My "mommy belly" before/after pictures - 4 mos, 20 lbs

I'm very shy when it comes to stuff like this but I really feel to share. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and after my second I wasn't sure how my belly would respond. Didn't know if it would shrink down much more, didn't know if the stretch-marked skin would tighten. I'm not one of those mamas who "snap" back - although I lost all of the baby weight fairly quickly, I gained some back with breastfeeding (same thing happened with my first.) It's taken a lot of hard work but it has been worth it. I didn't notice how drastically my belly has changed until I took a picture yesterday and compared. It's funny how our minds play games on us. So anyway, here is my before/after. The first is mid April 2013 and the second was taken yesterday. I'm 20 lbs down as of August 1st. I usually carry my weight high (belly and upper arms) so I'm sure most of this weight came from there considering my lower body stays pretty trim. I focus on strength training, re-training the transverse abdominis and listening to my body. I try to get a ton of protein in and drink tons of water. If anyone has any questions, feel free to msg me or just ask. The pictures are taken at slightly different positions, but that's because I had no intention of sharing and took them just for my own personal use. *Takes a big breath* Here goes:



I've always been an active person, but I must admit it's taken a lot of work to get to this point in comparison to pre-baby. No matter how long post-partum you are, you can still achieve a flatter belly! I would like to slowly lose another 5 - 10 lbs and then start lifting heavier.

Hopefully this encouraged some of you mamas out there!

I know my belly isn't and never will be perfect, but it's much better and it's a work that will continually be in progress!