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Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:42 am  |
Hello,
I need help- I'm developing a tummy ponch- I'm 30, 5'6 and about 118lbs, lean all over, except my stomach!!!
What the heck is happening? I know I'm not pregnant! But I can't seem to get rid of my flabby midsection. When I work out and go to the gym I can do sit ups and crunches for hours and no help- do any of you have any tips for getting rid of my jelly belly? |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:54 am |
| The stress hormone Cortisol can cause fat accumulation around the middle. Try Pilates/Yoga. The middle ponch problem is the bane of middle-aged females (not that you're there yet). |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:13 pm |
Thanks Sharky,
I had heard about excess cortisol causing extra tummy baggage- and I usually am pretty stressed out!
I saw some stuff at GNC that is supposed to help get rid of cortisol- not sure how healthy that is- has anyone tried anything like that?
I recently did buy some pilates and yoga DVDs-now i guess i just gotta use them!
(And tell my husband that his stressfull family is causing my tummy bulge!)  |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:40 pm |
Geesh...I must have alot of cortisol!!  
Seriously though, having a baby doesn't do much for the old tummy ponch either  |
_________________
PROUD FTM @ 40 TO CARTER-BORN APRIL 12, 2006...Sensitive dry skintype...prone to excema |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:53 pm |
| Walking, abdominals and lots of water helps flush out the fat and lose the water retaining also. |
_________________
Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:04 pm |
I know...for me it's the age thing though. I've always been thin...but this year...I have to give up my low risers  but my weight is the same..has been for 25 years ( o.k. except during 2 pregnancies) I've never had to work out my entire life...I don't know where to start.I also like immediate gratification, so if I start the sit-up thing I'd want results tomorrow...therein lies the problem.
Obviously it's not the age thing with you but there may be something to the stress thing..since my Dad passed away (under horrible circumstances a couple of years ago) I'm constantly in stress mode. DH says I have a seige mentality. The tummy thing started around then & I just chalked it up to age. I guess it's a combination of both. I'd love to hear more about this. I've been spending so much time on this board trying to fix my face, I've totally neglected my body |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:33 pm |
I hear ya ladies,
I have been thin all of my life, and never really had to work out, and when I do, I want to see my 6 pack by tommorrow as well!
I am going to try and go to a GNC tonite and see if they have anything that helps reduce cortisol, or have some sort of cortisol busting pill that I can take- although i hate taking pills! |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:23 pm |
OK ladies, this is the common problem: as we age, things drop south. This effect increases with weight gain, pregnancies, etc. If you are short-waisted (less than 2" between top of hip bone and bottom rib) your organs have less room to fall back to the spine, and will pooch forward. Those who are long-waisted tend to have less of a problem with this.
So, if you are lean and do crunches, sit ups, etc ad nauseum OVER these 'dropped' organs, you will get a nicely taut rounded pooch. The key is to first RAISE the organs where they are supposed to be: up more navel-high, THEN do crunches. Believe me, this works. If you visit this site, you can find free info on how to do this:
http://www.t-tapp.com/articles/flatstomach/
It WORKS. Put 'organs in place' a few times, then do your crunches. I'm short-waisted, 50, and have a relatively flat tummy even though I'm not super skinny any more like I used to be before I hit menopause. |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:28 pm |
| Chocolat-That is an awesome link, I'm going to try it right now! |
_________________
Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:50 pm |
Thats a good link Chocolat!
I'm a little scared, but I will try it, as i am short waisted- I have a mile long legs, but no waist!
One question- they are talking about the american/canadian "Fanny" in the description right?
Not the British version? |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:47 pm |
seconding the gross organ stuff. as we get older, the lower abdominal wall weakens quickly (especially if you've had kids) and the pooch often isn't fat as much as it is your abdominal muscles not being strong enough to hold in your intestines and other junk, so they pooch out (that's why it's so low and usually not right at your middle).
sit ups and crunches are really not effective for strengthening the area below the belly button -- you need to do the kind of excercises that are found in pilates and other core-strengthening workouts. Think ab exercises that are more about waving your legs around, or lifting both your legs and upper body off the ground.
pilates has done wonders for me, and has been the easiest workout to stick with. |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:30 pm |
| Chocolat wrote: |
| OK ladies, this is the common problem: as we age, things drop south. |
so I am going to end up with fat feet too?  |
_________________
SKIN: combination, reactive to climate changes and extremely fair. "Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself." --Roseanne |
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Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:47 pm |
| l suggest you should try green tea ! |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:55 am |
| Chocolat-it does work. Weird, but the organs definately moved. |
_________________
Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:35 am |
| marina wrote: |
I know...for me it's the age thing though. I've always been thin...but this year...I have to give up my low risers but my weight is the same..has been for 25 years ( o.k. except during 2 pregnancies) I've never had to work out my entire life...I don't know where to start.I also like immediate gratification, so if I start the sit-up thing I'd want results tomorrow...therein lies the problem.
Obviously it's not the age thing with you but there may be something to the stress thing..since my Dad passed away (under horrible circumstances a couple of years ago) I'm constantly in stress mode. DH says I have a seige mentality. The tummy thing started around then & I just chalked it up to age. I guess it's a combination of both. I'd love to hear more about this. I've been spending so much time on this board trying to fix my face, I've totally neglected my body |
Marina - I can't believe it! I have the exact same problems... Everything you said is true for me too! |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:56 am |
I don't know if you noticed, but our skin problems are similar ( I think);oily.-need to use products for mature skin-but they're always too oily/heavy-skin type.
I forgot to mention the 2 teenage girls adding to my "seige mentality"  |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:42 am |
CanadaGirl, yup it's the American/Can 'fanny.' As in your butt. After you do the OIP move, then you do butt-tucks, not simply lifting the hips up & down, but more curling the butt under-&-up, pressing the lower/small of the back down at the same time; it's more of a hip-tilt upwards. It's a much more subtle & effective move. I too am short waisted with very long legs! (5'9" and my legs are like 34") This really works well for me. The T-Tapp site sells a floor abs workout called "Hit the Floor" that is super for the abs, and includes the OIP move.
Annie R yes it does feel weird, and if you have any cramps or are at all bloated/gassy it may even feel a bit uncomfortable, but it helps those conditions too!
TigerTim, I do think our feet get a bit larger as we age, I've esp. heard that w/pregnant women (I don't have kids myself). I was a consistent 8-1/2 shoe size most of my adult life, but now I'm tending more to be a 9, depending on the fit of the shoe. |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:30 am |
This thread is very useful for me, thanks for that link, chocolat.
Pilates is wonderful - it really makes you look as if you've lost weight.
my feet are definitely half a size bigger bigger since I had my second child.
( everything else is bigger too..) |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:38 am |
| marina wrote: |
I don't know if you noticed, but our skin problems are similar ( I think);oily.-need to use products for mature skin-but they're always too oily/heavy-skin type.
I forgot to mention the 2 teenage girls adding to my "seige mentality" |
You are right - I have a hard time finding products that are not too oily/heavy for me. |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:46 pm |
Thanks for the awesome advice chocolat- i will definately try moving my organs this weekend!
I'm as sooo short waisted as well- 5'6 and 33' legs!!! I hate my body above my butt!
I am going to start the yogalates dvd i got as well- I really need to kick start getting my body into shape again- and I haven't even had kids yet! |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:47 pm |
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR  I have the same problem. I would have to agree with the Pilates and Yoga suggestions though. I had a core strength class last week and my abs hurt so bad the next day I could barely get up off my chair.  LOL But it was a "good burn" and the pain was gone by the dat after. I loved having the feeling that what I was doing was actually having an effect. I used to do loads and loads of crunches (correctly I should add) and I found it never really did much so Yay And Ouch for pilates! |
_________________
Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health.  |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:54 pm |
| Pilates worked for me when i tried to tone the flabby tummy after child-birth. |
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Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:23 pm |
I have the same problem, lean apart from the "pot" as my hubby calls it....
Here in the Uk I have read that..with the design of the low cut waist on the jeans the body is not stupid, it lays down fat to protect the organs from the cold. Also in the UK in the centre of towns it is common for girls to go out in skimpy clothes and apparently exposing your organs to cold over a long period of time or frequently can cause problems later on as they are struggling to function at temperatures they are not designed to function in. I suppose like when you buy an appliance it has a temperature range it will function in....so, to sum up, other than what has already been posted if you wear low cut waist jeans (as I do) keeping warm in the waist might help too....
and you know after I had my kid, my stomach was flat until I started to wear low cut waisted jeans...
Does anyone else see a diffence in the waist and tummy after wearing low cut jeans ? |
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42, British |
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Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:19 am |
Get a Pilates tape and try to find a friend to work out with. Two years ago I did this 3-4 times a week and by 8 weeks I had lost about 1.5" from my waist and flattened my stomach without losing weight (I was eating a lot at the time). Then I fell out of the habit.
I am trying to do three times a week now (I meet 2 other women at a local gym one is regular 2X per week and one is off and on). I find having someone else going makes me cancel less often and it is really hard to do it at home with family stuff to do.
Any way I know it works just keeping at it is hard. |
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Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:33 am |
I hate to beat a dead horse but I have to agree with the pilates recommendation! I've hovered around the same weight for years but even at my heaviest, I always had a flat stomach and no love handles to speak of until about 6 months ago when BAM!!!, I started literally dripping out of the sides of my low riders. YUCK!
Out of desperation, I started doing pilates (which I HATE) about 2-3 times per week and in just about three weeks (so about 6 - 9 classes), my low riders came back out of the goodwill bag! I am also seeing a breast lift, better than the breast lift I was getting with yoga alone.
So as much as I DREAD going to pilates, and relish the yoga classes in between as my preferred method of exercise, I have to say that it's the fastest way I've ever seen to toning and tightening. Wow. |
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36, skin in a "new" phase? Oil/break-out free but now having bouts of sensitivity and surface dehydration. |
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