So, baby is 1. I have lost the weight but the belly still sticks out a bit. I can look 4-5 months preggo if I don't hold it in. I eat fairly well and do some exercise, cardio, planks, etc. I could do more....need tips! Thanks ladies.
Mine never went back after 2 kids. And I work out routinely, hard, 5 days/week. No amount of ab work, planks, cardio, transverse work, etc..helped. I was just too far stretched for my body to get back. I looked about 4 mos pregnant all the time.
So I had a full tummy tuck with muscle repair at 18mos pp from my second.
Best decision I ever made, hands down.
My baby is twenty three.Sounds like I have a similar belly.I guess that's why my mother used to wear girdles. Enjoy life, it's not the end of the world.I had uterine cancer, now THAT was the end of the world. FIVE year survivor Woohoo!!! don't sweat the small stuff.
First thing to do is find out if your pregnancy gave you diastasis recti (sp?) which is when your abdominal muscles get separated. This can cause your stomach to protrude, and certain exercises will not be good. (Like crunches and planking...)
I'm right now trying to lose the belly from my 3rd, who is now almost 9 months. But I was actually able to do it after my second, although it took about a year and a half, so you'll get there! It's great that you have the time to put in the effort!
It sounds really cheesy, but I used to do these 10 minute workout videos that I found on Pop Sugar, which I think are what helped me to finally lose the belly and also tone up my arms and legs.
It was great because I could fit them in here and there throughout the day but they were really helpful with getting back into shape.
I also really like the Tiffany Rothe video workouts on You Tube.
Good luck and good for you! :)
I finally enrolled in a boot-camp style workout program. They had a "cleanse" week where we couldn't have anything with flour, dairy, alcohol, sugar, carbonation... it was a big long list of stuff, but bottom line was that for that week, I pretty much ate vegan and with no white carbs. It was a rough week, let me tell you! Anyway, then for the rest of the 6-week program, we could add in one ingredient per week (like the first week, add dairy back in, then the next week, lean meats, and so on, but never adding the white carbs back in, or if so, very sparingly). Anyway, at the end of the 6 week program, I had lost 7 inches and 15 pounds. I had (unrelated and elective) surgery immediately thereafter, but the amount of muscle I had gained during boot camp allowed me to keep losing weight even though I haven't been able to work out for 3 weeks.
If it is at all within the realm of possibility for you, sign up for a fitness boot camp, and try to cut out the stuff that might be making you hold onto the weight. Even if you can't cut down on *all* of the various categories at once, try to cut back one thing at a time and see if you notice any changes in your body.
I eliminated corn and peas from my diet, at my doctor's suggestion. I noticed an immediate difference.
I had 5 in a row and the belly is flat (baby is 12 months).
Very healthy eating, and a lot of exercise. Daily gym classes where they push you.
I want to say (as others have echoed) that you don't NEED to go to the gym for 2 hours a day. But I want to, when the kids are in preschool/school or the daycare there (run like a pre-k, it's awesome). That way I know I am getting my exercise in. It's a daily habit and I never miss unless a child is ill or I'm super ill.
But I think everyone is different. I have heard sometimes something separates? You might want to see the Dr. and make sure it's all OK.
Part of the reason we have a belly after child birth is that making room for that baby created a lot of extra tissue and skin that our body has to absorb. That takes time.
My mother gave birth to 4 kids. When she died at 86 she had had a flat belly for at least 30 years; maybe longer. She lost the pouch when she was diagnosed with diabetes and ate a healthy diet. She was focused in her eating. She never went to the gym or did anything special with exercise. No sit ups for her. She weighed herself weekly and was sure to not weigh more than 135. She was 5'6" in her youth. I noticed the same with several other women in that generation. I suggest it's only in the past couple of generstions that a too large belly has become the focus. I suggest time and a healthy diet will slim the belly. Good posture helps too.
I think Marie might have the right idea. I saw the plastic surgeon on The Doctors talk about the same thing when he was helping a lady who had lost a lot of weight but couldn't get her abs flat. He said the muscles separated and he did a reconstructive surgery for her. I don't know if that is what you have, but it is apparently pretty common for women. I figured I have it from what I read. Good luck!
