I had DS2 by EMCS 2 years ago. I've always carried excess weight on my stomach, and was about 7lbs overweight when I was pregnant. I still have a huge, unsightly overhang and I'm fed up with it.
I'm 5'3", and right now weigh 10st 7lbs. I'm doing a calorie controlled diet with the help of My Fitness Pal and my Fitbit Zip. This time last year, I got down to 10st 2lbs from 11st 13lbs, by low carbing and doing that Davina McCall 7 Minute Fit DVD. I lost weight everywhere, including fat from my belly, but the flap from my C section only deflated a bit.
I can't sustain a low carb diet as I enjoy carbs like fruit (not in excess) and things like squash, wholegrain bread and sweet potato. I do limit refined carbs and I don't go overboard with any others (I'm usually just below my recommended daily allowance on MFP) - I'm trying to lose the weight slowly and sensibly so my skin can hopefully shrink back over time.
The flap isn't just excess skin, there's a clear amount of fat weighing it down too. It looks awful, and even tucked into my knickers it leaves a visible bulge through my trousers. I'm very top heavy, so I don't LOOK very overweight despite being short, but I know I could do with getting down to at least 9st 7lbs in order to be a decent healthy weight.
I can't afford a gym membership or a personal trainer, so I do a lot of walking instead. I average 7 miles per day, throwing in 2-3 11 mile walks per week. I need to get back into doing the Davina workouts too.
Can anyone advise here? Surgery is out of the question (£££!), and to be honest I'd rather work at actually improving my health along with my appearance, if that makes sense. Even if I was left with a bit of loose skin and a little bit of a tummy, that'd be far better than how I currently look! Ideally I'd like to be at my target weight by early next year, and I'm not tempted to crash diet or burn myself out this time around - I'd like it to stay off.