Is it possible to ever have a flat tummy again after 2 kids?

Okay, so despite the fact that I am back to my pre-baby weight (which was heavier than I should have been in the first place at 167), my tummy is just not the same!!  It kind of just hangs after having 2 kids (now 4 and 2) naturally.  Hypothetically, if I lose 30 pounds and reach my goal weight, will my tummy ever be flat again?  It was perfectly flat in college when I was 135.  Will I always have a pooch? 

Mine is flat now, and it took both diet and exercise to get it back. You'll need to work on your abs to get that flat tummy again :-)

good question. I've had five kids and I'm working to get rid of mine. I'm down to 133 and I've still got it, but I went down from a 14 to an 8. So I'm proud of that. I'm starting to really concentrate on my mid section (been at it a week). So still too early to see results. Good luck and you are not alone!!

How long until you saw results?

My situation was a little different bcause I'd had seven abdominal surgeries (two of which were c-sections). So I had no muscle tone to speak of.

I started doing Pilates in February 2007 and was able to do a full roll up in about three months. So don't expect an overnight fix, eh? We took years to get our bellies in their current conditions and it takes consistent work to get them back in shape.

Pilates focuses so much on the core, which is exactly what I wanted.

I've had three children, the youngest is 10 months.  I am now at my lowest weight of 130 (5 ft 8 in) but definetly have realized at least for me, my diet has a huge impact on my pooch !  If I eat better, it seems to go down considerably.  If I eat garbage and put on 3 lbs, it goes straight to my midsection !

I just had my second daughter 3 months ago. For the first 1 and half I couldn't do much.. but now..I've been doing spinning ( cardio) at home..I also bought some pilates DVD on amazon: hit the spot (Denise Austin), the method ( Elizabeth young) and quick fix abs...I try to go to the gym 3 times a week to do my weights...I'm very please with the results so far....I'd like to look the exact same way before this baby....And i know that is possible...I've done before..It takes a lot of hard work, patience and diet...this last one is crucial....I believe you can do it too!!! Good luck!! drink plenty of water!!!

I forgot to mention that I had a late miscarriage 4 years ago...and an ectopic pregnancy right after my oldest daughter who is 8 years old now...SO I had major surgery for it....I wanna get my pre-pregnancy shape back ASAP!!!

I lost all my baby weight plus 10 pounds - and I was only about 20-21 at the time - and my stomach was NEVER flat like it was before. It didn't look bad in clothes, but without -- it was just extra skin & squish. Not so nice...

If you don't get back to flat-tummy-ness, don't stress! If it's a clothes issue, just buy a few pairs of tummy control panties - Victorias Secret makes some that are comfy and not girdle-like, but they keep things in check under clingy dresses/skirts/pants.

hi.

iv had 2 little ones in the last 4 years iv also lost near 100 lb. i still have a little pooch! iv dieted and exercised stenuously for the last 2 years. i feel my pooch is a product of both pregnancy and being overweight for so long. it really comes down to genetics

on the other hand my sister who has never carried weight. always basicaly average has had children after her last she dropped to a staggering 115 at our heigth of 5'8.. she still had the pooch.

but on the other hand i have a friend who had 5 kids in 7 years and her body still resembles that of a 18 year old. not a mark or pucker. without hardly a drop or sweat or secound guess to eat a juicy burger.

obviously its genetics.

i believe if your average and make sure not to carry any access weight too long, (years) that with abdominal training and diet your body can look fantistic.

pooch or not!

its always a good thing to accept you body and find a weight that fits your skin as well as you healthy ideal apperance. in some extreme cases tummy tucks are needed but in many others your goals a perfectly achievable through hard work and diet. so do your self a favor ask a physician to look at the troubled area and ask his medical opinion:)

I have had six children, the last by c-section, and my stomach was as flat after the last as before the first within 6 weeks.  This was all before I had a weight problem, but even now at 185, my stomach is fairly flat.  I don't do crunches, never have, but I do make a conscious effort to stand and sit up straight and hold my stomach in as much as possible.  (My Mom is a stickler for good posture.)  My problem was and still is the skin, pregnancy ruined my skin.  I think surgery is the only answer for me, but yes, you can certainly have your flat stomach back.

I believe it has a lot to do with genetics to some degree. Just as there are women that gain all over during pregnancy as myself and those that just get  a cute little basketball. Those that get stretch marks like me also and those that don't. Not fair! lol!

I have had 3 kids naturally in the past 7 years.  All the weight I have to lose is in my waist/stomach area. I have worked very hard to get it down and it's a struggle. I doubt I will ever have a flat stomach but to be fair, even at my thinnest, I aways had just a little roundness there. If I do lose all the fat, I'm afraid the outstretched skin will still be left and I would be wishing for a tummy tuck!

I also can tell a difference with foods I eat. Some foods just tend to make you bloat and I try to stay away from those foods. I definitely see a difference when I cut down on bad carbs, salt and my diet coke (carbonation).

I had one child 8 years ago and I still am dropping the weight, I just fall my eating regime alot. I do excercise it seems the harder I excercise the more I eat. I am 5 '8 3/4  and this is stressful sloughing the 197bls 0f  weight on and off. I just can't control  my eating after alot of hard excercise..I want yummy tasting foods ,fasting drives me crazy . Most people I know are overweight?

I've had 5 kids and I think the only thing that will help me is plastic surgery!! I know genetics have a lot to do with how well you bounce back just from looking at my family :) . I know a lot of people that have several children and have tummys that are flat as a board. I also know how hard they worked for it. I just have too much skin and even if I can get my muscle tone back, I will always have the skin. But I know that it can me done!!!

hi, check out my profile pictures of me and by best friend. I will call her RED.  (the hair) anyways she just turned 28 and she has 2 kids.  an 8 year old, and a 3yr old.  so the answer is yes, you can!!!!

I DON'T KNOW? BUT AFTER I STOPPED USING SERAN WRAP I CAN'T CONTROL THE FLABBINESS.I GOT TO GET BACK THE SERAN WRAP AND STOP BEING SO LAZY.

I would say yes you can. I have a friend that has had three children and her tummy is as flat. Took her a lot of hard work and effort but it's do able if you want it.

Original Post by ajja:

I DON'T KNOW? BUT AFTER I STOPPED USING SERAN WRAP I CAN'T CONTROL THE FLABBINESS.I GOT TO GET BACK THE SERAN WRAP AND STOP BEING SO LAZY.

Ajja, the weight came back on after using the saran wrap as all it caused you to do was excessively sweat, so you lost water weight which comes back on the minute you stop and drink water. It's not good for you and is certainly not a long lasting way to keep weight off.

Calorie Count only supports healthy weight maintenance. Have you used the Tools on the site to calculate your Calorie Expenditure and Target Daily Caloric Allowance so that perhaps you could calorie count to healthfully achieve your weight loss goals?

I don't understand the overwhelming desire for a flat abdomen.  All of us are shaped a little different and we should accept our healthy bodies.

Is it because of the very ugly style of low slung pants?  You know they will go out of style in a couple of years, just like they did in the 70s, because it's an awful style that doesn't flatter the normal female body.  It's a shame that millions of women aspire to have the bodies of little boys, which is the only shape that looks good in hip hugging pants.

So relax!  If you have your weight under control at a healthy level, and if you have plenty of energy and are in good health, then enjoy what you have.

I have two kids, 10 and 6, both were well over 9 pounds, both cesarean deliveries.  My current bmi is like 25.7.  My ab muscles are pretty flat and firm, but my skin is still jiggley and strech marked.  I have the dreaded "apron" overhang over my c-section line.   I still have about 20 pounds to lose (it was 15 before this Thanksgiving week!  Darn it!) to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I still have what I refer to as the "Protect the baby" fat roll, though they are both old enough that I shouldn't blame the babies anymore. Sadly,  I don't think I will ever get rid of the stomach without surgery, which I probably will never do.  Too much money and risk for the vanity level.  I look ok in clothes - gotta love those spanx and control top pantyhose!  But I completely avoid looking at myself in the mirror without clothes, and can't even touch that area of my body because it grosses me out  How's that for a body issue?