the dreaded mommy tummy!!

cgary13
cgary13 Posts: 16
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a mom of three and through everything the only thing I can't seem to tone is my stomach. I have no problem with everything else. So my question to all: what are your favorite ways to lose weight/tone the stomach area? Any and all feedback gladly welcome. Hope everyone has a beautiful motivated day. :happy:

Replies

  • BrendonsMummy
    BrendonsMummy Posts: 29
    just sit ups. I haven't found anything that works amazingly yet. Loose skin is a bummer. (mum of 1)
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    Loose skin is loose skin. It may tighten up a bit over time depending on your body but there is very little you can do about it. With some people it goes back almost to normal, other's not so much.

    Give it a bit of time.

    With me, the leaner I am, the worse it looks because there's very little fat to fill it out.

    fyi, my children are 13 an 19 so I don't think much else is going to happen with it.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    just sit ups. I haven't found anything that works amazingly yet. Loose skin is a bummer. (mum of 1)

    Sit-ups actually don't work your abdomen, they fire your hip flexors.

    To the OP:

    I'm not sure if you're talking loose skin, or excess fat, but here it goes:

    If it's excess fat, you can't spot reduce. In order to "tone" your tummy you need to reduce overall BF%. You can do 10,000 crunches, stiups, whatever a day but if your body has excess fat someplace else it wants to use first, it will and the abdominal area is one of the last places your body looks to use fat for energy.

    To reduce your waistline, and "tone" the area I would recommend.

    Diet (moderate caloric deficit) + Work (Cardio AND Compound Strength Exercises) + Patience (it takes time) = Goal.

    You can probably reach your goal with just Diet and Patience, but might not like the final result as much.

    If it's loose skin, from what I understand all you can do is be patient. It can take a good amount of time for the skins elasticity to return it to form.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Lifting heavy has worked wonders for me.

    Eta- I am a mom of 5 with 2 being c-sections.
  • ChristinaOfDecember
    ChristinaOfDecember Posts: 115
    I worked out with both cardio and sit ups.
    The thing is that my belly was always flat even when I was 84 kilos..
    so I cant say for sure..
    Mom of 1 btw...
  • mohojojo
    mohojojo Posts: 26
    Unfortunately there is no spot reduction. It will go when its ready to go and it's usually the last and hardest to do so. Continue progressing with your exercising, eat right. and do cardio.
  • morning_joy
    morning_joy Posts: 1,064 Member
    I am getting rid of my mommy tummy and it is about time since my boys are 17 and 18. For the longest time, the weight just liked to hang out there but now that I am really working on fat burning cardio the inches are coming off and I am starting to get interested in shaping things up. My core is ridiculously out of shape so I am starting with simple things. I am working on planks. I am doing the 30 day plank challenge where you start at a 20 second plank and work up to a couple of minutes in a month. I had a trainer for a bit and he showed me many different ways to work on your stomach muscles...none of which was the standard sit up or crunch. If it is possible for you, I would invest in just one or two visits with a trainer to learn the new exercises out there. There are also lots of really great ideas on Pinterest.

    If you want to friend me, we can work on our core together!!

    Juliana
  • cgary13
    cgary13 Posts: 16
    For the most part it's fat, as long as I exercise and tone as I lose weight I don't end up with lose skin. As I get older though I find the same things that worked before don't work as well now. So new ideas to get my body out of its comfort zone
  • cgary13
    cgary13 Posts: 16
    Oh and thank you to all, great job to all of you and may you all reach your goals and feel amazing.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I'm still working on getting rid of mine! Compound lifts have been working great for me. I also do a lot of sit-ups.
  • annacolour
    annacolour Posts: 10
    I use frankincense on my skin and yoga and it is getting better, slowly but surely! :smile: :smile: :smile:
  • TheBackStory
    TheBackStory Posts: 263
    I have 3 kids also, (10,3, and 14 months). What has helped me is bicycle, forward & reverse and side crunches, squats, lunges and my elliptical.

    I've been doing the Jillian Michael 30 day shred too. I'm on day 7 and can tell it's helping.

    As far as my stretch marks, they aren't going away. I've learned to love them.

    Good luck to you.

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