Belly pooch and toned abs???

http://theshapeofamother.com/

Beautiful site. Be proud of yourself.

Unfortunately as we get older, we naturally lose muscle which is our body's most efficient fat burner which translates to a slower metabolism. So its natural that back in the days you lose weight so quick but now it takes much longer. That's the bitter reality that we have to accept unless we do something about it.

Going back to your question, the only way to lose mommy pooch is to lower your overall body fat percentage which you can achieved by 80% proper nutrition + 20% workout that is mainly focused on heavy weight lifting especially compound movements that targets multiple muscles including your core. To achieve fat loss, you should eat at a moderate calorie deficit but aim to eat protein at 1g per pound of body weight coz protein is the building block of our muscles.

As we all know, we cannot spot reduce and it doesn't matter if you do 1,000 crunches everyday for as long as the ab muscles are covered by a thick layer of fat then it won't give you a flat tummy.

I'm in the same boat. I have 3 children (8, 1 and 3) and just turned 42. I am about 20 lbs. heavier than I should be, but only lookiing to loose 15 b/c I think that is where my body is most comfortable. I started up at the gym and doing the c25k program. I'm up to week 8, day 1 and running 28 minutes straight, but not a 5k yet. I also am doing the elliptical and trying the machines a few times a week. I also am trying to be better about planning my meals and calorie intact and cut out the junk food and nightly glass of wine (or two). My stomach is the area that I always have trouble with and all the fat stays there. My goal between now and the end of this year is to loose 5 lbs. and go into 2013 with only 10 lbs. to go and to be running a 5k. Not sure if my stomach will ever get flat again, but this is my plan and I'm hoping for the best.

Did you have a c-section? If not then yes, you can get a flat belly the natural way. I even know women who gave a flat belly after a c-section but I hear its a lot harder.

I have two kids and you can see my belly in my profile. I think its pretty flat.

I think people jump on the tummy tuck train too easily. I had a pooch - still have a wee one (see my profile pic, it's out on show for you all) but resistance training, weight training and core work make a HUGE difference and it's disappearing fairly quickly. Plus I'm improving lots of other areas of my body at the same time - you couldn't do that with surgery (unless you were REALLY rich and fine with a painful and lengthy recovery!) I've done it all myself so I can be really proud of my hard work - rather than my surgeon's.

Visceral fat and subcutaneous fat are two different things. Subcutaneous fat lies in between the muscle and the skin as to mask definition and can accumulate all over the body. Visceral fat accumulates underneath the muscle and only in the abdominal region. It accumulates as a result of your diet being rich in toxins and other processed "goodies" in the food you eat that are too much for the liver to be able to filter. Exercise cannot get rid of it and neither will counting calories. It is 100% about the QUALITY of the food you eat. You will have to almost completely cut any kind of processed foods from your diet.

It could also be a sign of gluten intolerance.

The description of visceral fat is pretty much correct, however the claim that it is hard to lose and will only be reduced by eating “clean" is patently false. Truthfully as we diet and exercise, visceral fat is one of the easier to burn forms of body fat. Short of a physiological issue there's no reason a low calorie diet and exercise won't burn visceral fat.

That said, this whole subject is irrelevant to the OP's question. Subcutaneous fat is what causes a ”pooch" and can also be lost through patience and a continued focus on calorie control and exercise.