need help losing c section belly

i delivered my little boy about 17 months ago by a c section.  i am very thankful for my beautiful child, but i am only 20 and have been in very good shape all my life until my pregnancy.. i have gotten pretty much everything but my belly back to its original shape and size! i need to know what i have to do to get rid of the lower belly pudge.. do i need more cardio or what.. thanks

perhaps, as fat is fat regardless of how it came to be. ask your doctor if this is a fatty deposit of excess skin. there is little that can be done for excess skin except lose the weight, drink lotsa water, and eat clean and healthy. good thing you are young as your skin is very elastic still (on average) and should bounce back eventually~

:)

First, congratulations on the birth of your baby! 

Both of my children were born via C-section (they are now 23 and 21).  I know exactly what you are referring to, and while what I have to say may not be exactly what you want to hear, this was my experience.  Once a muscle has been cut the way your lower abs have, it's almost impossible to regain the original shape short of plastic surgery.  A lot will depend on how you heal and a lot of that depends on your genetic make-up (how did your mom fare after giving birth?  Did she have a C-Section?)   However, before you lose hope, let me tell you that it is possible to gain back tone and strength, depending on how hard you are willing to work.  More crunches are not necessarily the answer -- work your entire core -- try pilates and yoga inspired core workouts.  This is one area where they can really help -- an all over strength training program using the heaviest weights you can handle once your doctor clears you to begin exercising again will also help by building muscle all over your body and helping you to shed fat.  Cardio too, although the strength training will help more with the specific issue you asked about.  All these years later, while I still have that tiny lower belly bump from my C-Sections, I am pretty proud of my belly at this stage of my life -- and this is what worked for me.

Again congratulations on your new baby -- it's amazing, isn't it?