Hi: My name is Frank and I am a fat guy that has gotten serious about losing the belly. I reached my peak weight of 335 lbs about two months ago. I am 54 yo and 6' 1" tall. It was getting to the point where I got winded trying to just tie my shoes !

My waistline at the navel standing was 58.75 inches, right about to the end of the measuring tape and beyond the end if I measured while seated. Well in two months of dieting I have dropped down to exactly 290 lbs and 53.5 inches around the tummy, so down 45 lbs and 5.25 inches.

I have been wearing shorts and sweat pants for a few years now because I couldn't button my jeans. I tried on some old pants last night and I can actually say my 54" jeans are loose and can even wear the 50" waist ones. My favorite pair of 50" jeans fits great standing up, just snug enough where I don't need a belt.

But one little problem, when I sit down I get this gigantic muffin top roll that pours over the waistband ! Problem two is the man boobs.

How can I lose this muffin top ASAP ?

Thanks for any suggestions

As someone who has lost almost 110 lbs. ASAP is not realistic. I would put all your focus into continued weight loss and fitness. You can wear shapewear (google it) to control the loose skin and fat but need to just give it time and surgery may be in your future. The older we get the harder it is for the skin to rebound though you can build your muscles.back. You have had very good weight loss. Might be too fast. Make sure you are not losing too much muscle in the process.

My husband calls me his "sexy sharpei" and I am saving up for surgery down the road. Or depending on the final outcome after giving a year to heal may accept the loose skin as a reminder of past weight.

https://www.spanx.com/men

Greetings Grannynancy: The muffin top just really bugs me. I'm too fat for sit-ups but I have a exercise chair called " ab-lounge ultra" that allows me to basically duplicate the action of a sit-up while seated, pretty nifty device, worth a Google. I bought it a few years ago at Goodwill for $20, now I am using it in earnest !

The reason I've been able to lose weight so fast is I have completely stopped consuming alcohol and junk food, my diet is much better and I feel better too. My BMI is quite obese at 38.3, I need to lose 101 more lbs to knock it down to 24.9 and be under 25 to be at the high end of the normal zone. Hopefully that would knock my tummy measurement down to no more than 40 inches which is supposed to be the max for a man, sounds about right to me. Some sources say your waist should be about half your hieght or 36.5" in my case.....I'll gladly settle for 40" though !

I know my belly will be full of lose skin and need surgery if I get all the way there. My ex-wife has a tummy like that, I'm sure she lost over 100 lbs at some point, she is your age of 62. I always liked how soft and squishy it felt. I like a woman with a big belly and it will always be my preference....I just want to lose mine.

One thing that motivates me is to wear t-shirts that are 2 sizes too small for me in public so the muffin top/ lovehandles are easy for everyone to see. Another thing I do is have goal jeans way to small for me. I can now button my 48" jeans that fit me like 5 years ago. I have a pair of 44's that I've never worn ( bought them for a few dollars at GW), those are a long way off.

I weighed about 190 in HS and about 220 until I got near 40, then gained like 5-8 lbs and an inch or so every year.

What tricks do you use to motivate yourself ?

with Love,

Frank

Well GN , ASAP doesn't specify a time like "in a month" , it could mean a couple of years, Right ?

I have found an alternative to losing 101 more lbs to get my BMI back to normal. If I were to grow 17" taller my BMI would be 25.2 ( just barely into the overweight zone....of course that would make me 7' 6" tall !

A couple of years works for ASAP.

Being a man you have one advantage that we wimmin folk don't have and that is testosterone. My husband has lost 50lbs and has no real loose skin or muffin top but he is a hairy muscular kind of guy to start with. But he has been that overweight for about the past 25 years and has maybe 15 lbs to go.

I would be hitting the gym over time being mindful that people often wind up ravenous after weight training and do more damage than just losing the weight by eating more. I think a personal trainer could go a long way for helping you come up with a plan to get the definition you desire.

Motivation? You know once I cut out sugar and flour and limit myself to 3 meals a day just seeing and feeling the changes has been enough for me and I don't struggle with hunger now as the cravings are largely gone. Also it is great fun to load up boxes for the Goodwill and buy new clothes.

I have no doubt the weight will fall off very fast with my much improved diet. In all honesty it was the 35 years of drinking lots of beer and in later years the the vodka sevens that piled the pounds and blubber rolls on. My belly is really soft and untoned. I can already feel the loose skin starting to develop. I am sure tummy tuck will become desirable, but hey even if I never get it, loose skin is better/ healthier than actual fat.

That's the way I feel! Its about the health!

GN: I looked into the Spanx, it won't work for me. Their largestt size is XXL for a 46-48" waist, at about 53" I just wouldn't fit into it.

Hello Frank, wearing shapewears is just a temporary solution and if you are losing weight with dieting, its time you increase your workout time. If you can’t go for heavy exercises, start with the light ones that focuses on specific body parts.

Progress report

I seem to be stuck in neutral, right in that 290-295 lb range with a tummy of about 53" and a jellyroll that will your fist, let alone pinching an inch !

Hey Frank, Im an online personal trainer and make meal plans and workout programs. If your still having trouble trying to shift that muffin top - I say take it slow and steady as slower weight loss gives more time for skin to adapt as it shrinks. This way you minimize the amount of lose skin that you have. And resistance training is seriously something you need to be doing, if your not already. This kind of training can definitely help to build muscle and tighten the loose skin. If you need a meal plan and workout program, let me know - its my specialty