How do you lose "the pouch"??

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Replies

  • kodiak1957
    kodiak1957 Posts: 13 Member
    Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. Our "pouch" is held in by two things-muscle and ligament. If there is not fat, a woman can still have a pouch if the ligaments have been stretched or damaged (the "pouch" in this case is your intestines bulging through the no-longer-tight ligaments). You can regain muscle tone, but not ligament tone--at least not without surgery. Toning muscle will help quite a bit, but won't completely eliminate a pouch if there has been ligament damage. The most common reason for ligament damage is pregnancy. It is important to exercise during pregnancy, but you need to be careful of what kind of exercise you do. The wrong kind late in pregnancy (such as crunches) can cause permanent ligament stretching.
    Extreme obesity can also cause a pouch of excess skin that cannot be worked off. The younger you are, the more elastic your skin will be, and the better chance of things "snapping back" once you lose weight.
    Bottom line- prevention is the best solution, but if it is too late then exercise, lose all the fat, and if the problem remains consider surgery if you can't live with the result.
  • angied80
    angied80 Posts: 713 Member
    It's all about your diet. Healthy non processed foods. If it comes in a WRAP, then it's CRAP!
  • SarahxCheesecake
    SarahxCheesecake Posts: 169 Member
    That area is not 'fat' in every case and of course you can spot reduce with resistance and toning, been there done that!

    WTH is it then? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Have you tried something called the camel walk. I saw it on MFP as being recommended. not sure what thread.
  • SarahxCheesecake
    SarahxCheesecake Posts: 169 Member
    Has anyone tried the SAFFLOWER OIL for belly fat? I just read an article in Women's Day and am considering trying it :)

    ow kaaaaaaaaaaaaay :noway:
  • angijunbug
    angijunbug Posts: 205
    Thank you for that link to pinterest! :wink: I need to do that too!
  • Jennical
    Jennical Posts: 219 Member
    Bump.
  • ahealthy4u
    ahealthy4u Posts: 442 Member
    Good diet good work out habits it all goes hand in hand I found that HIT Classes worked really well for me along with walking.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    That area is not 'fat' in every case and of course you can spot reduce with resistance and toning, been there done that!

    In most cases though, it is fat. Unless it's paper thin, it's not just skin.

    That being said, diet and squats/deadlifts with heavy weights.

    It can also be extra skin, which there is basically nothing you can do about except have surgery. Losing weight overall, and doing exercises that strengthen your lower abs can help, but it won't always fix the problem.
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,357 Member
    I'm actually working hard on this area right now. I started Pilates today, also planks, crunches, backward crunches, sit ups, and pushups.. I'd also suggest some Jillian Michael's 30 day shred she focuses on that area.
  • Mabohlale
    Mabohlale Posts: 148 Member
    Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. Our "pouch" is held in by two things-muscle and ligament. If there is not fat, a woman can still have a pouch if the ligaments have been stretched or damaged (the "pouch" in this case is your intestines bulging through the no-longer-tight ligaments). You can regain muscle tone, but not ligament tone--at least not without surgery. Toning muscle will help quite a bit, but won't completely eliminate a pouch if there has been ligament damage. The most common reason for ligament damage is pregnancy. It is important to exercise during pregnancy, but you need to be careful of what kind of exercise you do. The wrong kind late in pregnancy (such as crunches) can cause permanent ligament stretching.
    Extreme obesity can also cause a pouch of excess skin that cannot be worked off. The younger you are, the more elastic your skin will be, and the better chance of things "snapping back" once you lose weight.
    Bottom line- prevention is the best solution, but if it is too late then exercise, lose all the fat, and if the problem remains consider surgery if you can't live with the result.


    True, true and double true ... everything this person said is true. =) I was overweight for decades and had three pregnancies where I gained incredibly high amounts of weight (60 pounds) and three C-sections. After all that ... I worked my way down to 116 pounds and was so fit and healthy ... but I always had my "pouch" still.
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
    Even a tummy tuck doesn't solve the problem of the 'pooch' sometimes:

    http://www.realself.com/question/tummy-tuck-lower-abdomen-pooch-swelling

    Classic, and beautiful pooch: http://m24digital.com/en/2009/08/27/plus-size-glamour/
  • karenlw75
    karenlw75 Posts: 30 Member
    I actually wanted to post this question myself, so I'll follow this post. I often feel like i could at least look 'average' sized if I didn't have this tummy problem.
  • k8lyn_235
    k8lyn_235 Posts: 507 Member
    bump (for later viewing) :)
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
    I made a thread on the same problem a while ago and got similar responses.

    I have found that over time mine is slowly going down. I think by genetics, I will always be more rounded in my lower abdomen (my Mum has a slight rounded shape to her stomach and she is minute)

    I vary my stomach exercises each gym session, alongside balance ball with weights
  • boggsmeister
    boggsmeister Posts: 292 Member
    Walk like a camel, arms straight, legs straight and locked at the knees and bum high up in the air. Walk as much as you can like this, then stand up. You see the difference right away.

    I'd pay money if you demonstrated that on video. :)
  • nickinewing
    nickinewing Posts: 13 Member
    Those little electrode thing you stick on 'Ab trainer' things make a bit of difference
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    eat healthy and cardio. lol.
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 833 Member
    Abs are made in the kitchen. You need to watch what you eat to lose the pooch. Good Luck!

    ^^Truth.

    Balanced diet and keep exercising
  • jb32hss
    jb32hss Posts: 23 Member
    Unfortunately you will have to eat healthily and wait for the overall body fat to reduce, I've been eating healthily, doing cardio and strengthening exercises 5 days a week for over a month now and I have only just began to see the pouch getting flatter. I guess I'm just lucky that my tum was the first to lose the weight and not the chest like most women!

    Jennifer
  • EpiGaiaRepens
    EpiGaiaRepens Posts: 824 Member
    it's a matter of lowering body fat...and the pouch is like the last place it goes.

    It's also key to do heavy lifting- my understanding is that this will help build muscle that burns calories, but also it will help tighten the muscles and somehow it helps keep skin from getting too loose (so i've heard, but I've never had this problem- maybe because I lift? I dunno)....

    and cardio to burn fat.

    and eat clean to keep from putting new fat on.

    So it's nothing you didn't already know. But I'm here to tell ya that it's true. I still have a pouch, but it's 3" smaller than it was just a few months ago! I say it's because I've been eating REALLY clean (low sugar, hardly any gluten, lots of veggies and quinoa) and I been lifting heavy (PR's every week!).
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Fat loss is all over, but you can target muscles with strength training which will improve the overall appearance in that area.
  • fragilegift
    fragilegift Posts: 347 Member
    I've had six kids, including twins (7lb 1oz, and 7lb 2oz - evicted at 38 weeks), and a 10lb-er. I'm not worried about the evidence that I carried any of them. But that's just me.
  • iqnas
    iqnas Posts: 445 Member
    Bump
  • kaybug23c
    kaybug23c Posts: 4
    thanks for all the great tips and suggestions...I have never had a kid but still have the pouch..I'm gonna try some of your tips...I would also love to see a demonstration of the camel walk...I have never heard of it before.
  • nycstudent
    nycstudent Posts: 8
    There is a 'bicycle' exercise which i have found excellent. You lie on your mat and move your legs as you woukd on a bike, then when that gets to easy pull both legs in towards your chest together and back out, then harder again lie with both legs stretched out and raise to the ceiling and lower back down and up and down till you cant possibly do any more. I have had 2 kids and tried everything under the sun and these definitly work :)

    Oh bicycle crunches! Those are hard!!
  • mexy04
    mexy04 Posts: 96
    bump
  • kaybug23c
    kaybug23c Posts: 4
    http://pinterest.com/pin/192458584045996396/

    Here is another exercise I found...If you click on this link it will take you to the page click on the picture and it will tell you some great exercises to try!
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