Lifetime Belly?

J-Ro · 07-16-2008, 04:29 PM

Background:

I have never had a flat stomach in my life. Even when I was a tall and lanky 8-year-old, I still had a belly bulge. I found a picture of my friends and I at the swimming pool when I was little, and in the picture, all my friends have flat stomachs, but I have the pooch. I had the bulge even when I had an eating disorder and had very little body fat. So now with PCOS, it's especially bad and has divided into an upper and lower roll.

Questions:

Will I ever be able to achieve a flat belly? I mean, did I have the belly through the years because I would eventually develop pcos? Or is it genetics? Or will I have to do ab shredding workouts for the rest of my days? Has anyone whipped their "not naturally flat" abs into shape?

I know that abdominal fat is a huge health risk, and I have adopted a healthier lifestyle, but this tummy is really getting me down!

farmgrrl · 07-16-2008, 05:57 PM

OMG, I have the upper and lower roll too! It's because of a ligament where your belly button is, that makes the skin right there a little tighter. I hate to say it but even when I had lost 70 pounds (down to 150) it was still a double belly (though quite a bit smaller). I hope someone has some suggestions!

lightfello · 07-16-2008, 06:05 PM

J-Ro, sorry to say I don't have an answer for you but I have the same thing. Two fat rolls that I've always had; as far back as I can remember. Like Farmgrrl, when I've lost weight, it's gotten smaller but never really gone away.

Merci · 07-17-2008, 05:47 AM

i always had a small belly even when i was really skinny. it all depends on how you are built. you cant loose it but you can shape it.

CarrieBerry · 07-17-2008, 06:07 AM

Boy I hope mine goes away when I am able to get down to my goal weight. I don't really think I'll ever have a "flat" stomach, but I hope that I won't have two seperate rolls to contend with forever. I hope other people have some advice for you.

Blue03 · 07-17-2008, 12:29 PM

I have the two roll thing happening too. I have had it since I was about 14, even when I was much thinner I still had the "pooch" thing happening. I am so relieved that it is not just me

kittykisses · 07-17-2008, 01:28 PM

I ahve pictures like that ,too. I always looked like I had a balloon under my shirt even though the rest of me was super super skinny, even when I was only 7, 8, 9 ish (age). Now I have one huge round stomach (no rolls).

amkoutsouris · 07-17-2008, 07:24 PM

My solution, after kids I'm totally getting TT. I lost 200 lbs, so I have a roll of skin that no amount exercise can take care of ...

coolpinkgurl · 07-17-2008, 07:45 PM

Well just a side thought, but girls are not supposed to have flat stomachs, we are supposed to have the pooch as it helps us get pregnant and carry a baby full term. I am now a size 10 (NZ) and still have the belly. I figure I might as well be happy with the way I am now then try and attain something which I am not genetically predisposed to.

farmgrrl · 07-17-2008, 11:22 PM

We're talking about the pooch above the belly button, though...

2ndDaughter · 07-18-2008, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmgrrl

We're talking about the pooch above the belly button, though...

i have the same as others, in terms of the upper one i have actually had some recent success that i really hope wasn't a fluke...

i've had mine since i can remember too and i really feel your pain - it's especially noticeable on me as i have the cursed "small boobs but overweight" figure that PCOS can cause, so it literally is bigger and stands out further than my breasts, i am also tall (sometimes i think it makes me look pregnant - ironic huh? >.>

.

anyways, even though i've been fairly active/played sport over the years it's never gone away no matter what my weight BUT earlier this year i started up with a personal trainer doing 2 sessions with her plus 2-3 sessions on my own each week at the gym annnd... it started to disappear!! i noticed a difference almost immediately, and slowly but surely it kept getting smaller over a few months.

unfortunately i managed to get pretty sick for a couple months - right in the middle of exam time too, so i wasn't able to continue on that schedule =( so it has started to creep back on (not as bad as it was, but back to being very noticeable quite quickly when exercise stopped) - but i'll be back on track from next week tho so hopefully i can eliminate it for good!

as i said though, i have been active in the past and it has not made a difference, i guess it has to do with the intensity of the training - i REALLY pushed myself every time, no joke (having a trainer really taught me how to do this) so here's the kind of workouts i was doing if anyone wants to experiment!:

with trainer (twice a week): 1 hour mixture of both cardio and weight training - focus on maintaining good fat burning heart rate (ie. NOT 30 mins cardio then 30 mins weights but continuous switching between the 2 to keep it right up!). also incorporating the "sprint" techniques - where you go kinda nuts for as long as you can on the crosstrainer or any cardio, then pull back to a maintainable speed for a couple mins before going nuts again!

by myself (2-3 times a week): i ONLY did cardio by myself, at least 30 mins usually and i would swap around machines - like, 15 mins on the cross trainer, 10 mins on that mountain climber thingy, 5 minute jog on the treadmill etc etc

ALSO, i should note (because it absolutely blew my mind): anyone get those nasty brown patches in ur underarms/neck/"creases" pretty much anywhere? the ones that make you cringe because they look dirty yet no amount of scrubbing will eliminate them? (i'm pretty sure i read somewhere that they're caused by insulin resistance) ANYWAYS i honestly believed i was stuck with them for life and, like the belly, they are coming back with lack of exercise, but while i was doing my program.... they actually were very nearly completely gone!

oh! and one other thing (sorry it's so long!) i didn't lose a significant amount of weight doing this (literally only about 2 kilos over several months) - i'm sure a lot converted to muscle, but it still was not any kind of major loss, so i dont think that weight loss is the key! (also i have lost much larger amounts of weight through dieting in the past and it has never had these effects).

hope u find this of some use!

zozo · 07-18-2008, 08:01 PM

can you send your 'personal trainer' to the uk for a couple weeks?! my upper roll is bearable (I'm us size 12) but still has bothered be always, the onle solution I've found is standard ab crunches

Lolilange · 07-19-2008, 04:16 AM

My belly is out of control! I have always had a weight issue, and always had a bit of a belly! But after my third child was born my stomach kept growing. I had the Mirena put in a year after he was born, but my stomach got so big I thought it was because of that and got rid of it. I gain bits of weight here and there, but my stomach receives most of it! I look more pregnant now than I did during my three pregnancies! I feel extremely bloated and uncomfortable all of the time! I am always trying to lose weight, but it never seems to come off the belly (maybe it's my imagination)! If anyone has a great way to get rid of belly fat (besides a TT) please pass it on! Or if you think it might be something else please let me know! Sometimes I think there might be more to it!