2 c-sections (8 and 7 years ago), belly still jelly

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leahestey
leahestey Posts: 124 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I had 2 c-sections about 8 and 7 years ago. I had another baby naturally 2 years ago. I have lost 74 since my youngest's birth. The only improvement I REALLY need to work is my belly. It is very flabby. I'm not looking for hard rock abs, just flatten it out. What do you suggest for beginner exercises to flatten my belly jelly? :)

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  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    I asked this on another forum but never got a very satisfying answer. I will be checking in.
  • JamieG8991
    JamieG8991 Posts: 1,203 Member
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    I'd like to know an answer to this, too. I had 2 c-sections (23 and 21 years ago) and while I'm definitely toning up, I still have the "jelly belly".
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    crunches
  • leahestey
    leahestey Posts: 124 Member
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    I'm glad that I'm not alone (not that I wish the same to anyone else).
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
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    What most people will tell you is that you can't spot reduce and have to just keep losing overall body fat to lose the pooch. If you want to tighten up the underlying muscle, a lot of people love pilates. I'm more action oriented and don't like laying on a mat so I work my mid section with cardio kickbox. All the kicking is great for the lower abs and obliques. The punching (if done with correct form) is great for the whole mid section. Plus, it torches calories.
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Here is my post-2 baby belly (no C-sections for me though)

    c1939207-a7e3-49c3-ba82-c72d15a62d97.jpg
  • leahestey
    leahestey Posts: 124 Member
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    With my belly, you can hide 3 fingers under it. lol
  • rocketgirl75
    rocketgirl75 Posts: 1
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    The belly aka the abs are made in the kitchen. What's good for one person, might not be good for another. You need to do some research on it. Get different points of view. Remember it doesn't happen over night. Keep a journal of what you do, it will give you guide to look back on. It's all about trial and error. Good luck.

    I've had two kids (13 & 21 now) and I have ads now. Don't give up on it.

    TIME (Things I Must Earn)
  • leahestey
    leahestey Posts: 124 Member
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    Here is my belly. You would not guess that I was skinny looking at that thing hanging. lol

    124irvc.jpg
  • leahestey
    leahestey Posts: 124 Member
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    It never hurts to ask, right? ;)
  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
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    You definitely can't choose where you lose fat so continue to eat at a deficit but add in overall strength training since many of the moves work the core as well.Plus you get the increase in metabolism from the strength training to help there. To strengthen the core, there are so many exercises you can do--planks, side planks (and there are sooo many variations on both of these), yoga poses like boat pose, bridging type exercises....
    The key is to lose the fat and strengthen all over. I am not there yet, but I have had 2 C-Sections and a major abdominal injury and it has shrunk considerably. I also do Body Combat which like someone else said is awesome for the core (I lost in inch in my waist in the first 4 weeks with a good diet and doing it)
  • leahestey
    leahestey Posts: 124 Member
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    Thanks for all the ideas! Bottomline: overall strength and weight loss but can focus on ab area to give it a boost. Right? Wrong?
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    As a person who has had several incisions in that region, one being from belly button to pelvic bone and my guts removed from my body, I can tell you there are a lot of factors to getting that specific area flat.

    Firstly, if you have fat down there I strongly suggest you work on DIET coupled with calorie burning activity at first. Everybody is different, but ultimately you will lose the fat in that region if you put in the work. Just keep in mind it could take a very long time depending on the individual. If your in this for the long haul, that shouldn't be a problem :).

    Secondly, If you lose the fat in any area to quickly, you are prone to having loose skin that will be hard to get rid of. MFP and the way its set up caters well to avoiding this potential problem.

    Lastly, there are plenty of exercises that work the abs, although I think most of them are a waste. Everybody has abs muscles and its probably the hardest ones to actually build.

    If you want to build strength, planks give you best bang for your buck. Just remember if you have fat still, those six packs are not going to pop, not to mention building muscle in the midsection will only push your fat out more, giving you the appearance of being fatter.

    Good luck!

    .
  • gxm17
    gxm17 Posts: 374
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    I had two c-sections ages ago (my kids are adults) and found I was able to flatten my naturally round belly with regular core-focused work. (And all I do in the kitchen is eat.) I don't have washboard abs but that's not what I was after.

    IMO, with c-section recovery you need to make sure you hit the lower abs and your back as well.

    Pilates toe taps are great for the lower belly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlnfZBQwPaA

    Leg lifts are good too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHSIerbp-CE
  • conniedj
    conniedj Posts: 470 Member
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    OP: you have what is "lovingly" referred to as "mother's apron"~loose skin due to pregnancy and your big weight loss. The other peeps have said that a strong core is key to reducing the appearance of "bubble" or protruding belly. Absolutely correct! Strong core is good for all things back, belly!

    The overlap is more pronounced after a c-section due to the bubble of fat that naturally occurs in most woman after a baby.

    Make sure that your nutrition is well rounded too! Skin only has so much elasticity, which can be affected by what you eat, if you smoke, etc. You will find that as you lose overall body fat, this spot may be last to reduce in size--every person is different! But in women with this issue we seem to lose more quickly in the waist and breasts, and the belly comes off last! Don't be discouraged, it will happen! You may always have a bit of an apron with some loose skin, but it will get better!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    That's loose skin and has nothing to do with the c-section. You can tighten abs as much as you want and lose fat but extra skin only goes if you have the genetics for it. Another good reason not to gain a ton of weight during a pregnancy.
  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
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    That's loose skin and has nothing to do with the c-section. You can tighten abs as much as you want and lose fat but extra skin only goes if you have the genetics for it. Another good reason not to gain a ton of weight during a pregnancy.

    I wish it was just that, but I only gained 20 and 23lbs with my 2 pregnancies and still have it. I am sure genetics does play a part but there's no harm in trying so yes, watch your diet to lose fat and overall strength training can help. Will it get you a completely flat belly, who knows. The other thing I wanted to mention to is that I was in physical therapy and my PT suggested vigorous scar massage to help with it so while it won't be the only thing that works, breaking up scar tissue is a good thing

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