Help settle a debate between my husband and I please!

Bump

I am a big believer that it's mostly about genetics!!! You know the girlfriends that had 2 or 3 or 4 kids and yet somehow their stomachs are flat and muscular??? I know you must have at least one of those lucky girlfriends!

Unfortunately, my genetics have sentenced me to lifetime of skin that will never "snap back". I've had two babies, got the stretch marks and now that belly skin will always be a little droopy. Now, the muscles can and do get strong underneath, but the skin is just not as elastic as some people. You are the only one who knows how elastic your skin is, maybe you are one of the lucky ones!


P.S. My four other sisters are exactly the same way (that is why I believe it is genetic). I have one sister that lost almost 100 pounds and her stomach was rock hard, but the skin on top was sagging and loose. She had a tummy tuck and now her stomach is fantastic!! Her arms definitely got small but never sculpted.

I agree that it depends upon age, genetics and amount of weight lost. Increasing muscle tone will help somewhat, but the bad news is that without plastic surgery to remove the excess skin, the wings will remain. Sorry....he is more correct than you were hoping.:frown:

I'm not sure he is wrong, depending on how you define "bat wings". I noticed even female Olympic athletes have a little wobble when their arm is raised and relaxed. But I wouldn't say they have bat wings. It's just the difference between flexing and not flexing.

Before you give-in and say they'll never go away, make sure you have muscle there and you've given it your all. Look at chair dips...how many are you doing? have you added weights to build the muscle underneath....

Chair dips....both feet on the ground straight legs.....then one leg up...then both legs on another bench...then add some weight (obviously not in the same workout)

around where i live they are called bingo wings! just picture all the older women at bingo raising their arms above their heads and yelling BINGO. I myself have a long way to go before I can consider them tightened enough that they don't flap anymore but they have improved. good luck to you in your quest to prove hubby wrong

I have been thinking about this one. I am one of the older ones here (almost 47), and I've been trying to get toned/fit again. My arms have gotten smaller and more defined; however, they still "jiggle" some. I read an article in one of the magazines a while back, and it said that's why female celebrities hold their arms next to their bodies when they wave! This much I do know...they will not tone up with cardio alone. I do a lot of cardio, and I mix up the other, doing P90X, Les Mills Pump, Circuit Training, and Weight Lifting. Unfortunately for me, I seem to be aging quicker than I can put on muscle. We lose so much after age 40, and we have to work twice as hard just to stay where we were 10 years ago. Let's all prove him wrong.