[lilybelle]

Anyone who has read my posts have heard me whining about how I have lost a lot of weight but still have a fat belly. This was very depressing for me. My upper and lower abdomen are flat, but spare tire visible around umbilical area. While doing sit-ups this weekend my husband said "Stop, and Look down." I noticed a huge hernia the size of a cantalope in the umbilical area. Saw my physician yesterday and he confirmed my self-diagnosis, bowel loops palpable through hernia and surgery is necessary. This is depressing for me, as I had hernia repair last summer with follow-up bowel obstruction surgery in this incision. I now realize this is why no amount of exercise would make this area flat, and instead was only making it worse. I see a surgeon next Tuesday and plan to go ahead and get this fixed. I dread not being able to do my regular exercise progam for quite a while, but plan to stick to my healthy eating. Hope I don't gain weight from this set-back. The good news is maybe my belly will be flatter after this is fixed.

[kittymuse]

Oh dear! Good luck with the surgery. You're right to look on the bright side, maybe the spare tire will be gone when you're all healed.

Ask your doctor about exercise you can do while you're recovering. There's probably something you can do, even if it's just walking.

[lilybelle]

Thank you Kittymuse, I do plan to walk as soon as possible following surgery, but I will wait many months before attempting any abdominal exercises. I know where this has gotten me already. I'm trying to stay positive, of course, I had a good cry the night I discovered this.