B Belly / double belly - anyone else?

beany200
beany200 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’m over weight and the heaviest / biggest and most unhealthy I’ve ever been, with serious lack of control where food is concerned (but that’s for another thread). But beyond being over weight, I have the worst shaped tummy and it has always been that shape - albeit smaller, but still that capital B shape (pic attached). Making it impossible to find clothes that flatter. I’ve never had kids/ been pregnant, my belly has just always been like this for as long as I remember.

I find my self envying bigger ladies that have belly’s that are “all one” and smooth.

Does anyone else have this shape of belly? And more has anyone had this shape and successfully lost it? I’d love to see before and after pics if any of you had any. It seems like a really rare body type because I have never come across others online that have openly shared pics of themselves with this shape, except for pics used in tummy tuck “before and afters” and it seems to happen to some pregnant women too.

I fear that the only way I’ll ever not have it is if I get lipo to remove the fat from the “upper” belly but I can’t afford that.

I’m tired of it being a “thing” in my life that is holding me back. It’s a kick in the teeth to be “the wrong kind of fat” too. I guess I just need inspiration.
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Replies

  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    I have this same shape as do lots of others on here. I don't think it is actually that rare. Mine has been this shape at every size, but is more emphasized since I had my c-section. I find that the most flattering clothes are pants or skirts that hit at the waist/right where that indentation is and dresses that have the waist or a tie at or above that point.
  • Teabythesea_
    Teabythesea_ Posts: 559 Member
    edited July 2019
    I have the same shape, always have regardless of my size. For women like us, high waisted everything is our best friend! Mine has only changed *slightly* by lifting but its definitely still there. I would venture to say most if not all women carry a bit more abdominal fat below the belly button, its natures way of protecting our reproductive organs. I guess nature just decided we needed a little more, ha! I don't have a photo of me at my largest, but at my smallest in this photo you can definitely still see it. Just gotta live with it unfortunately! k6wz0cpnvcup.jpg
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    i think i kinda have this too
  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
    I have it too. I just consider it another form of variety to the human shape.
  • Addictead
    Addictead Posts: 66 Member
    I have one too, I thought I was the only person who did!!
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
    edited July 2019
    *raises hand*
    I too am the “proud” owner of a B-belly. I’ve lost 45lbs and still have it. I think I need to learn to love it.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I have it and long ago made peace with it. Looks way better as I lost lots of weight but it is still definitely my shape, meh. I dress around it and like my figure for the most part. I have never worn bikinis or crop tops in my life and not going to start now, so I'm truly unconcerned.
  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member

    apullum wrote: »
    It’s easy to feel like your body is “rare” when it doesn’t match what you see in the media. In reality, a lot of people are shaped like this. It’s just where your genetics lead your body to store fat. Losing weight will probably cause your body to take some of the fat from your belly, but it won’t necessarily change your basic, genetically determined distribution of fat stores. It will probably just make those fat stores smaller and less pronounced.

    Yeah I know what you mean, but for a while I was a bit obsessed with my “different” belly shape and would look at others at the pool, on holiday, on instagram etc and there just rarely ever seemed to be any, if any at all. I feel like it’s a hard shape to hide but that’s not to say there aren’t any, just feel it just must be a lot rarer if it’s hardly ever seen, even outside of the media.

    I think I’ll just have to keep going and lose, as gaining weight hasn’t helped and Altho I always ave had this shape... it was easier to.. “hide” before.
  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member
    seltzermint555 wrote: »
    I have it and long ago made peace with it. Looks way better as I lost lots of weight but it is still definitely my shape, meh. I dress around it and like my figure for the most part. I have never worn bikinis or crop tops in my life and not going to start now, so I'm truly unconcerned.

    Yeah I guess that’s part of it for me, is that I’ve never worn a bikini or felt truly... free in my body, at every size, due to my shape, and that’s kinda sad. As I lose weight, hopefully I can learn to accept it more though.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    beany200 wrote: »
    seltzermint555 wrote: »
    I have it and long ago made peace with it. Looks way better as I lost lots of weight but it is still definitely my shape, meh. I dress around it and like my figure for the most part. I have never worn bikinis or crop tops in my life and not going to start now, so I'm truly unconcerned.

    Yeah I guess that’s part of it for me, is that I’ve never worn a bikini or felt truly... free in my body, at every size, due to my shape, and that’s kinda sad. As I lose weight, hopefully I can learn to accept it more though.

    I can relate! I see a lot of young body positive chicks on IG who are around some of my heaviest weights, high 200s to 300 lb, and a lot of them have nice curved "normal" bellies and I think "ha! not me, not back then and not ever", not really even a jealous thought but just crosses my mind.
  • eb8566
    eb8566 Posts: 249 Member
    I didn’t know this was a thing and actually thought all men got a round belly and women got a segmented type belly, I guess b belly (except pregnant women). ?? Thanks for giving me something else to dislike ☹️
  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member
    eb8566 wrote: »
    I didn’t know this was a thing and actually thought all men got a round belly and women got a segmented type belly, I guess b belly (except pregnant women). ?? Thanks for giving me something else to dislike ☹️

    Sorry that my post has given you any negative feelings towards yourself, it definitely wasn’t my intention. It’s just something I have personally noticed and dislike about myself and I can here to get some inspiration / share my thoughts.

    It’s not a “thing” as such, it’s just a thing for me. Just all the belly’s I seem to see are round and I can’t help but feel different.
  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member
    seltzermint555 wrote: »
    beany200 wrote: »
    seltzermint555 wrote: »

    I can relate! I see a lot of young body positive chicks on IG who are around some of my heaviest weights, high 200s to 300 lb, and a lot of them have nice curved "normal" bellies and I think "ha! not me, not back then and not ever", not really even a jealous thought but just crosses my mind.

    Yeah, that’s exactly it! Instagram and the reality of “most” women seemingly having the “right” kind of fat. My fat just isn’t distributed in the conventionally beautiful way. I even get annoyed when I wear a baggy top, and the wind blows and it’s like, HELLO BELLY SHAPE.
  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member
    Teabythesea_ wrote: »
    I have the same shape, always have regardless of my size. For women like us, high waisted everything is our best friend! Mine has only changed *slightly* by lifting but its definitely still there. I would venture to say most if not all women carry a bit more abdominal fat below the belly button, its natures way of protecting our reproductive organs. I guess nature just decided we needed a little more, ha! I don't have a photo of me at my largest, but at my smallest in this photo you can definitely still see it. Just gotta live with it unfortunately! k6wz0cpnvcup.jpg

    Your tummy looks great! Definitely given me some inspiration, thank you for sharing! I can see the shape but actually it doesn’t look bad at all. I need to keep focused on eating healthy and losing the weight and hopefully with time will learn to accept / love my shape
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    I always thought it was kind of normal. Women’s waists curve in, and men’s are more straight. I have 6 sisters and a daughter. We all have it.
  • Teabythesea_
    Teabythesea_ Posts: 559 Member
    beany200 wrote: »
    Teabythesea_ wrote: »
    I have the same shape, always have regardless of my size. For women like us, high waisted everything is our best friend! Mine has only changed *slightly* by lifting but its definitely still there. I would venture to say most if not all women carry a bit more abdominal fat below the belly button, its natures way of protecting our reproductive organs. I guess nature just decided we needed a little more, ha! I don't have a photo of me at my largest, but at my smallest in this photo you can definitely still see it. Just gotta live with it unfortunately! k6wz0cpnvcup.jpg

    Your tummy looks great! Definitely given me some inspiration, thank you for sharing! I can see the shape but actually it doesn’t look bad at all. I need to keep focused on eating healthy and losing the weight and hopefully with time will learn to accept / love my shape

    Thanks! Since this photo I've gained 15 lbs in a bulk so its definitely much more prominent. Its like theres been zero gained where the line is. Not even worried though. All you can do is just continue to lose and see what happens! Sometimes you've got to just accept what you cant control. 😌
  • sunny_d22
    sunny_d22 Posts: 316 Member
    sassysmom35 wrote: »
    This is super hard for me to do but I'm going to anyway. I think some people don't really know what a B belly looks like. It doesn't appear to be super common and among my friends when I talk about it are all oh I have that then proceed to bend over or sit down and show me their belly rolls. Then I show them my stomach and without fail they are all well no I've never seen that before. Its NOT the same.

    tq3lakb7otyl.jpg

    So here I am in all my glory. As I mentioned previously 5'3". 169 lbs. My goal is about 123 or so. Starting weight was 230. These pants are size 14.
    As you can see the upper part of the B is bigger than the bottom. I am getting ready to start lifting as well as continue my cardio as I lose but I dont know how much of a difference it will make with this. It's awful and it makes me so self conscious no matter how much I've lost I don't feel I can be confident or comfortable in my skin. I absolutely relate to what pp said about never having been able to feel good about themselves because of this shape. It may not be super rare but it's rare enough to where most people, including women, just think I need to do some crunches or ab exercises but while that may help it just doesn't work that way. The basic shape will never change....it has always been even when I was skinny. And that is such a hard pill to swallow. I feel for my B belly sisters out there. It sucks.

    Thanks for sharing. I have a very similar stomach. I never see people with this. I used to think it was because I was larger but I'm smaller now and I still have it. When I see plus size women at the beach or in magazines they do not have this. it's a difficult shape as you're saying because often is a visible when I wear a t-shirt or certain clothes. I have a strong core so it isn't muscle weakness. my body fat percentage is still too high so I'm hopefully it will go away some when I reduce that.
  • eb8566
    eb8566 Posts: 249 Member
    @beany200 I should have used an lol or something after that sentence. I am sometimes too sarcastic.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    edited July 2019
    I feel like the B belly is more common on smaller and larger women than most of us think, but so many of us are pretty much experts at hiding and disguising it. And women who have a different "desirable" belly shape are way more likely to show it off, even if they're very overweight.

    I know for me, whether it's a size 22 or 8 swimsuit I am wearing, I count on the one piece to tightly hold everything snug. I do not look like I have a B belly at all when I'm wearing a one piece swimsuit. Tankinis are my worst nightmare for this reason...as bad as a bikini in some ways. Most of my friends who are around my same size, but maybe have a little extra belly pudge due to past pregnancies and such, LOVE tankinis. These women don't possess the B belly shape!

    For anyone who may be currently losing a lot, I will say it's way less cringe-inducing to me now when the wind strikes my shirt and hits that bicycle tire upper belly roll than back when it was an enormous upper belly roll. So worth it.
  • leonadixon
    leonadixon Posts: 479 Member
    Thank you for this thread! :) I thought I have a weird shaped belly and now seems like it is not as uncommon as I had thought!
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    It wasn't until perimenopause hit that I developed that B belly ... it seems like within 3-6 months, I developed the top part of the B along with the love handles that had been gone for several years. AND, I was not eating any more, still weighing food and rounding up whenever I logged food that could not be easily measured. I have always had a small belly below the belly button, even as a teen and even after reaching my weight loss goals.

    It's just another thing I deal with, although I am constantly tweaking my eating and exercise plans to find the right combo that will help me melt this fat I re-accumulated thanks to perimenopause.
  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    Since your posture is contributing to the appearance of your belly sticking out in front, strengthening your core with exercise will improve your posture and make it look better. Planks, push-ups, strong compound lifts, and ab rollouts are some good exercises for correcting the pelvic tilt which is making you carry your belly out in front of you.

    Thanks, I appreciate the advice. It’s not really the fact it’s sticking out though, it’s the shape more that has concerned me over the years (from 9 stone right to now at 12’9). Then the capital B shape rather than a capital D - it’s kinda like having two permanent rolls when standing.

  • beany200
    beany200 Posts: 12 Member
    missysippy930 wrote: »
    I always thought it was kind of normal. Women’s waists curve in, and men’s are more straight. I have 6 sisters and a daughter. We all have it.

    It’s not the curve at the waist I’m referring to but the shape of the belly itself - it has two rolls instead of one. Like a capital B instead of a D lol
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    edited July 2019
    I really recommend this thread (below) to get a good overview of women’s bellies.

    I would post pics of mine here but it is in full view on page 2 of the above mentioned thread in all it’s glory in numerous positions- including the ‘clinging shar-pei’ while planking’ and ‘belt eating while sitting’.

    I tend to not wear too many dresses, skirts, or pants that hit right at my waist because of the belt eating proclivity- I can end up with a rash, unless it is a soft cloth belt, leather and anything over an inch or two are terrible when seated. I also don’t wear shirts or t-shirts tucked in.

    I’ve never thought of it as a problem, just part of me, and never thought my style of dress awkward or particularly catering to a body flaw (I don’t think it is) - more dressing in a style that suits all of my body (small boobs and bottom included) and personality.

    I have had it no matter my weight, and no matter the amount or type of exercise I do or, for most of my life, don’t do.

    I did find belly dancing, mentioned up thread, really thought me how to use all of my abdominal muscles, not just my abs, and that really helped with posture and engagement when doing anything from taking the laundry out of the machine, going for a walk, or lifting heavy things and putting them down again.

    Cheers, h.

    ETA: Oh, and I wear bikinis all the time. If someone has a problem- it’s their’s; not mine.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

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