annoying "belly pooch"

Okay to make a long story short I had my second child in Aug of 2012. He is now 18 months. Right before i had him i was in the best shape of my life after having my first, but whenever i got pregnant (unplanned by my husband and I but so happy we did) I got so discouraged with my health and fitness I just gave up, i felt like ALL that hard work for NOTHING, I was at 112 and could not be happier. During pregnancy i got up to 168, and it showed EVERYwhere. After having Jacob I ate...and ate....and ate. Now i am paying for it. I got down to 135 after giving birth birth but was eating so unhealthy and not exercising period that i gained back up to 142. Back in November of last year I finally had enough, being heavier than i ever wanted to be and having this disgusting belly that hung over any pair of pants i wear & when i sat down only got worse. Beginning of dec i started a new fitness Journey, i currently go to the gym 5 days a week, do at least 20-30 mins cardio then do different exercises daily. As of today i weigh 128 and have lost 5% body fat, My goal is to weigh 115 by summer, but even thought I would love to see that number that is Not what im concerned about..... its still the annoying flab of my belly. It has got smaller with time, i can actually wear smaller jeans with out overflowing them, but i still feel like it should be a little more tone than it is. Can anyone please give me insight? Trying not to get discouraged!!!!

I'm with you before my second child I got super fit and when I got pregnant with my second I got huge !! she is 2 .5 now and I weigh less then I did before I had her but my body is for sure not the same, lol I'm just focusing on weight training lifting heavy and it is working so don't give up it just takes time . Remember we brought these beautiful children into the world so it kinda worth it!!

It hasn't been long. I've never had kids, but I have a genetic lower tummy pooch (just like mom's and her mom's!) that is shrinking and tightening up. A lot of it is just time, I think.

I started wearing these leggings that are tight over the area of loser skin instead of pajamas recently, and I think that helps it tighten better, honestly. My plastic surgeon had me wearing a tight (but not too tight) garment when I got a breast lift, so that's where I got the idea. They are still very comfortable, but they hold the skin tighter and I think it helps -- it has visually helped. My tummy has been a little loose like it's skin-related while losing weight there, but I'm sure it wouldn't work for just fat, just to get that out there, lol.

I'm never home to watch day time television but I did catch this- I never remember to do it but I'll try it out tonight.- Sorry about the length

Dr. Oz explains to viewers that the medical term for having a pregnancy pooch is “Diastasis recti”—a condition where the two halves of the rectus abdominis (your 6-pack muscles) are stretched apart during a pregnancy that often will not bounce back to their original pre-pregnancy condition.

While stretching of the rectus abdominis is a natural and normal function that aids a woman during her pregnancy, it can lead to serious health consequences such as making delivery during additional pregnancies difficult and can cause back pain problems because it weakens the support of the back.

Dr. Oz tells viewers that the biggest mistake women make in trying to get rid of their pregnancy pooch is that they start doing abdominal exercises like sit-ups and crunches that only worsen the pregnancy pooch problem. The reason for this is because the 6-pack muscles become stimulated from the exercise and then bulges out the overlying tummy.

“The problem with a lot of those poses is that…you actually bulge the muscles apart,” says Dr. Oz.

The solution Dr. Oz offers to women is that rather than building up the 6-pack muscles, they should be strengthening their deepest abdominal muscles called the “transverse abdominis” that lie below the 6-pack muscles.

To do this, Dr. Oz shows one exercise called “The Split Ab Towel Move” where you lie down on the floor on your back with a towel folded lengthwise and placed under the shoulder blades just below the arms. You then reach crosswise with both arms under the breasts and above the stomach, and grab the ends of the towel—a crisscross hug type of position. Next, you will then bend your legs at the knees and then use your abdominal muscles to pull your navel in while lifting only your head and neck and look toward your knees.

“You are going to do this 20 times in a row and you are going to repeat it 3 times daily,” says Dr. Oz. “As you do this you will feel your transverse abdominis muscle—the deep muscle under your rib cage―tighten up.”

By strengthening the muscles below your 6-pack, you should eventually see that pregnancy pooch become less pronounced while at the same time enjoy the benefits of having a strong core.

I know how you feel. I'm not too concerned anymore about my goal weight as much as I am about losing my belly and toning the tush and things. We can go this!!! :happy: