People who are at/close to goal who found it hard to lose the belly

[EricTheGardener]

Did it ever, ever go?

I'm a classic apple shape, have lost 5 stone 2 pounds, bmi is now 23.5, but my hip to waist ratio is still 0.84. I have 11 pounds to go to get to a bmi of 22 and I would say at least 7 pounds of that is on my belly. Belly is definitely going down but it's the last to go. Lots of core exercises and slow fat burn running for me at the moment and strength training 3 times a week. I had a four finger diastasis recti gap which is now down to one finger, that doesn't help with the belly sticking out. If you have that make sure you do core safe exercises. You can get specialists womens health pts who can help with this. Good luck!

I’m still distinctly wobbly in the tum zone at BMI 24.6. But it’s not particularly noticeable and doesn’t bother me. I’m quite old and have had kids so it’s kind of to be expected. Now concentrating on exercise and longterm maintenance, so maybe my body composition will carry on improving.

Approaching my goal, another 3Lbs to go. Absolutely flat as a pancake backside, stomach still fat and flabby. I’m thinking I may have to resort to liposuction or a tummy tuck.

@Icanthinkformyselfthanks yep this is me. I've lost 4 stone so far and it's all come off my legs, face, boobs, arms, bum. I mean, a BIT has come off the stomach area, but I'm so disproportionate.

A while back, another poster described herself on here as 'a meatball on toothpicks' (which made me roar) and I thought, I bet I end up like that, and I have!

Currently bmi 24.0, my waist to hip ratio hit normal 0.5 around bmi 24.5. I'm an apple shape too and was prediabetic and craved carbs and I never thought it would go off my waist and belly but it did, high protein, low carb switched it all up.
Just today started HIIT workouts to try and tone my body up and build muscle, i do still have a belly but its 13cm smaller than it was when i started.

I'm a pear shape, quite tall at 5' 8", and now a BMI of 24.3 having lost 5 stone.

I have rediscovered lots of bones that have emerged, having been buried for over 30 years. Shoulders, hips, ribs, spine to name but a few, I can see and feel them all.
However the stubborn roll of tummy fat seems here to stay. It is much diminished, but still very much present.

For the past few weeks I have been pondering how much to keep losing to try and rid myself of it, but I do not want to lose any more from my face and boobs!
So I have finally decided to embrace the dumpling, Just as I have embraced my upper arm butterfly wings.
Hopefully, over time, the continued exercise and toning will help.
My arms are so, so much better having done simple weight exercises most mornings.

It is also time for me to stop criticising my body, which is a mental challenge in its own right.

BMI now 24 after 5 stone weight loss. Tummy flat probably due to Yoga and weight training but knees and boobs stubbornly clinging to ever pound. I think essentially after all the dieting and exercise we remain the same shape but smaller. Trying to embrace this a day at a time.

For me it’s my thighs. Five stone down and so out of proportion now. I’m thinking another stone in the hope it comes off there!!!!

@mysticmaiden do you mean a waist to height ratio of 0.5? My reference ranges for waist to hip ratios are under 0.80 is good, 0.81 to 0.85 is normal and over 0.85 high. E.g. 30 inch waist with 38 inch hips is 0.78 waist to hip ratio.

This is also me. BMI now 23.8 but height to waist ratio is 0.59 need to shave around 15cm off my waist! I’ve always been apple shape even when I was slim but it seems to have worsened with age/ children.

Same. 7 and a half stone gone, BMI 22, still look 6 months pregnant.

I'm 55 and have had kids so didn't expect a washboard but instead I have a bag of fat swishing side to side like a great udder stuck to my front.

If you have ever been pregnant then get checked for an unhealed diastasis recti.

Yeah I'm strawberry/inverted triangle shaped, so small hips, big boobs, big shoulders and not much of a waist. I haven't checked the waist to hip ratio for a while but it was still in the unhealthy range when waist to height ratio became healthy. My BMI is now healthy so I should check again as I would like to have all three in the healthy range before I stop losing.

Just checked

BMI 24.5
Waist to hip 0.85
Waist to height 0.49

Still some work for me to do.

I posted about similar a while back and someone said it’s to do with the way WLI target your fat. I can’t find the thread or remember what they said but there is a scientific reason apparently. I’m 6 and a half stone down and really holding it from my boobs down to my lower belly.

If you’ve had children then it’s quite likely that the only way to get rid is to do muscle repair & tummy tuck surgery. I had an 8cm gap after my 3 (that’s the muscle repair - it’s all stitched back up, which holds all your organs back where they are meant to sit. The tummy tuck is removing the lose skin on the outside at the front). I did the surgery when my youngest was 15, wish to god I’d done it earlier. I’ve always been up and down with my weight - slim and fit then obese and back again, every decade or so.

Post kids the sludge at the front never disappeared even when I was running marathons. And obviously it becomes a full on pouch when I go back up through the weight gain.

Yes sorry waist to height ratio of 0.5, actually I've just measured today as its been a while and its 0.49, my waist to hip is 0.85. I've never been bothered about my hips as I'm apple shaped and generally have smaller hips, so more interested in reducing my waist due to my ethnicity and genetics, I have higher visceral fat deposit and type 2 diabetes in immediate family and throw in peri menopause, high bp and inflammatory conditions like ibs for 15 yeats and prediabetes for at least 3 years diagnosed and being 5ft 3, basically mounjaro has been a godsend.
Sounds like you are doing great with your waist to hip ratio of 0.84!
I do feel there should be less emphasis on bmi and more on waist to height measurements as this is where visceral fat deposits and is the biggest indicator for health. Bmi varies depending on muscle and fat levels so isn't as accurate. At bmi 24.0 I have a higher muscle mass than the average women at 45%

Regarding diastasis recti, I should say that although some cases can only be resolved surgically, in many cases it's possible to close the gap quite significantly with specialist physio and exercises. You do need to see a specialist physio, however, as heavy lifting and some traditional ab exercises which increase intra-abdominal pressure can make the problem worse and exacerbate related issues like pelvic organ prolapse if the pelvic floor and deep core muscles are weak.

I don’t disagree but I think it’s much easier for a younger mother to be able to do this. I.E. the 18yo that my mother was, for instance. I saw a specialist Pilates instructor (who was aware that certain exercises that were/are promoted as being helpful are actually the opposite) for ages after mine. I did yoga in between pregnancies and was generally very fit - at that time - but I honestly don’t think having pregnancies back to back in your 30’s is something we can completely recover from, without surgical help. I don’t know a single fellow mum that had children in her 30’s that was able to bring her DR all the way back.
And I had been told by various physio/yoga/pilates instructors that my DR was ‘only’ 2 or 3cm, but once the surgeon opened me up it was a very different scenario. Obviously surgery is a very big (and expensive call to make), you are right that if it can be avoided then that’s the better path to take.

@MJnotMJ I really hope I can close mine further with exercise, but I suspect if I want it fully closed it will have to be surgery. I had my last dd in my 40s so possibly not much hope for me! I had 3 c-secs (2 emergency, then last one scheduled due to pregnancy complications) and the thought of another stomach surgery makes me feel sick to my core (bad pun intended!)

Sorry if this is a stupid question but would surgery benefit my health? Obviously with a bmi of 23 I definitely have more I could lose but I need to lose 15cm on my waist to put me in the healthy bracket for that measurement, it just feels like a lot. My doctor was keen for me to get my waist measurement down and I understand the risks of course.

The surgery we are discussing is the repair of the muscles in the abdomen, and the removal of excess skin. Both would reduce your waist measurement but they would not remove the visceral fat which is the main health concern and the reason why your doctor would want your waist measurement to reduce. Visceral fat can’t be removed surgically; liposuction can only remove subcutaneous fat.

Thank you. Guess it’s just keeping going then, will just have to see how much I can reduce it by through diet and exercise, just seem to really struggle to lose the weight on my stomach.

I’ve lost 2 stone now and have reduced my stomach by 4 inches but it’s still the fattest part of me. Waist now 28 inches but lower stomach still chubby

The problem I've got is the dreaded B-shaped belly. I never know where my 'true' waist is - if I measure around the belly button it's actually smaller than if I measure a couple of inches higher, but a bit higher feels more like my 'natural' waist if you know what I mean. I'd almost rather have a perfectly spherical pot belly than this bloody annoying permanent muffin-top monstrosity.

(Yes I know I should stop talking about myself like this - old habits die hard)