Weight loss but still large waist measurement

[KittyWindbag]

Hi all, looking for advice I guess, I’m feeling frustrated. Since having my baby I decided to really tackle my weight which had for out of control. For about a year now I have been eating a very controlled diet and exercising doing HIIT for 45 minutes every day.

I have lost around 22kg since post-baby and have gone from a large 16 to a 12. My BMI is now healthy.

BUT my waist measurement is still very large and according to the NHS website dangerously so! It’s about 84cm. I feel fed up. I’ve never had a waist, always been an apple shape. I don’t know what to do. I am still dieting and exercising. I just wish the weight would finally come off my belly! My legs, arms, face and chest all look dramatically different. In fact I’m sure I’d be a size 10 were it not for my tummy, which is just not going anywhere. I look like a barrel on sticks and it’s getting me down.

People always say belly weight comes off first but it’s not happening for me. What can I do?

I had a c-section too so feel like I’ll never have a flat stomach. It’s miserable. I’m struggling to even be please about my weightloss because i can’t get rid of the fat on my tummy.

Just to add, I don’t axtuallt exercise every day, but will do 5 or 6 days a week. I did have a couple weeks off around my birthday and Christmas but managed to only go up and down a kg or so, so it’s not like I’ve fallen off the wagon in a big way and this is the result.

I guess it all comes down to body shape. But even if you carry weight around your tummy, it will come off eventually.

I find that it can easily get a little demoralising when we focus on where we want to be, as progress can be so slow. But you’ve done amazingly well changing your life style, losing 22 kg and exercising most days! You should be proud of that, as you’ve no doubt made a huge difference to your overall health.

Anyway, I hope someone will soon come along with some more useful advice than this. All I can suggest is to just keep doing what you’re doing and be proud of the progress you’ve made already

Are you sure your stomach muscles are back where they should be? If you are doing sit ups using incorrect technique you can actually make yourself look fatter.

www.mominbalance.com/singapore/en/news/diastasis-recti_137/

Also if you are short a size 12 can still be fairly large.

Finally it sounds like you are eating a very calorie controlled diet. Is it healthy though? Are you eating lots of fruit and vegetables and much less refined carbohydrates? I would look at your diet again and see if it needs tweaking - you may need to eat fewer calories due to your weight loss. But potentially up your consumption of all the healthy veg that you can.

Can you do some yoga/Pilates that focuses on that area? Exercises like side plank and the twists in yoga are great for toning the area.

Thanks for your replies.

I basically follow the blood sugar diet so I eat lots of vegetables and lean proteins with healthy fats. I don’t eat sugar or refined carbohydrates except on occasion.

I’m 5’8 and as I said the bmi is in the healthy range. I look fairly slim apart from my belly which I can conceal with clothing.

I don’t tend to do target training as I don’t think it needs toning, it’s still fat deposits sitting there and I’ve been advised that target training doesn’t work for weight loss in a particular area. It will only make a visible improvement once the fat is gone. I’m not sure what to do. It does get me down. I’m the prime shape for having heart issues.

Have you checked your stomach muscles are no longer 'split' from pregnancy? I had a session with a physio who specialised in post natal women and her exercises took inches off my stomach. Simply lying on the floor and holding my tummy muscles in for a bit regularly really helped.

I read somewhere - but haven’t researched so this may be untrue- that being stressed raises cortisol levels which encourage fat deposits on the tummy (where they are easily accessible). A new baby shower stressful, and HIit is stressful on the body too (intentionally so). Maybe try a yoga class one session? Or aim for more wind down time (I know, haha with a new baby!).

Baby is stressful, not baby shower stressful! Stupid autocorrect.

If you look at your height to waist ratio you are actually in the healthy range. What is your hip to waist ratio?

I am the same height as you and have never really had a waist. I wouldn't worry too much. Sounds like you have done really well.

I know the feeling and it's so frustrating.

I lost a lot of weight due to illness. I have always had a pot belly and a large waist size no matter what size I am. I am currently out of proportion as I am 32-29-32. It makes buying clothes so difficult as I would be a size 6 if my waist was inline with the rest of me.

I am slowly gaining weight as I was very underweight with a BMI of 16. The weight just goes straight on to my stomach area and my arms and legs are like sticks!

I don't know what the answer is. I try to keep carbs to a minimum to reduce bloating. I will follow this thread with interest and see if anyone comes up with any suggestions.

I thought that the aim was for your waist to be max half your height. If you are 172cm then your waist should be approx 86cm or less which it is. That said it's about you being happy too. I've also read about doing exercise properly and would focus on your core as a whole, try pilates.

The NHS BMI calculator page has a caveat that says, regardless of your height, you should lose weight as a woman if your waist is over 80cm and contact the doctor if your waist is over 88. Mine is between those measurements.

I have never tried Pilates but I am interested in core strength for general strength and fitness. I’m a late comer to exercise and would like to feel stronger and fitter. I also long to not look like I’m pregnant still.

@kittywindbag - give yoga and Pilates a try... they have an amazing impact on your waist and core. The exercises are full body but with a focus on strong core and pelvic floor muscles.

They are also wonderful for mental wellbeing.

It can be intimidating at first but you soon pick up the core moves.

My mum is a yoga teacher and she’s lots of students get very trim waists from yoga.