The flabby stomach overhang known as "the mother's apron"

My family has a genetic predisposition to the "mother's apron". No matter how skinny or how small, if you've had kids or not, all the women in the family have this unnatural amount of flesh hanging from the lower abdomen. I am curious to know if anyone here has had any success in reducing this nasty appendage without having a tummy tuck, and how did you do it? This is how bad mine is....I tried on pants at the mall yesterday. Even though I have lost 3 pants sizes in my hips, legs, butt, and waist, I have to wear 2 sizes too big just to fit the gut. Not a pretty picture.

well  I    have  it    to   and   have   in    th e   last   year    lost    50     pounds    and     it    has     gone   down     some   bu t     it    still    hangs    on    wish    I   new   ohow    to    get    rid   of   it   with   out    surgery   i   have    been    doing   breating     exercises    and    that   has   helped    some,   good   luck    ruby

Oh my goodness.... I think people are looking because I am laughing so hard!  That is absolutely hysterical about the backwards butt and squishing it all together to make ummmm a complete butt!

I had both my children by c-section...both big boys...nearly 9 lbs. each.  They are 22 and 24 now and I have struggled with how to lose my "FOPA" (fat over private area).  I've recently joined Jenny Craig and have lost 15 pounds so far (in 5 weeks) , and I can tell my flap is getting smaller, but I can't imagine it will go away completely even after I lose all the weight I'm planning to.  I, too, have heard surgery would be the only solution.  Anyone had any sucess with a particular exercise?

I'm an apron-wearing girl as well. 9 lb, 10 oz daughter by c-section almost 5 years ago. If I lose weight nowhere else, I'd be happy to only lose this "reminder" of my pregnancy!  No matter how much weight I lose (I've bounced around a bit since delivery), it never goes away.  I struggle with it every day. If anyone knows any good target exercises, please please share with us!

Yes, you can lose it! I've had 3 children (3 c-sections) My oldest is 8 yrs and the baby is 2 yrs.  I have the overhang, but it has drastically been reduced over the past year of exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet (no junk)!  I recently cut out bread and noticed a significant drop in body and belly weight .  Cardio is good and wearing some support undies or exercise garment when working out.  I also found that shea butter took away the few stretch marks I had and also helped shrink my belly fat.  I put it on daily and exercise at least 4 xs a week for no less than and hour.  Crunches/sit-ups will only tone some areas and strengthen your back.  I was seriously considering a tummy tuck because I look young, but my belly was looking like granny.  You can lose it - my OB-GYN agrees - most women don't want to put in the work.

All the best pouch mamas!!!!

Look..This is my BIGGEST issue. I'm 5 ' 0 tall and WAS 178 pounds. In the last 3 months I've lost 30 pounds. Ever since the 1st pregnancy (my youngest just turned 14) I've had this bulge, flap of fat that hangs over my pelvic bone. So you understand...I avoid running or jogging cause it makes a slapping sound. I doesn't matter how much weight I lose (over the years I've lost weight also...but put it back on) I could get my stomach almost totally flat but can still grab a handful (down there).

I hate it..it's embarrasing. Going to the Gyno when he has to "push or lift" it up to examine me...I'm in tears thinking surgery is the only way. That's not a surgery that would be covered by insurance and there's no way I could ever afford it.

Tried every exercise I can imagine and yes, while the muffin top is getting FLATTER it's not raising/lifting up or diminishing at all.

didn't ANYONE out there have ANY success besides surgery?

Look..This is my BIGGEST issue. I'm 5 ' 0 tall and WAS 178 pounds. In the last 3 months I've lost 30 pounds. Ever since the 1st pregnancy (my youngest just turned 14) I've had this bulge, flap of fat that hangs over my pelvic bone. So you understand...I avoid running or jogging cause it makes a slapping sound. I doesn't matter how much weight I lose (over the years I've lost weight also...but put it back on) I could get my stomach almost totally flat but can still grab a handful (down there).

I hate it..it's embarrasing. Going to the Gyno when he has to "push or lift" it up to examine me...I'm in tears thinking surgery is the only way. That's not a surgery that would be covered by insurance and there's no way I could ever afford it.

Tried every exercise I can imagine and yes, while the muffin top is getting FLATTER it's not raising/lifting up or diminishing at all.

didn't ANYONE out there have ANY success besides surgery?

I have a question!  How come I seem to accumulate fat in the lower stomach area like you're saying, but I'm 25 and have never had kids?! 

ohhhh.........I have a little of this...........but didn't know it had a name.  Now I feel worse for some reason.  I didn't have it when I was skinny and the kids were little, so hoping it ...........goes away.

Now i wil be obessed to work on stomach exercises like a fanatic.

Ohio,

It WILL go away.  Please try not to obsess too much; that's the problem with these forums.  Trust me, you are better than normal!!!

cjtrigg:

Because it is normal.  It's a part of being feminine, even when you are slender and in the most perfect condition ever.  That's why men like you, and why you like men  :-)

cjtrigg:

I was wondering the same thing! I'm 19 and I've never had kids, but I still have one too!

I have the mother's apron too and I hate it - it's the biggest thing on my body - closely followed by my big butt. There are times I just wish I could take a knife and just cut the whole damn thing off - I'd probably lose about 50 lbs right there, easily. No, I would never actually harm myself, so no worries.... Just I'm tired of looking at it, and having to try and find tops long enough to go below it to hide it and pants big enough to go around it ... I think you know what I mean. I feel like a sumo wrestler and NOT a woman with this huge stomach.  I can deal with being hippy and having to work on and lose the big butt and thighs and stuff but it sometimes feels like this mother's apron will NEVER go away... and it's been 5 years since my last child/pregnancy.

Yes! I got that! Even at my lightest weight! Why do we have it? And how do we get rid of it? o.o

I just had to get in on the big baby thing. My daughter was 11 pounds! No C-section, natural, although I agree that it really isn't very natural to birth something so big!

I don't have hopes for a good looking naked body. Just hoping to look better for the 95 percent of the time that I'm clothed. Tis a bummer though that I will still be wearing bigger size than I would otherwise need, pout!

I have heard of a liposuction that is done I think with lasers. Still expensive I'm sure but less invasive. Still wouldn't solve the skin thing. Maybe someday they will have real solutions for these things that the rest of us can afford. Not holding my breath.

Thank you for your post. I now know that this predisposition to loose skin is hereditary. It's not just me! Skinny or fat, me and my relatives have the dreaded "lower pooch" and I hate it too. I just figure I'll have to have a tuck one day b/c nothing else will get rid of my "butt belly". Even if I became "Ms. Fitness" (which I don't want to) I'd still have it...

Acceptance is a beautiful thing.

I've had 'the stomach' since I was fifteen - and I've never had a kid in my life! So be glad that at least you've got a family to show for it... seriously, my tummy was the bane of my life and I too use to have fantasies of hacking it off! But now I'm almost forty (ack, middle-age is approaching!) I couldn't care less. And my stomach has shrunk a lot with my weightloss - when I started my hips were over 50 inches because my tummy hung down so far over them, and as soon as that tummy started to shrink my hip measurement magically reduced itself because my tummy was no longer so much in the way!

My sister calls hers her "front butt" since she doesn't have much of an "ass".!!! LOL  She has heard others call it a flesh apron.  Yuck i hope to get rid of mine soon!!


Clarice

I have just joined this site, and have been reading through all your post's.

I had given up on trying to get rid of it naturally, bercause every one i know told me that once you have it the only way to get rid is surgery, for me the idea of being sliced and diced is scary.

But looking here and finding that some of you have done it without surgery is a huge relieve, im gunna work hard at it and see where it gets me.

Do you find that having this, makes you feel less of a woman?

I haven't felt sexy since my first son was born, i know my husband doesn't care, he says:  'you got it from giving birth to 2 gorgeous little miracles, so to me it's beautiful.'  i love him for that, but i always feel rather butch.

 

sweetkandijane- I don't feel less of a woman, no. Softness and curves are the signatures of a woman. Even the dreaded lower pooch. It's only our society that says we women have to look like 13 year old boys to be considered sexy. Society gets this attitude from the media who gets this attitude from their sponsors. Many sponsors are billion dollar diet product companies. :) Nice, right?

I know that it doesn't change how you feel. You feel the way you feel. My feelings about it have improved a lot. I can walk in front of a mirror naked and not cringe the way I used to. In fact being naked is therapeutic for me in that sense. And I have a man in my life who doesn't judge me for it so, that helps. You're very lucky to have such a good husband.

Have you tried affirmations? Something like, "I love and accept my body the way it is but I now chose it release this excess weight"? Changing your thinking will change how you feel about it...

I hope this helps.

Good luck!