Grr Body fat%.

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Selunca
Selunca Posts: 208 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I am 7 months postpartum, and suffering from an attack of the lingering belly jiggle. For those who have had a baby, I hope you know what I'm talking about - where it doesn't quite feel like fat, it just.. loosely jiggles. If that makes sense.

Don't get me wrong, I know there is fat in there, which is why I'm using MFP - to try and get rid of it! But I'm getting extremely frustrated. I've used two different body fat calculators and I'm getting drastically different results from both. One is saying I'm at 26% (Which I don't buy) and one is saying 41% (Which I don't buy). I think I'm some where in between, but that my baby marshmallow is throwing off the measurements. Not that its not fat, or whatever, but its not a normal phenomenon either.

I guess I have two questions. 1) If I go somewhere and have them measure me with the calibers, are they going to get an accurate reading with the belly marshmallow. 2) Are there any tricks, tips, etc. to getting the belly to continue to 'go down'? Its gone down LOADS since I had my daughter (I looked 9mo preg. for 3 months.) but I'm still so frustrated it won't go away. :C

If anyone thinks it would help I'd be willing to take photos, but unless requested I won't for now.

Part of me wonders if it might be skin? I doubt it, again, but I the night before I had my daughter we measured me and I was 58" around, and I'm only 5' tall. Could it be skin due to getting as big as a good year blimp?

I'm losing fat evening, and gaining nice lean muscle everywhere else, just not my tummy!

Replies

  • Selunca
    Selunca Posts: 208 Member
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    BUMP
  • JasonDetwiler
    JasonDetwiler Posts: 364 Member
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    My wife is struggling with the same. Calipers will give you a good measurement, but if you can find a "bod pod" in your area, that will be the best method for the most accurate result.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
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    Calipers are only as accurate as the user. But with a good user, they are as accurate as anything. Doesn't matter where your deposits are, a good user will be able to figure it out.

    A bod pod or an immersion test take out the user errors, but they aren't universally available. Then again, neither are good caliper users.

    #2 - you can't spot lose fat. It'll go away how your body wants it to.
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    A hydrostatic body fat test might be another option, if you have someone in the area that does it.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Calipers are only as accurate as the user. But with a good user, they are as accurate as anything. Doesn't matter where your deposits are, a good user will be able to figure it out.

    A bod pod or an immersion test take out the user errors, but they aren't universally available. Then again, neither are good caliper users.

    #2 - you can't spot lose fat. It'll go away how your body wants it to.

    ^^This! And make sure the same person measures you at every assessment, as every health/fitness pro does things a little differently.
  • badgeratheart
    badgeratheart Posts: 91 Member
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    No answers for you, really, just commiseration. The only difference is that my youngest is now 2.5 years old. My belly will not go away! Grrrr....
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    I've been using the electronic BF% device they have at my gym and even though I've been losing pounds and inches consistently, by BF% jumps all over the place. Even my trainer is confused by it. Could be thrown off from my breastfeeding, she says. But I guess what you can take away from this is just keep working toward your end goal. The BF% will go down, but as with most people who have had children, the tummy is the last to go! (I've read it's due to our body holding onto that specific fat for protection of our ovaries for future babies? Hm.)
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    While you cannot spot reduce fat, many people are experiencing a reduction in tummy size by cutting back on sugar and simply carbs. Apparently the belly is where fat from extra sugar intake is typically stored. I'm sure there will be plenty of people saying otherwise, but this is very common among older women who start to store fat in their midsections, and all the ones I am friends with on here have had the same results. After a certain age, you don't create any more fat cells, you just increase or decrease the volume of the cells. Unfortunately, pregnancy is an exception to that rule as your body can create more fat cells in the belly during that time, making it harder to shrink those cells and be back to pre-pregnancy size. So try cutting back on simple carbs, and do lots of planks for toning.

    At only 21 pounds from your goal weight, you are definitely not 40% BF. I would say it was closer to the 28%, perhaps 30% at the most.
  • Selunca
    Selunca Posts: 208 Member
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    While you cannot spot reduce fat, many people are experiencing a reduction in tummy size by cutting back on sugar and simply carbs. Apparently the belly is where fat from extra sugar intake is typically stored. I'm sure there will be plenty of people saying otherwise, but this is very common among older women who start to store fat in their midsections, and all the ones I am friends with on here have had the same results. After a certain age, you don't create any more fat cells, you just increase or decrease the volume of the cells. Unfortunately, pregnancy is an exception to that rule as your body can create more fat cells in the belly during that time, making it harder to shrink those cells and be back to pre-pregnancy size. So try cutting back on simple carbs, and do lots of planks for toning.

    At only 21 pounds from your goal weight, you are definitely not 40% BF. I would say it was closer to the 28%, perhaps 30% at the most.

    Oh my lord sugar and carbs are my thing. I will definitely give this a try though. I am willing to forego those to try and get rid of the jiggle.
    Honestly, I'm already WAY below my pre preg weight (I was 165 when I got preg, lost 20lbs my first trimester, then ended up getting back to 175 during my preg. I now weigh 146.) and my stomach is flatter then I was pre preg, but I feel like the marshmallow is being stubborn!

    Thank you all so much for the suggestions. I don't have access to a bod pod, so I think I'll just suck it up and use the mirror method to gauge my progress :)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    While you cannot spot reduce fat, many people are experiencing a reduction in tummy size by cutting back on sugar and simply carbs. Apparently the belly is where fat from extra sugar intake is typically stored. I'm sure there will be plenty of people saying otherwise, but this is very common among older women who start to store fat in their midsections, and all the ones I am friends with on here have had the same results. After a certain age, you don't create any more fat cells, you just increase or decrease the volume of the cells. Unfortunately, pregnancy is an exception to that rule as your body can create more fat cells in the belly during that time, making it harder to shrink those cells and be back to pre-pregnancy size. So try cutting back on simple carbs, and do lots of planks for toning.

    At only 21 pounds from your goal weight, you are definitely not 40% BF. I would say it was closer to the 28%, perhaps 30% at the most.

    sorry but what the what? most of what you are saying has absolutely no real factual basis in human biology. i'm not trying to be rude or anything, but :huh:


    in any case, OP i still eat a crap load of sugar (like you know how some people only eat crazy candy for halloween? halloween comes at least once a week in my world :laugh: ), i'm a woman of a certain age (ahem) and most of my fat loss has come from my midsection. this is because you can't spot reduce fat (or macro spot reduce fat) because the proportions of how and where you gain are already pre-determined way back when you were conceived and you genes were created.

    my suggestion is to just continue what you're doing to reduce your overall body fat and give it time
  • theologynerd
    theologynerd Posts: 264 Member
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    I'm not anti-carb, but that was the only thing that seemed to give my belly jigglies the shock they needed. After low carbing for a while, I had a few "wooshes". Google "woosh" if you feel marbles/BBs in your fat. My husband doesn't think my body fat measurements are accurate either because of my mommy pouch (currently it says I'm 27.03%). I got to my goal weight and was VERY disappointed with how my body looked, mainly my very large stomach. Strength training has helped a lot, even just my own body weight with planks and modified push-ups. Some of it may be skin, but our skin is an organ. It can adapt. Given a long enough time without yo-yo weight loss and gain, the skin will go back. I've read that it can even take as long as ten years. My stomach is shrinking along with the rest of my body, but it's still very out of proportion. I know that I need to simply be consistent, and patiently plod along. I will get there, and so can you.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    While you cannot spot reduce fat, many people are experiencing a reduction in tummy size by cutting back on sugar and simply carbs. Apparently the belly is where fat from extra sugar intake is typically stored. I'm sure there will be plenty of people saying otherwise, but this is very common among older women who start to store fat in their midsections, and all the ones I am friends with on here have had the same results. After a certain age, you don't create any more fat cells, you just increase or decrease the volume of the cells. Unfortunately, pregnancy is an exception to that rule as your body can create more fat cells in the belly during that time, making it harder to shrink those cells and be back to pre-pregnancy size. So try cutting back on simple carbs, and do lots of planks for toning.

    At only 21 pounds from your goal weight, you are definitely not 40% BF. I would say it was closer to the 28%, perhaps 30% at the most.

    sorry but what the what? most of what you are saying has absolutely no real factual basis in human biology. i'm not trying to be rude or anything, but :huh:


    in any case, OP i still eat a crap load of sugar (like you know how some people only eat crazy candy for halloween? halloween comes at least once a week in my world :laugh: ), i'm a woman of a certain age (ahem) and most of my fat loss has come from my midsection. this is because you can't spot reduce fat (or macro spot reduce fat) because the proportions of how and where you gain are already pre-determined way back when you were conceived and you genes were created.

    my suggestion is to just continue what you're doing to reduce your overall body fat and give it time

    ^^this. I am a woman of an even more certain age and most of mine has come from my mid-section also. I agree with the suggestion to continue what you are doing and to give it time. It can take a while to 'tighten up'.
  • Selunca
    Selunca Posts: 208 Member
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    Okay. Thank you for the continued help, I do appreciate it. I'm almost half way, so maybe by the end I'll start noticing more of a difference :)
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    I've been using the electronic BF% device they have at my gym and even though I've been losing pounds and inches consistently, by BF% jumps all over the place. Even my trainer is confused by it. Could be thrown off from my breastfeeding, she says. But I guess what you can take away from this is just keep working toward your end goal. The BF% will go down, but as with most people who have had children, the tummy is the last to go! (I've read it's due to our body holding onto that specific fat for protection of our ovaries for future babies? Hm.)

    Apparently no one sent my ovaries the message that I'm finished after four children! :grumble:
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    Hello!! I just wanted to stop in and mention that I am an Independent Distributor of some useless spammy crap designed to separate you from your money

    There, fixed that for ya spammer.


    OP - Stick with it. Aside from working to reduce overall BF%, it does take time for the skin to recover post-baby. Don't give up - even once you get to the point where you worry it won't improve, it still can. It just takes time. And I sympathize - I've got that stretched part too.:flowerforyou:
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
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    Don't worry about the body fat so soon, after a year then start to really measure as your body will have had more than enough time to do its 'bounce back' routine.

    Calipers are more accurate than measuring tape and going to a professional will net you a more accurate percentage but if you are wanting to do it at home with measuring tape then use a military calculator. This will be the most accurate you can get at home and for free (at least it has been for me).
  • CaffeinatedGlitter
    CaffeinatedGlitter Posts: 201 Member
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    While I haven't beaten the pouchiness yet, I have noticed a MAJOR decrease... I'm also 5' tall and weighed about 165 at the end of my pregnancy, my weight went down to 150 six weeks PP then about a week later I got kidney stones and lost ten pounds in one week (bad bad way to do it)... I'm now at 120 and still told my bf% is around 25%, I'm aiming for 20%..... Also I'm almost a year PP and didn't really start losing till 6 months PP...

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