Mums with a flat tummy - do you hold it in?

[User112]

That really. How on earth do women with kids have flat tummies? What kind of workouts do you do? Do you always hold it in? I’m 1st away from my healthy weight range (upper boundary) and I have a B tummy. Do I even have a chance if I lose that 1stone?

I have some excellent high waisted pants.

1 child, only gained about 12lb in pregnancy, gave birth 2 weeks early, then lost about 20lb breastfeeding. It's not flat, flat though - the top part is but there is a little pooch above my knicker waistline with sone stretchmarks.

Surgery

I did for years when I was anything from a 14 to a 22. Lost the weight, now a size 8/10 and I dont have to. So I would say that losing the weight did make a difference.

I do have the "hangover" of skin from my lower belly to my pubic area. But I have decided that at nearly 50 with 6 kids I dont give a shit!

Until recently I have never had a flat stomach, even pre kids. About 5 months ago I went on a huge diet and fitness plan and have lost a stone (3months to loose the weight and I’ve kept it off since). I attribute my flat- even hint of a 6 pack- stomach to this Joe wicks work out which I do 3 times a week. youtu.be/sjKfIvxdUp0
I love my stomach now.

Filmstars do it by having their wobbly bits edited out. It's so normalised that when Kate Winslett (my new shero!) had to fight TV bosses to have her "bulging belly" not cut from her sex scenes in Mare of Easttown.

And, this is so unusual it made the news!

www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/kate-winslet-refused-mare-easttown-24236977

Hey OP, I currently have an unhealthily low bmi of 17 - not in any way a stealth boast, I’m unwell and am desperate for the old me back!! BUT, I have to tell you that even though I’m skinnier than a rake when I sit down I still have some tummy roll - after 3 kids it’s to be expected!…don’t kid yourself it’ll disappear with weight - often it won’t!!

I think a big factor is just down to genetics and body type.
I don't think it's probably very good for one's own emotional wellbeing to be thinking that all these women with flat stomachs must have some great exercise regime or other or be focussed on their fantastic flat stomachs.
I'm 48, have had two children. My stomach looks flat when I'm standing up. When I sit down it has a little bulge to it. I don't give it any thought and certainly don't put any effort into it or do any planned forms of exercise and I never have. It's just the way my body is formed. There's a certain extent to which we can probably change and perhaps a certain extent to which we can't and maybe it's good to remember that because some people have what you want it doesn't mean they're more successful at trying, they may have just got lucky with that particular roll of the genetic dice.

I'm 50, a little underweight, have 2 children (22 and 12), always been slim and loved my sport so that's on my side.

Currently I run about 3 times a week, swim a couple of times, go out on my bike and maybe a couple of classes. It changes week to week.

My tummy is flat. When I swim a lot and do strength exercises I get abs and a stronger core which I love. Otherwise it's still flat, but softer and blobs a bit when I sit down.

It’s genetic. I’m in my 50s, flat stomach, has always been flat. I’m fairly slim (BMI 19-20) but I don’t exercise apart from shortish dog walks and I eat whatever crap I fancy. My mum is the same in her 80s, flat stomach, better legs than me. It’s just genes, it has to be.

I do see a bit of tummy roll if I sit down in the bath though, even though it’s straight flat when I stand. I think everyone must have that.

Posture makes a big difference, which is part of the reason Pilates and yoga works well. Try putting your chin forward when standing. Your stomach muscles slightly relax. Now put your head on top of your neck, your belly slightly tightens. Same with tucking your pelvis slightly under instead of sticking your bottom slightly out. You learn to tuck your bottom slightly under in Pilates which means you're gently toning your stomach all day every time you're standing or walking. All that plus the exercises and losing the excess fat.

I can visibly see my abs tightening. I'll always have slight overhang from two pregnancies but it's already starting to look a whole lot better since lockdown ended again and I could start classes.

[quote User112]@TheVamoosh no, I just don’t want this “tyre” when I sit down 😳😳[/quote]
Everyone has some skin folds when they sit down... otherwise if we stood up our skin would snap because it would be pulled too tight. Skin is meant to be move and bodies are meant to have a little wiggle room. Don't demonised you body based on an unrealistic ideal.

Everyone has a belly tire when they sit down unless they're super fit.
I'm slim and have a tyre.
Drink plenty of water.
Belly dance lots of videos on YouTube it reduces a bulge.

I have a completely flat stomach after having dcs with no loose skin etc, it's exactly as it was pre kids. I put a lot of it down to breastfeeding absolutely loads straight after births as it helped the womb just shrink straight away, I had a flat stomach days after birth , also age, I was late 20's for two kids and early 30 for last and pure luck. I've always been slim but it's only since having kids that I've started exercising loads and running. Actually having really active kids keeps me fit too.
BTW that may sound smug so just to counter it , I aged at least 10 years instantly after having my first, I feel I look really haggard tbh so in my opinion something always gets a hit!! I also had awful sleepers so I didn't sleep for around 8 years properly so hence the haggard thing , I'm now starting at 36 to row back a bit, sleeping a bit more and drinking lots of water. I definitely still look older than my friends who are 36 but they are all either just onmtheut first baby or ttc so I've done years of pregnancy, bf and child rearing. Here's to the future!!

I've 3 dcs. But yes, something always takes a hit!

I was still swimming 60 lengths of a pool regularly when I was 9 months pregnant and ate pretty healthily, all my weight was baby so I was back to a flat stomach very quickly after. My skin is a little stretched round my belly button though (I had a 9lber) and my boobs almost completely gone, definitely no bikini model!

At the moment I do it by exercising and controlling my diet. Honestly though I'm underweight and although my tummy is flat my face looks sunken in and my rib cage looks emaciated. I would shoot for a BMI of 21 (below 20 is unhealthy for most middle ages women) and not stress.

I wish I had a flat stomach but sadly I don’t, my Sister who is 53 is in fab shape, size 10 with a flat stomach and a gorgeous figure, she walks every day and is extremely disciplined with her food. I should move in with her 🤔😂

I had twins in January via a c section (my second one) it's definitely squishier than it was and when I stuck it in it isn't as hard and flat as it was in my 20s 🤣

It's the fat over the back of my hips and back fat that I hate more - can't suck those in

OP how strange - I was going to start a very similar thread! I started a thread a while ago about whether I should be concerned about my disproportionately large middle - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/a4214201-Should-I-be-alarmed-if-my-waist-size-is-over-34in

I'm slim, bmi 20.5, actually since posting that thread I've made a concerted effort and lost about half a stone, although you couldn't really tell, I've no idea where it's 'lost' from as I look exactly the same.

I have a small frame and smallish boobs and without anything holding my waist in I still look pregnant (not been pregnant for 3 years). I'm doing the MUTU system which works on the transverse abdominals (rather than the 6-pack abs) and it's good but I don't feel has massively changed anything - I didn't have diastasis recti.

I can hold it in to have a flat stomach quite easily, but breathing freely I look pregnant. I'm not sure it's ever going to change .

I'm not vain but it does affect how clothes fit (I have to get bigger jeans than I would otherwise need and dresses are a nightmare to find) and also having seen the NHS info in my linked thread about waist size I got a bit worried.

Body type
Exercise
Diet

I have a flat tummy (in line with my hip bones whereas before kids it was inline with my pubic bone so it has moved out which makes my torso a bit more barrel shaped which I’m resigned to). BMI is top of the normal range. I exercise: both cardio and weights absolute minimum 30min a day, am addicted to nuts so presumably eating lots of fat and am big boned so I have more frame to fill before I bulge.

I wouldn’t class walking the kids to school as exercise. If you have the space and the will power those big exercise balls are great for home core work outs (Heather Robertson on youtube has a good one)

I do think a lot of it is just luck once you're a healthy weight. At a stone overweight, it would be surprising if you did have a really flat tummy! I have a naturally flat abdomen and at 24.9 BMI it wasn't flat. Got down to 21 BMI and it is completely flat.

Think a lot is just about how your body is built though if you're within a healthy weight range. Mine has always been flat unless I was creeping into overweight territory. Nothing I've done, I don't really exercise, I'm just built that way (other parts of me aren't as desirable!).

I would say though - if losing 1 stone takes you to the upper range of healthy BMI I'd expect you to still have a tummy then!

Pilates and I don't eat much.