Wasn't there some advice on exercises, with the plank included in the Times a while ago? Could you post up the link for this Harriet?

What did people think of the article?
I though it was a bit depressing that sit ups don't help! I find doing the plank and running at least make the tummy less noticable!

I'm hoping that giving up booze will help! I notice that a lot of big drinkers, myself included, have big tummies!

We used to do an exercise in yoga called 30,60,90 which works all 3 groups of stomach muscles but without putting strain on your back as sit-ups do.

You lie on you back and raise your legs, straight, to a 90 degrees position, then lower to 60 degrees, hold for 5, then lower again til about six inches off floor (30 degrees), then without touching the floor, bring them back up to 90. Repeat a few times - awesome!

I used to do this on the bathroom floor as my bath was filling every night, and got so good at it, I tried it with my big Caterpillar boots on. Trouble was, I had nothing else on apart from my boots and felt a right berk when my husband walkd in and asked me what the heck I was doing!!

That's how I lost a lot of my tummy Sue, I stopped for 12 weeks and then gradually introduced it back in. A weekend drink or two... Occasionally it goes to pot, but you see and feel yourself bloating. Cut back or stop again for a week and depending on how much damage you did, it don't take too long to lose the tum again. You will have to practice MODERATION, don't have a nip on school nights. If I can do it, you can.

I so agree with you both if I have 2 glasses I feel my tum is huge! I agree with moderation. Hard to do though!

Sue
Tackle on thing at a time either alcohol or diet or exercise I would find doing all 3 really hard!

Anyway I will be trying to see how many nights I can do this week without the drink!

I don't drink alcohol at all, but I tend to have a bloated tummy. I did read that eating lots of carbs can make it bloated because the carbs hold onto water as well.

Come on, Sue, you timed it and he just didn't take the hint. Silly man! That just has to be kinky.
I know this exercise too and it really does build up your strength. It's important to try and make sure that you stay within your limits though so that you don't end up arching your back. Sorry, this is me...

Food intolerance's can do the same, as with lots of processed foods. I think dehydration, bad nutrition dont help either.

Pity don't all live nearer to each other, we could have regular girlie nights, with lots of water. We'd be having so much fun, we wouldn't need any booze.

Inotice that if I have bread my tummy bloats.
A colleague of mine was mormal build but used to have a very large tum. She retired and took more excercise(swimming) and gave up on wheat. What a different person. She looks great and has kept it up as the excercise is regular but not masses and sticks to her new regime in diet.

I've wondered about food intolerance testing - I eat really healthily most of the time, but as soon as I start to eat. my tummy just expands. Sometimes I can look like I'm pregnant it gets so bloated. When I try and lose weight I just end up too skinny everywhere else... I have quite a healthy body fat percentage and its tight, not flabby.

I have thought about trying to cut out wheat, or dairy, as they can be quite common culprits but I don't really know where to start.

At your Gp. They should be arrange for you to be tested.

My neighbour at the farm down the road had an allergy test at Holland and Barrett then subsequently cut out onions and dairy - she is now a shadow of her former self!

Teresa, Jackie's advice is good. I know it's always me kicking in with warnings, but both my mother and a niece self-diagnosed wheat intolerance with almost fatal results for the niece. Luckily, we were able to persuade her to go for professional advice in the nick of time. Neither of them turned out to have food intolerances, never mind wheat intolerance. It's good to know so that you can deal with these things if need be, so do take professional advice.

I have thought about seeing the GP but thought they might think I was being vain (I'm not exactly fat), and I always wonder if you're going to get ripped off by these commercial ones. I can get a test cost back on HSA if the GP recommends it though, so I suppose I ought to go there first.

When I say its bloated, its not gassy though. Its just big. I'm not full of wind etc (sorry - perhaps too much detail here) and wouldn't that be a symptom if I was intolerant of something??

I agree with your Theresa
I try not to eat much bread which does it for me! and I feel heavy and fuller.

I would see the GP and at least you can rule it out as a potential problem. My family are very asmatic and allergic and I think these things are linked.

I've done a bit of surfing and found York Testing, who provide an initial screen test on special offer for £10 - if you test positive then they recommend the more advanced testing (which is quite expensive). However, they also say that 45% of the population will have some sort of food intolerance, so its almost 50/50 that you're going to get a positive test from the first test?

I suppose that if it came back clear then you wouldn't need to do anything else (and thereby saving yourself shedloads of money), but it just seems just as likely you are going to get a positive that doesn't really mean anything.

All my mum and husband say is that I'm not spring chicken any more and its just something that women have to live with... but I'm only just 41 and haven't hit the menopause yet (despite what my husband says!!). Is it just age?

I have noticed it much more since my op, but then I think that all the extra skin round my belly covered it up quite a bit before, not it's not there to hide behind!

Theres, could part of it also be that now that you are so slim you just notice your tummy more?
I don't consider my tummy to be fat, but if I was really slim then I can see that I might.