Alright. My son just turned 1. I have lost the pregnecy weight but I still have a decent amount of flabby skin/fat around my middle, and lower abs. I do work out, typically 3-4 times a week, and eat well. the work outs are varied but include cardio, weights, abs, some pilates, some step aerobis etc. Am I just unrealistic in hoping that I will get a decent looking tummy again, without the love handles? Or is there something that I am not doing right that I need to change? or do I simply need to be more patient?
Have you integrated a straight lower ab workout into it? My husband says that reverse crunches work really well at defining the lower abs and I think it might help with the love handle thing a little too. I don't think you are unrealistic at all about getting rid of it, just research and find new excercises that better target the areas you want to work on still. Now I just need to get the motivation to do it myself... :) Good luck!
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I think you're doing eveything right- just be patient and it should go back to normal, even if it's just loose skin. After my first it took a little over a year to look like I did pre-baby. I'm much more patient with the second (she's four months old now). I've lost the weight but I still look a little saggy. I think (hope) this is normal!
Are you sure its "flab" and not just loose skin. Some people genetically speaking don't have very elastic skin and unfortunately have loose flabby skin after childbirth. I'm one of those people. I agree do some serious stomach exercises. Any "core" exercises with a workout ball, and Pilates are great for getting your stomach and waistline back. A simple 20-minute daily workout is all I do, and my stomach muscles are great..my waistline is back..but I have a small "flap" of skin near my c-section scar. I hate it and the stretch marks that seem to be deepest near the flap, but have been told the only remedy is a "mini" tummy tuck to tighten/remove the extra skin. For now, I have been checking out non-surgical alternatives. There are a couple of certified plastic surgeons in the area that do this, but its fairly new. I'm reasearching all I can. But I've also been told to wait until I'm sure I"m done having kids. So for now, I just wear pants etc. that hide it. Good luck. If you find anything else that works, do share!
Although I'm no expert, I recently heard that diet is the best thing to lose the baby tummy and that you can't do spot fat loss in any one area. Therefore, I guess you can tone muscle that's underneath fat, but you have to lose fat by changing the diet and burning enough calories a day. I agree with what another person said about it possibly being skin.
