Is it possible to lose "mum tum" without surgery?

[JammieN]

I have been trying to lose weight and everywhere has shrunk except my belly. I have got a proper spare tyre. Someone asked if I was pregnant the other day and I was mortified but looking at me I did look preggo. If I have white bread, pizza, biscuits etc. it gets worse and I swell up like a balloon and my tummy gets kind of hard, so I am going to avoid those; however even if I've not eaten for a while I still have the wobbly belly and spare tyre. There is so much fat there; I can grab a handful easily. It is a proper apron which hangs down and I feel so self-conscious about it!! I think it may be diastasis recti. There are a million YouTube videos on how to correct this but don't want to be given the wrong information and end up damaging myself. My friend said to try fat-freezing but not sure if it will work or not. Any advice please?

You can't choose where to loose weight, without surgery. But if you find a proper qualified person you can get help with the DR

It’s usually loose skin and damaged connective tissue, so losing fat doesn’t fix it. Sorry but in my experience the only solution is surgery.

If you can grab it, and it's more like an apron, then I agree with PP, it's likely to be excess skin that has stretched, and surgery such as a 'tummy tuck' is what will make it go away. My mum had the same after I was born (eldest) and then after her 3rd and last child she had a tummy tuck and was happy with the results. I'm currently 8 months postnatal and I have a bit of a belly still, however I don't have the overhang, and when I 'suck it in' the whole stomach moves and sucks in which leads me to believe mine is a bit of extra fat that will go with exercise. My mum on the other hand, did all sorts of exercise, healthy diet, Pilates etc. and when she did the same, her stomach muscles moved but the apron was still evident.

Hi @JammieN i had similar after my pregnancy. I started doing Oliver Sjostrom calorie burner videos on You Tube. Pace yourself though, build up stamina. Also, i started only having a bowl of porridge for dinner. Omg i noticed such a difference!! Back in my jeggings 💃
Hope the above helps x

I’m an apple and when I’ve lost weight the tum was still pretty fat. The blood sugar diet ie no carbs shifted it though. Literally shape changing which is the point. The diet was designed to reduce diabetes /pre diabetes. Six weeks.
Must start it again although currently tucking into chips so I guess not tonight.

After my second child I went to see a DR specialist to confirm what I was dealing with.

Perhaps you could look online to see if there are any in your area? From memory it wasn't horrendously expensive.

In the end I didn't have DR but I was still given a list of exercises and stretches to strengthen my core.

If it's an apron you're dealing with then surgery is most likely the best option but exercise and healthy eating are always a good thing, and may well have some impact on your self confidence over all.

I agree with this - it's what I'm like, slim with no fat anywhere else but loose apron of skin and fat on my stomach that makes me look pregnant. I have accepted that I've done as much as I can through diet and exercise, so now have to either live with it or go for a tummy tuck. Currently living with it as I have an active life and young kids, just don't want to be laid up in recovery for months. Still gets me down though.

Thank you, I will try this 😀

That sounds difficult because I love sugar but I will try! How many grams of carbs are you allowed?

Maybe i do just need to bite the bullet and go for surgery 🥴 it is very an apron which is grabable :(

I don’t know .I think you can lose the fat but you may keep the saggy skin. I got my flat belly back at one point through lots and lots of cycling (lots uphill), and strict low carbing but it was never back to perfect it just looked good in clothes. I also did lots of exercise for DR with a physio , which was part of postnatal care in a different country so free. Lots exercises online though

I think it was 4 or 5 per 100grams. It works pretty quickly though so you’d know within 2 weeks if it was helping. It’s purpose is to lose internal fat around your organs ( ie your middle) rather than weight loss. It was actually shape changing for me and my tummy was always larger than my hips or boobs.

I started in September and by half term my tummy was flat. By Christmas I was in the best shape I’ve been in. I lost inches under my bust and tummy went from 40 to 32 inches.

I went back to eating a bit more normally but didn’t really eat junk carbs ie crisps or chips but had a bit more sugar and it stayed off. I didn’t give up wine at any point although I cut it down to one night a week at the start.

Have you ever been tested for coeliac disease? The swelling up and bloating when eating carbs is a classic symptom. I've got it and I would also look pregnant before I cut out gluten. A simple blood test rules it out so worth investigating.

I have a friend with an “apron” who’s not had a child so I think it’s being realistic about whether it’s diet or actually a more surgical problem.
For some women surgery is going to be the best option though to get results.

Fat freezing doesn't work so don't spend your money on that. My friend tried it and if anything it seemed to make it look worse.

I haven't been tested - I will speak to GP about this, thankyou 🙂

Oh that is really useful to know, thank you!! I was looking to find a clinic today. The only thing that stopped me booking was the enormous cost!!