Question for the moms!

I went from 205 to currently about 158. The flab is smaller but not gone. I imagine it will continue to shrink on me but never fully go away. I think mine is simply stretched out skin..... like a deflated balloon. :frown: Sorry I can't be encouraging there.

However I would encourage you to get comfortable with your body and allow your husband to see you naked and not feel so self conscious. If you were in a tragic car accident tomorrow and disfigured, would he love you any less? (If the answer is yes, then we need to have a chat .) If the answer is no, then he loves you for who you are.... ALL of you, and you shouldn't feel ashamed. :flowerforyou:

My stomach has looked bigger after my 2nd as well...even when I was down to 130lbs 6 months or so after having him, there was still a bit of a "pooch" there that I hadn't had after my 1st son (I weighed a lot less after him though).
I have a good 25lbs to lose now so I'm hoping most of the stomach goes away...however if there's a slight pouch left, I'll just wear higher rise undies and bikinis:-)

I just had my first baby [almost 2 years ago... ] and I finally finished BFing her in January [at 18mos]... I was back to my pre pg weight, BUT I still had a HUGE gut. I could fit in my pre pg clothes, but the gut HUNG over... I looked 5mos pg and would constantly get comments about being PG again. AGH!!!

Six weeks ago, I started a melt the fat off diet, I started at 24% body fat, and today I am at 17%. I am working out with a trainer and eating VERY STRICTLY 6 times a day. The fat is literally MELTING off of me. My stomach is also getting smaller, pouch included.

I never thought it would shrink and if it did, I thought it would hang more. Everything got less, and only in 6wks.

I would encourage you to loose the weight, do it, you can do it... and see where you are at once it all off. I bet you will feel better about things when it is smaller. I know I did.

Check out my food diary, you can get an idea on how to take it off.

Good luck!

It took about a yr, but mine is gone. I have 2 kids. A 3 yr old and a 15 month old. I even had an umbilical hernia and had surgery. I think it's possible to lose it all, you just have to really stick to your calories, exercise hard and incorporate weight training. I have to say, running has helped a ton!

Here are a couple ways to help "hide" the pouch:
1) Don't lose the weight too quickly, lose is smartly (proper exercise and nutrition), exercise should include a combination of cardio and resistance training so that you have muscle working for you
2) Hydrate inside and out (lots and lots of water and lots and lots of lotion or cream) to keep your skin flexible
3) As mentioned above in another post, focused ab work will finish the job

I have lost 35lbs and still have 65 to go, but these things have drastically reduced my "hanging" belly from my 3 kids.

Cassie

I'd love it if there were a definite answer to this question for all of us moms out there. It would make it so much simpler!

Several factors are going to play in - the most important being the elasticity of your skin and whether or not your abdominal muscles were damaged during pregnancy.

While diet and exercise are very important, if you have little or no elasticity left in that area of your skin, you may lose the fat but the skin will remain and (as someone else put it so eloquently ) will look like a deflated balloon. However, some women are lucky and have good genes that allow their skin to just snap back after having been stretched.

Also, if your abdominal muscles were weakend and pulled apart during pregnancy, you may a very difficult time getting them to tighten up again no matter how many crunches you do.

I have had three within a four year span. I can tell my skin isn't ever going to go back (short of a tummy tuck) no matter how much weight I lose. And while it is disappointing, I don't let it define me as being attractive or not - that's all about confidence. I don't hide my body from my husband (although at times I would like to) and I think that instantly makes me more attractive to him. He doesn't complain - and if I ever do he reminds me that I did indeed have three kids and that is something to be proud of more so than having a hot body.

I have found that by focusing on using diet and exercise as a means for being healthy and energized in turn leaves me with more confidence. It's too stressful and sets me up for failure to rely on it solely for reshaping my body.

Good luck to you!

I think most women post pregnancy feel this way. My 3rd child is 13 years old and I have lost my little pouch. I did have a c-section though and I think that makes it worse. I look at my body now and then look at my children. No matter what I had to sacrifice, I'm okay with, not that I'm happy with having extra skin but like the other ladies said it doesnt define me. I'm happy to be a mom & my hubby is proud of me & his kids.
A suggestion though is some weight training. As you tone up all your muscles, you will lose body fat % and you will see changes all over your body. Keep up the good work and don't get discouraged, remember the ultimate goal is healthy bodies, long lives, & happy minds.

It took about a yr, but mine is gone. I have 2 kids. A 3 yr old and a 15 month old. I even had an umbilical hernia and had surgery. I think it's possible to lose it all, you just have to really stick to your calories, exercise hard and incorporate weight training. I have to say, running has helped a ton!

Running is fantastic ab work, especially if you add speed intervals. The faster you run the more you engage your abs.

I run for distance and add speed intervals as well as hills. It really has made a difference in the shape of my body! That plus weight training and eating healthy has made that baby belly completely disappear. I thought I'd have it forever!

I do have an issue with my abs still being separated. There is a gap between them. The hernia didn't help matters. But, you can't tell visually. So, it's ok. I'm not going to have surgery to fix that, although I had surgery to fix the hernia of course.