Hey everyone! I'm new here. At the end of my 2nd pregnancy I was 220. 4 1/2 months later, I've been running and now I'm down to 180! I'm really proud of myself, training for a 1/2 marathon and all, but my tummy still makes me look 5 months pregnant. It's embarrassing and depressing. What can I do to blast this thing away for good? Even if it's hard work... I wanna know what works. Thanks. (And, btw, I'm nursing)

Welcome Fat2Flat, and congratulations on losing 40 pounds, especially with two babies in the house. That's quite an accomplishment!

Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce. Any "expert" who tries to tell you otherwise is either uninformed or trying to sell you some gizmo that won't work and you don't need. The only way to lose the belly fat (aside from surgery) is to lose fat all over your body. And, you already know how to do this -- eat fewer calories than you're expending.

Ab exercises will build the muscles under the fat, but have no visible impact until you lose the fat that covers them. There are a lot of other reasons to do ab exercises: as muscles that stabilize your core, they're very important for good posture and for day-to-day functioning. (E.g., bending over, and what mother doesn't do that 200 times a day?) But, they won't help you lose belly fat any more than any other calorie-burning activity.

Kim

South Beach Diet claims that it tackles belly fat first. Phase II is OK for nursing mothers. Check it out.