The real bikini body.

[tulip27]

Ok we have all read what the press have to say on this but I am betting between us we will all have some ideas that actually work without costing a small fortune or involving wrapping ourselves in clingfilm for hours at a time.

So am off on holiday in 2 months with sister in law who has no children and norks and bum of pertness, an anorexic mil and me who despite the gym 5 times a week looks like I gave birth yesterday not 5 yrs ago. Oh and according to dd I have more spots and wrinkles than her grandma - I'm 31 !!!

So ladies I am all ears .......

BUMP

tulip you sound really active already, so this might not work for you, but I swear blind by "Davina Fit", her DVD from 2010.

It has 4 workouts each about 30mins long: Top Fit; Bottom Fit; Aerobics Fit; Kick Fit. It then has a 15 min Yoga Stretch too.

LIke you, I am a healthy weight (well, I am now after Weight Watchers!), but have a stretch-marked jelly belly from hell. This DVD is the ONLY kind of exercise I've found that actually made my tummy shrink! I do the Kick Fit (for tum, bum and legs) followed but the Top Fit (for my bingo wings) and I genuinely saw a difference within a week.

Also off on hols to sunny climes on Monday, so have been hammering it to try to match up to the other beach bodies I know I'm going to encounter!

Hi tulip, I did reformer pilates for a year which was great but I could never get rid of my jelly belly from having my son.

I started Bikram yoga 5 weeks ago and my belly is disappearing rapidly. Bikram is most definately not for everyone but I totally love it. It also makes your skin look gorgeous-all that sweating!

Have you thought of having a personal training session to look at your gym routine and see if it needs tweaking?

Also a decent fake tan..

invest in a fab and flattering bikini.

This one really flatters me, but it depends on your build

www.asos.com/Calvin-Klein/Calvin-Klein-Perfectly-Fit-Zebra-Trim-Halter-With-Removable-Cups/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=839109&SearchQuery=Calvin%20Klein%20Bikini&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black

I would agree with stagerlee - get a personal trainer for at least one session (which you can usually get free as they hope you'll become a regular). Chances are your gym routine needs a shake up. Be careful if you do end up having a few pt sessions though, they can be addictive!

A spray tan just before you go will also help a lot!

Shred dvd is excellent.

Can heartily recommend Boot Camp for Tummies from Mama Mio too. Contains two different lotions (Get Waisted and Tummy Toner) and a guide to Tupler method - which tones tummies. Worked a treat on my crepey skin but it is not a permanent fix. Does exactly what it says on the tin though. I used the Get Waisted on my thighs and calves too - made a big difference to tone.

definatly going to look into those DVDS. Keep the ideas coming though ...........