Level with Me - How many to get a flat tummy? REALLY???

[LaLa]

Okay, so I am starting to do leg lifts. I have a bad neck/back so I have to start VERY slowly and work my way up and sit ups / crunches are out because they are too hard on my neck.

SO

Leg lifts.
How many do I need to do every day if I really want to tone this flabby post baby belly?

20?

50?

100?

1000?

Does anyone know?!

I'd love to see some results. I can feel it after 5, but I know that isn't going to cut it!
:LOL

[AnnMarie]

I don't know. I weighed 112 once and I don't think I had a flat stomach even then. I don't suppose I ever will.......unless I get a tummy tuck with that breast reduction. :LOL

[LaLa]

umm...that isn't what I wanted to hear!

LOL

This is terrible. I have lost all my weight and my boobs are GONE and now I just have this flub belly that hangs out. It is really frustrating!!!

[AnnMarie]

Originally posted by LaLa
umm...that isn't what I wanted to hear!

LOL

This is terrible. I have lost all my weight and my boobs are GONE and now I just have this flub belly that hangs out. It is really frustrating!!!

:LOL I'm sorry. Thing is though, I don't think a flat belly is natural for a woman. I think we are supposed to have curves. Love your belly and the rest of your body and do the exercises just for your health. You're a beautiful mama, don't ever think otherwise.

[rainsmom]

Ive never heard of doing leg lifts for a flat tummy. Ive always heard you should do sit ups in various ways. With knees up and going straight....and also with knees up and going to the left side and then to the right side. Also, try holding in your stomach for 20seconds at a time thru out the day. It helps to tone that muscle.

[nikirj]

I'm with AnnMarie.

The difference is, before I got pregnant with my first, I DID have a flat tummy. I'm talkin' 6-pack. Now it sticks out past my boobs :-(. But I figure I'm in for it genetically - my mom is a fitness kickboxing and weightlifting instructor and is superb shape, and she STILL has that little poochie-thing going on. She blames it on my brothers, who she says were much tougher on her belly than us girls ;-). It hasn't stopped her from modelling for several fitness places, though!

I was wearing a sweater that was kind of tight at the belly yesterday and my MIL asked if there was something to announce :-(. That really got me down.

I have an abdominal separation and there is little/no chance I'll ever loose most of this belly. I know from my mom's example that I can minimize it by doing plenty of side-to-side crunches and leg lifts, but most importantly by HOLDING MY POSTURE while sitting, walking, etc. Most people tend to let themselves slouch most of the time - if you make a habit of holding yourself up using your ab muscles (this is how I got my 6-pack as a younger woman, BTW - no exercise beyond a little lap swimming, just holding posture) you'd be amazed how much energy you burn and how much muscle you build. It can be as much as 500 extra calories a day if you were a real slouch before and manage to really make it a habit. It actually becomes totally subconscious after a week or so if you do it religiously. And now that I've written about it I'm gonna go do it - this is also how I managed to get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes after my first, and may be the reason I'm not anywhere near that now after my second.

[AnnMarie]

Originally posted by nikirj
if you make a habit of holding yourself up using your ab muscles (this is how I got my 6-pack as a younger woman, BTW - no exercise beyond a little lap swimming, just holding posture) you'd be amazed how much energy you burn and how much muscle you build.

You'd be amazed at how much confidence you gain from good posture too. I don't know why, but it always works for me.

[LaLa]

thanks for the posture tip!
I have good posture most of the time, but I will make more of an effort to do it all the time!

As for loving my curves...I'd love them if they were plural, but right now I only have one curve, and that is my belly!
:LOL

my breasts just disapeared when bella weaned!
LOL

Okay...posture and leg lifts. No sit ups cause they kill my neck.

how long and how much?
Should iI aim for 100 leg lifts a day?

[peacepie]

your not supposed to do the crunch with any strain on your neck; you keep your chin at the same angle to your chest and raise your shoulders, not going up too far.

posture IS key; concentrate on sucking your belly button toward your back, lying down, on all fours, sitting at the comp, in the car, etc.

you can lie on your back with your legs straight up in front of you arms at your side, and lift your whole lower end off the floor... those lower tummy muscles are the hardest to isolate!

the plank is supposed to be the best, you rest on you elbows and toes and cerate a 'plank' with your body;
also push ups, just from the knees even.
LOL but dont take it from me, you would think i have a flat tummy but i dont. in fact, i often wake up feeling thin enough, but my little belly looks 6 mos pregnant by the end of the day.
however i've been looking for the best excercises for a while and i think some of them are starting to work......

[Nathan1097]

Originally posted by AnnMarie
I don't know. I weighed 112 once and I don't think I had a flat stomach even then. I don't suppose I ever will.......unless I get a tummy tuck with that breast reduction. :LOL

Hiya AM!

I agree. I do lots of leg lifts and sit ups and push-ups etc. in judo and I STILL have that "neutered-cat" belly! Unless I got a tummy tuck, I think it will be there. Smaller maybe, with lots o' muscles underneath, but stretched out skin is still stretched out skin! (Plus its the last place the body wants to get rid of fat.)

[LaLa]

THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT TO HEAR!
:LOL :LOL :LOL

[kerikadi]

Weight carried in the midsection can rarely be lost by doing abdominal exercises alone. When it comes to belly and love handles diet and cardio vascular exercise is MUCH more important than any ab routine.
I am a personal trainer and the best ab exercise I know of is doing crunches on a exercise/birth ball. Crunches this way strengthen your entire structural integrity and make your core much stronger - abs, obliques, back, everything!

Good luck,
Keri

[LaLa]

hmm...I would love to see that!
Do you know of an online source with pictures?

I don't think I really could stand to loose weight at this point, so I am not going to try to loose weight in any way, I just want that flub belly gone!

[kerikadi]

Here you go
www.bodytrends.com/baltex.htm

Keri

[rainsmom]

The page was no longer on the link! Please post another one.......very interested to see.....though I think Ive seen ladies do this at the gym.

[kerikadi]

It won;t let me drag the link :
Just go to www.bodytrends.com and click on gymnastic balls.

Keri

[kerikadi]

At the bottom left there is a link for body ball exercises.

[KiwiZ]

I'm going to sound like a commercial/PSA but please check with your MD before exercising since you said you have a bad neck/back to make sure its safe.

If your MD gives you the OK, I highly recommend Pilates. I had a c-section and then a vaginal birth and got my flat tummy back! Regular crunches didn't work for me.

Pilates are a bunch of different exercises that use your abs as the "core" but also strengthen your back, much needed for mamas! They are "hot" right now and there are lots of classes, videos, and books on them so you can find one of those right for you.

Some moves are a little complicated at first, but go slowly and you'll enjoy them. They are not boring like doing tons of situps in a row

You asked how many to get a flat tummy. I don't know an exact number and it would probably vary from person to person, but I have a video tape that I followed and started feeling stronger and saw results at only 2 weeks!

I also recommend mixing it up with cardio and weights (I use hand weights), yoga, etc (anything that has variety). This way all your muscles will get a chance at a workout and you don't get bored and give up

[rainsmom]

Question about Pilates:

Do you need special equipment to do it? I havent been to a class yet, but Ive seen pics of people hooked up to machines with wires.....something about suspended moves......?

Can you give a synopsis and can you really do it at home with a video>?

[LaLa]

what home video do you use?