Sorry for the dumb question

Crystal_Rudolph
Crystal_Rudolph Posts: 632 Member
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
I am sorry for asking such a dumb question, but this is really getting to me...:grumble: I have incorporated a lot of work on my abs in the last week. Well, yesterday I noticed that my tummy sticks out even further than it did before my 27lbs lost! I look like I am pregnant!!! Why?????? Sorry for being so dumb...but it is really bothering me! :angry: Thanks for all the help:happy:

Replies

  • Hype
    Hype Posts: 349
    I want to know the answer too! I've only lost 16lbs but i look pregnant too =(
  • jsmith2377
    jsmith2377 Posts: 208 Member
    A fitness expert at my gym told me that when you do ab exercises, if you don't 'suck it in' the whole time, your muscles will be stuck out. SUCK IT IN. It works for me.
  • bettyboop573
    bettyboop573 Posts: 610 Member
    not sure if i am giving the correct info here but I always heard that if you train abs improperly you can train them to actually stick out??? Might require some further reading :)
  • bettyboop573
    bettyboop573 Posts: 610 Member
    A fitness expert at my gym told me that when you do ab exercises, if you don't 'suck it in' the whole time, your muscles will be stuck out. SUCK IT IN. It works for me.

    yes :) this is exactly what i was thinking
  • 1FITmamaofTWINS
    1FITmamaofTWINS Posts: 185
    You said you have been doing a lot of ab workouts right? In that case I would say it's muscle. I would bump down your ab workouts to once a week till you lose most of your fat. Once your abs start to get more visible then start working them out more.

    I can see my 6 pack but if I eat bad for ONE night and drink beer I look like i'm 5 months pregnant for the next day or two. It sucks !
  • Perfectlycrooked
    Perfectlycrooked Posts: 275 Member
    What they said ^
    But if it's not too significant, if your abs aren't used to that kind of work they'll swell and retain water to help repair themselves!
    So if they're achey that might be so too(:
  • Angela_MA
    Angela_MA Posts: 260
    A fitness expert at my gym told me that when you do ab exercises, if you don't 'suck it in' the whole time, your muscles will be stuck out. SUCK IT IN. It works for me.


    I was told the same thing. Your muscles will build out, so if you suck in your stomach you will hold them in place, in laymems terms! Also, as another post noted it could be water retention. I can get that way too.
  • cat3nv
    cat3nv Posts: 389 Member
    I took a look at your food diary. You sugar intake over the last week is pretty high. Sugar will cause bloating. You may want to lower your sugar intake.
  • 1FITmamaofTWINS
    1FITmamaofTWINS Posts: 185
    for the record do not "suck you stomach in" when training your abs... instead, focus on the muscle by contracting it HARD at the end of each rep. Sucking it in would be terrible advice... by contracting your abs (on every exercise might I add) aids in posture and strengthning of your core. If you simply suck it in, you could cause injury to your lower back.

    I would def say it's a mix between your diet and the excess fat you have in your midsection combined with muscle conditioning. Take my advice and clean up the diet and only do abs once a week. if you are weight training... tighten your abs for EVERY exercise you do for every bodypart. This is plenty! 6 packs are 10% workout and 90% diet
  • Crystal_Rudolph
    Crystal_Rudolph Posts: 632 Member
    I took a look at your food diary. You sugar intake over the last week is pretty high. Sugar will cause bloating. You may want to lower your sugar intake.

    How could you know if my sugar intake is too high? I don't have my diary set to watch the sugar intake.
  • sdirbder
    sdirbder Posts: 159 Member
    Are you doing cardio too to help lose total body fat?
  • lucky723
    lucky723 Posts: 52
    Remember its a muscle and if you do too many of them you can bulk the muscle's up and it will cause them to stick out.
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    I'm going to have to go with bloat or a perspective thing here. It's not likely that in one week you have built enough muscle to make this kind of difference. It is likely that you are bloated, that you are retaining water, and or that you are having a day where everything looks worse to you than it really is. I've lost 50 lbs and wear clothes I never thought I could force my skeleton into and I still wake up and think whoa! what the heck happened to me, I look like a goodyear blimp.

    Maybe it's one of those days?
  • cat3nv
    cat3nv Posts: 389 Member
    I took a look at your food diary. You sugar intake over the last week is pretty high. Sugar will cause bloating. You may want to lower your sugar intake.

    How could you know if my sugar intake is too high? I don't have my diary set to watch the sugar intake.

    Just because you do not track your sugar intake does not mean MFP does not. If you click on print viewable report, you can see all of the things MFP tracks.

    After I posted that, I thought maybe I should explain what I meant. Sugar by itself does not cause bloating. However, most people especially women have yeast as a part of their microbiota, yeast feeds off sugar and releases gas. It is the gas that is released by the yeast that causes the bloating.
  • hamton
    hamton Posts: 245
    I'm going to agree with bethrs. It's probably just bloat. Not sure how muscles would stick out. Unless you have very large ab muscles. I wish my ab muscles would stick out. Be great if I had nice buldging abs. I used to train my abs 3-4 times a week for about 15-30 mins. I gave up on that. I just can't get mine any bigger. I just train them roughly once a week now.
  • Minnesnowtagurl
    Minnesnowtagurl Posts: 406 Member
    This is most definitely is not a dumb question. This was a good read. Thanks for the question. my abdomen is my biggest problem area. seems to always be lagging behind by a pant/dress size...
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    I'm going to have to go with bloat or a perspective thing here. It's not likely that in one week you have built enough muscle to make this kind of difference. It is likely that you are bloated, that you are retaining water, and or that you are having a day where everything looks worse to you than it really is. I've lost 50 lbs and wear clothes I never thought I could force my skeleton into and I still wake up and think whoa! what the heck happened to me, I look like a goodyear blimp.

    Maybe it's one of those days?

    ^^ This. You are not going to build any significant muscle in a week especially just doing body weight exercises
  • Cindio
    Cindio Posts: 74 Member
    Maybe try a gentle cleanse. This will help elimate any excess waste and gases that get caught up in the digestive system. Also, watch and track what types of food you are taking in and how they make you feel, maybe there is a trend and then you can avoid those foods.
  • kcurtis05
    kcurtis05 Posts: 524 Member
    As a Pilates instructor always says... "Contract Bellybutton to spine!"
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    Maybe try a gentle cleanse. This will help elimate any excess waste and gases that get caught up in the digestive system. Also, watch and track what types of food you are taking in and how they make you feel, maybe there is a trend and then you can avoid those foods.

    Also excellent advice. Maybe there is something you have a mild allergy to that is causing this (I have a friend who reacts similarly to broccoli).
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