Belly fat & the dreaded belly hang.

Hi everyone,

To cut things brief.. I've never had a rock hard washboard stomach, it was always flat but still squishy, I've never been able to tone it only because I never tried.

I had a baby via Caesarean section back in July 2011, and gained 4 stone through the pregnancy. I lost all the weight within 4 months and when my son was 4 months old, I had a pretty good flat stomach through diet & exercise.

This was me post pregnancy, 4 months after giving birth..

image_zps2dcbeb96.jpg


But I then started a new full time job, and with that & being a mum I started missing workouts and then stopped going altogether, and instead I ate utter rubbish -- takeaways, chocolate & junk food 24/7, and most days totalled as high as 4000-6000 calories. So I've since gained a lot of weight & now weigh 14 stone 10lbs. So a gain of 5 stone, and I've gone from a UK size 8 to a UK size 16-18.

When I was pregnant my stomach just grew out & never dropped, but now that I've gained so much weight and gotten so big I've found that my belly has dropped as well as grow out, and I'm really worried that when I lose this weight it won't snap back as quickly as it did after having my son & I'll be left with a saggy overhang.

This is my stomach now..

image_zpsff020aff.jpg

image_zps89db0831.jpg


I'm hoping that with losing weight steadily & exercising along the way, that it'll shrink and snap back as it did after pregnancy. What does everyone else think?

After having my son my stomach turned into a deflated bouncy castle & was saggy and soft, but I managed to sort that out and get it flat again.. Do I have the same hope with my stomach after gaining so much weight?!

Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    These things will take time.
    Eat proper food and get your Macro/micro nutrients in.

    So plenty of protein
    At least 2 cups veggies and 2 cups fruit
    Nuts, oils and fatty meats

    Take a multivitamin daily as well as fish oil and youll get back to where you were.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    These things will take time.
    Eat proper food and get your Macro/micro nutrients in.
    Good advice
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
    These things will take time.
    Eat proper food and get your Macro/micro nutrients in.

    So plenty of protein
    At least 2 cups veggies and 2 cups fruit
    Nuts, oils and fatty meats

    Take a multivitamin daily as well as fish oil and youll get back to where you were.

    My stomach looks just like yours - and I have never given birth! :noway: I have been following the directions given by the poster above ^^^ and I already see a difference. Keep at it!
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
    These things will take time.
    Eat proper food and get your Macro/micro nutrients in.

    This.
    8488541.png
  • cmjohnson89
    cmjohnson89 Posts: 2 Member
    You will be able to reduce it considerably by losing the weight but each time we stretch out skin it loses a bit of it's elasticity, making it more difficult the more we do it. You will never get rid of your slight over-hand above your C section scar I'm afraid - they have to cut all the nerves etc and if it's numb you haven't got a hope of exercising it as you can't feel it (if that makes sense).

    You are still young and thus more stretchy than me, even if you never get a flat toned tum you can always reduce it and you'll feel better in all your clothes.
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    You will be able to reduce it considerably by losing the weight but each time we stretch out skin it loses a bit of it's elasticity, making it more difficult the more we do it. You will never get rid of your slight over-hand above your C section scar I'm afraid - they have to cut all the nerves etc and if it's numb you haven't got a hope of exercising it as you can't feel it (if that makes sense).

    You are still young and thus more stretchy than me, even if you never get a flat toned tum you can always reduce it and you'll feel better in all your clothes.

    I had no overhang before though? In the first photo it was taken 4 months after giving birth and I had no overhang or pouch at all.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    Quote of the day:
    "When it comes to getting those ripped 6-pack abs. YOU ALREADY HAVE THEM! We all do, anatomically speaking. It’s just a matter of making them visible. As evidence to this, just spend a little time at your local municipal pool and you will see droves of kids walking around with perfect 6-pack abs who have never done a crunch in their life!"
    The reason your stomach hangs is because there is still fat in it, as you lose it it will shrink. add in strength exercise and that will help. mine used to hang ridiculously low but as I've lost 90-oddlb it has shrunk back incredibly, it takes time and effort :flowerforyou:
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    You will be able to reduce it considerably by losing the weight but each time we stretch out skin it loses a bit of it's elasticity, making it more difficult the more we do it. You will never get rid of your slight over-hand above your C section scar I'm afraid - they have to cut all the nerves etc and if it's numb you haven't got a hope of exercising it as you can't feel it (if that makes sense).

    You are still young and thus more stretchy than me, even if you never get a flat toned tum you can always reduce it and you'll feel better in all your clothes.

    Over time if she cuts body fat to a significant amount she will lose the hang.
    It all boils down to hormones and vitamins.
    First things first is getting proper diet in.
    Eating 1600 then below 1k is not right for your type of diet.
    Thats what bodybuilders prepping for a competition do because they have the muscle to sustain it.
    Just do what we worked out in our PMs and you will lose the fat.

    /endthread
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    You will be able to reduce it considerably by losing the weight but each time we stretch out skin it loses a bit of it's elasticity, making it more difficult the more we do it. You will never get rid of your slight over-hand above your C section scar I'm afraid - they have to cut all the nerves etc and if it's numb you haven't got a hope of exercising it as you can't feel it (if that makes sense).

    You are still young and thus more stretchy than me, even if you never get a flat toned tum you can always reduce it and you'll feel better in all your clothes.

    Over time if she cuts body fat to a significant amount she will lose the hang.
    It all boils down to hormones and vitamins.
    First things first is getting proper diet in.
    Eating 1600 then below 1k is not right for your type of diet.
    Thats what bodybuilders prepping for a competition do because they have the muscle to sustain it.
    Just do what we worked out in our PMs and you will lose the fat.

    /endthread

    'Eating 1600 then below 1k is not right for your type of diet.'

    I don't understand?