Lower stomach fat/skin after babies.

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JsGordita
JsGordita Posts: 70
in Fitness and Exercise
I have had 2 girls and i was always chunky but after having both of my girls i have this nasty extra fat/skin on the lower part of my stomach and it seems like the more i lose weight the more it hangs down(its nasty) I hate it!! I was chunky before kids but at least i didn't have this issue. I just wanted to know if anyone has had this also and was able to fix it without surgery( i have read only surgery will work) i am afraid if i keep losing weight that it will just keep hanging farther down because if that is the case then forget it! I am just worried that my stomach will always look this nasty, like my 2 beautiful girls just stretched it out way to far:ohwell: I was just interested in if anyone who has had this issue was able to get it some what back to normal, i don't even care if it goes back to the way it was i just want it to get much smaller. I posted a picture below(found on the web) of what it looks like, mine isn't as bad as the picture(not hanging as low) but thats the only picture i found that showed the same issue my tummy is having(only the lower section of the tummy).

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Replies

  • Helice
    Helice Posts: 1,075 Member
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    i think the only way will be through surgery.
    the pictures show someone who clearlly will not be able to loose the skin through building muscle, etc..
    The only way to loose the skin will be to put on fat to stretch the skin round...
    and that option is ofcourse very unhealthy.
    im sorry but i think surgery will be the only way =/
  • LylaFaii
    LylaFaii Posts: 52
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    I don't know but I've been meaning to ask this... Guess It's time to start saving for the op in my case as it's soul destroying. It repulses me to look at myself because of 'the hang' :(
  • vampee
    vampee Posts: 103 Member
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    Sorry to say, this is caused by the elasticity in your skin being overly used. It can get a bit smaller but surgery is the only thing that will make it go away. It is not sagging muscles. it is loose and stretched out skin.

    Loosing weight and excercise can and will make it smaller. I had 4 kids and when I worked out before now (years ago) it shrunk down because the fat underneath shrunk. However, I still had a small overhang right above my pubic hair and I worked out like a mofo. It would have required surgery but I had no money so I chose to ignore it and be happy.

    But not all people are the same. Many things contribute to the elasticity of your skin and not everyone is made the same. Some don't even have a problem.

    It sounds like surgery may be what you are in store for.
  • JsGordita
    JsGordita Posts: 70
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    Lyla i know what you mean, i still have plenty to lose but when i look at myself i always think to myself " i would be ok with my size if i could just get rid of that nasty lower tummy" then i wouldn't be so depressed about the way i look.
  • grmpy1
    grmpy1 Posts: 462 Member
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    I would think that if you lost the weight slow and exercised it would help. It may not all go away but it wouldn't be as bad as losing fast and not giving your body time to adjust with it. At one time I lost over 80 lbs and I did it slow and exercised at least 3 times a week. I was surprised that my stomach had gotten as flat as it did. Stupid me, let myself go and now I am losing again. I have lost 35 in a year and losing more all the time. I definitely see a change in the stomach and in the side areas where the fat would hang.
    Give yourself time and keep working at it. Once you reach your goal weight then re -evaluate the situation. It may not be as bad as you think. You can always have the surgery if you aren't happy with it. Time, hard work, and persistance is the answer.
  • LylaFaii
    LylaFaii Posts: 52
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    That's exactly it! The overhang makes me appear a lot bigger than I actually am and if that wasn't there, I'd be happy. It's already shrunk quite a bit but the rest is definately not going anywhere!
  • Aleciajones
    Aleciajones Posts: 153
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    Decided to search and found this, http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm any thoughts on it? Make sense or no
  • hypotrochoid
    hypotrochoid Posts: 842 Member
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    Reverse crunches. Plank. Bicycle crunches.... And anything else that works your lower abdominals. I've been working on that area and have noticed a decrease in the sag (It's a small decrease, but I've only been at it for a few weeks).
  • optimusmom
    optimusmom Posts: 18 Member
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    I absolutely know how you feel!! After I had my two boys I had a ton of loose skin because my skin has no elasticity and it stretched horribly.
    I worked out like a fiend and lost almost 100 lbs, but the skin was still there (although smaller).
    I visited a laser surgery clinic and was told that there was too much skin and it was too loose to be effective and would have been a waste of time and money. So off to the surgeon I went. So far I have had only the consultation because the surgery itself will cost approx $10, 000. Maybe I will go for it after I lose a few more pounds and finish my nursing degree. It's keep exercising and eating well and live with it - for now.
  • MaryStregger
    MaryStregger Posts: 73 Member
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    Recently a friend of mine entered a body-building competition with a few other women who had lost a lot of weight. She told me that these women experienced loss of a lot of the loose skin by doing the dehydration diet that body builders do right before a competition. Now, I do not think that this diet sounds healthy at all - but surgery isn't healthy either. I have heard that there are some spa wrap treatments that do a similar thing. It doesn't completely get rid of the sag but, apparently, it does significantly reduce it for some people. It might be worth investigating.
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
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    I have had 2 girls and i was always chunky but after having both of my girls i have this nasty extra fat/skin on the lower part of my stomach and it seems like the more i lose weight the more it hangs down(its nasty) I hate it!! I was chunky before kids but at least i didn't have this issue. I just wanted to know if anyone has had this also and was able to fix it without surgery( i have read only surgery will work) i am afraid if i keep losing weight that it will just keep hanging farther down because if that is the case then forget it! I am just worried that my stomach will always look this nasty, like my 2 beautiful girls just stretched it out way to far:ohwell: I was just interested in if anyone who has had this issue was able to get it some what back to normal, i don't even care if it goes back to the way it was i just want it to get much smaller. I posted a picture below(found on the web) of what it looks like, mine isn't as bad as the picture(not hanging as low) but thats the only picture i found that showed the same issue my tummy is having(only the lower section of the tummy).

    thumb.png

    After having 6 children, my stomach is not what it used to be... trust me! :)

    I was afraid to lose weight because I was concerned about the way that area would look. My stomach is, for the most part, flat. As I tighten my tummy area the skin just rises up and doesn't hang at all. It is still wrinkly, can't help that. But I would rather have a flat, wrinkly tummy and have a healthy heart than to have a wrinkly tummy filled with fat.

    Honestly.... after I decided where I want to be weight wise, and I maintain for at least 2 years, I am going to have the extra skin removed. But who knows what I will feel like at that point. I would probably just leave it... who knows. Only father time will be able to tell whether or not the wrinkly tummy goes or stays :)
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
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    I have had 2 girls and i was always chunky but after having both of my girls i have this nasty extra fat/skin on the lower part of my stomach and it seems like the more i lose weight the more it hangs down(its nasty) I hate it!! I was chunky before kids but at least i didn't have this issue. I just wanted to know if anyone has had this also and was able to fix it without surgery( i have read only surgery will work) i am afraid if i keep losing weight that it will just keep hanging farther down because if that is the case then forget it! I am just worried that my stomach will always look this nasty, like my 2 beautiful girls just stretched it out way to far:ohwell: I was just interested in if anyone who has had this issue was able to get it some what back to normal, i don't even care if it goes back to the way it was i just want it to get much smaller. I posted a picture below(found on the web) of what it looks like, mine isn't as bad as the picture(not hanging as low) but thats the only picture i found that showed the same issue my tummy is having(only the lower section of the tummy).

    thumb.png

    also.... losing weight too quickly will make this area look worse. Which is one reason why I am happy with an ounce lost here and there :) I know... it sounds nuts to be happy with losing a few ounces from time to time... but I am not in a marathon and I want to retain that healthy look. Not that saggy look.
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
    Options
    Reverse crunches. Plank. Bicycle crunches.... And anything else that works your lower abdominals. I've been working on that area and have noticed a decrease in the sag (It's a small decrease, but I've only been at it for a few weeks).

    Yes this does help! a lot! I have been doing these exercises, and making sure I do 200 crunches every single night. And I can put my pant on and walk without worrying about sucking it all in... it just stays in all by itself. But the wrinkly skin isn't going anywhere. But the tight muscle helps keep the skin up.

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