Abs after a baby

ChangingLifestyles
ChangingLifestyles Posts: 117
in Introduce Yourself
Is it even possible for me to get abs after having a baby? I have wanted abs for such a long time but I have stretchmarks all over the second half of my stomach and I'm still big so when I lose weight I might have saggy skin but I guess I won't know that until I lose the weight. I just want to know if it's possible if I do happen to have saggy skin?

Replies

  • KayteeB07
    KayteeB07 Posts: 341
    Yes Hun it goes!!
    My picture back in January I had a huge stomach with massive overhang lol it's not flat yet but it's getting tere and no overhang haha x
  • KayteeB07
    KayteeB07 Posts: 341
    Quick tip aswell drink 2-3 litres of water aday to reduce saggy skin it's worked for me xx
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    i got mine back after gaining 62 lbs and having a c section. Oh and i am 39 years old. So YEAH
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    Is it even possible for me to get abs after having a baby? I have wanted abs for such a long time but I have stretchmarks all over the second half of my stomach and I'm still big so when I lose weight I might have saggy skin but I guess I won't know that until I lose the weight. I just want to know if it's possible if I do happen to have saggy skin?
    depends on a lot of stuff. some people are more elastic than others.

    me? years back i got anorexic skinny and there was still floppy skin. paper thin but still floppy. there's no muscle in skin, so working out doesn't change it.

    my belly doesn't bother me though.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    Quick tip aswell drink 2-3 litres of water aday to reduce saggy skin it's worked for me xx
    you got proper research to back this up?
  • joshuadavisped
    joshuadavisped Posts: 26
    Anything is possible when it comes to the human body! And saggy skin is only caused if you lose weight very very very fast. Just take it slow and lose little by little then your skin will form nicely to your muscles :D
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    Anything is possible when it comes to the human body! And saggy skin is only caused if you lose weight very very very fast. Just take it slow and lose little by little then your skin will form nicely to your muscles :D
    yeah, i'd like to see proper research on that one too.
    i see no rational reason why skin would not shrink back just as far with rapid weight loss. eventually.
    i can see how a lot of people would provide anecdotal 'evidence', because a lag between flesh shrinking and skin shrinking.

    i'm such a cynic.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    do you have a lot of stretchmarks? i wonder if having lots would make skin less likely to go back... i got a gazillion with my eldest. like overstretched elastic.

    do the people whose skin went back have few or no stretchmarks?
  • pestopoli
    pestopoli Posts: 111 Member
    @strongsmartbeautiful - Joshua is right! Take dieting slowly, and work in the gym to form a nice base of muscles under the layer of fat (not just on your stomach, but your whole body over). With a little cardio and a healthy diet and a lot of patience, you can improve your stomach! I did.

    And don't listen to negative attitudes :/
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
    I got mine back after 2 c-sections and am 35 years old. Pics in album.
  • kak1018
    kak1018 Posts: 183 Member
    Good nutrition, water, cardio, and time. It can be done, good luck!
  • SpaceMarkus
    SpaceMarkus Posts: 651
    Yep! I've helped train a few ladies. I was blown away by a women that I met in LA that had 7 babies and rock hard 6-pack. It's hard work and you have to absolutely want it.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Mine went back to normal.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    @strongsmartbeautiful - Joshua is right! Take dieting slowly, and work in the gym to form a nice base of muscles under the layer of fat (not just on your stomach, but your whole body over). With a little cardio and a healthy diet and a lot of patience, you can improve your stomach! I did.

    And don't listen to negative attitudes :/
    good grief!

    now it's negative to be realistic, to say that some people go back better than others, and to question the evidence behind 1000000 claims of what works?
    nobody online can say whether she'll go back or not. so is it better to lie and say she absolutely can? ...so how will she feel if she turns out to be someone who can't?

    and i'm only talking about the skin here.
  • Fiercely_Me
    Fiercely_Me Posts: 481 Member
    i got mine back after gaining 62 lbs and having a c section. Oh and i am 39 years old. So YEAH

    I just gained 64 pounds during pregnancy and trying to shed the weight. How long did it take you to lose the weight?
  • suwei907
    suwei907 Posts: 9
    It is possible, but realistically, no. Skin elasticity, determined by genetics is ultimately the deciding factor. Eat healthy, drink water, and exercise are your best bets. Just know there is no guarantee, and no lotion, potion, or cream that will fix it.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    It is possible, but realistically, no. Skin elasticity, determined by genetics is ultimately the deciding factor. Eat healthy, drink water, and exercise are your best bets. Just know there is no guarantee, and no lotion, potion, or cream that will fix it.
    *like*

    you can still have killer abs underneath, whatever the skin is like.
  • sleepingtodream
    sleepingtodream Posts: 304 Member
    I gained some noticeable stretch marks on my lower abdomen after giving birth to my second child. I have been back to my pre-pregnancy weight for awhile but have just been starting working on my muscle tone. I have noticed over the last month or so that my stretch marks are fading a bit as I have actually lost a couple inches in my waist. My still feels lose (no rock hard 6-pack here), but I feel that if I actually keep working on toning my ab muscles my skin will tighten up. At least I know that working my abs sure isn't going to hurt anything! haha

    I do agree with the folks who are saying genetics plays a roll in skin elasticity and that you should lose weight a little slowly to avoid the initial result of loose skin.


    Good luck!
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    i got mine back after gaining 62 lbs and having a c section. Oh and i am 39 years old. So YEAH

    I just gained 64 pounds during pregnancy and trying to shed the weight. How long did it take you to lose the weight?

    Honestly it took me 3 years, the couch25k program and MFP- which sounds like a lot but it was easy to do by just working out 3 days a week and eventually tracking calories to lose the last 10 lbs. 3 years is a long time but i wasnt in a huge rush. I couldve done it sooner if i was willing to devote more time and attention to it.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    It is possible, but realistically, no. Skin elasticity, determined by genetics is ultimately the deciding factor. Eat healthy, drink water, and exercise are your best bets. Just know there is no guarantee, and no lotion, potion, or cream that will fix it.

    i have to disagree with this because i got stretchmarks as a teenager so i know i am capable of them. However i did not get them with pregnancy and i did lube my belly three times a day.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    It is possible, but realistically, no. Skin elasticity, determined by genetics is ultimately the deciding factor. Eat healthy, drink water, and exercise are your best bets. Just know there is no guarantee, and no lotion, potion, or cream that will fix it.

    i have to disagree with this because i got stretchmarks as a teenager so i know i am capable of them. However i did not get them with pregnancy and i did lube my belly three times a day.
    that's only viable evidence if you lubed the left of your belly three times a day and left the other side as the control study.

    it's two different situations, different ages, different hormones, different diets. anecdotal evidence.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQjqxayxwt4&feature=endscreen&NR=1

    fallacy of causation and correlation lolz
  • trmhb
    trmhb Posts: 13 Member
    I'm new to MFP. I am a mom of 5 all c-sections & I am working on getting my body back. With workouts everday I am slowly getting there but hey a lil progress is better than none. Hoping for some positive feed back to keep my motivation up. Thanks :)

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