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How To Get A Flat Tummy After Pregnancy #Fitness

I had a 22 inch waist before I had little man. It’s my one body part that always made me proud. My thighs are quite, um, healthy, and my legs rather, hmmm, petite? I have decent arms but no man has ever said “Wow, check out her arms!” So it was important to me to get my flat stomach back after having a baby.

I used a tummy wrap to belly wrap my tummy right after giving birth and shrink my belly, an old fashioned concept that has been around forever and recently made popular again after Brooke Burke declared she used one to flatten her tummy after each of her four kids. Stomach wrapping works to help shrink your belly and lose belly fat after pregnancy fast, along with a healthy diet of fat burning foods.

Brooke Burke

She had four kids!!

Belly wrapping made my tummy shrink and I looked like I had a flat tummy, but I still didn’t have that *tightness* I used to have, or the concave look yet. I actually had a belly like Brooke’s, even if the rest of me didn’t look quite like her. So a friend, an older woman who had several children and is in great shape shared a flat stomach exercise technique that works wonders (unlike stomach wrapping, this one actually requires work…sorry).

It’s a fabulous flat stomach exercise called tummy pulls or the tummy cincher, and basically works to pull your stomach inward by tightening the muscle that goes *around* your body (the transversus), and cinches the stomach muscles inward like a corset.

And this flat tummy exercise is easy to do. You just have to remember to do it daily (like Kegel’s):

1. Pull in your stomach quickly, and let it go (relax) in rapid pulses. When you pull in your stomach, imagine you are trying to pull your belly button backward to touch your back.

2. Do these quick tummy pull pulses about 50-100 times in quick succession. If you do this once a day, it will go a long way toward getting your belly back in shape, and quickly.

3. Keep doing it. Like any muscle (especially one that has been stretched) it needs to be maintained. If you remember to do it multiple times a day (100 three times a day or more would be awesome) you may just get into Brooke Burke territory, but really try to do at least 100 good pulls a day to get back that quarter bouncing tone.

With this flat stomach exercise and the Tauts belly wrap, I was able to get my prebaby flat stomach again and lose all the belly fat from pregnancy. I never thought I’d ever in a million years post a pic of my tummy on my blog, but to give you an idea (the red marks are from the waist band elastic):

flat stomach photos

I had one (and no airbrushing)!

Now if only someone would invent something for shrinking thighs after baby.

* Obviously, if you have medical conditions, had a c-section, had that condition where your tummy muscles split, or anything else that would make this a bad idea to do, then don’t to it. If you suffer from postpartum depression because of your post pregnancy stomach, you can try this tutorial on how to get back in shape. If you don’t have any issues that preclude it, and like thousands of other women realize that muscle building crunches and sit-ups don’t do anything for actually narrowing and pulling your waist *in*, try the tummy wrap and tummy pulling technique. They are oldies but goodies.




  • Nichol

    Oh my stomach is still big I hate it. The rest of me is really skinny. I’m going to do this daily, I’ll let you know how it goes! Your stomach looks fab(I can only wish for that again)

  • You look great girl! I’ve had three and I don’t think I’ll ever look like that again ;(

  • Michelle

    Wow, look at you go girl. You look great. Good for you!
    My tummy has never been the same after having four kids but look at Brooke! If she can do it, so can I. It might take me a bit longer, cause ya know, no personal trainers or chef’s at my house 😉 !! I am actually starting a pretty radical diet next Thursday. Wish me luck!
    ~M

  • Also known as abdominal bracing, these are great for helping provide support to the lower back for those who suffer from chronic low back pain…we use them in physical therapy all the time!! Great post and congrats on the trimmer tummy 🙂

  • Rachel @ Grasping for Objectivity

    I desperately need some help in this area (sigh) – thanks for the tip! That actually does sound a lot easier and more doable than a lot of things I hear… I’ll see what it can do for me!

  • New follower. Found you on the Hump Day Hop

  • Great Post, love it!
    Groovy Baby Blog

  • Full of Tips Mama

    I am your newest follower.

  • man, what I’d give for a flat tummy! Yours looks great!

  • What a fabulous photo. I don’t even have a baby as an excuse for my podgy tummy. Just too much good living. I will start my tummy pulls today. Thank you!

    Not that I think one can change their basic body shape too drastically, but I have been attending yoga classes for the past 6-7 months (just normal, basic yoga on a mat, not hot yoga or pilates on a machine), firstly once a week and then after a while twice a week. I have noticed my thighs have a lot more definition, as have my arms. But you wouldn’t say they are muscley. I am beyond excited about thigh definition and now with my tummy pulls and more healthful food I will be fabulous!

  • Wow,about 10 years too late for me to try out the Tummy Wrap! I like the idea though, I also think that doing those tummy pulls is a great addition to an exercise routine. After all, why not when I’m just sitting here! lol 🙂

  • Penelope

    Exactly!

    And it’s actually not too late to tummy wrap- it’s effective at any point, just not *as* effective. I’d still give it a shot.

  • Penelope

    Hmm, yoga? I should check it out. I’d love to give my thighs some definition.

  • Shop with Me Mama

    Your tum is hot mama! Great job! I am so going to start doing this, tonigh. My tum has really gotten unsightly and I use to have such a wash board tummy! UGH! I will show my results after a month, if it looks as good as yours!

  • mr.health

    Hello…
    I`m new here. Nice post. I don`t know if we try like what you said can get a flat tummy. 🙂

  • Penelope

    Definitely let me know how it goes!

  • Penelope

    Well, you’re a hottie either way 🙂 But I want to see your results in a month!

  • Mother Mayhem

    WOW.

    My baby just turned 15. I never did lose my tummy. She weighed 13 lbs. 3 oz. and was 24″ long. I think my muscles just gave up. LOL

  • Annie @ Mama Dweeb

    You look awesome!! I am reading Brooke Burke’s book right now and she talks about this product (well, of course LOL!) and I want to try it. I’ve had 3 c-sections though, so probably not a good idea……

    But I have heard that tummy wraps are good for after a c-section – I am going to talk to my dr about this one.

  • I just read your feature from Nichol at KiddiesCorner Deals and had to come check this out because a flat tummy is something that I definitely don’t have after my two kids! I just did my first 100 pulls (whew!) and I’m going to try to keep up with doing these – you definitely look awesome! Thanks for the tip!

  • Kimberly

    Wow! You look GREAT! I’m going to try this tip…thanks!

  • Kelli @ writingthewaves

    Wow! That’s impressive. My stomach is not what it used to be either. I may have to try this. Thanks for sharing!!!

  • John Johnson

    That is excellent advice for someone who just needs to tighten their abs up. If on the other hand you have fat over your abs then you have to do more than stomach exercises. A good diet is 80-90% of the equation, the rest of the equation is hard work. I hate to throw that reality out there but it’s the truth. You can’t out exercise a bad diet and you have to put work in to get any results out. That’s why it’s called a workout. You also can’t spot train a body part and expect to lose fat. You can spot train strength, muscle growth and toning specific body parts, but if you need to lose fat you have to workout your enter body. Preferably your large muscle groups, they will burn the most calories by adding lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have on your body the faster your metabolism is.

    There are lots of different paths of fitness to get your results but you are not going to get it by doing tons of aerobics and cardio exercises. Get off the treadmill and pick up some weights, do body weight exercises, you have to challenge yourself, if you are not feeling challenged, you are not going to see changes. All the fad diets and mindless walking on a treadmill may give you temporary results, but if you are not committed to your health you are not going to see long lasting results. Check out my facebook page and read my notes and the links I have on my page. Do some research on your own. You can get great results with very little time per day, if you are willing to commit to it. Look up the tabata protocol and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) stop wasting time on fad diets and hour long workouts. Work harder and smarter, just not longer when you don’t have to. So you have to ask your self do you really want to get in good shape or do you just like to complain about it while not making any changes. If you can make some small changes you can accomplish your goals over time. No miracle quick fixes, just hard work and a change in your diet.

  • deloar

    Hi, thanks for responding to my last message. I wanted to know how I can make my thighs and calves thinner. They are really big and I Have to make them small. Any ideas???

  • shalu

    my belly is too big after delivering twins. I look like am pregnant again. Will try this and let you know.

  • RACHAEL

    my tummy still looks like im having 5months pregnancy after having cs for twin delivery, im always looking checking my tummy which i know is giving me problem, cos i cannot go out without wearing big top, iv been to phisioteraphy but not helping, my kids are 1yr now my doctor said it wont go back cos i had cs, please what is the way out. up till now im doing tummy tucking

  • Marianne

    Penelope,
    Just wondering, How many weeks (?) between your start time and when you took the picture? Also, did you do 50-100 once a day, or more?
    Thanks! I’m pretty excited about this!

  • Penelope

    I started with 100-200 daily and then for maintenance I do about 50-100 three times a week (once you are where you are happy, you don’t really need to do as much to stay there). Honestly, it took over a month, so it wasn’t that quick, but most exercises take some time to get the results you want. As time went by, even though I did less for maintenance, my stomach still became leaner and firmer (I never took further photos though).

  • Corinne

    Hi, I had my son 8 months ago & I still have a wrinkly, saggy, jelly belly. Pre-pregnancy I had a very flat tummy and to see this mess on my midsection really is discouraging. I gained 60 lbs during my pregnancy, that’s a lot! I have 10 more lbs until I hit my pre-pregnancy weight. I think the only thing I am concerned about is if my belly will ever look the way it did before I got pregnant. I will try the exercise you have mentioned and see if it gives me results. I’ll be so happy if I get my tummy back.

    Btw, you look amazing!

  • Ryann Mancos

    My spouse and I stumbled over here by a different web address and thought
    I may as well check things out. I like what I see
    so now i am following you. Look forward to exploring your web page yet again.

  • Neshea

    I want to get a corset so i can flatten my stomach & get my body back in shape. & have that nice curve my stomach isn’t really that big but i still wanna flatten it.

  • Nikki

    Your tummy looks fantastic! You’d never guess you had a baby! How long did it take to get your tummy that flat? Did you do any other exercises as well as these? I’m having my second baby in 2 weeks and I’m dreading how my tummy will look afterwards. It took about 5 months to get my tummy back to normal with my first baby, and that was without exercising, just keeping super busy with my son! I’m really looking forward to giving this exercise a try after my daughter is born!

  • Uigess Tupuola

    Dear Penelope
    I have a bby boy his 2years old now but still tryin to get my belly flat like before, and when i read this i was amazed on how u make yours flat, can u mail me more info pls

  • Emily Robinson

    Question, I did not hear about postpartum wrapping until today.. and I had my child a month ago.. Will the wrap still work this late after I had my daughter? I don’t want to buy one and it be too late to use..

  • Penelope

    Yes, a month having past is not too late! Start asap! The sooner you start the better (within 3 days is best) but many women start after six months and still see a benefit, so I’d start wrapping my tummy as soon as I could get my hands on one.

  • sharon

    Hi I had 2 kids in the last two years. I’ve been trying to loose my extra skin. Is this exercise also to tighten loose skin? I can feel my ABS under the skin but can’t seem to be able to tightening it. Any advice? Ps I had my last child all natural 6 months ago.

  • D

    Hi, what kind of wrap did you use?? Like the name of it?

  • Penelope

    The one I used was called Baboosh, but there are many to choose from that are very effective.

  • Kofoworola

    Hi penelope,

    So you are saying that 6 months after one has had a baby that wrapping the belly and the tummy exercise may still work?

  • Penelope

    Yes, just start asap- the results won’t be as dramatic but it’s not until about 18 months after the baby is born that it’s useless to start wrapping the stomach. If you start to use belly wrap at six months, that is good, even a year has some benefits (the sooner after birth the better, but it’s not to late to get a tummy wrap and start using it now)

  • Cheryll

    I tried exercise and get flat tummy but i look like stretch and look funny tummy 🙁 how can I get back my flat tummy since I have three kids

  • trishawn hemsley

    wow nice tummy

  • rose

    I just had a cs 4 weeks ago they gave me a band to wear,I’ve been wearing it ever since, my question is how long should I keep wearing it?

  • Penelope

    If it is a band to help shrink the uterus and stomach faster, I would wear it for at least six months.

  • viviana

    Hi had my baby five months ago on the 18 shell be six mo. Is it too late to try this belly wrapping and exercise? And were can I get this belly wrapping thing and what is it called?

  • Penelope

    Hi Viviana, there are several companies that make tummy wraps, or you can make one at home with an ace bandage that is very wide and wrapped nice and tightly around your stomach (but not so tight that it cuts off circulation). Six months is late but not too late, I would definitely start now!

  • I absolutely love this exercise. Thank you for sharing this. How soon can you see results if you did 300 a day?
    Carol

  • Penelope

    I saw results pretty quickly (within a week) because it’s basically pulling inward, like a corset.

  • maropeng

    Is it to late to have a flat tummy on a 10weeks new mom?

  • Penelope

    Definitely not, start now! Most women start after 2 to 3 months with great results.