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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

how to lose my baby belly?

15 replies

lilly153 · 04/10/2010 16:33

i put on about 2 stone when i was pregnant ive managed to lose a stone with doing half an hour on my exercise bike every day cut out most of the rubbish and just eating (typical days food)
bowl of cerial for breakfast
sandwich for luch with a slice of cold meat
and something like chicken potatoes n veg for lunch
with fruit inbetween if hungry

but my legs are honestly beggining to look like 2 twigs and i still look as if im pregnant with this belly its really starting to depress me

what else can i do?

OP posts:
BEAUTlFUL · 04/10/2010 16:34

I'll watch this with interest as i'm exactly the same!

bandgeek · 04/10/2010 16:43

I'm watching as well as my stomach is my problem area!

sweetheart · 04/10/2010 16:46

There is no easy answer - you really need to be doing 100's and 100's of sit ups. Running can also be quite good for shifting stubborn body fat.

You also sound like you eat quite alot of carbs - perhaps cutting those down would help.

avsbavs · 04/10/2010 17:13

the exercise bike is only toning your legs. its great exercise but doesnt use many muscles.
try something like swimming or running carrying dumbells
hope this helps!!
ps keep up the healthy eating!

lilly153 · 04/10/2010 17:24

loads and loads of sit ups? will this actualy help i do about 30 to 50 a day but ive read theirs no point doing loads of sit up as you wont be able to see any fab abs under the flab

runnings not really an option for me as i dont have any time to myself ive always got my son or at college dont have any help with him and nobody i could ask to watch him so need something that can be done in doors also swiming i cant swim Blush and im not sure a 24 yr old in armbands would look very good in a swimming pool Hmm

OP posts:
ilovelucy · 04/10/2010 18:33

I have lost my baby belly by cutting out fizzy drinks and wheat. So berries, nuts and yoghurt instead of cereal for breakfast and a really filling soup instead of a sandwich (I like lentil and bacon) for lunch, then lean meat and vegetables or salad for dinner. I snack on dark chocolate and unsalted nuts instead of biscuits and cakes.

I know it isnt everybody's cup of tea, but I am in the same position as you, ie always looking after the baby so hardly anytime for sit ups let alone swimming or gym.

It has definitely worked because I treated myself to pizza and garlic bread last weekend and looked four months pregnant afterwards. But the rest of the time I am back in my pre preg jeans.

HTH

springlamb · 04/10/2010 19:15

I've been going to the gym religiously (by that I mean I pray all the way round that I'm not going to collapse!)for the last 3 weeks, along with walking an extra 10 miles a week and dieting sensibly. Only lost about 4lbs in weight.
Lost 2 bust inches, 4(!) waist inches, 1 inch on upper arm, nearly 1in on thighs. Barely half an inch on abdomen. I'm like a badly-blown hourglass with a bulbous droop at the front.
I just read that I need to be doing sprints to get rid of the abdomen fat. Do three slower runs of 100m then a full-out 100m. Apparently I may have wonderful ab muscles but if they're hidden under a 2inch layer of fat it don't matter.
It all sounds like very hard work to me.

lilly153 · 05/10/2010 00:05

thanks ilovelucy will give changing my diet about a try what u eat is easy for me to eat as i like all of it so will defo give it a try
and i know spriglamb i honestly wish i had an hour every morning even if it was just to run around the block a few times but i just never get a min without my son would give sprinting up and down my hall ago but dont think my neighbour down stairs would be too chuffed or if the floor boared would even support it lol but yeah i think only sheer hard work will help i didnt think doing loads of sit ups would work if my belly still had the fat on it.

OP posts:
lilly153 · 05/10/2010 18:05

was doing alot of research last night every website was saying arobics exercise is the only thing that will work also in order to burn stubborn fat you have to burn more calories than you eat

so im guessing in order to lose the flab on my belly im going to need to eat no more than 1000 calories a day and use my exersize bike for around an hour to burn all thouse calories plus more off, sounds like fun eh help!!!!

OP posts:
avsbavs · 05/10/2010 19:42

yes, aerobic exercise and cardio is much more effective for shifting weight rather than anaerobic

if you can't run maybe try to walk to more places, or just go out for ten minutes a day with the pram and power walk. anything that gets your heart rate up!

really push yourself on walks anywhere. its slow progress but every little helps!
walk a bit quicker than your normal pace.

another good idea is to sprint on the stop while you brush your teeth. thats 4mins of extra exercise you can do in a day that you wouldnt normally have time for!
doesnt sound like a lot but it all adds up!
good luck!

Carrie06 · 06/10/2010 22:10

loads and loads of sit ups will do nothing apart from give you a sore neck. You need to do some aerobic exercise to lose the fat and the problem is you can't pick which area you lose it from. You can of course tone up your stomach muscles but you need to do a variety of stomach exercises to target the different muscle groups and not just regular situps. Also spanx and similar are a wonderful invention!

Shelly32 · 07/10/2010 10:14

lol, i too have legs like twigs and a baby belly still after 10 months! I had twins so maybe the stretched skin/muscle takes longer to get back to normal. I ran lots but found sit ups after having a Csection made my tummy MORE prominent! I've found that if i eat normally all day (toast, soup& sandwich or bowl of veggies) and then just have protein and veg/salad at night, my stomach tends to flatten. I think it may just be a matter of time though, waiting for all that stretch to settle back down. Good luck!

LostGirl · 07/10/2010 11:55

Firstly, if you eat less than 1000 calories a day and do an hours worth of exercise your body will go into starvation mode as it recognises that it is not getting anywhere near enough calories to function properly so it will slow your metabolism right down and will be more likely to store fat, so whilst you will probably notice your weight drop suddenly for a couple of days it will then stall completely and when you start eating a normal diet again you will put more weight on because your metabolism will have slowed down so much. Depending on your age and how active your daily lifestyle is your body needs around 1300 calories a day just to make it work, so you need that even if you are just sitting down all day and sleeping all night, add an active lifestyle and exercise on top of that and you need considerably more. There are websites which can work out how many calories a day you need roughly to maintain your current weight, I can have a search and find one if you are interested. If you want to lose weight you should only reduce that calorie intake by about 300 calories a day, any more of this and your body will start burning muscle rather than fat which will decrease your metabolism.

Now, csn I just speak up for weight training as opposed to purely cardio! Resistance training will build lean muscle which will increase your metabolism which in turn will help you burn more calories throughout the day. Also, if you do it properly and use heavy enough weights then trust me, it will really raise your heart rate as well! Try doing ten squats, ten push ups, ten lunges on each leg, rest for 60 seconds and then repeat and see how you feel. Now imagine doing that with weights. Doing purely cardio will burn some fat but also muscle whilst proper resistance training will burn fat and build lean muscle which will lead to a much leaner and slimmer physique.

Whilst you can't spot reduce the fat on your stomach, by strengthening your stomach muscles then you can help to 'hold it in'. The plank is a great exercise for your core, if you have en exercise ball then and are effeective.

are meant to be a good alternative to sit ups which will not hurt your back or your neck. However, you do not need to be doing loads of these and everyday. If you follow a basic resistance training programme which incorporates things such as lunges, squats and press ups etc then you will see results in a thirty minute session three times a week. All these sort of exercises all work your stomach and 'core' muscles as they have to work to keep you upright and balanced.
avsbavs · 07/10/2010 16:46

thats really good advice Lost Girl

thank you!

lilly153 · 07/10/2010 18:20

thanks lostgirl for taking the time to write all that will defenetly go purchase one of thouse exercise balls tomorrow and give they exercises a go,
Ive all ready got little dumbells so will included them in my workout as well
thanks alot :)

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