Post baby belly....am I doomed?

tgw0501 · 03-Jun-06, 05:56 PM

After two c-sections and two 8 lb babies (not twins), I am about to just accept the fact that I am always going to have this blub in my belly. I am good at cardio, pilates, yoga and strength training and I eat pretty good. I occasionally cheat but not often. I have gotten back down to my pre-preg size but I still look 4 mo pregnant or bloated! I can grab about 2 inches of skin in my belly.

Am I doomed to live with this the rest of my life? My OB says after having kids, especially c-sections my skin has been stretched too much and the only way to get it flat again is to have a mini tummy tuck. yikes.

It's really not THAT bad but it bothers me and nothing fits right anymore. I am sure most women would be fine with it but it really bothers me. Any ideas? (oh, PS- my kids are 4 and 18 months)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...501/belly2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...501/belly1.jpg

**Lady C** · 04-Jun-06, 10:26 AM

When you say you can grab 2 inches of skin, is that flexed or relaxed? Either way it sounds like you need to lose more body fat. This is controlled mainly by diet. What does a typical day of eating look like?

**.V.** · 04-Jun-06, 10:40 AM

2 babies less than 2 years apart and it's only been 4 months since the last one? Don't expect miracles it takes time to recover. Generally full recovery from having a baby can be up to 2 years. Open an account at www.fitday.com - it's free and track everything that goes into your mouth exactly for a little while. Then post your nutrition plan and workout plan. One thing to make sure of first though. Since the babies were delivered by c-section, you need to talk to the OB who did it and make sure he or she actually sutured the muscle back together. Some do muscle/facia/skin, others only do the facia/skin and leave the muscle unconnected.

When our last one was delivered, everything went terribly wrong and we went into the O.R. to deliver a dead baby and save my wife's life. As the only qualified pediatric advanced life support person around, I took over the resuscitation of my baby and let the doc handle my wife. They are both fine today. However, for a few years after, my wife who had been a trainer, aerobics instructor, karate instructor, could never get back the ability to do a single crunch. Following another surgery for a hysterectomy (I did say everything went wrong), we learned that in the emergency situation the abdominal muscles weren't sutured together. The new doc fixed it and after enough time for it to heal she was able to resume doing weighted decline crunches.

Oh and the skin, once the body fat is reduced (slowly), depending on your age, much of it will shrink back and be re-absorbed by the body. To do this well, it has to have perfect nutrition. The right balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat for YOUR individual needs. Fats should be the healthy kinds and keep saurated fats lower to encourage the skin to shrink. Not super low fat, just healthy fats/low sat fat.

Good luck, now get to work tracking your intake and exercise. Start a workout/nutrition journal here if you wish and you will get all kinds of guidance towards your goal, with many different approaches - then it's up to you to find the approach that fits your needs and is effective to you and stick to it.

tgw0501 · 05-Jun-06, 03:22 PM

2" relaxed is what I can grab. I bet it's my diet. My problem is, I cave and eat something not so good for me but instead of picking up the slack the next day, I tend to just fall off the wagon entirely! I need to journal. I'll check into journaling here. That should make me more accountable.

As for my kiddos, (first off I am VERY sorry for your loss to the last poster). My son (the youngest) is 18 months old. I had him in December, 2004 so it has been 18 months since my last c/s. My stomach seems to be good as far as the healing process and surgery but I do have the loose skin/fat.

I was just wanting to know if it will shrink (my belly) any more than it already has. If I have a chance then it would be worth knuckling down and going for it. I am 31 years old and I weigh 130 lbs and am 5' tall. I could stand to drop 10 lbs but I am more motivated by inches than the scale.

Where do I go to get set up on a plan? Will I get any "free" type meals as far as being able to enjoy some of the bad stuff or do I need to super restrict myself for a few weeks?

I love salads and fruits right now with it being so hot! I am good about eating those sorts of things but just bad when it comes to ice cream. ha ha. I use low calorie/reduced fat or fat free dressings and try to measure the portions used.

Thanks for all the help. After my last child was born I was simply not able to get into the gym for various reasons. I am very estatic now that a new YMCA opened very close to my home and I have been going regularly now. I am ready to buckle down.

tgw0501 · 05-Jun-06, 03:31 PM

Here are some pictures again of where I am at now. These will be good for comparisons one day (of what I will become- speaking in faith!)

Belly-

This is what it looks like when I grab the skin/fat/etc. I hope it doesn't gross anyone out.

**Lady C** · 05-Jun-06, 03:40 PM

You just need to improve your muscle mass and reduce your body fat. You increase muscle mass by adding resistance or strength training to your workout plan. You can drop body fat by adding cardio to your workout plan.

As far as diet goes, try reading this sticky Scroll down and read the last link will help you start eating 6 meals a day. Join fitday.com (free just sign-up) to start tracking your calories.

It is important to get enough protein. Most women lack in this category.

Ice cream needs to be saved for the cheat meals NOT daily.

**.V.** · 05-Jun-06, 03:46 PM

No loss to be sorry for. Just mentioned the emergency because that is what led to the transverse abdominus being left un-sutured. Actually, it was a successful resuscitation both are alive and the baby is 10 years old and training for her first triathalon now. I learned later that not sutureing the transverse abdominus is rather common. Check to make sure that it was actually sewn back together before planning your exercise program. It will effect your abilities to some degree.

Now about your "baby tummy". That isn't bad at all. You can shrink a great deal of that. You may never get back to "pre-baby", but you might. Vitamin E lotion supposedly helps, but excellent nutrition helps even more.

Go to http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html and calculate your approximate body fat percentage. It's not 100% accurate but will get you close enough to calculate nutritional needs with. Start a journal here and post the following stats: Height, weight, bodyfat percent...we already know you are female, age, favorite color (just kidding), and then we will help you make a nutrition and exercise plan that you can live with. There will be many suggestions from low fat to my love of high fat, muscle sparing/building plan. There will be low volume workout plans, higher volume less weight workout plans, cardio exercise suggestions, and by the time you get it all sorted out you will know how to eat, when to eat, what to eat, how you can exercise and get the results you want. 130lbs and 5' tall is manageable...so is that tummy. Get that BF% calculated now and let's get to work.

Welcome to the world of the new and improved you.

mistycatt · 05-Jun-06, 05:49 PM

I read in the threads the question being asked if it is 2 inches flexed or not...

What is the difference and how should you measure it... flexed or not??

**.V.** · 05-Jun-06, 05:56 PM

???

I just take a tape measure and go around the navel. I don't care if it's flexed or relaxed - as long as it's done consistantly each time.

If you are seeing if you can "pinch an inch", flexed makes it easier to pinch.

tgw0501 · 05-Jun-06, 09:57 PM

A_welch- sorry for the misread. I am very glad you did not lose the baby. Thanks for that info. I will get right on it.

Lady- as usual, you are a big help.

Thanks for giving me some hope. I knew it wasn't "that" bad compared to others. I have worked very hard to get to this point but I need to keep pushing just a little harder/longer to finish the "race"

tgw0501 · 05-Jun-06, 10:05 PM

It said my body fat was 41% and I did get it tested back in December and it was 30%. I can get it tested again at the gym to have a more accurate assesment.

**Lady C** · 06-Jun-06, 08:27 AM

Keep pluggin along, you'll get there. FYI: Women typically have to be in the low teens bodyfat percentages to see their abs. Look at my pics - I was about 16% then.

CF-OC_gal · 06-Jun-06, 10:58 AM

Nothing to add here, only that you are not as far away from a nice post baby belly as you think you are. I agree totally with the observation that for having had 2 births in 2 years, you are being hard on yourself. Just don't leave it until later to get back into a fitness and healthy eating routine. You are a role model for those kiddos so let that motivate you!

:

**cursor** · 06-Jun-06, 03:14 PM

The most effective thing that you can do is to be consistent in your fitness approach. Avoid the rollercoaster. Eat well, but not too much at any one time (don't stuff yourself during a single meal). Make quality food choices. Between that and regular exercise (both cardio AND resistance training), you'll be fine after a number of months.

tgw0501 · 06-Jun-06, 11:40 PM

How many calories should I take in? I have been doing weight watchers but I still feel hungry. I know this sounds silly but I wonder if I am eating enough? I am taking in about 1200-1300 per day and if I get to exercise, which I usually do but sometimes it doesn't always happen, I will add in those activity points (anywhere from 100-200 extra calories).

I have been trying to hit the gym 5 times a week. Ideally I would like to go 6 times but usually something comes up with the kids, etc. I try not to make and allow just any old excuse though. I know if I will just knuckle down for a solid 8 weeks, I would see BIG improvements.