so its been 1 yr since my c section. i was 105lbs pre pregnancy 180 at delivery and now im 115 to 120lbs.
BUT i still look pregnant i cant wear my tighter shirts and i dont feel good about it. and now its summer with tank tops i feel horrible.
what should and shouldnt i eat and what type of exercises help.
i am willing NOW to stick to a diet where at first it was too hard. lol i love to eat whatever iwant.
im not over weight. its just my belly.
please any adivse what to do!!!
Pilates! Worked wonders for me. P90X Ab ripper is the one I use now, but work up to it, or you will be sore!
In the meantime, I love wearing cute, strappy, loose fitting sundresses in the summer. Much cooler than tank tops and more forgiving.
Pilates changed my life. It got me back into my clothes in 4 mos - back to prepreg weight in 9. It's cheap and you can do it in your pjs! The skin on my tummy isn't as toned and tight, but it's getting better. Work in some cardio a few times a week - esp now that the weather's nice! Running is the cardio I love to hate - I'm not great at it, but you can't beat it for rapid results.
Eat natural foods and drink lots of water. Tea is great, too.
I'll suggest that your problem might not be fat (and it might be, of course, but an alternative thought)...
Do you have diastasis recti? It's a separation of your ab mucles that causes a protrusion - the most common complaint from those that have it is that they still look pregnant.
Lay on the floor, knees bent. Lift up your head (only your head). While your head is lifted, feel along around your belly button to find your ab muscles. Are the together? If not, how many "finger widths" are they apart? Anything 2 or more is considered diastasis recti. A mild case can be corrected with the right exercises, but cruches are a NO NO!!!
Check for this first, before anything else.
If your ab muscles are together, then diet is the key to losing belly flab. Cut your sugar and sodium. It'll make a world of difference.
I did Pilates and it worked miracles. It's super important that you get your ab strength back to protect your low back (I'm a chiropractor and c-section Mom's injure their low backs more often than vag. delivery b/c the c-section weakens your abs so much). As for your diet, unlimited fruits, veggies, yogurt, no white flour, no white rice, only whole wheat/whole grain. Don't buy candy or chips, buy popcorn to snack on. Feeding your whole family this way will keep every healthier.
Mix cardio and strengthening exercises into your weekly routine at least 5 times weekly for 30 mintues. If you are already exercising at a moderate rate and frequency, then increase your time or intensity. Crunches if you have a short amount of time- pilates and yoga if you have an hour several times per week.
Cut back on carbs... white starches like breads, pastas, sugar, candy, soda and alcohol. Increase your proteins and drink water all day long!
Ok You didn't say wether you have been exercising at all. So you can do pilates and ab workouts but in reality you can't choose where your body will lose weight- you will build muscle in the abswith pilates.. but you may also still have a layer of fat over the abs .. So I suggest adding cardioto build muscle everywhere and burn calories and lose weight..
The belly always goes last. If you have any pounds or ounces on you, they will be on our belly, and they will be soft and jiggly-even if your core is rock solid underneath. You need to burn calories and tone up your WHOLE body to burn belly fat the fastest. Eat healthy food and don't take in more calories than you burn. It took my a year to lose my belly too. For a while I thought I had a permanent new Santa shape. It will go, you just have to keep working at it.
Workouts that put a lot of focus on glutes (squats etc) are great, because they are the largest muscles, they burn the most calories and pump your metabolism the most when you aren't exercising. This translates back to losing the belly. Lots of people focus on abs, lying down etc, and miss the opportunity to burn more fat with tougher all over body workouts. Working your upper body helps a lot too. Basically work everything and eat right! Always lie down and focus on abs LAST after full muscle training and cardio.
I am right there with you. Second kid - c-section left my tummy a little too flabby and I am only 4 lbs away from pre-pregnancy weight. I might try the pilates everyone seems to be recommending.
