The Double Belly...UGH

I had one belly at the bottom...then I had my daughter. NOW I have two. I hope that it shrinks in time. I feel the same way as an earlier poster, I have three sets of boobs! LOL!

Here too. When measuring your waist, you measure the "smallest part". Well, for me, that's right at the belly button, which some random stranger and a sales person told me was bizarre :-( They kept telling me to pull this skirt up to the smallest part of me and I kept telling them that's where it was! They thought I was wearing it too low.

Haha! The other day I was filling out some body fat calculator online, not reading ahead, just measuring as I went down the list...

Neck... ok
Waist (below ribcage)... Huh? Ok, if you... say so?
Abdomen (at belly button)... WTF? Isn't that my waist? What kind of crazy IS this?

Seriously, our waist is just below our ribcage? I have been so wrong all my life...

i, too, have the double-belly... i'm short-waisted and have an hourglass shape, for what it's worth. never had kids, just gained a lot of weight very fast as a pre-teen because of some medication i was on.
i kind of like the segmented middle-body look... if you look at pictures of, say, Bettie Page, you'll see that if she were to have been chunkier, she'd have a double-belly, too, because she just goes IN so much at the navel, so i feel like i'm in good company.

yeah, the losing-it part is what sucks, though. i'm cool with keeping the division at navel-level, because that is where i wear my skirts and stuff (like another poster mentioned, i use that as my "waist"... in fact, i'm not sure where the REAL waist is... when i got measured when i started Curves, the Curves-lady used what seemed to me to be a completely arbitrary spot, but she assured me that that was my waist). i think doing lower-ab stuff would work. but i don't know how to do any of that, everything seems to focus on the upper-part.

I have two bellies - I've lost 13 lbs. so far and the bottom one has gotten noticeably smaller but the top one is still just as big!!! Now I have a huge muffin top!

I used to have that - it means there's a gorgeous, curvy shape under there that is waiting for you to bring it out. Don't be discouraged about what you see now, just look forward to what's waiting for you underneath it!

I thought I was the only one!! It's horrible!! It's just slowly starting to get better... but slowly.

hello All!:flowerforyou:

IDK if this will totally help but here are some of the things I let my members at the gym know. The belly is the last place anyone will ecer see change (don't slump in dispair), someone mentioned strength training, YES! building muscle will creat a day long burn rather than your average 1 to 1 1/2 hour burn straight after cardio. Also you have to really hit thye ab excercises hard, giving yourself a 24-48 hour rest in between strength training so that muscle heals (thus builds) rather than just going into shock and not build at all.
my favorite ab exercises....
core ball sit ups for central mass of abs as well as the upper
core ball elbow cross for obliques
hanging leg raises (hang by hands and lift legs by bending at knee) for the ever persistant lower abs (ladies we all know that one)
and side bends with the roman chair ( love the way this tones and tightens the side muscles)

Hope that helps and don't forget to calculate this into the daily diary under exercise!

I totally have this issue myself, so thanks for the advice! I wlll certianly do this! :OD

I just started this site today....and yes I have 2 bellies too.....we can do this!!!

I have 3! I've always had 3. I even remember when I was about 7 or 8 years old and reeaally skinny my cousin telling me it almost looked like I was gonna have a six pack because or the folds.
Since losing some weight all 3 have gotten significantly smaller though. Still very much there, especially when sitting.

In my life time I've honestly only ever seen 2 other people with this. Just 2.

So now I'm gonna go creep some of your pics haha

Sorry, no WAY I'll be posting pictures of my belly! LOL...

Oh! I'm so happy to hear that I am not the only one! My top belly is shrinking, I'm sure... so is the bottom one, but a lot slower... I had twins and I'm short waisted so the belly-overhang is pretty gross. I don't know if I can make it go away without surgery... I'm not sure how much is skin and how much is fat... I am just beginning to add resistance though so hopefully it will be flat enough to wear a bathing suit without a T-shirt in public one day.....

I find myself so frustrated by looking at these pictures of women with a single belly, that is they have one large belly rather than it being split at the belly button like mine. It is like I have two bellies, one above and one below. The one above is much smaller but I really hate it. I can never imagine being able to wear a two piece or anything like that. Does anyone else have this body type? Please help, I need to know what I can do that might help smooth it into one.

xoxo
Mom on a Mission

I have the same issue. I see other women overweight and even though they are overweight they have that gorgeous smooth tone to their belly and thighs and all that stuff. No, I have the belly button split and loathe it. It's so frustrating. All we can do is keep working out, eating better, and eventually the weight will come off and start to smooth down along our tummies. My small waist bit is at my rib cage. That's where I've seen it on most small women too.

Awesome site btw. Clothing for big and little ladies.

yeah, the losing-it part is what sucks, though. i'm cool with keeping the division at navel-level, because that is where i wear my skirts and stuff (like another poster mentioned, i use that as my "waist"... in fact, i'm not sure where the REAL waist is... when i got measured when i started Curves, the Curves-lady used what seemed to me to be a completely arbitrary spot, but she assured me that that was my waist). i think doing lower-ab stuff would work. but i don't know how to do any of that, everything seems to focus on the upper-part.

Along with stomach crunches, I love the one where I lie on my back, hands slightly below my hips or at the small of my back, then legs together and lift them. I don't let my legs touch the ground every time, about 5 inches above ground and lift smoothly again. I feel that in my lower belly.

I do believe in working all muscles. I don't believe it melts the weight in those areas, but once we get the weight off we should have some nicer muscles under it.

My measurements when I gauge them are waist (right around rib cage where I'm smallest) then abs for my middle at my navel. Then lower belly, as I want rid of that too. Then hips and onward.

I find myself so frustrated by looking at these pictures of women with a single belly, that is they have one large belly rather than it being split at the belly button like mine. It is like I have two bellies, one above and one below. The one above is much smaller but I really hate it. I can never imagine being able to wear a two piece or anything like that. Does anyone else have this body type? Please help, I need to know what I can do that might help smooth it into one.

xoxo
Mom on a Mission

Me too!

When I used to post on Mommyboards, we actually had a name for a double belly...B belly. Big round bellies were D bellies. And oh how I loathe being a B belly. My DH used to lecture me on wearing my pants too high and what not, until I showed him how horrible my pants make me look if they sit in that "crease".

Mine hasn't shrunk too much yet, but I'm still working on it. I fully accept that I will most likely need a tummy tuck from my muscles separating during pregnancy. More inspiration for getting in shape so I can get it done!

Adding to my B belly is a huge ribcage. I mean, gigantic. I'm a 42 C/D, and I don't have much fat on my ribs.

Oh, and for the record, I have never been pregnant. My kids were all adopted!