Any exercise fitness gurus? Really gross belly pics*WARNED

ohmyjiggle

Okay, so its taking a lot for me to post these photos. However, I feel its kind of necessary to get to my point.

The pounds aren't a big deal to me anymore. I got this belly, from gaining 80 pounds due to pregnancy 7 years ago. I was 236 lbs. the day I gave birth.

NOW, I'm 157 5'7"

I don't care too be a "skinny" girl, as I am naturally "curvy" if you will, I don't know what my "shape" is considered.

That being said, I want to "tone" my body and build muscle. I however I'm scared if I lose more weight, I will lose my butt!! LOL I know some don't like having a big butt, but I do.

I don't exactly know how to go about it. Today I am on day 3 of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred skipping level 1, and started on level 2. And yesterday I walked 2 miles fast paced, as my daughters stroller wheels wouldn't let me "JOG" Which is what I wanted to do.

I just don't know if I should do cardio, or something else? What exercises should I be doing to build muscle and tighten up my areas?

Also, what should I be eating, 1200 cals? or more? How much Protein? Should I be limiting something? carbs, sugar? IDK!!

I'm just a bit overwhelmed, and found MFP and wanted to jump in and start somewhere. But now that I think about it If I do mostly "CARDIO" walking, whatever... that's going to make me lose more weight, or no?

Pretty much, I want a strong body, but obviously not she-hulk. And I don't want to be a "stick"
I also have no idea about exercising, the30day shred is HARD for me, so I need to kind of "ease" into something.

Onto the pictures, my stomach is disgusting and i'm sure exercise cant help that. So I am more or so worried about the REST of my body. My "love handles", inner and back thighs, my arms, and I want my butt more "high" LOL

IF YOU DONT LIKE IT DONT LOOK!!!! At least you have a choice

murphy612

I was going to fix your pictures but you removed them lol just change the

ohmyjiggle

I was going to fix your pictures but you removed them lol just change the

LOL thanks, I got it!

firstsip

Honestly? My number one thought was, "Maybe talk to someone." If you are that abrasively down on yourself and your body image, "fixing" everything won't necessarily make you happy once you reach any of those goals. You're a healthy weight and certainly don't look "really gross."

Otherwise, look up your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) on various calculators. Try subtracting 20% from this number (though maybe even 10-15%). That'll help with further body fat loss at a slower rate... which will help with maintaining lower weights for longer, help with not losing LBM (lean body mass, or muscle), and will help with skin elasticity.

You don't need to limit anything unless you have a medical condition, or find you feel better without certain things.

You say you feel overwhelmed with all the info... just start slow. Try eating the set amount of calories you'd fine from those calculators. Look up programs for lifting (Like Stronglifts 5x5 or "New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLW)" or even cardio (Couch to 5k comes to mind) that dictate exactly what to do (as this might help with the overwhelming feeling of trying to piece together everything yourself). Try them out and see if you like what happens.

And for the love of MFP, don't be so down on your appearance.

Edited to add: With lifting, this actually will help your "trouble" zones more than you think by maintaining LBM while losing body fat (which has resulted in many women who have given birth to get stomachs they never thought they could). You can't spot reduce where fat comes off, but lifting helps strengthen the muscles in these areas... which helps lose body fat from everywhere. And with lifting? You certainly won't lose a butt after doing squats and deadlifts.

KarenisPaleo

JEEZ!! You are beautiful!! Seriously.

That extra skin, is just that, extra. It happens to some with pregnancy and weight gain for sure. You can have it removed by way of tummy tuck if it drives you crazy but seriously, you're gorgeous.

Give yourself a break.

Eating well and exercising are both good for you, so for this reason do both.
In the meantime I'm sure you're turning heads all over town.

ohmyjiggle

Honestly? My number one thought was, "Maybe talk to someone." If you are that abrasively down on yourself and your body image, "fixing" everything won't necessarily make you happy once you reach any of those goals. You're a healthy weight and certainly don't look "really gross."

Otherwise, look up your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) on various calculators. Try subtracting 20% from this number (though maybe even 10-15%). That'll help with further body fat loss at a slower rate... which will help with maintaining lower weights for longer, help with not losing LBM (lean body mass, or muscle), and will help with skin elasticity.

You don't need to limit anything unless you have a medical condition, or find you feel better without certain things.

You say you feel overwhelmed with all the info... just start slow. Try eating the set amount of calories you'd fine from those calculators. Look up programs for lifting (Like Stronglifts 5x5 or "New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLW)" or even cardio (Couch to 5k comes to mind) that dictate exactly what to do (as this might help with the overwhelming feeling of trying to piece together everything yourself). Try them out and see if you like what happens.

And for the love of MFP, don't be so down on your appearance.

Edited to add: With lifting, this actually will help your "trouble" zones more than you think by maintaining LBM while losing body fat (which has resulted in many women who have given birth to get stomachs they never thought they could). You can't spot reduce where fat comes off, but lifting helps strengthen the muscles in these areas... which helps lose body fat from everywhere. And with lifting? You certainly won't lose a butt after doing squats and deadlifts.

I wasn't being "down" on myself it IS what is IT! GROSS. For some reason it doesn't look as bad in the photos? I know im a healthy weight, that's why I said I didn't care to lose anymore, that's why I said become stronger toned, etc. I lack "DEFINITION" if you will. But thank you for your advice, I've read about lifting but was not sure how to go about it? I will look into the things you mentioned. Thank you

ohmyjiggle

JEEZ!! You are beautiful!! Seriously.

That extra skin, is just that, extra. It happens to some with pregnancy and weight gain for sure. You can have it removed by way of tummy tuck if it drives you crazy but seriously, you're gorgeous.

Give yourself a break.

Eating well and exercising are both good for you, so for this reason do both.
In the meantime I'm sure you're turning heads all over town.

Thanks dear, I'm aware of the tummy tuck LOL however I cant afford It right now. IT DOES DRIVE ME CRAZY. But I was asking in terms of the rest of my body. thanks

AbstractAsterism

JEEZ!! You are beautiful!! Seriously.

That extra skin, is just that, extra. It happens to some with pregnancy and weight gain for sure. You can have it removed by way of tummy tuck if it drives you crazy but seriously, you're gorgeous.

Give yourself a break.

Eating well and exercising are both good for you, so for this reason do both.
In the meantime I'm sure you're turning heads all over town.

QFT!!!

MommyisFit

I'm right there with you girl! My tummy is the same after 2 sections with almost 10lb babies. I actually think that the smaller I am the worse my tummy looks! I am hoping to get the tummy tuck once we know for sure we are done with having kids. We may have one more.

For now, I am just worried about being healthy and strong.

Curious to see if there is anything else that could help, but I seriously doubt it. But I can hope right?!?!

Feel free to add me if you want.

missshyeviolett

I kept waiting to see gross pictures. They never came. That's a pretty average post-pregnancy pic- don't be so hard on yourself! Just eat well and do some strength training.

K_Serz

I kept waiting to see gross pictures. They never came. That's a pretty average post-pregnancy pic- don't be so hard on yourself! Just eat well and do some strength training.

Yes. So whats the problem here? Dont see one. Just do what she said keep going and youll be fine. Its not going to happen overnight, just keep at it.

angelams1019

lol If those belly pics are "really gross" I don't even want to know what mine are!

Care to trade? :flowerforyou:

xombiebite

1. you are gorgeous.
2. im disappointed in the lack of grossness in your pics. i was expecting blood guts and gore :sad:

prettigirl01

you haven't seen a stomach until you've seen mine! I wish I had a tummy like yours seriously. I could send you pics but you would be scarred for life. please be happy with what you have. there are people who have worse tummys than that

devil_in_a_blue_dress

See a mental health professional to work on how you see yourself? You are lovely and your abdomen is not, in ANY WAY, gross.

Aside from that -- you can't spot reduce fat. My non-expert suggestion is to eat at a very small deficit (.5 a week) and lift..

ohmyjiggle

1. you are gorgeous.
2. im disappointed in the lack of grossness in your pics. i was expecting blood guts and gore :sad:

YOU GUYS ARE KIDDING MEEE!!!

If you've ever seen the movie shallow hal, that's how I am feeling right now. I am not HALLUCINATING!
lol It is horrible! That's not even the worse part, Underneath where my pants are covering is a wrinkled crinkled gross FLAP. But I wasn't trying to GROSS people out that bad...

Thanks though

CorvusCorax77

I can tell u the "high butt" comes from doing weighted squats and deadlifts. I had a flat bum until I started lifting....

ohmyjiggle

you haven't seen a stomach until you've seen mine! I wish I had a tummy like yours seriously. I could send you pics but you would be scarred for life. please be happy with what you have. there are people who have worse tummys than that

PLEASE DO SEND PICS!!

Everywhere I look I cant find any worse then mine, so am I just the only one showing... or WHAT?

If I bend over its like a butt hanging of skin, yaaaah that's sexy?

ohmyjiggle

See a mental health professional to work on how you see yourself? You are lovely and your abdomen is not, in ANY WAY, gross.

Aside from that -- you can't spot reduce fat. My non-expert suggestion is to eat at a very small deficit (.5 a week) and lift..

How is that not gross? I have NO BELLY BUTTON!!!
How many of these do you see on the beach?

Oh and I cant afford a mental health professional lol.

I think lifting is what is calling me, this post wasn't supposed to be about my stomach, but I was just warning ahead. lol

miqisha

I have kids so I have the same tummy. I wouldn't say gross but I feel your pain. That being said. I would recommend squats to help tighten up and probably lift your butt, Google the 30 day butt challenge. In regards to the toning, there are a lot of different programs out there, there are also topics that you can search on the forum. There are also Youtube videos that you can get routines from.

Clean eating and ab work along with the toning exercise will help lessen the belly fat, however, may not fully eliminate it

Good luck

LuLuChick78

I agree with all of the above....just wanted to add that looking like a "she-hulk" takes a crapload of work and dedication and would have to be intentional...so DO NOT be shy about lifting! It is the best way to get to where you seem to want to be.

ohmyjiggle

I can tell u the "high butt" comes from doing weighted squats and deadlifts. I had a flat bum until I started lifting....

Thank you, I will look into that.

action_figure

Oh you are FINE! I know you don't like the way it looks. You can definitely improve that. You want to do strength training. Kettlebells are a good all over body workout. You want to do squats. Squats will make an ugly butt pretty and a pretty butt sexy and a sexy butt even better. Squats make the muscles firm and they even helped my big ol' fat butt and thigh area start crawling right back up my body to where it all belonged instead of sagging. Cardio is good for burning calories, but strength training is going to really make everything look good for you. Promise. I just wrote a giant blog post about figuring out calories, proteins and macros this morning. Let me find it for you.

http://actionfiguremini.tumblr.com/post/60752045931/my-plan-because-someone-asked

fbmandy55

you haven't seen a stomach until you've seen mine! I wish I had a tummy like yours seriously. I could send you pics but you would be scarred for life. please be happy with what you have. there are people who have worse tummys than that

PLEASE DO SEND PICS!!

Everywhere I look I cant find any worse then mine, so am I just the only one showing... or WHAT?

If I bend over its like a butt hanging of skin, yaaaah that's sexy?

I will tell you that my son is 6 and I still have the flap of skin on my belly. I do have quite a bit of weight to lose but genetics play a huge role in post-baby body. My mom got in good shape and despite her low body fat, had a tummy tuck to remove the skin.

I would do what others have suggested, find your TDEE using an online calulator and eat 10% or 15% less than TDEE. Do some weight lifting and keep walking!

Most importantly, stop being so hard on yourself. Try to improve your body image. You've had a baby, enjoy them and take the slow and steady method of getting your body back.

maybeazure

I can promise you that your body looks way worse to you than it does to anyone else. I'd trade you in a heart beat. I imagine that it will improve, including the loose skin,with any kind of exercise--especially strength training. Keep doing Jillian's workouts. They seem to work pretty good for her, but then again she hasn't had a pregnancy either.

ohmyjiggle

I agree with all of the above....just wanted to add that looking like a "she-hulk" takes a crapload of work and dedication and would have to be intentional...so DO NOT be shy about lifting! It is the best way to get to where you seem to want to be.

Thank you. My boyfriend was telling me if I lift I will have arms like a "man" because I am "big boned" as he calls it. and my arms are flabby when I pik them up. "BATWINGS" if you will.

fbmandy55

You are beautiful! I am confident that most people look better with their clothes on anyway It Works has an AMAZING body applicator that you can apply right to your problem area. It tightens, tones, and firms the skin. I have seen unbelievable results on the post pregnancy belly. You have done all the hard work on your own. These wraps just help when exercise can no longer "fix" what you want fixed. Please check it out at greenandlean.myitworks.com

Don't do this. These don't work and this person probably makes money off anyone they can rip off.

Reported for spam.

kdiamond

I gained and lost 70 pounds twice in 2.5 years after the births of my 2 children.

My stomach looked exactly like yours when I lost all my weight the second time.

I tried low calorie dieting and tons of cardio, all that did was get me super skinny (down to 100 pounds) but flabby and what looked like loose skin.

Then I smartened up, started eating more and lifting heavy 3-4 times a week, and now years later my body looks better than ever. I weigh 10 pounds more than my lowest, but my body fat is WAY lower, and my body is tight, and that tummy flabbiness is all but gone, along with the cellulite on the back on my thighs and butt.

My advice? Stop wasting your time on the Shred, and other high rep/cardio based activities, eat more, and lift heavy weights. Within a year or two of doing this, everything got better and firmer. I'm also in way better shape all together. I hardly do any "ab" exercises, I depend on my eating and my lifting for this, and I have a visible 4 pack and the stomach definition (lines) too.

gamagem

I know what you are saying. I'm 5'6 and weigh about 150 but mostly muscle at this point. I have had 4 kids with a weight gain of about 50-75 per kid so my stomach has been stretched to the limits. What's really started tightening it up has been doing Insanity. I started the program last October and the difference in my body is amazing. My body is really beginning to tighten up with out being a she-hulk . I don't think all of my extra skin will go away but the only time I can really see it anymore is when I do planks or pushup and it hangs. I'm now doing Focus T25 and my stomach has tightened up even more, the ab dvd's in them are really good. I like the insanity and focus workouts because you get a little bit of everything, cardio, endurance and strengthening.

I try to eat about 135 g of protein a day and stay around 1850-2100 calories a day as i'm trying to lose a bit more body fat. I also walk about 3 miles 5 days a week on top of doing the dvd's.

action_figure

Also, let me show you something. A friend of mine lost hella lots of weight and she's gone on to compete in figure competitions. Yes, she still has skin. But look at her blog. That is what skin looks like. It's thin, flexible, almost like the back of your hand or your eyelids. If it's got lumpiness and stuff, then honestly? That's still fat that you need to work on. Here's her link to her show pic and where she talks about self doubt.

http://liveloveliftfitnessgurrrl.weebly.com/62613-blog--the-aftermath.html

2013Jenn2013

The 30 Day Shred is BRUTAL but Start at level 1 and stick with it! Do each level for 10 days and move on if you are comfortable. You will not be disappointed. It does wonders for love handles and thighs. I lost 6 inches just off my belly with my first round!