To try to just 'deal' with my pot belly , even though someone just asked me if I'm pregnant!

[firstimer30s]

A family friend came over (older lady) and patted my stomach in excitement. 'Ooh! Is there something in there?'
I smiled and said 'no I'm just fat.'

I'm a healthy weight but since having a MMC at the end of the first trimester a couple of months ago, I just can't seem to lose the soft muffin top.
It's bothersome as most of my clothes look a bit crap on the stomach area, but part of me is thinking that if I'm active , eat reasonably well (for a busy mum), the weight will hopefully come off eventually....? I'm not keen (ie too tired ) to start going on some mega-diet/ gym kick.
AIBU or are there mums out there who naturally lost the belly with sensible eating and a reasonable amount of walking / activity.

I'm having the same issue but DD is 5 months old. I don't know what to do so place marking but be kind to yourself. I also bought some new underwear that actually fits and I feel a bit better so that might help?

Core exercises, sits ups thats kind of thing. Stomach muscles are crucial for mothers.

Someone did that to me today. It stung as I lost weight recently but came off plan and have put some weight on since.

I turned round and went "no I'm not but I'll let you off as I've had six kids"

Can you be arsed to plank a little bit every couple of days or so?

For me, the tummy region is really tricky to sort through healthy living, it needs some assistance

There's Adrienne's yoga channel on YouTube. She's pretty cool, & has a core workout

I've never been pregnant but I've always had a bit of a belly, even when otherwise very slim (not the case right now!) If I'm feeling lazy and don't quite stand up straight it's very easy for me to look pregnant, and I've been offered a seat on the tube more times than I care to admit.

What's helped me is improving my posture and my core strength. Don't just do sit ups and don't fixate on your stomach muscles. Strengthening your lower back will help to hold you upright and pull everything in to where it should be.

But more importantly, don't let those people get you down! They're rude and thoughtless to ask in the first place. I've started to find it quite fun to make people squirm when they ask if I'm pregnant... 'nope, just a big lunch, thanks!' and watch the reaction

Or Jillian!

Jillian Michaels is good for this. I have the same problem (but am much further on post-babies - like about nine years...) Losing weight helps the flab but toning is needed to stop everything falling about all over the place. On bad days I also look pg but even just a few days of Shred really help

Over - what's shred?

I have a BMI of 24 and toned abdomen muscles, under a neat little bump of fat It is less or more prominent depending on the time of the month - 2 inches difference! So sometimes I am almost flat and sometimes I do look pregnant, and have been congratulated on my pregnancy etc

DVD ordered

Thanks all! Core excercises it is ...

Lilac, what underwear? Would love something in-frumpy but big and covering :)

I do planks with a waist trainer on. Seems to be working.

Do you have a link to the waist trainer?

Seriously though, who does that?? I really don't get that sort of behaviour at all. I saw an ex-neighbour the other day who was very obviously 6 months+ pregnant but I still waited for her to bring it up - just in case!!!

How often & for how long do you need to plank for it to have an effect?

I gave birth a month ago and am just 4lbs heavier than I was before I got pregnant but my tummy is very bulgy still. It is definitely muscle tone beacuse when I lie flat it is flattish and when I sit or stand it is paunchy. I walk loads (about 4 miles a day at least) and am really active - I never stop- but I think I am going to have to do some specific exercises. Meanwhile M and S hold everything in 60 denier opaque control tights are doing a steriling job. I haul them on and am firm and sleek. It is just when I take them off it all slumps and sags. I don't like it but can't be arsed to get too worked up over it. I think I look about 4 months pregnant.

Sit ups, plank etc will only work if you don't have a layer of fat in front of your muscles. You can't spot reduce fat from one area. You need to concentrate on your diet and do high intensity exercise (even star jumps, running on the spit - 20 seconds on 20 seconds off) or brisk walks to reduce some of the fat. If u start doing situps etc u can end up looking bigger, as u work the muscles behind the fat and actually push the layer of fat out more.

Also if u have kids it could be diastasis recti, where your stomach muscles are actually split. So there's a ga in the middle of the stomach muscles creating more of a bulge.

If your stomach sticks out, producing a "pregnant" effect when you stand, you may have separated stomach muscles.

wellnessmama.com/60398/diastasis-recti/

Cross post!

Ok so wait a minute before jumping into full on planks. Lots of postnatal women have an abdominal gap that is too big and u need to check for this first before leaping into exercise. Google diastasis recti check. If u have a gap bigger than 2 finger widths then absolutely do not do curl up or sit up type moves. U need to get expert help to close the gap. If all that is fine then u need to work on your lower core area -again no sit ups but more pilates moves working your transversus abdominal. Then reduce your sugar intake and any wine or beer u drink. Feel free to pm me for more advice on any of this as I've done lots of training in this field and can direct u to help. X

www.waisttrain.uk

But I got a similar trainer from Amazon for 9.99

What are planks?

Oh I have just watched a video of planks exercises- well a couple of minutes of it. Nope, couldn't be bothered with that. I would just roll over or fall and anyway, it looks very hard and uncomfortable. I am sticking to my tight tights.

It's really easy to be honest. The trainer makes it easier as it supports the core.

Even if you don't have separared stomach muscles, don't try to build them if the intention is to get a flatter stomach. If you're not on a calorie deficit and thus losing fat, you will just make your muscles bigger and make the flab on top stand out even more.

Fat and weight loss is primarily about diet, not exercise.