How to get rid of my muffin top, need help & suggestions

Chiny

Here's a little story about me, I'm only 32 and I have 2 kids, my son is 14 & my daughter is 7. After my second pregnancy I have this pouch that just drives me nuts!! Most refer to it as a muffin top because I seriously look like one when ALL of jeans are low rise. Sure I can buy higher rise jeans and baggier shirts to hide it but I WANT to get rid of it. :explode:

I am all of 110lbs so I'm not overweight and I'm short at 5'0" BUT I am nowhere in shape. I am working on disciplining myself to eat better and exercise more. My body is out of proportion, I am too embarassed to wear a bathing suit and if I wear my jeans and a fitted shirt it looks like I am 3 months pregnant :sad: Some people say it is possible to get rid of it and some say just deal with it, it's never going away

A little about my life, it's pretty hectic, I work 8-5pm, take online classes, I'm usually gone from home in the evenings taking my son to soccer 4 days a week and my daughter has dance class once a week. I'm also involved in volunteering at church. I would like suggestions for on the go healthy snacks, snacks I can keep in my office at work and in the car. I'm also a huge fan of preparing the night before or quick fix it meals for dinner.

april_mesk

Okay, I just want to say for the person who said, "just deal with it, it's never going away"... This is so not true!

I am 35 years old. I have a 17 year old and a 15 month old and have lost 60 pounds total (a lot before I joined this site) in 15 months time. It requires lots of discipline. If you truly want it you will take time out for you no matter when that time will be. For me it is late in the evening because everyone is asleep and I am a night owl. I work too, 45 hours, 5 days a week sometimes more. Yes, it is tough - but, I feel excellent. I still have another 31 pounds I would like to lose but, I am determined to put a kabosh to the "negative nellies".

One of my friends told me that I will never end up in a size 6 after my second child - bull - you just watch me. It may take me another 15 months to get to this point but, I have already come this far so why stop? Sorry, you just caught me on a night where I am letting off some steam. I hope it helps!
Keep your chin up and do not let them tell you it will never go away. Crazy... If you believe it can happen, it will!:flowerforyou:

awinmac

Hi
Yeah I know all about the muffin top thing. Do you have a abdominal diastasis? That is a space between the recti muscles of the abdomen? A lot of women who have had children do have them. This makes it a lot harder to get rid of that muffin top. But not impossible. There is a great book by Julie Tupler, called "Lose Your Mummy Tummy". You can probably find it at your local library. The exercises are a bit daunting but do work if you stick with it and they don't take a lot of time per day or space. If you don't have a diastasis then you just need some toning exercises.

I hope this helps

good snacks are raw nuts and seeds, veggie sticks or rye crackers with nut butter or soy spread.

good luck
-Amber

adopt4

Can you get rid of it without surgery? Maybe. Will it be perfectly flat and toned after having a baby? Probably not. But you should be able to make it a lot better. It will take a lot of time. Look up ab workouts on the internet, and work on your core. Pilates Abs, weight training, etc. You need to tone those muscles and get them back in to shape. You don't need tons of time to work out if that's the main thing you're doing. Running can also really tone that stomach.

Also, there's no way to directly lose body fat but just eating healthy will help, don't settle for the fast food/high fat stuff. I make "snack packs" for myself to take everywhere I go, from roasted almonds to granola bars to cut up veggies in a pack with a freezer compartment. So that if I'm on the run all day, I have something to snack on, and I never have to buy fast food or overeat because I'm too hungry.

Chenoachem

I got my flat abs back after having a baby. I do a lot of core workouts and long runs (7miles). It is possible. My problem with fitting into a size 6 at this point is that my hips widened during natural birth and even after loosing 40lbs, they are essentially the same size, but I lost 10 inches off my waist.

Keep up the good work. You can get there with a little dedication. You can work abs every day. Someone suggested to me once to do situps during TV commercial breaks.

Recently I read an article about how Vitamin C helps you burn food as energy and eating low fat dairy every day helps prevent your body from storing belly fat.

hmo4

Clean Eating-it can be done!

KaitieBug

Good on the go snacks: granola bars (my favorite are fiber one-filling and DELISH!!) Special K 90 calorie cracker packs, nuts, small packs of beef jerky such as Jack Links, pre-cut veggies....

If you have time while your daughter is in dance, maybe you could sneak in a quick walk or jog, along with some crunches and stretching. There's also lots of things you can do without any accessories, such as squats! I like grabbing a copy of Shape magazine every month, there's lots of good workouts in each one and they usually tell you how to do them when you don't have any equipment. Hope this all helps!! :flowerforyou:

faithinme

Okay, I just want to say for the person who said, "just deal with it, it's never going away"... This is so not true!

I am 35 years old. I have a 17 year old and a 15 month old and have lost 60 pounds total (a lot before I joined this site) in 15 months time. It requires lots of discipline. If you truly want it you will take time out for you no matter when that time will be. For me it is late in the evening because everyone is asleep and I am a night owl. I work too, 45 hours, 5 days a week sometimes more. Yes, it is tough - but, I feel excellent. I still have another 31 pounds I would like to lose but, I am determined to put a kabosh to the "negative nellies".

One of my friends told me that I will never end up in a size 6 after my second child - bull - you just watch me. It may take me another 15 months to get to this point but, I have already come this far so why stop? Sorry, you just caught me on a night where I am letting off some steam. I hope it helps!
Keep your chin up and do not let them tell you it will never go away. Crazy... If you believe it can happen, it will!:flowerforyou:

you let off as much steam as you need.. you earned it and you are speaking from experience.. keep it up cause you inspire me...

faith

Chiny

Thank you all so much for your tips, ideas and inspiring words!! I need all the motivation I can get. It doesn't do much to have a skinny husband who says he's allergic to exercising :laugh: So I'm on my own to get out there and exercise. I've tried the P90X thing and I've tried the Hip Hop Abs. I've discovered that being in my house is too much of a distraction to do DVD's.

Faithinme-I agree with you, you can let off as much steam as you want!! You deserve it!

Kaitiesbug-thanks for the snack tips, I thought about buying a decent size cooler and keep ice packs in there along with veggies, fruits and other items I need to stay cool and keeping it in my car so I'm not tempted to go thru a drive thru. I do walk at the soccer park during my sons 2 hour practice but not as long and as much as I should.

Chenoachem-I didn't know that about Vitamin C and low fat dairy, thanks!!

adopt4- what do you meant when you say "in a pack with a freezer compartment", you mean an insulated cooler with ice packs or is there a specific cooler that has the compartment??

JStarnes

I got my flat abs back after having a baby. I do a lot of core workouts and long runs (7miles). It is possible. My problem with fitting into a size 6 at this point is that my hips widened during natural birth and even after loosing 40lbs, they are essentially the same size, but I lost 10 inches off my waist.

Keep up the good work. You can get there with a little dedication. You can work abs every day. Someone suggested to me once to do situps during TV commercial breaks.

Recently I read an article about how Vitamin C helps you burn food as energy and eating low fat dairy every day helps prevent your body from storing belly fat.

That's my issue - my hips widened after my first & even more after my 2nd. So although my tummy is getting flatter i'm not dropping pant sizes like I expected. I joke with my husband & blame him for having "big headed children" :laugh: he doesn't think it's funny. lol But yeah, I dont' think I'll ever see size 6 again, but I will see my current size fitting MUCH better.

You can do this! Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Mom_To_5

I can also say you can get rid of it, i am 39 have had 4 kids, 14, 12, 3.5 and 16 months, and 3 of them were c-sections and my stomach is flat again, except it needs to be toned which i will concentrate on more when i get to my goal weight. It will take time but it possible!! Just keep at it and you will eventually get the stomach you want. try the 30 day shred it works you pretty hard, i have only done level 1 but i have heard ffrom others on here about level 2 and 3. I just can't work out at home exccept my treadmill, too many distractions and too many kids running around, and not enough room!!

Good luck!!

alf1163

Thank you all so much for your tips, ideas and inspiring words!! I need all the motivation I can get. It doesn't do much to have a skinny husband who says he's allergic to exercising :laugh: So I'm on my own to get out there and exercise. I've tried the P90X thing and I've tried the Hip Hop Abs. I've discovered that being in my house is too much of a distraction to do DVD's.

Faithinme-I agree with you, you can let off as much steam as you want!! You deserve it!

Kaitiesbug-thanks for the snack tips, I thought about buying a decent size cooler and keep ice packs in there along with veggies, fruits and other items I need to stay cool and keeping it in my car so I'm not tempted to go thru a drive thru. I do walk at the soccer park during my sons 2 hour practice but not as long and as much as I should.

Chenoachem-I didn't know that about Vitamin C and low fat dairy, thanks!!

adopt4- what do you meant when you say "in a pack with a freezer compartment", you mean an insulated cooler with ice packs or is there a specific cooler that has the compartment??

It is totally possible but you have to be willing to work for it. Someone said you have to make time for yourself and that is a must. Do not feel bad about that. Most mothers tend to neglect themselves to take care of everyone else but then they are unhappy with themselves, with the way they feel and look.

You have a great opportunity to workout when your son is at soccer practice. Take advantage of that. If you are walking try to pick up the pace or do some jogging/running some days. You may also use the stairs to go up and down, do squats, lunges, incline pushups, do plyo, do planks, etc etc. You just have to get a little creative.

Now, it is not all exercise, your diet is the most important. Eat healhty, as clean as possible, eat small meals throughout the day. Snacks, yes, nut, bars, yogurt, fruit, veggies. Try to combine a good balanced snack with carbs and lean proteins and good fats. A snack is not just an apple, a good snack would be an apple with 1oz of almonds or a banana with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter or a pear with a low fat cheese string. Drink lots of water.

Good luck!! You can do this. And at 5' you are safe weighing less than 110 so don't worry if you lose more weight. If you can try to do P90X, you have a great tool there. Women also need strength trng. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

2catowner

I believe it can be done also, I am 45, it has taken me about 4 months to really see progress, but I would say just dig your heels in and be strong. I would recommend interval training and pilates and core excercises. Also, change your routine up frequently, this really keeps your body guessing. You can do it, if you make time for yourself your family will also reap the benefits. GOOD LUCK!!:flowerforyou:

2catowner

I believe it can be done also, I am 45, it has taken me about 4 months to really see progress, but I would say just dig your heels in and be strong. I would recommend interval training and pilates and core excercises. Also, change your routine up frequently, this really keeps your body guessing. You can do it, if you make time for yourself your family will also reap the benefits. GOOD LUCK!!:flowerforyou:

no, I'm 44, I keep forgetting how old I am!!! :blushing:

Chiny

Awesome ladies!! Thanks!! It really means a lot to me to read all the encouraging words. You all right right, I just need to jump in and be consistent with it. That's my biggest problem, staying disciplined in my daily habits. This thread and the before and after pic thread is so motivating!!

april_mesk

Faithinme,

Aww, you are sweet! I still have a long way to go, but, I will get there-we all will. One day at a time and before you know it, weeks have gone by and you have made great progress.

This site is excellent for motivation. Good luck to you! :bigsmile:

AmyBrenn

Keep in mind that you can do all the sit-ups and ab exercises in the world, but if you don't incorporate cardio and a good diet into the mix, you will only build up your muscles underneath that nice layer of fat. Kickboxing is another great way to strengthen your core. Good luck and it can be done!

Chiny

Thanks again everyone!! I was doing boxing (not kickboxing) and I REALLY love that until I developed tendonitis in my wrist so I'm on a hiatus from that.

Chiny

Ok everyone, I thought about you guys last night & headed out to my sons soccer park a little early to pick him up....on purpose so I could get some walking in, according to my Polar F4 I only burned 116 calories in 17 minutes. Not a long workout by far but it was around 9pm, I was tired and cranky but pushed to do it.

KaitieBug

Ok everyone, I thought about you guys last night & headed out to my sons soccer park a little early to pick him up....on purpose so I could get some walking in, according to my Polar F4 I only burned 116 calories in 17 minutes. Not a long workout by far but it was around 9pm, I was tired and cranky but pushed to do it.

Good for you Chiny!!!! :flowerforyou: The main thing is that you did SOMETHING, and that's what's gonna matter in the long run 116 calories in 17 minutes is actually pretty good. It usually takes me 20 minutes to burn exactly 100 calories, according to my HRM-whether I'm walking hills, doing the elliptical, doesn't really matter :grumble: So GO YOU!!!!!:drinker:

wattsam1

There is an article in this month's fitness magazine showing exercises you can do to stop the muffin top. The exercises look fun, you might want to check the magazine out!

april_mesk

I have this magazine and love it! I saw the exercises you are talking about. Don't know that I would be able to do them, but it is an awesome magazine with all kinds of good stuff!

SHBoss1673

Pick up the July issue of OnFitness, there's a GREAT article on getting rid of belly flab. And OnFitness isn't a regular fitness magazine, it's a trainers rag, so it skips all the flowery stuff and get's right down to the exercises and nutrition needed to beat the belly back! you can get it at Barnes and Noble or online at onfitnessmag.com

april_mesk

I will have to check this out, thanks!

benw

Pick up the July issue of OnFitness, there's a GREAT article on getting rid of belly flab. And OnFitness isn't a regular fitness magazine, it's a trainers rag, so it skips all the flowery stuff and get's right down to the exercises and nutrition needed to beat the belly back! you can get it at Barnes and Noble or online at onfitnessmag.com

For those that can not find it in there book store the on line version is easy to use.

Chiny

Pick up the July issue of OnFitness, there's a GREAT article on getting rid of belly flab. And OnFitness isn't a regular fitness magazine, it's a trainers rag, so it skips all the flowery stuff and get's right down to the exercises and nutrition needed to beat the belly back! you can get it at Barnes and Noble or online at onfitnessmag.com

For those that can not find it in there book store the on line version is easy to use.

Do you have a link to the online version?

Chiny

Last night I convinced the WHOLE family to walk with me. This is a huge deal for me because my husband always jokes and says he's allergic to exercise :laugh: and as a family we've NEVER exercised together. He is skinny, his whole family is skinny but he knows that's no excuse for not exercising. Both our kids got on their bikes, I put on my Polar F4 HRM and off we went. We did walk to my parents house and stopped to see my 3yo neice for a little so I wasn't walking the WHOLE time but according to my HRM in total we were out for 1:34:28 (one hour, 34 minutes and 28 seconds) and I burned 356 calories with a max HR of 136, not to shabby I must say.

Also I didn't realize how fast time flies when you actually have someone to walk and chat with vs turning on an MP3 and going by yourself. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Chiny

I have a confession to make. Last week I went on a cruise with hubby and our 2 kids and I ain't like a stinkin' pig!! :sad: I gained 2-3 pounds which looking at the numbers doesn't seem bad but I feel disgusting and sick and I have no discipline whatsoever when it comes to eating healthy :sad:

Ok now that I got that out I feel better, whew!

Chenoachem

I have a confession to make. Last week I went on a cruise with hubby and our 2 kids and I ain't like a stinkin' pig!! :sad: I gained 2-3 pounds which looking at the numbers doesn't seem bad but I feel disgusting and sick and I have no discipline whatsoever when it comes to eating healthy :sad:

Ok now that I got that out I feel better, whew!

It's OK. Sometimes things like that give you better resolve when you come back. Take a deep breath and start again.

Welcome Back.:happy:

Chiny

Thank you!