I need help getting rid of my baby belly, I want a flatter stomach. Help me Please.

[KHADIJAH]

Ok so I have had 3 children, I have lost all my pre baby weight, everything exept the belly, area, what can I do to tighten up the muscles, in my stomach area. I need some easy exerxices that I can do at home, because I dont have money for the gym. My stomach is flabby and just hangs there, I am very insecure about it, my friends say they cant tell, that is small, but I can, what can i do to get rid of the belly and get a flatter stomach. Ive tried everything

[evelinadatta]

Can you elaborate what it is you have tried? If you've really tried "everything" and nothing works, then perhaps you just need to accept that after giving birth to three children, your stomach will not look the same way as when you were a teenager. I don't mean to be harsh in any way, I know how exasperating it can be.

[greensgood]

what kind of shape were you in before/in between having your kids? did you exercise regularly? the key to getting rid of the baby pouch is to be in great shape before having kids, however in your case this info is useless since its after the fact.

no matter what, you need to do more cardio than anything else, im sure running around with 3 kids gets your heart rate up but you really should schedule a fast paced walk or longer jog into your routine. try to do 30 minutes of continuous cardio 4-5 times a week.
ab work is good too, pilates and yoga are all core based and help strengthen the back of body along with the front, also creates longer leaner muscle tone.

[KHADIJAH]

well im only 28,and i consider myself in pretty good shape , just get a bit lazzy at times. I do the situps and walk, and tried pilates, dont know if i was doing it right, tho cause i was sore as heck. I also did the exercises where id hold my stomach in and count 10 and let it out or something, dont know what its called someone just told me to do that. But I do want to get back and start exercising on a regular basics. I just want to focus more on my stomach area.

[SomebodyElse]

If your muscles lack tone, you need to do several types of crunches, rather than sit ups, if by sit ups you sit all the way up from a prone position.

The best crunch for your lower belly is to lie on your back, raise your legs til your feet are pointing to the ceiling, and, using your abdominal muscles, raise your hips off the floor, while keeping your legs pointing straight up. You need to keep increasing the number of reps of this that you do in order to make your muscles stronger and more firm as time goes by.

Crunches are where you lie on your back, with your hands clasped behind your neck for support, and use your abdominal muscles to raise your shoulders off the floor. Don't sit all the way up.

You can also try a lateral crunch, where you raise one shoulder at a time.

If you have extra fat though, your tummy will still look flabby in spite of your abdominal exercise, and you will need to reduce your body fat. Still, ab work is important, not just for looks, but for the strength of your midsection and back. People don't realize how important strong abdominal muscles are for preventing back problems.

[greensgood]

I do the situps and walk, and tried pilates, dont know if i was doing it right, tho cause i was sore as heck..

if you were sore from pilates than you were for sure doing it right!!

[misskristie987]

Sounds like you should really focus on cardio. I'm sure you're very busy with the kids, but try taking them for a walk or to the playground, and run around with them for a bit. Do you have a treadmill at home? If you can get a few minutes away from the kids when the hubby gets home, try going for a quick one-mile jog around your neighborhood. It may not feel like much but every little bit helps.

You can also go out and buy a fitness ball to do sit-ups. I don't know the exact price, but they're very inexpensive, maybe around 15-20 US dollars. I think someone mentioned leg lifts, those are very good too, especially for the lower belly area. I would also recommend squats and bicycle sit-ups (I think that's what they're called but I'm not sure).

If none of these work, try searching around on Google for a bit. There is a lot out there and you'll find something really quick!

[Funner]

U can always do abs sessions, all you need is a mat

[johnnie cocaine]

1) You CANNOT spot reduce in weight loss, you have to lower your overall body fat percentage

2) How do you lower your body fat percentage? Diet, Cardio, Weight Training/ab excersises

3) Greats Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. You can do crunches and run/jog until you are blue in the face, if your diet isn't on point you will not see desirable results.

4) Research and incorporate some elements of a good Abs diet, in addition to a "consistent" cardio program. No need to over do it... a 20-30 min session of moderate to intense cardio 3-4 times a week, with a proper diet and ab workout...WILL WORK...over time

Here's to hoping all your fitness dreams become reality.

CHEERS!

[KHADIJAH]

I think my diet is ok, I do tend to drink alot of tea, but Im trying to stop that, and I like bread and rice and potatoes too,I eat tons of veggies I barely eat any sweets if at all, but I will look into the diet thing maybe there is something i am missing. Thanks for the replies

[Gita]

About a zillion crunches. I hear that certain yoga stretching moves are great for this. There are probably a few good pilates, yoga books at your library and you can choose a few likely exercises.

Diet alone won't make you muscular. You'll still be a bit flabby if you don't exercise.

You'll also be "sore as heck" anytime you start any exercise. Just do it easily for a while (a few weeks) and make more demands on yourself when you get used to it. I don't exercise much any more, but I used to run long distance and do all sorts of intense exercises. I know for a fact that just taking a weekend off will cause you go be "sore as heck" even when you do exercise at a frequent level.


The Soreness is actually you "ripping" fibers in your muscles which will mend and make your muscle grow (this is one thing that the protien you eat does). Lactose acid also goes into your muscles and does something (can't remember). This is the feeling like when you have a Charley horse. That is lactose acid (not from food but the lactose acid you make yourself. Potassium and bananas are good to use before exercise, also magnesium. They relax your muscles and make you more pliable. So eat a banana before you exercise, and it won't hurt as much.

[jAded]

Do you mean lactic acid?

[FitChick99]

1) You CANNOT spot reduce in weight loss, you have to lower your overall body fat percentage

2) How do you lower your body fat percentage? Diet, Cardio, Weight Training/ab excersises

3) Greats Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. You can do crunches and run/jog until you are blue in the face, if your diet isn't on point you will not see desirable results.

4) Research and incorporate some elements of a good Abs diet, in addition to a "consistent" cardio program. No need to over do it... a 20-30 min session of moderate to intense cardio 3-4 times a week, with a proper diet and ab workout...WILL WORK...over time

Here's to hoping all your fitness dreams become reality.

CHEERS!

Agreed. However, also in women who have had children, oftentimes that excess "belly" is just stretched out skin. There is no way to get rid of it except for plastic surgery. Also, those abdominal muscles do not always heal completely back together, so there can be fat right down the center of your abs, where they used to be so nicely joined together.

So, I definitely with agree all the diet/exercise, but, unfortunately those may not be your only obstacles. Good luck! :)

[coley]

I was VERY fit before I had my baby (riding 20 km a day min, running three times a week, weight training and yoga) but I have come to the realisation that my body is just different now. I mean, keep doing the excercise and especially focus on your core, but you may have to accept the changes. I find yoga is very good at making you leaner, especially the more enthusiastic types. Also cut out all those starchy carbs, and anything white. You may find that it's just bloating.

If you can't 'fix' the problem ,try to look at your body with some pride. It carried three children for you. It has accomplished things that your former flat bellied body has not. I respect my body so much more now and realise that I may not look as good in a bikini, but I managed to go through some bloody hard labour!

[KHADIJAH]

Didnt look at it that was Coley, and for the other person that said maybe its just stretched, and maynot never go away. This is all true, I have started, this month doing exercises, that everyone suggested, I havent seem results yet but I just started, I am hoping to soon, but if now, Maybe I need to try being happy with who I am and how I look, Cause alot of people always tell me you dont look bad. Anyway thanks for the tips and suggestions.

[Fritemare]

After I have my baby, I'm going to be following The Abs Diet. I rented The Abs Diet for Women from the library and my mom bought their work out DvD. The DvD was $15 from Barne and Nobles. So far she has lost over 5lbs and her stomach is starting to look flatter. She has been doing the plan for about 2 weeks, and was walking for an hour 5-6 nights a week with me before that.

I've been watching her do the work out DvD and it does beat the hell out of you. You are supposed to do two sets of the abs work out and two sets of the full body work out. She usually makes it through one set of each, and huffs through the warm up.

I'd give this diet plan a 3/5 for vegans because he wants you to eat a lot of dairy and egg based protien if you are veg. I'd give the work out a 5/5 though because my mom is in her 40's and it is beating her big butt into shape.

Oh, something I forgot to add. The Abs Diet for Women has a special section for mommies. <3

[KHADIJAH]

Thanks I might try to get that video and give it a shot.

[shineonyou]

I think my diet is ok, I do tend to drink alot of tea, but Im trying to stop that, and I like bread and rice and potatoes too,I eat tons of veggies I barely eat any sweets if at all, but I will look into the diet thing maybe there is something i am missing. Thanks for the replies

But tea has no calories!

[KHADIJAH]

it has no calories but im a sugar and milk person, I add it to the tea, so after that it probally does has calories. Im trying to cut that out tho.

[athansor]

A lot of the moves in belly dance are great for the abs. It's kept my abs in good shape, even after having kids and getting older (or in my case, more like getting older, then having kids). I do other forms of exercise, but this is the most fun and really targets the abs!

[zoebird]

the spreading of the abs (diastasis recti) during pregnancy is basically solved through the core-work exercises of pilates and yoga (used by both systems)--so that can make a big difference. of course, i recommend a class rather than doing a video, because without being taught how to hold the belly properly, you actually increase the problem of DR.

but, it can be knit back together over time, no problem.

you might also be interested in Tupler technique, but that's generally best done right after the end of pregnancy.

i gave birth in August to my first, and while i have some excess skin, it's starting to go back, and i need to only do more cardio to loose a bit of weight off of the hips/abs. otherwise, i'm looking good.

and i mostly do yoga and walk. :)