Does this baby belly ever shrink??

[Smithcbs]

I have a beautiful 2 1/2 year old daughter and ever since giving birth to her (c-section if that makes a difference) I have been significantly overweight. Well now I have lost 80+ lbs over the last year, and i seem to be shrinking all over, but that baby belly gets smaller from the side but hangs down still... I am young, 21, so i was hoping my skin would be able to tone back up as i lost weight. Any moms out there have any good exercises to help tighten that area and does it make it worse that it was a c-section? I am very happy with my weight loss so far, but its hard when you put on jeans and still have that bulge. Thank you!!

 

[Lagniappe]

I don't know what to tell you. You see some of the Hollywood types who end up looking as svelte and slim as ever after they have kids, but the rest of us with "real bodies" seem to have permanent effects. I had a friend several years ago who had had a child in her early twenties, and she was VERY slim (no body fat to speak of), and she still had all that loose skin. If you still have more weight to lose, the tummy may reduce a little more, but you may not ever get rid of all the lose skin via diet & exercise alone. But hey, you had a child and your body will bear the evidence of that. It's nothing to feel embarrassed or self-conscious about. As for exercise, there might be a couple of people here who can recommend something to you. Welcome to the forum!

 

[siromar]

Since you still have 60 lbs to lose, you will certainly lose much of that belly. In addition, you should be doing some strength training to increase your overall muscle strength. As you increase your lean muscle, your body will look and feel firmer (not an easy process while losing weight, but you can gain some if you're not used to exercise).

Alas, I'm sure some loose skin will persist. This isn't something one can predict. My retained her perfect figure after having two kids, but my aunt could not completely rid herself of the excess skin. I suggest you reach your target weight, build some muscle, then see if you have a belly or extra skin. In all likeliness they will have disappeared.

If not, you can have a surgery to cut off the extra skin. But I honestly don't think this is necessary with most people.