Stretched and squishy belly!

[chiqanita]

I need some major moral support or a friend in common.
I am so bummed about my body the way it is today.
After having my twins...14 months ago...I lost all of the weight and then some soon after. I suppose it was because I was nursing two very hungry babies. We stopped at 6 months and ever since I've been packing on the pounds. My belly was completely stretched out anyway and my stomach muscles torn but it wasn't this 'poochy'. My husband blurted out that I looked like I was several months pregnant! I cried. He's not really a meanie but it sort of surprised him to see my tummy. So what is my problem, well, I wasn't very thin pre-pregnancy to begin with but I was at least 10 pounds lighter. Oh I feel so disappointed and disheartened. I find I'm too tired to exercise and I'm eating a lot more now as a SAHM compared to when I was working.

I've been out walking every day but not long enough to matter. I try to avoid treats and junk food but I cave if it's in my house.

Can anyone identify?

[kath68]

Oh yeah. I didn't have twins, but my squishy belly is something (not) to behold! And, boy am I tired. And if there is a carb in my house, and I find it, fuhgeddaboudit! Somehow I think these three are all related.... :)

Is there someone you can walk with? Having a buddy really helps and it gives you something to build off of. If not, I'll be your cyber buddy -- we can promise each other to walk and do crunches and avoid the carbs and get to bed at a decent hour, and see how we do. Are you game?

You can do this! The key to having energy to exercise is to (sad to say) get out and exercise. Good things flow from there.

[psophia17]

I can, I can!

After a C/S in December, 2003, and my appendix out in April, 2004, I had no abs to speak of, and a big, floppy, stretch-marked, scarred-up belly.

It still has most of those characteristics, but after a year of working out and trying to eat healthier, I feel so much better that it doesn't bother me like it did - I now consider a lot of the icky-looking parts to be battle scars - I earned them, and I'm proud of them.

The non-exercise that worked best for my belly (which is now strong, even if it isn't pretty) is to tighten my abs all the way up and down as often as I think about it - take a deep breath, all the way in, and then breath all that air back out, and add a kegel at the end for good measure - this "activates your transverse abdominus muscle" and when I took a class to improve my back and abs (my back was shot because it had to do all the core work after my abs were operated on), it was the main focus of all the movements we did. Eventually it becomes habit, and you will have a flatter, stronger abdomen.

Please please please, post here in MommyFit whenever you need to. This board is so wonderful and supportive - I wouldn't be where I am today without it :)

[chiqanita]

You are right, thanks for the words of wisdom.

I'm game if you are. I can promise to walk, crunch, and avoid treats but a decent bedtime has alluded me for 14 + months now. I find evenings are the only time I have to 'straighten' up after my two little angels ( or mini demolition crew) have gone to bed. Not to mention, catch up with my honey who's just as pooped.

So how does walking 30 minutes a day sound?
How many crunches? x(
I suggest ex-communicating all treats from the house or put them in my husband's car so they'll be out of (my) sight. :9

A cyber buddy may be just what I need, I appreciate the idea.

Angel B calls, it's time for breakfast.

[chiqanita]

Hi, I've seen your posts before, thanks for responding to my pitiful plea.

I will try your 'non-exercise'...sounds like a great idea. My back is also shot and for the past 3 days I've had a strained neck/shoulder muscle .... painful and makes it difficult to lift my hefty little angels (25+ pounds each).

Congratulations on your achievement!
I hope to be as commited and determined as you in the battle of the "squishy" belly. :D

[psophia17]

If you're having back problems, too, you should see your doctor about getting a referral to a physical therapist - the core is an important thing to have strong, and even if you only go every so often, it will make a huge difference to have some exercises you can do that will help.

I went from not being able to get out of bed without rolling out of it to running a 5K a few weeks ago...it took almost a year of working out to get to that point, but it's so worth it.

Also, you should check out if there's a back and abs class somewhere locally, maybe at a community center or Y - it might be a good place for you to start.

Keep us posted!!!

[kath68]

I have back issues, too -- left over from a bad car accident and the resuling broken vertebrae. So we will work on that, too. :)

A healthy core is the key thing.

[kath68]

Ok. It's a deal. Anyone else out there want to join in?

Let's start with 1/2 hour a day of walking. What time of day are you going to do it? We need to be specific and set an appointment, or it will slide off the calendar, IYKWIM. I am going to do it in the morning before I go to work -- at about 7:00. I can take DS with me that way. Some days this won't work if I have a conflict, but most days should be fine.

As for the crunches, I don't know how many. I think it depends on how you do them (which depends on what state your abs are in). I have an exercise ball, and I can use that to mix them up a bit. But I can commit to doing them for as long as it takes to know they are working after the walk each day.

All treats have to go? How will I survive? :) I think I want to implement a "no eating after 9:00" rule. That will help me tremendously. But I don't think I can excise chocolate completely from my world. Cookies and crackers and chips and candy and (*gasp*) ice cream can go for now, though.

As for the sleep, I am not one to talk here, but what time would you have to go to bed to get, say, 7 hours of sleep? Can you shoot for that? For me, I get up around 6:00, so I should be getting to bed at 11:00 at the latest, which never happens.

What do you say? Are we walking tomorrow? Actually, I walked today, so can you do it today, too?

[chiqanita]

I just weighed myself :o....and I won't be weighing myself again for a couple of weeks!

I like the no eating after 9 rule. ;) You know, I didn't eat much chocolate before my fellas were born but now I feel like a chocolate junkie! }( I have some form of chocolate almost every day of the week! I have to get it out of my house because once I start I become a mindless chocolate eating zombie!

So far I was able to do:
2 sets of crunches before my lil angel A came over to get me to play with him.

I wasn't able to go out today because it's a little cool/breezy and my lil guys started coughing today (hope it's just the teething!) I'll hit the treadmill when my angels take their afternoon nap.

I also had more H20 today than any other day.....3 large glasses...I usually forget to drink anything.

Had a healthy lunch, not so healthy breakfast and one fat free pudding cup.

The treats are still in the kitchen: licorice (my hubbies), pudding cups, A&W Root Beer (only 1 bottle left), and of course left over Halloween chocolates way up in one of my cabinets. I'll remove them when hubby gets home.

Sleep, well I can aim for 10pm and hope for 11pm. One of my lil guys wakes at 1am every day since he was a peanut. I usually get up if he doesn't go back to sleep which is often. I usually get back to sleep after about an hour or so. Moreover, both little guys wake up at 5:30am EVERY DAY...needless to say we have no use for an alarm clock.

How was the rest of your day?

[kath68]

I am *so* not about to weigh myself. I am going to wait until I see a difference and then do it. For now it is enough motivation that my clothes don't fit!

I was good at work -- had a rice bowl and a yogurt for lunch. Not great on water (had diet soda -- I know I have to cut that out). What I need to get me drinking water at work is a good glass. I'll have to bring one in.

Then I went to the gym!!! Did two sets of crunches and some back exercises, and hit the eliptical (sp?). Did that for 1/2 hour. I wore a pedometer today, and actually made it over 10,000 steps (including the eliptical). That's a first. I think I will have to arrange for DH to pick DS up from daycare regularly on Tues/Thurs so I can do the gym thing regularly. I used to go regularly once upon a time...

I did have a frozen low fat treat after dinner (tostadas, but no cheese or anything gooey). DH is sitting over there right now chowing down on some Ben & Jerry's. Grrrr. Other than that, there isn't much in the way of temptations in the kitchen.

DS is very congested and I think we are in for a bad night. It might even be croup. He has already woken up once. Note the time of my post -- I clearly didn't get to bed on time! But I did *not* eat anything after 9:00!

I feel for you about the sleep issue. I don't remember the last time I had eight full hours of sleep.

Here's to a great day, and I'll be walking with you tomorrow, right?

[abigailsmom]

My extremely (annoyingly) healthy/fit friend told me (after seeing my stomach x( ) that the first thing to do is get your metabolism up with lots and lots of cardio. You can crunch all you want and what you will end up with is tight muscles underneath that lovely squishy layer that most Mommies have.

I also second and need to implement the no eating after'X' time. I think that the rule is at least 3 hours before you go to sleep. My problem is munching to stay away to do homework. Ugh- I am hopeless.

The other thing that someone mentioned here that is BRILLIANT is the drinking water/wait 10 minutes and then see if you are still hungry. I am going to start trying that ASAP!!!

I will post with any other ideas/research that I come up with later.

Good luck and may we all start being able to see our shoes without having to look over or around out post-baby-pooch. (I am speaking for myself mainly... hehe)

Robyn
Mama to my precious little Pooper, Abigail

[chiqanita]

Well how rude....not your friend but the idea that no matter how hard I crunch my "abs of steele" will still be hiding under my squishy belly! It does make sense, however, so this morning I did some cardio to my little angels' Loopty Loo CD. It was fun and I got my babies involved.

By the way, the drinking water idea seems to work. I did it the last two days but it helped more yesterday. It kept me away from that last bottle of A&W! It is brilliant! I know I saw someone on Oprah this week who used it in her weight loss. I also saw a mommy of two who tightened up her belly, too.

Thanks for the input! Do you have any suggestions as far as cardio exercises go? I'm not very coordinated so I need some fairly easy moves.

Here's to the obliteration of all squishy bellies after pregnancy! }(

[kath68]

DS has taken to sticking his finger in my squishy belly button. If if the squishiness goes away, what will he do? :)

[chiqanita]

My little guys do the same thing. It's so funny, any time I lay down next to them the next thing I know my shirt is being moved aside and I have teeny fingers digging into my squishy 'bligo' (what we call belly button around here).

We could always give them some jello in a baggie?! ;) LOL

[chiqanita]

3rd attempt...don't know what I'm doing wrong but this is the 3rd time I'm typing this stuff.

Dinner:Steamed carrots & squash, turkey breast, water,
Brkfst:bagel, cream cheese, milk
Cardio to Loopty Loo CD w/ my angels
Snack: Tortilla Chips w/ salsa
Lunch: Turkey breast, spinach, water, apple chunks, fat free pudding w/ strawberries
Walk 30 minutes
Dinner: ordering out...not sure yet.

Hope your little guy is feeling better,

[Mum2MyMunchkins]

Hi Chiqanita,

I am a mom of 19 mth old twins and also a certified personal trainer. I did NOT have a c-section and I too experienced the "poochy" belly syndrome. As a fitness professional it was very important that I get back in shape for my clients. I lost all my "baby fat" in a 3 mths due to the massive breastfeeding. I walked, lifted weights and did tons crunches to restore my torn stomach muscles.

I am still not back to my pre-pregnancy body and I work out 2 hours a day 6 days a week. This is not to discourage you, but everyday I see my munchkins, I realize that the little pooch I do have left is well worth my babies. I had a 6 pack, now I have a 4 pack....a friend of mine is the same way, she just has not been able to get those abs back after her second child.

My suggestion is to concentrate on your core muscles....yoga, pilates and stability ball training is very good for the core. I'm not sure if you are a member of a gym, but the local Y has some great classes. Also, look for local support through StrollerFit, StrollerStrides or a StrollerRollers classes. If there is no local class, think about starting one yourself with other SAHM/WAHMs you know. Support in numbers is the key...I can't even get into the gym most of the time and I feel myself slacking some days, but my best friend/sister keeps me motivated. If you can't get into the gym, buy a few tapes and invite a few friends over to work out with. I suggest Core Secrets, Billy Bootcamp, Total Yoga, Pilates Mat Workout of Beginner's. Get other moms to workout with and you will soon find that working out is fun and can benefit you and your babies.

Keep your head up and realize that you are a beautiful woman, mother and wife. If you can't get that flat stomach back, be happy that you have 2 gorgeous and healthy babies that grew inside of you. It took me a long time to realize that I would never have the abs I had before, but I am happy that my children are healthy and my stomach is a sign of that. I WAS HUGE! So anyway, good luck to you and email me if you ever need some encouragement. Best wishes.

Best Regards,
Mommy2Twins
*Owner of Little Dribbles Baby Boutique
*Independent Arbonne Consultant
*Certified Personal Trainer

[chiqanita]

Hi to you! Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. I will try a couple especially Billy Bootcamp...I like him. I'll check to see if there is a stroller group around here.


I was SOOOOOO HUGE with my twins it wasn't funny! The day before my twins were born I turned to my husband with tears in my eyes and said "Honey, I don't think I can grow any more...I think I'm going to burst!" I was on bedrest for about 4 months. I had made it to 36 weeks...my goal was 38. Well, my little baby A decided the very next day to sleep through our doctor's appointment. Worried all of us. My OB and Perinatologist decided it was time to have babies via emergency CS. THANK GOD they were healthy and big for twins. So yes, I agree, looking at them now...thriving, laughing, screaming, playing together...makes me warm and content deep down to my soul and I am grateful we all made it through. What blessings they are. I'll keep that in mind more and try not to focus on my SB but on being healthier for all our sakes.

A genuine thank you for the reminder, I needed that.

[abigailsmom]

My usual cardio is walking/jogging and elliptical trainers. I would prefer more variety, but time and $ doesn't really allow for it. If you could combine things with your kids and cardio that might be good.
I am not sure what kind of climate you have, but maybe load up your angels in a stroller and take off. Research has shown that 30 minutes 3 times a week is a sufficient amount of cardio. I try and use that as my starting place and I would like to build up to much, much more, but my time and money tree isn't putting off much of a crop this year. I have even read that you can count cardio as long as it is in 10 minute blocks. For example, you can spend 10 miuntes walking and getting your heart rate up first thing in the am, 10 more minutes after lunch and then 10 more before bed. It still equals 30 minutes. (please correct me if I am wrong about this!!)

The bottom line is that you are trying and starting down the road to being fit. There are many people who don't even do that!!! We should all be very pround for every single second that we take to improve our health.

Sorry, I was channeling my inner cheerleader for a moment. :P

Long post short... GO Mamas Go!!!

Robyn
Abigail's seriously dorky Mama