After reading MissKelley's skinny jeans size 16 thread I went to my closet to try on my wardrobe of jeans again. Size 18's from Lane Bryant still not wearable but zip and button. Some random size 18 fits but I hate the way they look from the front.

Size 16 Bongo's and Levi's - interestingly fit nice on my legs and my butt - it is my freaking stomach that is keeping me from wearing 16's. What can I do? Will crunches help? I know I need more exercise for fat burning I just need to fit it in and not stress about it making me have that starving feeling.

Also, lately my stomach apron has been really itching on the area where my stretch marks are....is this normal or is it just me?

UGH! I just want to wear those 16's so bad!!

I know that I get the itchy's under the apron and that is from moisture but if I run a cloth or papertowel under it, it goes away.

The itching is definitely not under it - it is on it - the stretch marks. I guess it sounds crazy. LOL

I had noticed that I wasn't really losing inches in the beginning, so at first I got one of those girdle things. The one I had was like a tank top style but really fitted. I wore that baby all the time even when i worked out, and that's when i noticed my curves and waistline coming back. I skipped size 14 and went straight to a 12. Then as I got smaller, I graduated to a corset for fredericks of hollywood. Im in a 3/4 now and some 2's. All the way down from a 20W!! My sister is doing the same thing. The tightness around the waist really helps, plus it makes you feel full faster! Hope that helps!

Lane Bryant skinny jeans are a weird fit! I wear a size 12 in gap and express jeans, but my size 16 Lane Bryant skinny jeans are still kind of snug. It's so odd. I'm kind of glad that they never fit, I don't have a body that skinny jeans look good on, I'm not sure what I was thinking!

I actually have something like this- like a pair of really tall tight underwear. LOL I forgot all about it. Maybe I will start wearing that and see if it helps. You still wear one now even though you are a size 3/4 ?

my stomach is driving me crazy right now too. I have had three people comment on my clothes bieng too big but i just bought them! I dont have any butt at all and a small chest so when i buy clothes to fit my stomach everything else seems baggy. So Iwent and bought 2 pair of pants that I can just button. As long as my shirts loose enought to cover the muffin top and i dont have to sit down i'm good. Lol

Ugh; this is one of my problem areas, too!

From what I understand crunches will help tighten and strenthen the muscles of your abdomen, but they are not going to help you lose fat from that area. My trainer told me (and I have read it numerous other places) that the only exercise that works to eliminate the fat is cardio.

J

I carry my weight in the "apron" as well and didn't get into size 16 until 185 lbs. and I'm only a bit taller than you. But the good news is after that point, the apron started to let the fat go and my size is changing much faster. My 14s are already starting to get loose.

No I don't wear one anymore, unless I've got a special event to go to, which rarely happens. It just helped shrink my waist and belly!

this is a problem area for me, too. doing the treadmill on an incline seems to be helping, both to lift the tush and to bring the tummy in. as for the other, maybe try using a mild, fragrance free moisturizer like aveeno. good luck!

Ugh! 185?? I don't wanna wait that long Alright, I guess it is time to really step up the cardio! I did 21 minutes of walking/jogging etc in my backyard this morning. I am going swimming this afternoon.

belly is my biggest problem area too. even when I was at my thinnest (130lbs at 5'9") I still had a bit of a belly..but I didn't exercise then , so I was a skinny fat.
exercising, situps and pilates can help pull your core in, it'll look better, be less soft.

my stretch marks itched also. I could be the heat and sweating is irritating the skin. Not sure what it is...if it means they are forming, healing, or the skin is shrinking or growing.

I remember that my stretch marks itched both on the way up the scale and on the way back down. It always seemed strange to me that they would itch when I was losing weight, but they certainly did! I came to love the feeling because I knew it meant I was shrinking. Lotion or cocoa butter helped, so you might want to try that.

This is my problem area as well, because I have been blessed with an apple body type and live in a pear/hourglass world, at least as far as fashion is concerned.

All I can do is work it off, and then, buy some nice clothes and have them tailored. Maybe I'll get lucky and the next 5 will come entirely off my gut, but I'm not counting on it.