Big tum

[BigTumM]

I know it's probably just genetics but I feel like having a moan!! ...

I've lost nearly 3 stone on mounjaro so far.

Start BMi was 27 and current BMI is 21.5.

But ... My stomach has remained the exact same!

I was size 14 round the waist at the start and I still am :( My size 14 jeans are maybe a teeny but looser, but they still fit well!

I've lost weight from my face, arms, thighs wrists, ankles and chest! But not from my belly :(

I'd love to be able to wear nice tight fitting tops and feel that at a BMI of 21.5 I should be like a size 10 round the middle and able to wear snug fitting clothes. But I can't :(

I feel like I'm going to have to get to 18 BMI in order to shift my middle.

Anyone else or just me?

..and these are tesco size 14! Which are notoriously vanity sized! I'd probably b like a 16 in Primark or new look or somewhere :(

How is this possible at 21.5 BMI?

:(

That is unusual as I and some others I know, the first place it's come off has been stomach area.

:( I hope it comes off my stomach soon. I hadn't realized other people were losing form their stomach first. Wish that was me!

I'm the same as you, OP. Lost from face, arms, bust but kept fat on tum and tops of thighs. Now decided that targetted exercise is the answer for tum. I also lost a lot of my hair and now have wrinkly skin on hands and arms.😖

Stomach last for me too. I’ve lost 6 stone and still have a huge big belly. I can see it is a bit smaller and I do go in at the waist a bit now but in front it’s massive still.
I’ve lost lots from everywhere else though.
I knew I would be like this though as my mum’s exactly the same.

Thanks all! Yeah, my mum had a big (relative to the rest of her) belly (even when she was a tiny tiny size 6), so I guess it's genetic. Frustrating though!!!

Did you have a big baby OP? A good friend of mine ended up with diastasis recti where her stomach muscles have separated.

She looks like a size 8 from the back, but like she’s eight months pregnant from the front. She’s tried everything and her only option now is surgery. I feel so sorry for her.

Oh bless her. No my babies were relatively small (6lb something and 7lb something). Though now they r older, they too have the cursed belly and I did read somewhere about it being related to stomach muscles in children not forming or something (one of my children is 35th centile for weight, so quite light for his height, but his belly is proper big!!) mm... Maybe I should ask the doctor. Perhaps as a family we have a genetic stomach muscles problem?? I know as a kid I was called chicken legs because my legs were skinny but my middle was v round 😊 I think I just accepted I was an apple and that was that! But now I'm feeling quite annoyed because I so want a flat tum!!

What’s your actual waist measurement? It is unusual that your tummy hasn’t reduced at all with 3 stone loss, especially if you’re now BMI of 21.5. Do you do any sort of exercise for it (weighted ab moves, Pilates etc)?

Stomach is hardest to shift weight from.. loads of belly fat and muscles etc.. mine is awful still and I've lost 3 and half stone.. I'm really chuffed with my legs.. l have long legs and they are nice and slim again now.

When I was on MJ, I lost more weight all over than in my belly. Like I wanted to lose more fat from my belly but didn’t want to lose more weight as I was already happy with my weight and this was part of the reasons why I stopped so I can continue with my exercises to tone up. I have diastasis recti from DC2 so I knew it exercises will be the main tool to losing the belly. It’s been 5 weeks since I’ve stopped MJ and I’ve lost 2 inches off my waist. When naked, my belly is still big but when dressed, it’s all becoming more proportionate. I wear a shapewear with fitted dresses still though.
I think you need to do more exercises especially those that target the core. It’ll definitely take time but that’ll help.

Sorry no advice but how are you still on mj if your bmi is 21.5??

As long as you meet the BMI requirements when you start using Mounjaro many places will continue to prescribe a maintenance dose so you don’t end up obese again.
The tendency to obesity won’t go away, so many of us will need to stay on it long term.

My stomach has reduced in size but my diastis recti will never go away and I’ll always have ‘a bit of a belly’. I really want to shift the bingo wings, they’ve also reduced but not at the same rate as anything else 😂
but I’m just so happy with the overall results, I’m wearing clothes in a much more sensible size and most importantly I’m becoming a lot healthier overall and want to continue on my quest for longevity and health in later life. Of course there are no guarantees but genetically I’m expecting some big curveballs at some point so I want to be in as good a position as I can be to tackle those.
It’s very annoying that we can’t choose where the weight comes off although there are lots of ways to target toning up through exercises.
Don’t give up hope op!

Do you have bloating and or intolerances? I'd advise drinking lots of water and avoiding carbs. They make you retain water. Also eat little and often, fasting can cause the body to increase cortisol which leads to belly fat gain.
Ginger shots and kefir help flatten mine.

I have lost over 4 stone and although my stomach has reduced, I still have a big overhang. It is residual fat and skin.
I have booked a tummy tuck and abdominal repair to get rid of it.
I will go down by at last a clothing size and will finally have a flat stomach.

Because I want to get rid of my belly

Stomach last for me too. I’m now a size 10 everywhere except my tum, which has shrunk to maybe a 12. (I started off 14/16). It’s coming off my belly slowly. Very annoying. And hard to dress.

Sorry should have explained that better!..

Because I still have a belly I am still the exact same dress size I was when I started mj!

Psychologically, it feels horrible ending my journey and staying the same waist size.

I do look noticeably thinner all over except my waist and would have stopped my journey by now. But psychologically, after all the effort, I can't stop until I've lost at least a dress size!

I've lost just over 4 stone and my stomach is the last place it's going from. I am down from XXL/20/22 to 16/medium, I've got some work pants from before that are massive on me now, but my stomach still is big. I have had two sections so I'm not overly hopeful.

Thanks everyone! Nice to know I'm not the only one with stubborn fat around the middle. I might well try and do targeted exercises to tone up and see if it helps. I am a runner and I walk my dogs for an hour everyday, so I thought that would do!! But I guess maybe the dreaded sit ups are needed :(

Try some Joe wicks work outs free on YouTube

I have similar starting BMI to you and am a classic apple shape with 'normal' arms and legs. 2 months Ish on mounjaro and my belly has disappeared. I would be concerned if my BMI was as low as yours and I still had fat rolls around tummy. Are you sure it's not bloating or something internal? No chance you're pregnant? 😉

You could try weighted hula hooping? There’s a myriad of pictures and videos of ‘hoopers’ on various Facebook groups, who have toned up their stomachs amazingly.

I understand how you feel. I have lost 3 stone naturally and have actually lost loads of my tummy/waist (in inches) but my tummy is still big in proportion to the rest of my body. It’s almost like I’m exactly the same body shape but just a smaller version. Unfortunately, sit ups (and other ab related exercises) rarely help if you have fat in that area because it will just build muscle under the fat and can even cause it to pertrude more. Apparently, deep core exercises can improve posture and pull the tummy in slightly but unfortunately, you can’t ’spot reduce’ fat from specific areas with exercise.