Thread: How to get rid of the belly pouch?

Hi ladies,

I've always been very thin, but after my pregnancy, I got a belly pouch that would NOT go away. I have almost lost the 35 lbs I gained during my pregnancy, but my belly seems flabby. I have tried crunches, but I have not seen any difference. I follow a sensible diet and I try to exercise as much as I can (many times baby won't allow me to do that though). I suffer from hypothyroidism, but my levels are currently normal. Any advice?

I say cardio and diet, plus cutting out soda/cocoa cola b/c that is a #1 belly fattening pouch.

Agree totally w/Michelle--anything carbonated is taboo for the belly... In addition to cardio and diet, drink LOTS of water.

Bikram yoga!

you might just need to give your skin time to catch up with the weight you've lost, i mean it sounds like it might be more just loose skin than fat.
remember to keep balance between your abs and back, you dont want to end up hunched over, and remember that you can tone your ab MUSCLES with stomach specific exercises but it's impossible to get rid of fat from only one area.
congratulations on the baby!

I voted in the "other" category for a few reasons. First, there is a saying among body builders and fitness competitors.... "six pack abs are made in the kitchen". Diet is the biggest determinant of how much body fat you have. A good diet of lean meats and dairy, veggies, some fruit (not too much, lots of sugar!) and certain carbs will usually do the trick. I lost a bunch of weight last year and it took a while for the skin to tone up and I am not sure it ever will completely. But increasing my muscle tone throughout my entire body has helped with that immensely. Which comes to my next suggestion, which is increasing muscle mass and tone. Most ladies will never get "bulky" without an extreme amount of effort. But using lighter weights and doing lots of repetitions will increase your muscle mass and tone you up. When you have more muscle on your body, your metabolism is higher and you burn more fat, even when resting. Just feed those muscles a healthy diet and you'll be set!

Also, my favorite "non fluff" fitness magazine is Muscle and Fitness Hers. Much of it is geared toward fitness competitors but it is jammed with great training programs and tips for all body types. I work out solely at home and I have found many great weight training exercises using just free weights, body weight, and an exercise ball in this magazine! Even a recent article featuring a 6-week exercise program that will tone up the legs yet decrease leg size for those who tend towards having fuller legs.... I am doing that one and it's a goody! ..g.:

Good luck!

Another thing to get your skin back in shape is lots of moisturizer, water and if you know a good spa which does body scrubs / wraps, this also helps.

{{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by Ilianacorey

Hi ladies,

I've always been very thin, but after my pregnancy, I got a belly pouch that would NOT go away. I have almost lost the 35 lbs I gained during my pregnancy, but my belly seems flabby. I have tried crunches, but I have not seen any difference. I follow a sensible diet and I try to exercise as much as I can (many times baby won't allow me to do that though). I suffer from hypothyroidism, but my levels are currently normal. Any advice?

Nothing will return the lost elasticity of your skin. Short of surgery. You can have muscles of steel beneath the sagging skin to support it more, but this will only marginally help. Once the skin has been over stretched, that's it, I'm afraid. If you were pretty slim and this pouch has developed, chances are your problem is simply over stretched skin and loss of elasticity. Ironically, you may find this is lessened if you put a little weight on...as it puffs out the skin and could even it out a little.

Wearing a professional weight fishnet bodystocking when you dance will hold this in and get rid of your 'pouch' very effectively.

I heard that pregnancy can pull apart your abs (diastasis recti) if you have this you should not do crunches the normal way, it can cause more damage.

How long ago was your baby born? Bodyfat aside, it can take a while (a year even) for everything (skin, bones, uterus, muscles) to shrink and shift back into place.

Originally Posted by toria_dances

I heard that pregnancy can pull apart your abs (diastasis recti) if you have this you should not do crunches the normal way, it can cause more damage.

'Dr. Oz', and I think 'The Doctors', mentioned this.
Here's a link to the Dr. Oz show regarding exercises:

What exercises help eliminate diastasis recti? | Ask Dr. Oz

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Bikram yoga!

Yep! Lots of sweatand core work. It also helps bring those streeeeetched out abs back in pre baby shape.
On another note, is it a pooch you can work with (extra body fat and all the other post baby nicities) or skin thatstretched? moisterizer or a tummy tuck are about the only two options. The moisture plumps the skin to make it look firm but that really does not make tummy pooch smaller just better looking lol! If it is this type of baby belly then it is there to stay, so be proud and strut it around!

There are a lot of factors that can lead to this.

First, the skin does need time to bounce back. When the skin is stretched, it does need time to go back.

Now - age and of course the amount your tummy stretched can possibly cause your tummy NOT to go back to normal completely. That needs to be fixed with surgery.

That is my issue. My tummy just stretched way too much and no matter what I do - I have a pouch. I also damaged my muscles so I have decided to do the whole surgery thing AFTER I am done with kids. Want to have one more so I am dealing with the nastiness until that time comes.

Diet: Eat Clean Diet is by far the best I have found for giving your body the nutrients it needs and keeping you feeling satisfied. Fast results and no calorie counting.

The Eat-Clean Diet

Or get the book:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Clean-Diet-Cookbook-Great-Tasting-Recipes/dp/1552100448]Amazon.com: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook: Great-Tasting Recipes That Keep You Lean (9781552100448): Tosca Reno: Books[/ame]

Or the magazine:

Welcome to Clean Eating Magazine!

I lost 30+ pounds on this thing and my hair and skin never looked better. The portion thing will take a week or two to get used to, but after that buh-bye calorie counting. (BTW, Oxygen magazine also has some clean eating recipes.)

I second Michala's excellent advice!

Other factors to take into consideration are whether your uterus has had enough time to fully contract and whether your pelvic bones have had time to settle back into place following your baby's birth. Remember, it took your body nine months to get ready for the baby, and it can take just as long for everything to recover.

Originally Posted by ssipes

How long ago was your baby born? Bodyfat aside, it can take a while (a year even) for everything (skin, bones, uterus, muscles) to shrink and shift back into place.

He just turned one. ..l;, I never, ever thought losing the baby weight would be so hard! ..cr.:

I got this book from the library and plan to begin it after the first of the year...

Flat Belly Diet: Lose Belly Fat & Get a Flat Stomach - Prevention

Originally Posted by kemintiri

Diet: Eat Clean Diet is by far the best I have found for giving your body the nutrients it needs and keeping you feeling satisfied. Fast results and no calorie counting.

The Eat-Clean Diet

Or get the book:

Amazon.com: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook: Great-Tasting Recipes That Keep You Lean (9781552100448): Tosca Reno: Books

Or the magazine:

Welcome to Clean Eating Magazine!

I lost 30+ pounds on this thing and my hair and skin never looked better. The portion thing will take a week or two to get used to, but after that buh-bye calorie counting. (BTW, Oxygen magazine also has some clean eating recipes.)

I'd love to know more about this. How does someone maintain this and be able to eat in the real world? I am talking about going out to eat and eating out in public. I don't think I would have a problem at home... but having a spouse that is set in his eating patterns makes it a little difficult.

I read something on Jillian Michael's site about "dont eat it unless it comes from the ground or it had a mother" (I know that is a little disgusting for some of you vegetarian types)

Originally Posted by Busa_Jules

I'd love to know more about this. How does someone maintain this and be able to eat in the real world? I am talking about going out to eat and eating out in public. I don't think I would have a problem at home... but having a spouse that is set in his eating patterns makes it a little difficult.

I read something on Jillian Michael's site about "dont eat it unless it comes from the ground or it had a mother" (I know that is a little disgusting for some of you vegetarian types)

I liked the idea of the eat clean diet but I have to admit - I found some of the recipes a little too complicated to just whip up on short notice. They tend to have long ingredients.

The concept is not hard though. Just eat fresh. Stay away from processed foods. You will find that most - if not all - healthy foods are on the out perimeter of the grocery store. Fresh veggies, meats, dairy, breads.

Welcome to CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness

and

Welcome to CrossFit Mom

You can do it all at home or at your gym. Greatest workout program I've ever done.

- Leela

Originally Posted by Busa_Jules

I'd love to know more about this. How does someone maintain this and be able to eat in the real world? I am talking about going out to eat and eating out in public. I don't think I would have a problem at home... but having a spouse that is set in his eating patterns makes it a little difficult.

Eating clean doesn't have to be complicated. For example, you can cook 3-4 four big meals and subdivide it into smaller containers. Say 1 beef stir fry, 1 shrimp stir fry, 1 bean dish. You can easily make 3-4 portions out of each one. For the rest, I cook chicken breasts in batches. Add one batch of brown rice, one of roasted veggies and you're good for the week. For breakfast and snacks, I use fruits, nuts, Ezekiel bread, almond butter, with some cheese and yogourt to round it out. I rarely cook anything that has more than 5 ingredients (apart from seasonings).

Keep in mind that you don't have to eat clean 100% of the time. It's ok to do 80% and keep the other 20% for restaurant outings. After you've been doing it a while though, you can feel the difference in your body and your energy levels and you'll find it harder and harder to eat in restaurants. (Although in a pinch, no restaurant will refuse you a grilled piece of chicken or fish with steamed veggies or baked potato and there's always salad that you can order with dressing on the side.)

I'm not sure what you mean by "eating out in public" beyond restaurant food... I mean, even if your partner chooses to order the greasiest, most processed dish on the menu, you don't have to do the same. Granted, it could become a willpower issue to resist the urge to dig into the whatever with extra cheese and bacon, but try to give it one week and see how your body feels when its operating on good clean fuel. Then go out and gorge on burgers and fries and see how THAT feels... I think it eating clean becomes a lot easier after a little while. And the same applies for spouses... My guy didn't want to give up some of his stuff but then he started tasting some of my stuff and he liked it... Then he lost 3 pounds and he liked it even more. Now we all eat the same stuff. *g*

If I could, I'd go with organic veggies/food all the time but it is too expensive. My only organic purchases are apple butter, almond butter and Ezekiel bread. Everything else I get at the grocery store/discount grocery store. Clean eating doesn't have to be expensive either...

Anyhoo, hope this helps and sorry if this is long winded. (And if you can get the book, def. get it. Lots of good info in there, plus a section on supplements, which I will be revisiting once I start dancing intensively again.)

My baby is 13 now.... I am slender and work out all the time. My abs are strong and toned but who can tell underneath the stretched out skin. No matter what I do it will not go back to being smooth and flat. Surgery is sometimes the only option. A year is still very recent though. i would say it took my tummy skin a few years before it shrunk to the state that it is in now.

Originally Posted by kemintiri

Eating clean doesn't have to be complicated. For example, you can cook 3-4 four big meals and subdivide it into smaller containers. Say 1 beef stir fry, 1 shrimp stir fry, 1 bean dish. You can easily make 3-4 portions out of each one. For the rest, I cook chicken breasts in batches. Add one batch of brown rice, one of roasted veggies and you're good for the week. For breakfast and snacks, I use fruits, nuts, Ezekiel bread, almond butter, with some cheese and yogourt to round it out. I rarely cook anything that has more than 5 ingredients (apart from seasonings).

Keep in mind that you don't have to eat clean 100% of the time. It's ok to do 80% and keep the other 20% for restaurant outings. After you've been doing it a while though, you can feel the difference in your body and your energy levels and you'll find it harder and harder to eat in restaurants. (Although in a pinch, no restaurant will refuse you a grilled piece of chicken or fish with steamed veggies or baked potato and there's always salad that you can order with dressing on the side.)

I'm not sure what you mean by "eating out in public" beyond restaurant food... I mean, even if your partner chooses to order the greasiest, most processed dish on the menu, you don't have to do the same. Granted, it could become a willpower issue to resist the urge to dig into the whatever with extra cheese and bacon, but try to give it one week and see how your body feels when its operating on good clean fuel. Then go out and gorge on burgers and fries and see how THAT feels... I think it eating clean becomes a lot easier after a little while. And the same applies for spouses... My guy didn't want to give up some of his stuff but then he started tasting some of my stuff and he liked it... Then he lost 3 pounds and he liked it even more. Now we all eat the same stuff. *g*

If I could, I'd go with organic veggies/food all the time but it is too expensive. My only organic purchases are apple butter, almond butter and Ezekiel bread. Everything else I get at the grocery store/discount grocery store. Clean eating doesn't have to be expensive either...

Anyhoo, hope this helps and sorry if this is long winded. (And if you can get the book, def. get it. Lots of good info in there, plus a section on supplements, which I will be revisiting once I start dancing intensively again.)

that is exaclty what I was wanting to know (Besides specific recipes).. THANKS!!

Around the holidays, there are so many starchy things to eat that even if you don't eat a lot of them, if that's all you eat, it goes right to the belly. So for me, even if I exercise, I still have to cut out too much starch, as well as carbonated drinks and salt. But it's so much fun eating all that stuff you don't normally eat the rest of the year!

Originally Posted by ravenadesigns

I got this book from the library and plan to begin it after the first of the year...

Flat Belly Diet: Lose Belly Fat & Get a Flat Stomach - Prevention

MUFA's!
I'm backing Ravena on this one! I kinda skimmed through this book, I'm terrible when it comes to sticking to prescribed routines and diets, but the one thing I took away from it was the daily allowance of MUFA's (Mono-unsaturated fatty acids - think avocado, nuts, olives etc), and even by making this one little change I've lost some of the paunch!