Losing baby belly

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ajmalbaby
ajmalbaby Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I'm 8 months post partum and have lost my baby weight, I am still breastfeeding (not exclusively) and am looking to flatten my abdominals. Can I get a flat, lean belly even though I had a baby? and what sort of things should I do?

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  • jassiwolff
    jassiwolff Posts: 1
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    Hey there, yes, I think it is totally possible. I am almost 3 months post. Sounds like you have shed all the weight you have wanted to loose. I am in the same boat. I have been doing planks and crunches and side planks etx every 2 days since 6 weeks post. That combined with some cardio (I work out every 2 days for 30 minutes, and walk my dog daily for 25-30 minutes). The key is sticking to a good diet and moving. Doing this, I am not the lightest I have EVER been :) good luck!
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Just eating at a deficit and patience is all you NEED to do, but if you mix in strength training (compound movements) and cardio you'd probably be more happy with your results. It takes patience because belly fat is usually the last to go, no matter how many isolated abdominal exercises you do.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Just eating at a deficit and patience is all you NEED to do, but if you mix in strength training (compound movements) and cardio you'd probably be more happy with your results. It takes patience because belly fat is usually the last to go, no matter how many isolated abdominal exercises you do.

    this..


    You can't spot reduce so it's all you can do.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I am also 8 months postpartum. I've lost pretty much all the weight I want to lose too, and let me tell you, strength training is where it's at. Nothing has done more for my body SHAPE than that. Anyone will tell you that compound lifts will work the most muscles, but if that isn't an option available to you, any resistance that works your core will work.
  • sarahi2009
    sarahi2009 Posts: 285 Member
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    I say YES! Remember one thing though, ABS are made in the kitchen. You have to watch what you eat because no matter how many crunches you do, if you don't combine it with a healthy diet....the definition might not be seen.
  • ajmalbaby
    ajmalbaby Posts: 18 Member
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    Congrats on losing your baby weight! And thanks for the advice, i've never strengthed trained before but it is definitely something that I will be looking into it and beginning.
  • ajmalbaby
    ajmalbaby Posts: 18 Member
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    So far i've been just doing cardio, 3 times a week for 30 minutes mostly the eliptical and plugging in my food on here. But i'm happy to hear that it is possible to get my old abdominals back cuz right now, i have a bit of a saggy tummy.
  • ajmalbaby
    ajmalbaby Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks for the advice and support! :) keep forgetting to tell myself that patience is key.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Planks heled me.
  • ajmalbaby
    ajmalbaby Posts: 18 Member
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    How often did u do planks? And when did u begin seeing results?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    How often did u do planks? And when did u begin seeing results?

    All the planks, crunches, etc in the world wont give you results. You have to lose body fat to get a flat stomach. Dont get me wrong I think you should work all your ab and back muscles to be strong and have developed muscles but in the end if you want abs its all about low body fat and body composition.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Yes, ab exercises don't target ab fat or loose skin, they just build the muscle layer under them. If someone got results while doing them, it was probably from other lifestyle changes they made. I would follow a normal, full-body strength training program (New Rules of Lifting, classes, videos, etc).
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    How often did u do planks? And when did u begin seeing results?

    All the planks, crunches, etc in the world wont give you results. You have to lose body fat to get a flat stomach. Dont get me wrong I think you should work all your ab and back muscles to be strong and have developed muscles but in the end if you want abs its all about low body fat and body composition.

    I'm the one who wrote about doing planks and they definitely helped after I had my baby. Not with losing fat, obviously, but they pulled in my midsection considerably so it didn't stick out. Prior to doing them, I had to always consciously suck in my midsection so I wouldn't look still pregnant. I still have fat to lose but at least I don't look pregnant anymore.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    How often did u do planks? And when did u begin seeing results?

    I did them every day and started seeing results after a few days. Obviously if you have a lot of fat in the area you have to work on losing your overall body fat, but they should help with pulling the tummy in to an extent.

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