The Dreaded Muffin Top

One of the reasons I never wear low-rise pants is the dreaded muffin top.

I never had a muffin top until after I had a baby. Within four months I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I still had this roll of extra skin and flab around my mid-section. Will it ever go away? The extra skin part is especially scary. I mean, I have an idea of how to lose fat, but I have never heard of a skin-loss program. Have you?

First lets approach the fat question. What's the best way to get rid of that flab around your mid-section so you resemble the slender person you are, rather than the Michelin man?

My research tells me that walking quickly -- with two minute "cardio bursts" -- is the way to go. What is a "cardio burst"? That's the point when you find yourself unable to speak during exercising. It's that fast walk/slow jog (or whatever it takes you to become breathless) section of your exercise routine.

I found a couple of articles that tout this type of exercise as the way to lose your flabby middle: One from MSN and one from Prevention.

So the best thing for getting rid of -- or at least reducing -- a muffin top is a combination of walking, cardio bursts and exercises that strengthen and tone the "core" muscles in your abdomen.

As for the extra skin leftover from pregnancy, alas, there doesn't seem to be anything one can do about it, short of surgery.