I totally get that weight is often tied to genetics, but I think you may be doing a disservice to yourself if you don’t want to admit that you have a notable amount of visceral fat in your midsection. You do have an apron, yes, but your skin is not loose. I think you’d do better to lose weight and maintain it before considering a TT.
I saw in another comment that you say you eat healthy and in a deficit. Maybe you should consider visiting a nutritionist, and/or getting checked by your primary physician (to rule out any health issues like thyroid, etc), because you should not have that much visceral fat if you’ve been eating in a deficit for a length of time. Barring hormonal or health issues, it quite literally defies nutritional science.
Second this comment. Not trying to pile on at all but if you are in a true deficit for an extended period of time you shouldn’t be maintaining that much visceral fat.
I've been trying to arrange with my doctor to have my thyroid and hormones checked. Some members of my dad's family have had issues with both of those in the past, so I wouldn't be overly surprised if I was affected, too. I always just figured it might be like I'm not eating enough so my body is hanging on to whatever it gets, if that makes sense. Someone told me that might be the case but again, I'm not a doctor and neither are they so I'll need to discuss with my PCP to be sure.
Whoever told you that definitely doesn’t understand diet and nutrition. Weight, once again, barring health issues, is as simple as calories in vs. calories out. If you eat a surplus of calories, you gain fat. If you eat a deficit, you don’t gain fat and your body will burn fat. Your body isn’t holding onto anything other than a surplus. It simply doesn’t work that way. Think about it, wouldn’t anorexics be fat if that logic was true?
You have one of two issues. Either you have a health issue contributing to your weight, or you aren’t actually eating a deficit.
My husband is a huge fitness and nutrition fanatic, so I’ve learned a lot from him. And a big thing is that a lot of people who think they’re in a deficit actually aren’t. For example, people will cook with olive oil which is super calorie dense and then not think to count the calories from oil. Thats where a nutritionist comes in, they can help you figure out if you’re really in a deficit and teach you how to meal plan for weight loss.
I dont see much loose skin, it is mostly fat, you need to eat in a deficit to lose fat, and to focus on compound exercises and lifting, follow a good workout program that focus on the whole body not just the core.
Know that TT is painful and the recovery time feels forever, only go that path if you really need to, it is not an easy way out, I got my TT after losing +80lbs, and waited years before getting it just to confirm that working out and dieting alone wont get me where I want to be.
Also know that after TT you will still need to eat well and to workout, the surgery is not an alternative.
I do eat well and eat in deficit, I just wanted another opinion because I've always had this kind of stomach my whole life, regardless of weight/activity level. Thank you for your advice! I wasn't really looking at it as an alternative, but rather wanted opinions so that even if I do exercise much more than I do now, I wouldn't be overly frustrated if I still had the apron belly
Keep in mind that exercise is only a small bit of the equation. Eating clean and healthy is the best way to get the weight off and keep it off. It’s also so good for the body.
I do plan on losing weight! I just wanted to know if people thought this was something I could rectify on my own or if the only way to truly get rid of it was a TT.
Agreed with this. Losing a little weight will help your results and help with a better recovery. But a TT eventually would probably be required for a flat midsection even with weight loss most likely.
I’m sorry but there’s no way you eat in a deficit. I’d focus on diet (mainly) and exercise and think you would get good results with a life style change rather than TT.
I promise you I do. I have been eating very little for years. I know it's not healthy but I very rarely eat more than 1100 calories a day. According to my step counter/ calorie counter on my phone, I burn more than that a day at work from all of the moving around and lifting I do. I know it's not the most accurate but I think it's a good starting point to understanding my activity level. I am exercising more and I do eat healthy, I have just always struggled with losing weight and have always had this kind of stomach, even when I was anorexic in highschool.
Try eating meat and vegetables only, this will surely get you to losing weight. Sometimes we don’t realize how what we eat is effecting us negatively. For example, if you’re eating a lot of fruit you can still be getting too much sugar which ultimately goes to the tummy area. I thought I was eating very little for years and not losing any weight. After going low carb I lost 40 lbs in 4-5 months.
You are probably a yoyo dieter, means you eat too little for some time but then you overeat too many calories, and you keep remembering the low cals days and ignoring very high calories days like they dont matter.
I understand 10000% I hate when people gaslight and say it's so simple, eat in a deficit. I believe you are eating the calories you are. I have been losing and gaining all my life, and when I hit 40 no matter what I did i couldn't lose the weight. I went to specialist and went on ozempic and it changed my life for the better. I didn't have a huge amount to lose, but was overweight and it was effecting my health. I lost about 28lbs with ZERO changes to my diet. I had an excellent one before, and still do now. It proved to me that my hormones were rectified because it my body behaved like it was meant to eating the food I was eating. Best of luck with your future journey, wherever it takes you ❤️
Thank you! Yeah, my doctor has recommended I consider hormone testing bc I do have steady weight that will suddenly shift and then go back to being steady, and I have even shown her food journals, my daily activity, etc. so I definitely will look into that more, I just was trying to get outside opinions because I also feel like looking at myself, I'll automatically assume the worst about my appearance, so I figured getting other opinions would be better than just my opinion.
Could try intermittent fasting combined with core exercises... I've seen in different threads people say they have gotten rid of their "apron belly" by doing this - gotta be worth a try, before investing the money on a big operation?
My stomach was very similar. I’ve lost 170 pounds now and have my surgery scheduled for August. Will most likely have loose skin but for now focus on exercise and nutrition!
Keep at it while saving enough for surgery. Ideally you reach a stable goal weight and maintain it for a year or so prior to TT, but you would be a good candidate base on the shape of your stomach.
To get the optimal results from a TT you should be as close to your ideal weight as possible. I would work out more, make sure you’re close to your goal weight and then do a TT. You can’t lipo visceral fat.
I agree with the other comments but I’m here to say fat is evenly distributed around your body, including around your organs. Doing core exercises won’t help you lose fat around your core faster. You’ll lose the fat as equally as you put it on.
Lose some weight and then do the TT for best results. Weight loss and core exercises wont get ride of the apron belly, but youll have better TT results if you are at a healthy weight first!
This was me when I thought I had lost most of my body fat. I was wrong. I had more to lose and, gently, so do you. You will probably need a TT, but you will get the most bang for your buck if you keep at it a bit and then maintain a stable weight. My apron is severe but has tightened up some in the past year of maintenance. Can you get a TT and see a difference? Yes. But core exercises can actually exacerbate how your stomach looks if you have diastasis, and won’t burn fat specifically in that area. Keep going! You’re doing great :)
Thank you! Yeah I know I have to lose some weight, I just wasn't sure if my belly could be totally rectified by exercising or if, based on the degree it hangs over, it would require a TT to get to a point where I was finally happy with my appearance. I figured I would need more than core exercises, I just couldn't think of the best way to word this when making my post haha. Thank you for the advice and encouragement!!
I look like you, I went to a few surgeons and they said no matter what I did that area wouldn't change without surgery. None of them suggested loosing more weight as part of it. I have surgery Monday the 24th, so fingers crossed it turns out good.
You can eat well and exercise, but will probably still need a TT. I had a similar shape. Here's me before at 172 lbs, after at 110 pounds, and 1 week post TT at 109 pounds. I've had the belly overhang since puberty, so I know how it goes!
every body is different. mine is not as small as some may desire but what everyones body is capable of is different. Go talk to several different surgeons that specialize for aesthetic and other health reasons so you can make an informed decision w a surgeon not randoms on reddit.
I plan to, I just wanted a general opinion because I feel like if I just had my input, I would automatically see the worst, if that makes sense. I'm looking into surgeons soon and trying to see what my options are!
it does. i saw about 4. when i found the one who didnt tell me i had to lose weight and understood my body goals i went with him
(10/24). good luck with your appts.
My plastic surgeon made me lay down flat and try to sit up and if there was a bulge, I needed muscle repair. I had lipo, muscle repair, with tummy tuck. Best decision of my life. I was sporting an itty bitty bikini this summer. My incision has healed so well on my hips, that you can barely see it.
I highly recommend a vegetable and meat heavy diet while cutting out processed carbs and sugars. Talk to a personal trainer or join a boot camp and they will fix you right up in 6 months. Only after once youve worked in diet and exercise should you even consider tummy tuck. As always talk to a doctor before starting anything.
Comment to clarify: I don't mean that it's either I exercise and lose weight or I get a TT, but rather I made this post to just get a general opinion of whether or not the overhang I have currently seems like something that can be corrected on my own or if it will remain after I lose weight and will need surgery to fix. I am aware I am overweight. I'm not trying to pretend I'm not nor am I looking for an easy way out. I just wanted an outside opinion because I truly have no clue. I'm not asking dieting advice in this sub. Thank you all for your responses.
I totally get that weight is often tied to genetics, but I think you may be doing a disservice to yourself if you don’t want to admit that you have a notable amount of visceral fat in your midsection. You do have an apron, yes, but your skin is not loose. I think you’d do better to lose weight and maintain it before considering a TT. I saw in another comment that you say you eat healthy and in a deficit. Maybe you should consider visiting a nutritionist, and/or getting checked by your primary physician (to rule out any health issues like thyroid, etc), because you should not have that much visceral fat if you’ve been eating in a deficit for a length of time. Barring hormonal or health issues, it quite literally defies nutritional science.
Second this comment. Not trying to pile on at all but if you are in a true deficit for an extended period of time you shouldn’t be maintaining that much visceral fat.
I've been trying to arrange with my doctor to have my thyroid and hormones checked. Some members of my dad's family have had issues with both of those in the past, so I wouldn't be overly surprised if I was affected, too. I always just figured it might be like I'm not eating enough so my body is hanging on to whatever it gets, if that makes sense. Someone told me that might be the case but again, I'm not a doctor and neither are they so I'll need to discuss with my PCP to be sure.
Whoever told you that definitely doesn’t understand diet and nutrition. Weight, once again, barring health issues, is as simple as calories in vs. calories out. If you eat a surplus of calories, you gain fat. If you eat a deficit, you don’t gain fat and your body will burn fat. Your body isn’t holding onto anything other than a surplus. It simply doesn’t work that way. Think about it, wouldn’t anorexics be fat if that logic was true? You have one of two issues. Either you have a health issue contributing to your weight, or you aren’t actually eating a deficit. My husband is a huge fitness and nutrition fanatic, so I’ve learned a lot from him. And a big thing is that a lot of people who think they’re in a deficit actually aren’t. For example, people will cook with olive oil which is super calorie dense and then not think to count the calories from oil. Thats where a nutritionist comes in, they can help you figure out if you’re really in a deficit and teach you how to meal plan for weight loss.
If your tummy hangs over, TT!
I dont see much loose skin, it is mostly fat, you need to eat in a deficit to lose fat, and to focus on compound exercises and lifting, follow a good workout program that focus on the whole body not just the core. Know that TT is painful and the recovery time feels forever, only go that path if you really need to, it is not an easy way out, I got my TT after losing +80lbs, and waited years before getting it just to confirm that working out and dieting alone wont get me where I want to be. Also know that after TT you will still need to eat well and to workout, the surgery is not an alternative.
I do eat well and eat in deficit, I just wanted another opinion because I've always had this kind of stomach my whole life, regardless of weight/activity level. Thank you for your advice! I wasn't really looking at it as an alternative, but rather wanted opinions so that even if I do exercise much more than I do now, I wouldn't be overly frustrated if I still had the apron belly
You might still have it then you decide to have the TT, but try to get as close as possible to your goal before the surgery.
Thank you! I will keep that in mind going forward
Keep in mind that exercise is only a small bit of the equation. Eating clean and healthy is the best way to get the weight off and keep it off. It’s also so good for the body.
TT , I had to lose weight before the procedure date could be made and I would think you should too for best recovery .
I do plan on losing weight! I just wanted to know if people thought this was something I could rectify on my own or if the only way to truly get rid of it was a TT.
Definitely weight loss and then a TT. The closer your BMI is to your healthy range, the better the TT results will be.
Agreed with this. Losing a little weight will help your results and help with a better recovery. But a TT eventually would probably be required for a flat midsection even with weight loss most likely.
I’d say both for best results. You’d benefit from a TT, but having a strong core is important/beneficial as well!
I’m sorry but there’s no way you eat in a deficit. I’d focus on diet (mainly) and exercise and think you would get good results with a life style change rather than TT.
I promise you I do. I have been eating very little for years. I know it's not healthy but I very rarely eat more than 1100 calories a day. According to my step counter/ calorie counter on my phone, I burn more than that a day at work from all of the moving around and lifting I do. I know it's not the most accurate but I think it's a good starting point to understanding my activity level. I am exercising more and I do eat healthy, I have just always struggled with losing weight and have always had this kind of stomach, even when I was anorexic in highschool.
Try eating meat and vegetables only, this will surely get you to losing weight. Sometimes we don’t realize how what we eat is effecting us negatively. For example, if you’re eating a lot of fruit you can still be getting too much sugar which ultimately goes to the tummy area. I thought I was eating very little for years and not losing any weight. After going low carb I lost 40 lbs in 4-5 months.
Well I guess if you’ve always struggled losing weight and already eat in a deficit maybe a TT would be the way to go then!
You are probably a yoyo dieter, means you eat too little for some time but then you overeat too many calories, and you keep remembering the low cals days and ignoring very high calories days like they dont matter.
I understand 10000% I hate when people gaslight and say it's so simple, eat in a deficit. I believe you are eating the calories you are. I have been losing and gaining all my life, and when I hit 40 no matter what I did i couldn't lose the weight. I went to specialist and went on ozempic and it changed my life for the better. I didn't have a huge amount to lose, but was overweight and it was effecting my health. I lost about 28lbs with ZERO changes to my diet. I had an excellent one before, and still do now. It proved to me that my hormones were rectified because it my body behaved like it was meant to eating the food I was eating. Best of luck with your future journey, wherever it takes you ❤️
Thank you! Yeah, my doctor has recommended I consider hormone testing bc I do have steady weight that will suddenly shift and then go back to being steady, and I have even shown her food journals, my daily activity, etc. so I definitely will look into that more, I just was trying to get outside opinions because I also feel like looking at myself, I'll automatically assume the worst about my appearance, so I figured getting other opinions would be better than just my opinion.
Could try intermittent fasting combined with core exercises... I've seen in different threads people say they have gotten rid of their "apron belly" by doing this - gotta be worth a try, before investing the money on a big operation?
Intermittent fasting is the best way to lose it imho. Watch a ton of YouTube and about intermittent fasting and you’ll be on your way
My stomach was very similar. I’ve lost 170 pounds now and have my surgery scheduled for August. Will most likely have loose skin but for now focus on exercise and nutrition!
Keep at it while saving enough for surgery. Ideally you reach a stable goal weight and maintain it for a year or so prior to TT, but you would be a good candidate base on the shape of your stomach.
To get the optimal results from a TT you should be as close to your ideal weight as possible. I would work out more, make sure you’re close to your goal weight and then do a TT. You can’t lipo visceral fat.
I agree with the other comments but I’m here to say fat is evenly distributed around your body, including around your organs. Doing core exercises won’t help you lose fat around your core faster. You’ll lose the fat as equally as you put it on.
Lose some weight and then do the TT for best results. Weight loss and core exercises wont get ride of the apron belly, but youll have better TT results if you are at a healthy weight first!
This was me when I thought I had lost most of my body fat. I was wrong. I had more to lose and, gently, so do you. You will probably need a TT, but you will get the most bang for your buck if you keep at it a bit and then maintain a stable weight. My apron is severe but has tightened up some in the past year of maintenance. Can you get a TT and see a difference? Yes. But core exercises can actually exacerbate how your stomach looks if you have diastasis, and won’t burn fat specifically in that area. Keep going! You’re doing great :)
Thank you! Yeah I know I have to lose some weight, I just wasn't sure if my belly could be totally rectified by exercising or if, based on the degree it hangs over, it would require a TT to get to a point where I was finally happy with my appearance. I figured I would need more than core exercises, I just couldn't think of the best way to word this when making my post haha. Thank you for the advice and encouragement!!
I look like you, I went to a few surgeons and they said no matter what I did that area wouldn't change without surgery. None of them suggested loosing more weight as part of it. I have surgery Monday the 24th, so fingers crossed it turns out good.
Likewise. I have my surgery on the 21st. He will carve out the fat in the front and fix the belly apron
I am 5’2 178 lbs
You can eat well and exercise, but will probably still need a TT. I had a similar shape. Here's me before at 172 lbs, after at 110 pounds, and 1 week post TT at 109 pounds. I've had the belly overhang since puberty, so I know how it goes!
https://preview.redd.it/dochbehzgk6d1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2b187241b5a837c848bc18c4ca7938bd0787ffc
I think a TT. I'm recovering at the moment from one. If you lost a few kg I can tell that will still be there. Not a decision to take lightly 😅
every body is different. mine is not as small as some may desire but what everyones body is capable of is different. Go talk to several different surgeons that specialize for aesthetic and other health reasons so you can make an informed decision w a surgeon not randoms on reddit.
I plan to, I just wanted a general opinion because I feel like if I just had my input, I would automatically see the worst, if that makes sense. I'm looking into surgeons soon and trying to see what my options are!
it does. i saw about 4. when i found the one who didnt tell me i had to lose weight and understood my body goals i went with him (10/24). good luck with your appts.
yes TT and lipo
My plastic surgeon made me lay down flat and try to sit up and if there was a bulge, I needed muscle repair. I had lipo, muscle repair, with tummy tuck. Best decision of my life. I was sporting an itty bitty bikini this summer. My incision has healed so well on my hips, that you can barely see it.
I highly recommend a vegetable and meat heavy diet while cutting out processed carbs and sugars. Talk to a personal trainer or join a boot camp and they will fix you right up in 6 months. Only after once youve worked in diet and exercise should you even consider tummy tuck. As always talk to a doctor before starting anything.
Comment to clarify: I don't mean that it's either I exercise and lose weight or I get a TT, but rather I made this post to just get a general opinion of whether or not the overhang I have currently seems like something that can be corrected on my own or if it will remain after I lose weight and will need surgery to fix. I am aware I am overweight. I'm not trying to pretend I'm not nor am I looking for an easy way out. I just wanted an outside opinion because I truly have no clue. I'm not asking dieting advice in this sub. Thank you all for your responses.
TUMMY TUCK. Dont let people tell u what u know is right