First of all, I look pretty proportional in clothing, so that's not a big issue. Here's a picture of my whole body, for a reference:
full_body.JPG
The main problem is just how my stomach really hangs over at the body of my waist and is a sharp contrast to the area below it. But the thing is, it's not that it's HUGE, it's just that it's sudden. If I suck in my stomach (flexing it?) it becomes a perfect-sized pooch and looks proportional. I am pretty thick around the middle anyway (waist-to-hip ratio of .84) though I am a healthy weight, so it's just genetically how I'm built.
Like I said, I'm already smack dab in the middle of my healthy weight range at 150 pounds at 5'10", so I don't feel like I really want to lose more weight. I am happy where I am at. It's just that most of the weight I DO have left on me is at my stomach, unfortunately. Stupid genetics LOL. I'm not even sure if I'm a legit apple body type though, because my measurements are 38-33-39, and I thought you were only apple if the top was considerably bigger than the bottom, and they are almost equal, except unlike an hourglass figure, my waist is too thick to really be defined.
So, I'm guessing abdominal exercises *might* help some with this?
I can deal with all that in clothing, because I've learned what hides it and what downplays it, so that's not too bad. Like high-waisted things that have no support (like skirts made of soft, non-stiff fabric) that cling to your body are the worst, because all they do is outline the tummy since they cling close to the legs, but things like jeans that have stiff denim, I find are great higher-waisted for me, because they have support so they smooth out my stomach just enough to make it look flatter. Or skirts which poof outward a little from the waist instead of clinging to it mostly hide the pooch too. So yeah, I can at least hide it in clothes. But things like bikinis are just out, and I think it makes me look very skinny-fat since the rest of me looks thin except the stomach.
I've attached a picture of my stomach unflexed and flexed to give you an idea of what I mean. And yes, those ARE some permanent stretch marks I have, thank you. =) Beautiful, beautiful stretch marks. My proof that I gained weight once but managed to lose it and I am DARN proud of those stretch marks. They represent my accomplishment. But that aside, the pooch problem (I wasn't sure if unflexed and flexed were the right terms... I just sucked in my stomach?):
Unflexed:
unflexed.JPG
Flexed:
flexed.JPG
So as far as abdominal exercises go, I was googling around and saw this:
http://www.discussfitness.com/forums...och-29324.html
Especially these seemed relevant:
Quote:
If you flex your stomach does the "pooch" go away? If you look in the mirror from the side, does your waist still look relatively small? It just slumps forwards above your hips.
This is the work - or lack thereof - of your transverse abdominalis. Your organs slump down and "pile" up above your pelvis (thats a pretty generalized way of explaining it but it does the job). This causes a problem similar to "GH Gut" when steroid user's organs expand. Although they have a defined midsection thier abdomen is extraordinarily large.
Theres a few interesting TA routines in the female forum, planks, tummy tights, etc. etc.
Does this possibly sound like my problem? I also found this here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5072807AAxa1yb:If you flex your stomach does the "pooch" go away? If you look in the mirror from the side, does your waist still look relatively small? It just slumps forwards above your hips.
This is the work - or lack thereof - of your transverse abdominalis. Your organs slump down and "pile" up above your pelvis (thats a pretty generalized way of explaining it but it does the job). This causes a problem similar to "GH Gut" when steroid user's organs expand. Although they have a defined midsection thier abdomen is extraordinarily large.
Theres a few interesting TA routines in the female forum, planks, tummy tights, etc. etc.
Quote:
these muscles are really quite easy to target, and you can do it anywhere, anytime. the exercise is really simple, (but that doesn't mean it's easy to do.) all you hafta do is suck in your tummy as far as you possibly can, hold it for a count of 2-5 seconds, then let it out again, and repeat 20-30 times. take a few mins break, and do it again. it's easy to cheat yourself, and do this just by exhaling all your air, making your tummy come in naturally, try to avoid this, and really feel your inner abs pulling your tummy to your spine. if your doing it right, it should start to get pretty challenging after about 15 reps. give this a try a few times a week, and you should see a noticeable difference. hope this helps!
This sounds like an appealing exercise to me because I HATE crunches (they hurt my tailbone!) but is it an okay exercise? Is it damaging at all? Would it actually help target what I'm trying to target? I can't think of any other good alternatives to crunches...these muscles are really quite easy to target, and you can do it anywhere, anytime. the exercise is really simple, (but that doesn't mean it's easy to do.) all you hafta do is suck in your tummy as far as you possibly can, hold it for a count of 2-5 seconds, then let it out again, and repeat 20-30 times. take a few mins break, and do it again. it's easy to cheat yourself, and do this just by exhaling all your air, making your tummy come in naturally, try to avoid this, and really feel your inner abs pulling your tummy to your spine. if your doing it right, it should start to get pretty challenging after about 15 reps. give this a try a few times a week, and you should see a noticeable difference. hope this helps!
Sorry for the long rant, I just want to do something about this already! I can definitely live with the pooch, and I'm content, but I'd like if I could just make it a little bit flatter (not necessarily smaller, just flatter), like when I flex my stomach.
But in this case, I think you're worried about nothing. Really!
I'm so sorry guys! Well, better late than never, I guess!
