help...body issues

[bubbaangle]

i have 2 beautiful baby girls both born over the last 2 yrs and i love them to bits.
dont get me wrong i dont regret having my babies but my body has issues.....
is there any exercises you can do to tone and firm up your breasts? i have some loose skin on my belly too, not that bad but when its on your body you tend to notice it more than other people.
i am not over weight and am still loosing weight but....
i have confidence issues when ever i am sitting down as the skin is much more noticeable than if i am standing.every day i struggle to find something to wear that is looser fitting. i have read some other posts about tummy skin and it stays that way. is this really true? is there absoloutly nothing that can help? i dont want to have surgery to fix this.
i hate to sound like a sook but im really in need of some advice.

[Feathertop]

Sadly, doing exercises won't tighten skin or fat - it will only tighten/strengthen/tone muscles. You can provide some more support for your skin by strengthening these muscles, which can give you a more toned look (but doesn't take away the excess skin).

You could try speaking to a physio, or a trained instructor at your local gym about what you want to achieve. A combination of some cardio work for general fitness, toning and health along with some strength training for targeted areas might be what you are looking for. Be kind to yourself - your body has done amazing things, and yes, it will never be the same again. But you can do some work on it if you're feeling low in confidence - a word of warning though - don't believe huge promises, they're unrealistic and set people up for feeling even worse about their bodies. Small changes over a longer period of time are good to look for. Make sure you are eating a well balance diet too, nothing silly. Protein (like meat) is needed to build muscles so make sure you are getting enough protein if you start doing some strength training. And when I say build muscles, I don't mean like a body builder, you won't look huge or odd, just toned (and you might feel better about yourself if you make small achievements in your training each week).

Good luck!!!

[Bea06]

I had my bub 3 months ago and have similar issues with the skin on my stomach. I was talking to a friend about it recently and she said that hers went away around 6 months after she gave birth - and she didn't do any particular exercises or anything.

I'm also having issues finding stuff to wear that doesn't show off my new muffin top, I had to resort to buying a few skirts with tie waists to hide it.

[Impatient]

I'm quite slim and it took around 18 months for my tummy to get back to normal after DD#1 and that's not doing any exercise, so there is hope for you yet!

I've still got some loose skin after DD#2, but this time I've joined a gym (it opens next week!), so I hope it'll go back to normal quicker because of that! I'm also 9 years older, so I know my skin isn't as stretchy as it used to be!