[tar675]

Just wondering if it's possible to lose that spare tire after 30 years of age and 3 kids later? I'm on day 7 of SBD and I feel like my belly is shrinking. Only problem is with my last baby I had a C- section and I have this flap of flab above my scar that drives me insane! Anyone with the same problem? Any suggestions? I want so badly to feel good in a bathing suit this summer but......I feel like my time is running out and my belly has always been my problem area. Thanks for any help or advice!!

[aphil]

I had two very large babies (10lbs4oz and 9lbs4oz a month premature!) and I my belly looked like a partially deflated beachball.
Proper diet CAN help you lose weight all over, so you will lose some inches around your middle if you lose a decent amount of weight-as you will lose inches all over the body.
Now here is the bad news-you have to strength train your body to firm it up-especially the abdominal region after childbirth. If you want it to be firmer and flatter-not just smaller-you simply have to.
Whether you choose a traditional strength training routine using weights for the entire body, or you choose a method like Pilates-that is totally up to you. Both can effectively help the abdominal region.
I do find that if you have had multiple children that you must do a routine that also targets the lower abdominals (below the naval) because the skin and muscles that have stretched and weakened so much there. If you would like some suggestions on workouts for the abdominals-just pm me, I'd be glad to suggest some based on what you need as far as time, fitness level, etc.
Even women who have had c-sections can flatten their abdominals and improve the area around their scar. (My dance instructor and my mother have both had a c-section!)
My abs are flat now and have great definition after a couple years of work. I DO still have a little loose skin below the naval from it being stretched during pregnancy, but I just keep it moisturized to make the texture look a little better (with a firming cream/lotion you can get at any Wal-Mart) and it helps the appearance a little.
I used to hate the skin-but being a belly dancer, I actually like the extra "shake" it lends to my shimmies now-because I don't have to work so hard when I do them. I find that when my abs are firm and strong, and I keep the skin taken care of with lotions-that it really doesn't look bad at all.
Good luck to you-and if I can help you in any way-give me a yell.
Aphil

[KTna]

Wow. I haven't even had children yet and I'm worried about loose skin in this area. Thanks for the insight, I was feeling very discouraged about the exercise - but now I feel like if I stick with it I may just see some results.

I was feeling like surgery was the only answer.

[aphil]

You will see results with continued strength training of the abdominal area. It WON'T remove loose skin-but when the muscles are strong and firmed, and you keep the skin nice and smooth with lotion-it really does improve the appearance of it all. I thought about surgery myself at one time-because my loose skin is concentrated mostly in the lower abdominal region (from two big babies) and in my upper arm area-but when I looked into it and the before and after photos I decided against it. Doing surgery for loose skin in either of those areas leaves a very visible scar-and at least for me, the scar would bother me just as much, if not more so than the loose skin-so I have decided to just keep up my exercise, use nice skin creams-and make the best of what I have.

[KTna]

I have looked into the surgery also, I really don't like some of the photos I have seen, plus my husband is very against surgery.
It looks to me like the scar can be worse than the skin, at least for the arms. I saw one show over the weekend where a woman had lost 50 pounds and had her arms, breast, stomach, and thighs done. I was jealous at first until I saw the after photos. Plus the expense involved can be insane.

What creams do you use? I had started with just regular moisturizer a few weeks ago, and maybe its all in my head but it seems to look better when I use it, and twice a day looks better than once. Is there a special type that works better?

[tar675]

Thank you Aphil! It looks like there's light at the end of my tunnel!LOL! I have been so lazy! I'm not good when it comes to exercise, aerobics,etc. I'd rather walk but now that I'm on this "health kick" I'm really feeling motivated and ready to make a change. I would appreciate any ideas for firming/ strengthening my abs! And the rest of me for the matter! My first two babies were 6lbers but my last was 8lbs 11 oz. She was a whopper for me! I didn't have a choice she had to be taken by c-section. She was transverse breech and evidently she was wedged up under my ribs and holding on for dear life!! I don't think she had much room at all and the drs. said they highly doubted that she would turn in a weeks time (I was a week away from my due date) They couldn't see her moving at all! Anyways, thanks for any help you can give me in that area cause I don't have a clue!Tara