FLAT abs or 6-PACK abs?

I finally have what can pass for 6-pack abs but when viewed from the side my stomach is not flat.  When I look at myself from the front, my ab muscles are very defined, but from a sideways view I have a "belly" under my navel that makes me look plumper than I am. Any suggestions of what I can do about this? Or do I just have to live with my belly?

The best way to get flat abs is to not eat alot of carbs. Salt also contributes to a belly bulge. Lots of refined carbs and salt in your body causes you to retain water. Eat more fiber too as it may be because your intestines are too full and so they are bloated.

It sounds like you have good ab muscles and must get a lot of exercise. Just adapt your diet a bit and you should see some results.

I'm assuming you're a girl (from your name).

It's possible that your pelvis isn't large enough to hold all the organs it's supposed to hold, so they kind of come up and cause a bulge. 

Absolutely nothing can be done about it, unless you want to give up your organs, but I wouldn't go that route. 

Also, assuming you are female, that fat is probably the "future baby padding" fat.  If I were you I'd live with it.

fix your posture.

That's awesome that you reached your goal for flat abs. I think to get rid of that "pooch" (I'm guessing you're female and that's what you're talking about) you have to have a really low body fat percentage...which seems really hard to maintain. The fact that you have a six pack is super awesome anyway, I doubt anyone else is looking at you and saying "oh god look at her disgusting pooch!"

Original Post by floggingsully:

fix your posture.

Definitely.  I don't have anywhere near the stomach you describe but I stand with good posture and would probably look the same as you...with a shirt on of course.

so what do you do for good posture anyway? I can never tell if I'm standing straight or leaning back too far (my back has a more pronounced curve than some people's, though).

I dunno.  I just kind of pretend that there's a string going through the top of my head and down my back (I guess along the spine) and that someone is pulling it up.  When I do that (even when sitting) it feels natural.  Though when I keep good posture when I sit it feels like my lumbar vertebrae (lower back) is really curved.  I guess another way to describe it is to pretend some giant is holding your head between his fingers and holding you off the ground...you should feel like you are elongating yourself.

Hope that helps you. :)

Pretend your wearing cape all day.

And google the "Neanderthal no more" series of articles by Cressey and Robertson.

visit www.Drnatura.com  ....it's part of the reason I have an 8 pack...lol

Original Post by eddiepotter:

visit www.Drnatura.com  ....it's part of the reason I have an 8 pack...lol

 Are you serious?  There's some nasty looking stuff on that page!

Clint

Agreed, colon cleansing seems pretty dangerous and unnecessary.

yeah...that's what I thought...till I did the three month program, and had a orange sack of what looked like 200,000 worm eggs come out of me....

after that I felt better...more energy , and my skin got better too.  The one thing that I had to do was make sure I got a good amount of electrolytes.

I'd really like to know what that stuff is that's coming out of those people (and you) before I tried it... Did you notice any difference in your abs after?  Did you have to spend a lot of quality time close to a bathroom while on the program?

Clint

Maybe you could try some back strengthening exercises, to kind of even it out?  I think I read somewhere that if there is an imbalance in the strength of your abs & your back, you put a strain on your back.  So try exercises like the "superman".  I'm sure you can find some good exercise on google or on a fitness magazine's website.

Sorry but eddiepotter's post is just uh well interesting, needless to say...would you mind elaborating on the orange sack full of worm eggs? im just horribly curious haha

Back to your stomach, you sound super fit. I doubt there's anything you can do about it. I have a toned tummy, too (though not as toned as yours!) but I still have that little pouch as well. I have 18% BF and I'm trying to get a little bit lower, maybe 16-17%. But if it's still there at 16% BF, I think it's just something I'm going to have to live with.

Anyway, congrats on all your fitness achievements!!

 Say.. NO NO NO to holding your breath when doing sit ups!

ITS A NO NO....

always always breathe in and breathe out.. but make sure your releasing your breath on the way up.. other wise it will make your tummy look fuller! You want all the air out of there.. and Nooooooooooooo holding your breath on the way up either.. thats why many women who were not properly taught how to do sit ups have thick tummies!

Original Post by saraswift:

 Say.. NO NO NO to holding your breath when doing sit ups!

ITS A NO NO....

always always breathe in and breathe out.. but make sure your releasing your breath on the way up.. other wise it will make your tummy look fuller! You want all the air out of there.. and Nooooooooooooo holding your breath on the way up either.. thats why many women who were not properly taught how to do sit ups have thick tummies!

If this is true, then thank god I breathe like that (for the most part) when I do crunches or sit-ups.  I have my mom's voice in my head going "exhale with the effort" so I breathe out when I go up and always try to keep my abs engaged...the deep ones too.

Original Post by rosesarered12:

Sorry but eddiepotter's post is just uh well interesting, needless to say...would you mind elaborating on the orange sack full of worm eggs? im just horribly curious haha

lol...yeah...

If you have eaten salad...fruits...meat...at least a 100 times in your lifetime...chances are you have parasites in your body.  Parasites might not be immediately life threatening, but they can cause and promote health problems.  I was watching discovery channel on time, and they were talking about this very subject.  I went on-line, and researched all the products out there, and this was the ONLY one that was good in my opinion.  ALL the ingredients can be found in a supermarket or health store....but all the other programs were for 2 dyas or 2 week programs.  I though to myself...it took 29years of eating from me to build up  whatever parasites I have...there is NO WAY that a 2day or three week program will help that....besides all the reviews for other products SUCKED.  SO I bought this, and gave it a try cuz it was a Three month program...after 5 days I was pooping out HUGE stuff, and it was just crazy.  I could see tiny clear worms...sacks, and the huge long thins you see on the site are basically "fiber molds" of your intestines.  basically the fiber forms a mold inside your intestine, and the , like duct tape or a biore nose patch, it pulls anything stuck in your colon and intestine out.

after the three month program...my face got clearer...I have much more energy, my strength increased and I was more regular ....about 4-5 times a day.  Plus I lost 8 pounds..lol.

but the cool thing is that I didn't have to {"RUN to the bathroom...it was something that I could control; however, my stomach did hurt for the first 10 days each time I had to go to the bathroom, but after that I was more than happy.  and since I take in 5-6000 calories or 4-5 pounds of food per day (more than most people on the planet) it was beneficial for me to do this program.