How to Shrink my Lower Ab Area?

khk2010

Everything has been toning and looking better except for the lower abdomen. You know, the belly area below my waist that has been stretched by 3 kids including twins and of course all of the weight gain over the years. I can actually begin to see some definition above the waist but below it is still fat and not a muscle in sight.

Any spot workouts work for you?

jillybeanruns

Nope. You can't spot reduce. Lots of cardio with strength training (I've found yoga to really be helpful) will do it for you. Just switch it up and watch your diet! Good luck!

Natural

Everything has been toning and looking better except for the lower abdomen. You know, the belly area below my waist that has been stretched by 3 kids including twins and of course all of the weight gain over the years. I can actually begin to see some definition above the waist but below it is still fat and not a muscle in sight.

Any spot workouts work for you?

I'M IN The same boat. upper looks good, lower looks saggy. too bad i can't push that fat up to my breasts.

bathori

Diet =Fat Loss
Training = Look

Keep a close eye on your calories and make sure you're consistent with your deficit and the fat will come off. Everyone is different and it might hold onto that part of your body the longest.

vjade

I have the same problem. I have three kdis also so, that's most of it right there. I tried pilates and it worked really good for me to start building better muscle tone there and started taking Relacore. I'm not a 100% sure if it works but, according to curves I lost 15 inches of my ab area in four months. ( Not this time, I just re-started) but, the pilates worked for me. I just use the DVD's. or the ab exercise that you lie on your back and you put your legs straight in the air and bring them down. I did twenty of them last night and I'm feeling the burn today. I hope that helps and I'm interested in seeing other's answers.

❤B☩❤

I have the same problem. I am thinking I have an extra 6 inches added to my measurements because of this. I have heard another MFP member refer to it as the "THIRD BOOB!" Yup, that pretty much sums it up. I haven't found anything to get rid of it. I am going to try planks to see if that will work.

Good luck and if you get any better idea, please let me in on it!

SUERAE99

Me too! i"ve had two c-sections and i just can't seem to loose that belly fat that is just kinda saggy and hanging there... super gross... if anyone has suggestions please let me know!!! thanks.

Amandac6772

I'm in the same boat and only 7 lbs for my goal. It's sagging, wrinkled and crinkled. I'm thinking plastic surgery may be the only way to get rid of it. I don't have the $$ for t hat so I may just have to live with it.

Natural

I have the same problem. I am thinking I have an extra 6 inches added to my measurements because of this. I have heard another MFP member refer to it as the "THIRD BOOB!" Yup, that pretty much sums it up. I haven't found anything to get rid of it. I am going to try planks to see if that will work.

Good luck and if you get any better idea, please let me in on it!

that's what i will call it now. the "third boob". Ha!

hulamama247

yea with 4 kids im also there ladies...thanks for all the great ideas and keep it up.

jlewis2896

I also have three kids and a third boob....... ;( Cardio is great for fat loss, but as people have said, you can't really target what fat your body hangs on to. P90X's Ab Ripper X DVD is great -- it's only 17 minutes but very intense, so can be added on to other workouts if the whole P90X series is too much.

Lots of that third boob is just extra skin in my case, so I am trying to come to terms with it.... you know, the whole, 'My belly is gross but my kids are definitely not icky' mentality. My little girl actually likes to play with my belly fat -- ha!

BR1986FB

It's not only you ladies so don't feel bad. Three rounds of P90X and a 4th round (7th week of a P90X/Insanity hybrid) and I still have the lower ab fat. Obliques looking good and the top 4 plates of the six pack are showing but those lower abs are pesky. I've noticed a significant reduction but there's still a ways to go.

I agree with the others saying monitor your diet. You can't spot reduce.

elloradannon

I'm glad I'm not the only one! After 2 kids and 75 lbs lost I feel confident with almost everything except for that area. I'm hoping it will go away with lots of ab work

irridia

I have a partial solution for you. You cannot target fat loss to an area as someone else said, however you can tone and toning will diminish the appearance of fat. It just so happens that the exercises that will assist here also will aid your lower back.

It is very important to do these in this manner and better if you have a pilates instructor to ensure that you are activating the correct muscles. What we want to engage here is call the transverse abdominus. It is known as the "girdle" and it has that name for a reason.

I advise against straight leg raises until you are certain you are engaging the transverse and therfore not stressing your lower back.

Lay flat on your back on a firm (prefferably padded like a matt) surface. Place your feet flat on the floor so that your knees are bent. Let them fall apart approxamately the width of your shoulders. ( this is to keep you from engaging your hip flexors) Place your hands on your abs so you can feel the muscles engage. (best placement is just above where your legs meet your abs and inside your hipbones. Now exhale and feel the muscle contract. (the next part depends on how strong your transverse abdominus is) Inhale again, now exhale and this time as you exhale and feel the muscle contract, lift your bent leg (if this is very week, at first just engage the muscle, don't try to lift the foot off the floor. As you inhale again slowly lower your foot back to the floor then do the other foot. As you get stronger add reps. Once you can do 10/leg then raise your foot higher. When this is no longer difficult you can go to straight leg raises keeping one leg bent, once you get that down then you put your hands under your back and go for both legs about 6-8 inches from the floor.

Good luck and I hope this helps.
I have to get back on mine because I've been slacking.

Another variation trainging the same muscle is to lay on your side, make certain your back is straight, knees bent and keep your feet aligned with your hips. Exhale engaging the transverse and lift your knee inhale as you lower it, this should never go more than 6-8 inches from your other knee.

sillygoose1977

I just try and learn to love mine. Even when I was a size 2 I had it, of course it was much cuter then. I love the third boob comment!

trisha329

I do 300 crunches a day, and I am definitely noticing a difference in my lower abs!

sillygoose1977

I do 300 crunches a day, and I am definitely noticing a difference in my lower abs!

Holy cow! That' s great!

khk2010

Great ideas! Thanks for the input. I will stick to the weight loss plan and work in these ideas.

khk2010

I do 300 crunches a day, and I am definitely noticing a difference in my lower abs!

Holy cow! That' s great!

Amazing! Maybe that would help.

Lyadeia

I wish that there was some amazing solution to tell everyone with this problem, but there really is not. The problem area you describe is body fat, and there is only one way to get rid of body fat: properly balanced diet that is not too high or too low in calories (way too many people don't eat enough food!) coupled with strength training and cardio. Cardio burns fat immediately, strength training allows you to burn more fat later by raising your metabolism (stronger muscles need more calories to function, so you lose body fat faster when you strength train).

Spot reducing does not exist, unless you chop off a body part. We can't pick and choose where the body fat comes from when it is lost. Keep eating clean, minimize cheating, and don't forget your intense cardio (that comfort zone has got to go!!!) and weight training using the progressive overload principle to add lean mass (whoever started the myth that less weight with more reps is good for fat loss is dead wrong!).

Good luck!

Dencrossgirl

My friend was heavy for alot of years, she has a whole herd of kids, she made up her mind one day and wow you should see her sixpack now. She looks amazing, she is closer to 50 than 40, and now looks 30. So I believe anything is possible if you do the work!