<p>Alright so, this is a strange question to ask, but since there is not a lot of information out there regarding this I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m a college student, so that means my mom had me oh about 19 years ago, but she never really lost all the pregnancy weight. That may seem odd, after all conventional wisdom tells us that right after the birth of our little bundle of joy its time to hit the treadmill, and not doing so is well, not an option. But for whatever reason, irregular exercise, misguidance, stress. etc. she did not lose the weight and I can’t really blame her. In fact, she could just blame me! But I’m here to help her, so does anyone have any ideas or experience to help lose the weight? Note, that (I’m told) after birth the belly is very soft, but now it has become hard and like an empty shell, so it’s not like normal pregnancy weight. Also, my mom is of normal weight, she is just has a disproportionately large belly, so she’s not in need of drastic weight loss. And lastly, a tummy tuck is not an option.</p>
<p>After 19 years, mom’s tummy has nothing to do with pregnancy weight. She probably is an “apple” like me, one of those people whose weight tends to accumulate around the belly rather than the hips. There’s no magic bullet. Eat less, move more. Sad but true. See if you can get her to start walking regularly.</p>
<p>yale,
Are you sure it is “post baby” weight? What you are describing may be something else, with the weight accumulation in the midsection. Fe example ascites <a href=“http://www.gastroresource.com/GITextbook/En/Chapter14/14-12.htm[/url]”>http://www.gastroresource.com/GITextbook/En/Chapter14/14-12.htm</a> can present that way. Sora make you look like you swallowed a bowling ball ( I exaggerate, but you get my drift). Some hormonal issues can also cause abdominal disproportion. She might want to go to the dr and get it checked out before just assuming it is due to overeating.</p>
<p>Are you home this summer? If there’s some kind of community swimming pool and you can go with her, that might get her started in the right direction. If you make it about that you want to spend time with her, she might go along just to be with you. That’s very different than urging her to go by herself.</p>
<p>Is your mom sure she is not suffering from fibroids? They cause this type of “hardness” and do cause the abdomen to attain the shape of pregnancy and are not possible to remedy through weight loss. Your mom should see an ob-gyn just to make sure, as often there are no other symptoms (although often there are, too). I am not a doctor, but I did go through this. I went in for a routine exam and the doctor asked if I was sure I wasn’t pregnant. Uh, yep. Then sent me to an ob-gyn and I was told my uterus was the size of a 24 week pregnant uterus. Hmm. That could be a problem. Anyway, it is definitely worth seeing the doctor as Jym advised.</p>
<p>Good luck, and I like stability balls and video-tape workouts to keep the newly flattened belly that way!</p>
<p>After 17 months at Weight Watchers and a successful loss of 35+ pounds (with 10 months of maintaining my goal weight behind me), I still have a fat a** and saddlebags on my thighs. My hips are a lot thinner, of course, but not “thin”. On the other hand, my chest has bones showing. Go figure.</p>
<p>I only bring that up because I have learned that some of us just hold weight in unpleasant places. </p>
<p>My older sister was once literally anorexic but she still had an unmistakeable “belly” — kind of like some Renaissance painting I once saw of Adam and Eve “embarrased” in The Garden After The Fall. She was skinny as all get-out, but she still had swelling in the belly. That painting was probably from the 15th century. My sister had the same body in 1969. By the way, even though she clearly had this ‘belly", this was a 19 year old girl who was 6’ tall and weighed 109 pounds!</p>
<p>So… let’s look at the big picture. </p>
<p>If your mom has an interest in losing weight, a sensible program like Weight Watchers can be useful. But nobody can lose weight permanently for somebody else’s motives. It’s just one of those things. Weight Watchers works for people who WANT to lose weight for their own reasons.</p>
<p>But if she’s okay and thin-enough, but has that belly, oh well. Maybe it’s like my unforgiving saddlebags. </p>
<p>You’re on this site, so you’re obviously super bright. You’ll know the term “Achilles’ Heel”. For women who are not fighting wars or living in desperate conditions, we still have our proverbial "Achilles’ Heels — (dumb)stuff that drop us in our tracks — like worrying about imperfections. </p>
<p>As a kid, I spent about two years thinking that my mother’s roundish stomach indicated that I was going to have a little brother or sister at some point, and was bummed when she told me otherwise. She was never really fat (and will be the first to tell you what a fabulous figure she used to have), but she just always had that tum…</p>
<p>Before I had children I always gained weight in my rear end and thighs. Now, post kids, it’s in the stomach, which is much more aggravating and difficult to lose.</p>
<p>There is a lot of info out right now on “belly fat” and how dangerous it is. It seems to be related to being in a state of chronic stress so maybe we moms should blame our kids. There is a high correlation between belly fat and diabetes and heart disease. It really is the most unhealthy place to carry weight. Perhaps the OP could find some info on this and talk to mom about it in terms of how concerning it is healthwise. It might also be comforting to see that stress is a big factor - as opposed to stricly overeating.</p>
<p>I also wonder if it might have something to do with hormones–?
Two of my very thin friends (each just about 100 lbs) are approaching (and in) menopause and both are complaining about their thickening waistlines, even though their weight hasn’t changed.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that little bundle of joy can keep you up all night for months on end. We new mothers hit the treadmill, all right, but it isn’t one you’ll find in a gym!</p>
<p>just heard a recent study reported that high stress plus fats in the diet are shown to accumulate around the belly area in men and women who are otherwise not obese. I have decided that regular back massage is the new answer to my “mommy” abs!</p>
<p>Some of the other people on this thread have suggested rather scary medical explanations for your mom’s shape issue.</p>
<p>If your mom has had this problem since you were born, and if she receives medical care on a reasonably regular basis, I don’t think you need to worry about that sort of thing. It would have come up during a regular physical examination.</p>
<p>As for the more conventional explanation – she gained weight after having you, and it just happens that this is where it landed – that’s her issue to solve (if she chooses to solve it at all). I think there’s a risk that if you bring it up with her, she might misinterpret your concern as meaning that you are embarrassed by her appearance.</p>
<p>Months??? How about years? Now that they drive and go out at all hours, I’m up LOTS more nights than when they were babies and at least I knew where they were.</p>
<p>Re: the tummy…exercise is the only way to deal with excess “flab” when there is not significant overweight. Is there an exercise place with a personal guide who could direct your mom and you to the exercises to deal with those Abs? When my tummy gets unflat…I do situps. Easy and inexpensive, but they are not for everyone (e.g. those with back problems shouldn’t do them).</p>