OH!!! Forgot! POSTURE!

You will never, ever look like you have a flat stomach if you don't have good posture. It can also make you look like your stomach is flatter than it is.

MamaBirdBoss wrote: »

No. It's not genetics. If your stomach isn't flat, you're either too high in fat or too low in tone to be flat.

This. They aren't kidding when they say abs are built in the kitchen. It's why you see strong [wo]men that still have plenty of visible body fat. You have to eat a lean diet and lean down to have it. You may also stay bloated due to food sensitivities and allergies. Most people don't even realize they have them because they've been dealing with them their whole life. If you've never tried an allergen elimination diet, you have no idea how good you can feel. You may not have any serious allergies, but you may find that the ones you do have are enough to keep you puffy, increase headaches, cause water retention, cause widespread joint pain, etc.

Regardless, if you aren't unhappy about it, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I do believe most people can achieve the flat stomach, but you can't deny genetics & body type play a HUGE role in how easy that is for certain people. I was just on the Recomp thread and few people were compliaining about how they lose fat from their stomachs first but can't get it to budge from their butt & thighs. For me, it's the absolutely LAST place it comes off. My friend and I are the same weight/bf % and she has the most perfectly flat stomach. I'd have to lose another 20 pounds to even have a shot of having that stomach. But like the OP, I have wonderful muscular legs that I wouldn't trade for a slightly flatter stomach. We're not all built the same and we won't all lose the same. I say embrace what you've got all while working to become the best possible YOU.

MountainMaggie wrote: »

Everyone wants a flat stomach. Well, amost everyone. I'd like a flatter stomach, but sometimes I think it's all genetic. I really haven't tried to get one, and I don't obsess about not having one, but it sure looks and sounds nice. I've had a flat stomach a couple of times, but I was really underweight then and unhealthy. I am pretty petite and fit, and occasionally I wake up with a flat stomach...which is gone as soon as I eat something. Some people's stomachs, I know, stick out after they eat, some people's don't, and it seems mine sticks out even more if I'm skinnier, and I'm not alone.
I work out A LOT. I run about 30 miles a week, and I work 60 hours a week in a manual labor job that works all of my body, and have great muscle tone. I have fantastic abs (although some are obscured by the belly. Lol). I am slightly pear shaped, which I'm told is way healthier than top heavy. I have a low center of gravity. I eat very well. I do all the things you should do to get a flat belly, but don't have it.
Is this like a thigh gap? Is this an achievable thing for all, or is it a generally unrealistic standard of beauty? Many girls have a thigh gap naturally, and that's fine. I personally wouldn't trade my muscular legs in order to have one. Is it the same with the flat stomach?
Curious on your thoughts, as I sip my wine and eat cheese, which surely isn't helping my case, gloriously unconcerned about my belly pooch.

I currently look 4-5 months pregnant for me. Very irritating.

What the heck is a thigh gap?

Hi guys! New to the group but have been using MFP daily since August 2014 and on and off for years. 34yo and looking to slim down without losing too much of muscle I've built up strength training. I've been at maintenance the past 3 months giving my metabolism a chance to recover from a very low calorie diet, and I just recently began a moderate cut again

I just wanted to pipe in on this thread. I have a girlfriend who is one of these people who just has a flat stomach. Even when she was 30lbs heavier than she wanted to be, she could where mid-riff showing outfits without the slightest bit of tummy pooch. She carried almost all of her extra weight in her hips, bum and thighs. People use to ask her all of the time how she got her stomach so flat, what exercises, and her answer was nothing. She didn't go to the gym... and she was a bartender so she drank a lot of booze. So for her, yes I totally think genetics. She's now a yoga instructor and so her entire body has toned down and slimmed up, but her stomach looks the same as it always has! So fascinating.

As for my stomach, I don't mind the way it looks standing, but doing a plank... oh my! It just sags way down. I think a lot of people who have had kids have this problem, but I haven't had kids. I have yo'yo'd up and down 50lbs for the past 10 years and I'm guessing my stomach skin is stretched out. I don't know for sure. My core is strong though... I'm super proud of that! I can hold a 3 minute forearm plank.