Gross!
 

Warming: possibly TMI for some of you.

I don't know if it is fat, loose skin, or separated stomach muscles postpartum (or some of each), but when I am in a push up or plank position and tighten my stomach muscles, my stomach is nice & flat from the sides to the middle. Then, from the bottom of my sternum to my pubis, I have a ridge that hangs down towards the floor that is absolutely DISGUSTING! So, basically, I apparently have no muscles in the middle of my stomach because it hangs down?

I noticed this when I first started working out last April & have seen absolutely no improvement. I do cardio (running) 3-4x/week, strength training with cardio (Jillian's 30 Day Shred or similar) and/or pilates on alternate days.

What is a girl to do? It is really embarasssing.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Anyone else have this problem?

Maybe it's diastasis (mummy tummy).

http://www.maternalfitness.com/

I heard about this from an acquaintance who had a tummy tuck; she said the surgeon also repaired her diastasis resulting from pregnancy (but I don't think you need to have surgery - there are exercises you can do).

This might be the better page:

http://www.maternalfitness.com/diastasis.html#checking

She tells you how to check whether you have a diastasis, and mentions that crunches and pilates 100's can cause one...

Thanks for the reply! Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants if all of my efforts were working against me??

I did the test & I don't think that is it (although I can feel my heartbeat when I push down, which wasn't a great sign!). It happens when I'm face down, like in a pushup position, not when I'm doing crunches. Probably just a combination of loose skin & fat - compounded by having 2 kids close together and being overweight before both pregnancies.

It has only been 2 months since I've been at my goal weight & I lost my weight relatively quickly, so maybe I just need to give the old body a little more time. Then again, maybe I'll just have to be satisfied that I look a whole lot better NOW than almost 60 lbs ago!

Thanks, again.

I'm guessing that it's the loose skin from across your stomach hanging down. That's the position in which mine is absolutely worst...when all the skin from my sides and stomach can all gather together and hang down in the middle on a plank. It extends a good 5-6 inches below my actual stomach, because gravity pulls my skin tight across my sides and it all goes down at once.

I have this too and I've never had a baby... sigh. It's loose skin, I think. I am 42, and went from size 14 to 8, so that might be the reason I didn't spring back. My thighs don't look so great in that position either. If I ever join a yoga class in public I'm gonna wear something supportive and lycra.

Great, I just added this in the middle of the night US time, and now every time I look at the forums until tomorrow morning there's gonna be a post on the main page that says "GROSS! by bronzeager".

I am glad you wrote about this though, because up till now I thought I was alone in this dirty little secret, and the only one who had to wait to do all her pushups in the privacy of my home instead of in the gym.

This is me, too. In about 6 months, I went from an 18 to a 10. I guess things just don't bounce back like they used to!! And frankly, no amount of lycra holds it in when I'm in the plank/pushup pose. Good thing I do not have any bikini-related goals!!


Mandalinn - yes, it is like every cm of lose skin pulls together from my entire trunk & creates this disgusting, hanging "thing" that I just cannot get rid of. I wonder if it will reduce with time? My body is still changing, even though I'm not intentionally losing more weight. The only thing is it doesn't really look like what I imagine lose skin to look like. There is definitely a fat element to it, which is what truly bothers me.

Well, I'll just keep on keepin' on & hope for the best. Plastic surgery isn't in my future; lots of continued, hard work is! :D


Thanks for the replies.

I just want to say, I have the same thing. You are not alone! Also no bikini related goals, so I think I can live with it...

I should say it doesn't look that bad in a bikini ... as long as you're oriented in a way that gravity isn't working against you. :D