mom pouch

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BoomstickChik
BoomstickChik Posts: 149 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does it ever go away? The fat. I've accepted I'll likely have excess skin after 4 kids and, so far, 49 lb weight loss, but the saggy, mom pouch, cottage cheesy, fat. Ugh!

Please tell me there's hope. I just had a really discouraging convo with someone about this.

I started at 228 lb, currently 179.

I've only (I'm totally proud of any progress given my thyroid disease and having 4 kids) lost 3 inches from my belly area, is it normal for this to happen? I've lost 3 from my upper arm and 5 1/2 off my thigh!

Show me belly pics? Give me hope! Pleease.
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Replies

  • jandsstevenson887
    jandsstevenson887 Posts: 296 Member
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    I'm at 145 and the loose, saggy skin isn't going away. Unless I got a surgical tummy tuck, there doesn't seem much to do about that.
  • elsinora
    elsinora Posts: 398 Member
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    If it's skin rather than adipose tissue then the only way it goes is surgery ...
  • BoomstickChik
    BoomstickChik Posts: 149 Member
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    I'm talking about FAT. The gross belly fat.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited March 2016
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    The fat will go but it may be the last to go. I'm 5'5.5" and 148 lbs and am looking at getting down to 135-137, possibly lower, to see mine go. (Estimate based on a 5 lb fat model.)

    Read through this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • BoomstickChik
    BoomstickChik Posts: 149 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    The fat will go but it may be the last to go. I'm 5'5.5" and 148 lbs and am looking at getting down to 135-137, possibly lower, to see mine go. (Estimate based on a 5 lb fat model.)

    Go up to the thread that says "helpful threads" and read through So You Want A Nice Stomach.

    Thanks. I just had a discouraging moment. I don't even care if it's "nice," I just want some of the fat gone already so I stop looking like a momma kangaroo.

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited March 2016
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    BoomstickChik wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    The fat will go but it may be the last to go. I'm 5'5.5" and 148 lbs and am looking at getting down to 135-137, possibly lower, to see mine go. (Estimate based on a 5 lb fat model.)

    Go up to the thread that says "helpful threads" and read through So You Want A Nice Stomach.

    Thanks. I just had a discouraging moment. I don't even care if it's "nice," I just want some of the fat gone already so I stop looking like a momma kangaroo.

    Lol. I understand, trust me. I'm at the point where most people think there's no need for me to keep losing because I am thin but dress to camouflage the remaining fat roll. It's definitely there though. 148 after 10 years of being overweight/pregnant =/= 148 before that.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Keep eating at a deficit or surgery (or both in some cases). Mine's never going away without surgery, but I've been morbidly obese for 35 years.
  • BoomstickChik
    BoomstickChik Posts: 149 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    Keep eating at a deficit or surgery (or both in some cases). Mine's never going away without surgery, but I've been morbidly obese for 35 years.

    The fat won't without surgery? Why?
  • BoomstickChik
    BoomstickChik Posts: 149 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    BoomstickChik wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    The fat will go but it may be the last to go. I'm 5'5.5" and 148 lbs and am looking at getting down to 135-137, possibly lower, to see mine go. (Estimate based on a 5 lb fat model.)

    Go up to the thread that says "helpful threads" and read through So You Want A Nice Stomach.

    Thanks. I just had a discouraging moment. I don't even care if it's "nice," I just want some of the fat gone already so I stop looking like a momma kangaroo.

    Lol. I understand, trust me. I'm at the point where most people think there's no need for me to keep losing because I am thin but dress to camouflage the remaining fat roll. It's definitely there though. 148 after 10 years of being overweight/pregnant =/= 148 before that.

    I've never really been thin. I was 174 before pregnancy with my oldest (now 7 years old). I developed hashimotos, autoimmune thyroid disease hypothyroidism.

    I was never able to lose despite weighing food and exercising and everything.

    Now i finally am losing. I actually had another autoimmune disease too...

    Now health issues are manageable, I'm killing it.

    Just need to master that patience.
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    Mine is finally almost gone, but I am down to the low 20's in body fat percent. Estimated at about 24% now, and still a couple more pounds to go before it is gone completely. I have always held my weight in my stomach, so I expected it to be the last to go.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    There can be hope. I've had 2 babies, both over 9 pounds, gained 60 in both pregnancies, and my waist got up to 45 inches around in both pregnancies. I was my biggest at 220. I'm now 150. I have great genetics and lost from my stomach first, but I still wear a size 9/10 in pants. I swear I'm going to have a 6 pack before any fat comes off my butt and thighs. I do have a little extra skin that is mostly noticeable when I bend over and if I wear shorts too high the skin will fold over the top a bit. But those are so minor they really don't bother me. Here's an Instagram post of mine about weight loss since I don't know how to post pictures from my phone.


  • emilywalsh1308
    emilywalsh1308 Posts: 1 Member
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    The belly is massive and my sons are 2 1/2 and 7 months. I didn't lose all the weight after the first pregnancy and I'm definitely paying for it this time round! I've been eating really well and exercising 3 X a week for 3 weeks now and have shifted 8lbs, belly is still huge but I'm definitely fitting into my jeans better already. I'm currently at 171 lbs (5"3) and I'm sure all that excess is on my belly so hopefully as the pounds drop it should shrink! Good luck xx
  • Linzon
    Linzon Posts: 294 Member
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    I'm 5'4" and 133 and no luck so far, but my body seems determined to shed fat from everywhere else before it goes for the stomach (nice lean armpits, anyone?!)...
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    BoomstickChik wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Keep eating at a deficit or surgery (or both in some cases). Mine's never going away without surgery, but I've been morbidly obese for 35 years.

    The fat won't without surgery? Why?

    Well, I don't really want to spend the next 2-3 years dieting down to a weight that will take the fat off my belly. I had enough problems eating 1700 calories a day. Just thinking about how "little" I'd have to eat to lose another 25-30# gives me the shivers. I'd rather have surgery than be on a miserly, limited calorie intake. Not that I'm having surgery. Can't afford it even if it was deemed necessary.
  • samchez0
    samchez0 Posts: 364 Member
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    I have this too and I hate it. I don't think it will ever go away but I hope to at least make it smaller.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    I don't have any good pictures from my heaviest (the few that exist are all seated and angled odd).
    Anyway, I started taking pictures for comparison in 2013 a month or so into MFP and about 50 lbs lighter than my heaviest (I lost some weight before joining MFP).
    Here's some comparisons of my stomach specifically.

    First picture is a little over a year after my first was born. Picture 2 is six months after my second was born.
    3i9b2pvmccp7.jpg
    (both were csections)
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    I feel ya!! I've had 4 babies too. After baby #3 my tummy definitely didn't bounce back the way it did after the first two babies. I'm down 85 lbs now and weigh 128 and still a definite pouch still going on. Lots of stretch marks. Hard to tell sometimes what's fat and what's skin right now. But it looks a TON better and I don't constantly look pregnant anymore.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I feel you, too. I carried twins to full-term and my stomach will never be the same. I was always prone to carrying extra fat in my belly though.
    I'm 5'7" and when I got back to pre-pg weight (139) I still had more belly fat than I wanted. I'm now about 10 lbs below that. It's definitely gotten better. Still far from perfect but I'm at a point where if I lose more weight, I get overly thin in other parts of my body so I shifted to maintenance and am recomping now.
  • RedLipsRedDress
    RedLipsRedDress Posts: 125 Member
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    Hey there @BoomstickChik . I had only one pregnancy but I also started 228 lbs , now 188. As you're asking about FAT, not loose skin, I think fat can go away without surgery. As a doctor I can tell you that after 4 pregnancies not everything you see in your tummy area is fat and skin. Multiple pregnancies make the abdominal muscles thinner and looser. As gross as this might sound your muscles might not be holding you guts tightly enough and this is what makes your belly look bigger. If this is too worrying for you, I suggest you define your exact thickness of the fat layer. Like schedule a CT or other visualisation method of your insides. I guess you don't actually need to spend the money, just stay cool and do any exercise that's good for your core. Personally, I'm too lazy to do this , but I still have some fat to go and then I'll reevaluate my approach. I've never had a flat tummy anyway.
    In conclusion, not everything you see there is fat and skin. Don't be discouraged. Congrats your weight loss so far. Best wishes
  • jademaid
    jademaid Posts: 13 Member
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    Our bodies are predisposed to losing weight a certain way due to our genetics. That why some people have flabby arms when others have flabby bellies even if they are on the same weight loss program. Focus on training your whole body and adjusting your food to match your activity levels so that you are still getting the nutrients you need without over eating.

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