Nobody ever told me that having a baby was a good way to lose weight or I might have tried it sooner. After Linus, I lost the baby weight plus an additional 20 pounds. After Eileen, I was at pre-pregnancy weight at 6 weeks and have now lost a couple more pounds. I am sporting a dress size I have never worn before and weigh less than I did in 6th grade (I was chubby in middle school). Okay. I am done bragging.
I always thought when I got down to this size I would be happy with my body. Buying clothes would be easier and I would rock a bathing suit. Nope. I have wrinkled skin that hangs and a belly. However buying clothes is easier and more fun.
I have never had a flat stomach. During my overweight years in high school, my stomach was sort of square shaped and I was mortified by it. Now my belly is just sort of a lump that droops and I have low back fat that hangs over the back of my pants. To be clear, I don't hate my body. I just want to look good for one summer in a bathing suit, to feel a little less self-conscious. I feel like right now it is my time.
So, to the few of you who read this blog. Who has some concrete ideas/exercises? I don't think 200 crunches a day or increase my cardio is going to cut it. Please no--"Deal with it," or Love your womanly self," or "You look fine the way you are," or "Don't let Hollywood celebrities mislead you on what the human body should look like." All I want is to have a relatively flat stomach, not 6 packs abs. I would like to banish muffin top for one summer. I am not banking on having such as easy time losing the baby weight with a future child. I want to be able to look back and say I didn't waste the opportunity.
Frankly, my dear I think if you are looking to sculpt really targeted areas of loose skin and tissue, a surgical procedure might be your only option. Anything from lipo to some kind of tuck. Of course, I am by no means advocating this. I am firmly in the "aging gracefully" camp. You could consult a trainer and see what your options are first for that. It certainly couldn't hurt, and would be good for your overall heath. If you do decide to investigate surgery, I'd wait until you are done having kids. In the meantime, maybe you should invest in a figure-flattering suit that's designed to minimize such problems. You are perfectly lovely just as you are, and the right swimsuit might give you confidence to enjoy your summer frolicking.
ReplyDeleteBeth is right, a good swimsuit does wonders. I ordered several from lands end and then returned the ones I didn't like.
ReplyDeleteAs for muffin tops... Let me know if you figure anything out. I haven't had any success. I will most likely do some sort of tuck at some point. My doctor even advised it.
Well as a mom of two myself I am in the opposite situation. With Sydney I lost a bunch of weight really quickly but I still have all my weight with Charlotte. I learned there is a medical reason for that but anyway. I met with a personal trainer for 2 weeks to learn very specific exercises to firm up the tummy. She was great (despite my tummy not being firm! ha!). Have you considered a personal trainer just to show you specific exercises you can do at home?
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