standard of beauty but so what? That belly carried one or more wonderful little humans and it's a badge of honor. Enjoy the flatness while you're young, but after kids, enjoy them more than you worry about what they left behind.
That's lovely. My little humans like my jiggly belly. Maybe they're fond of their old home!0 -
Kitnthecat wrote: »I have had two children and was what I considered to be near goal weight back then. It was a matter of having so much excess skin that I felt urgency to be rid of it. I did intend to lose more weight afterwards, but that didn't happen.
I don't mind answering questions at all, no worries. I did have muscle reconstruction as well. My muscles still feel tight surprisingly. I took about 6 weeks off work, and had to wear a very tight compression garment for at least a couple of months and had to limit activity, no exercise. I felt like I was going to fall apart without the compression garment.
I have heard of someone I know who had a smaller operation who was off work for 3 weeks with hers. This was no picnic to recover from. I can't remember how long the drains were in, maybe 10 days to 2 weeks, that was gross.
I appreciate your comments Kitn!
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