Why does my stomach look like this?
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There's a YouTube gal I like that does beginner pilates - Blogilates. Her own site is blogilates.com but you can find her on YT as well. I think I even found her through a recommendation here on MFP. I found the workouts to be low-impact but still quite effective.
She has calendars for daily exercises, etc. Regardless of what program you try, make sure you do some research on what exercises NOT to do when you have diastasis recti - for example crunches and sit-ups can actually make it worse. There are DI-specific exercises that can help.1 -
You’ve had four kids??? You look AMAZING! From my perspective you have absolutely nothing to worry about and a fantastic figure to be proud of.2
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I had good luck fixing my diastasis following abdominal surgery using a combination of stretching/vacuum exercises and an ab roller. When you stretch upwards as high as possible as if you are trying to touch the ceiling, can you feel your abs engage and move into a more correct position? That definitely helped me learn the feeling of using the right muscles. The abs roller is about eight bucks for a cheap one and the best abs workout I've found. A lot of trainers recommend it because it's dynamic unlike planks, and eccentric unlike crunches.
Seriously, though: stand flat footed and try to touch the ceiling. Hold it. It made an incredible difference for such a simple exercise.1 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »No clue... but I’m having a similar problem. I’m 5’6 and around 110 pounds. Some days I go to bed looking like this
But wake up looking like this
No editing or anything I promise! It baffles me!
are you standing straight as you can? looks like you have a posture issue to me as your spine curves a good bit not sure if its a spine issue caused by posture or something else at play
I was trying to stand straight in the pictures, and there is a drastic difference in my stomach size like that each night to each morning no matter how I stand. That being said, if I don’t consciously think about it my posture could certainly use some improvement!0 -
Can anyone direct me where to start with pilates? How often and how long should I be doing the exercises and are there any that I should avoid with having the diastasis?
I’d find a local studio and sign up for the starter session. Make sure you share any limitations with your instructor. They will provide modifications for any exercise. Reformer classes are expensive (at least in my area), but worth it to me once a week.3 -
your organs need some place to go! It's not natural to have a washboard-flat stomach. You look amazing.6
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I think you look fine. Your body is doing way more than just worrying about weight loss. You are very thin. I'm 4'11" and would be skin and bones at 115 and you're 5'3?? If you've had 4 kids then I think you're bragging at this point. Not too many people can have 1 kid and get away with having a little bit of a belly in the lower part of it so you will have some belly after 4. There are people starving in the world hun. Just sayin.14
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gallicinvasion wrote: »your organs need some place to go! It's not natural to have a washboard-flat stomach. You look amazing.
agree. not to mention IF she is eating food every day (lol) that stuff has to go somewhere til it's moved on elsewhere.5 -
perkymommy wrote: »I think you look fine. Your body is doing way more than just worrying about weight loss. You are very thin. I'm 4'11" and would be skin and bones at 115 and you're 5'3?? If you've had 4 kids then I think you're bragging at this point. Not too many people can have 1 kid and get away with having a little bit of a belly in the lower part of it so you will have some belly after 4. There are people starving in the world hun. Just sayin.
Wow. Im pretty insulted by your posts. I was asking for help and your comments were not helpful nor were they warranted. I have a small frame so my weight is right in line with that. I’m not fishing for compliments. This is an issue that really bothers me and I don’t appreciate you belittling me for it. Having kids has not a whole lot to do with it as I’ve stated in my original post that I had this problem before kids.
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I think it's mostly your posture. It looks like the way you hold your shoulders and your hips.2
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I posted awhile back about my stomach pooching out and was advised to lift and gain weight and that it was possibly a muscle mass issue. So I gained 7lb, lost a couple and now sit at 115lb at 5'3". But my stomach looks worse than it did before. Yet it seems no matter what weight I'm at it still pooches out. I've been as much as 9 lbs lighter before and still had the belly pooch. How can I get rid of this? (I've had 4 kids, but had this before I had kids too.)
"why does my stomach look like this?" i think that same question about so many parts of my body lol! and since getting in better shape i learned eat healthy (real healthy not marketing healthy) work out well (not over doing it) and enjoy life and the rest follows my body may never look mens health cover worthy but i feel better and just this morning i looked at my toes and thought why do they look like that but that doesnt stop me from trying to gomi someone in jiu jitsu class despite my lack of flexibility at the moment. so ms i say you look great now enjoy the day and keep at it!!! im still trying to get the hang of this macro tracking and cal tracking. grrrrr!
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Mexicangreensalsa wrote: »Mine sometimes looks like this and I am 19 BMI only. Bloating is normal. If I eat low sodium and watch what I eat to eliminate bloating it goes down. I just like to eat things that make me bloat and also like to eat bigger portions, haha.
I with the others that’s it’s organs and genetics, because even unbloated, if I lost the last bit of stomach fat, my stomach would still stick out a bit no matter the posture. If I tense my abs, I can feel where the muscle starts and from a side view it’s definitely farther out than people with flat stomachs have,which is annoying but as long as I’m getting stronger and accomplishing fitness goals I’m not too bent out of shape about it.
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Weak/untrained transverse abdominis (corset/belt muscles) & less than ideal posture possibly.
Look into doing stomach vacuums (very old school exercise)7 -
Keto_Vampire wrote: »Weak/untrained transverse abdominis (corset/belt muscles) & less than ideal posture possibly.
Look into doing stomach vacuums (very old school exercise)
I will try these, thanks.3 -
Just so everyone's clear, because it seems like some of the posters don't realize this, EVERY WOMAN ON EARTH can relax her stomach muscles and let her tummy hang way out. Even the super thin and super fit don't look good when they don't hold their guts in. If you have stronger muscles and better posture, you will hold your stomach in more naturally, but everyone looks worse at the end of the day when the stomach is full of food and the muscles are tired. They just mostly don't take photos at their least flattering moments.
@hgycta - it looks to me like you don't have a lot of muscle and more muscle tone in your stomach would help hold it in better, as well as improve your posture. Sometimes gaining weight can lead to a flatter stomach, if the weight is muscle!15 -
Great suggestions!!!!!!1
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I appreciate all the suggestions!!! I'll definitely work on building some muscle (and gaining some weight, I did struggle with anorexia nervosa which explains the low BMI but I know it's very unhealthy to stay at this weight)!!4
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