I don't feel good about my belly...

[JFDIplease]

It's not huge. It looks ok-ish in clothes, baggy tops mainly.

But the loose, hideously wrinkly skin and wonky section scar get me down. I'm 38, was overweight in my teens and twenties and had three massive pregnancy bumps, at 28, 30 and 35. I lost weight after baby number 2 and it didn't seem too bad then but a third huge belly at 35 followed by a section seems to have wrecked it.

I'm 5,5', 9st 10, wear an 8-12 depending where I'm shopping, have alright legs and arms and generally think I look ok, until I'm in underwear or a bikini. I don't really want to lose weight as I have a long face that will look more gaunt if I do. I've been doing sit-ups, press ups and planks for a while and it hasn't had any positive effect.

Is surgery the only answer? I'd like to feel good naked/in a bikini. Has anyone made saggy loose skin look better through diet or hard work? Or do I just need to reconcile myself to it?

[neveradullmoment99]

I am like you with a wobbly tummy. The best my stomach has looked is when i have done cardiovascular excercise. I think its a misconception just to focus on your stomach. In order to achieve a flat tummy i was told you need to do fat burning exercise to burn the fat generally everwhere including your abs.

[JFDIplease]

Thank you... what type of cardio worked for you?

I'm just really wary of losing fat and getting all thin and old looking in the face!

[neveradullmoment99]

Well its been a number of years now as I am not that good at maintaining excercise. I had a CD that i popped in but tbh, i really cant remember who it was. I have heard good things about the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. You could try that but it is intense!

[neveradullmoment99]

I dont think you will do that with excercise alone. If you diet then that might be different. Thats the trade off really. Lose the weight look older or keep the weight, look younger. There is a happy medium though. I am a 12. Would love to be a 10 but I just cant be bothered in reality to punish myself to become this [ and i think that is how i would regard it] and actually think my face suits a 12 probably better if I am honest. I have been doing the 5:2 and probably will as a way of life. I used to be a 14 and feel much better that i am now back to a 12. For me, it has been my natural size more than any other.

[Tanaqui]

Pilates has given me abs- in my case slightly hidden by a layer of fat and loose skin (bmi 23 so not overweight, but rounded!), but the best way to hide loose skin is to get a bit fatter!

[PersisFord]

I'm the same. It's horrible, and I cry about it loads. 2 things have helped me though

1. My kids like to stroke it in the bath and say "your tummy is all soft because we stretched it when we were growing in it". Cute. And true.
   

1. My DH suggested that if I was miserable we could save up and I could have surgery. But then I thought about that money and what a great holiday we could have, or what I could do to the house, or anything really....and I think that it's not so bad and I'd rather have the money.
   

I have started using body lotion on it and massaging it in. It is definitely helping the skin.

though, you aren't alone!!

[JFDIplease]

Thank you all... I am loath to gain weight as, for me, it's always been a "thing" and now I'm smaller I do feel better. Although I did go a bit too far: when my second child was two I weighed 8st 11 and now I see pictures from then I do look too thin in the face (although was amazing to fit in topshop size 8 after being too big for years to fit in anything from there).

I'll investigate Pilates and the shred and try to reconcile to getting new trousers. I guess a flat-ish, toned-ish size 12 belly in clothes that fit is preferable to a sea of stretch marked loose skin wearing a size ten...

[burnishedsilver]

Get advice from a physiotherapist.
Its either pilates or surgery, depending on how seperated your muscles are.

[JFDIplease]

What kind of physiotherapist, burnishedsilver? Are there different types or ones that specialise in this kind of thing? I don't feel as though I should take up a gp appointment to ask as it's clearly not a health issue. It just really gets to me, although I tell myself I could look a lot worse I can't help fixating on it a bit.

[HeyRoly]

A tummy tuck would be great for me (I have separated muscles and loose saggy skin, so it'd kill two birds with one stone) but there's no way we could afford it, or justify spending the money even if we saved it.

So... I just kind of live with it really.

As for physiotherapists, they could check you for separated muscles (medical term is diastasis recti) and give you exercises to do, but it's still essentially Pilates, so you may as well find a class.

Have a look at the Mutu System website as well. Lots of info about checking yourself for diastasis recti and you can purchase the programme, which is diet and exercises. I bought it during their annual special offer (which is always June/July IIRC) and have never, ever done it Maybe one day...

[Notreallyhappy]

Have a look at davina on this morning in January. (Utube) She showed some tummy exercise from a new dvd . She gets on my tit but this did strick a cord and you can feel it when you follow it.

[Rocket1982]

I am doing mutu system and it is helping the diastasis recti. Don't think diet and excerise will do much for my loose skin though!