Is it okay to have muffin top if... - YouLookFab Forum

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Is it okay to have muffin top if...

catgirl

Veteran

it is concealed or covered up? Or does MT mean that the jeans don't fit? In other words, is it unavoidable in certain circumstances?

I've only recently had an issue with muffin top, and I feel very uncomfortable about it. At the same time, for certain of my jeans to stay on, they have to be tight enough that there is a bit of pinching (without discomfort). I just hate the way it looks and feels, even if no one else can see it.

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67 replies

Latest reply was from Isabel

Julie

Veteran

There are only two cures for muffin tops. First one is a higher waisted jean. The second id to lay off the muffins. Seriously, more muffin tops are from ill fitting clothes than anything else. If you want to wear the low and ultra low rise jeans, without having muffin tops, it's time for a lifestyle change.

Julie

Mo

(website)

Veteran

If it makes you uncomfortable to know it's there even when others can't tell, I'd say it's not okay. If you are totally fine with what the public won't see - go for it! I wonder if the rise of your jeans is the issue? I know we can't possibly tailor everything we own so some things I deal with as long as it doesn't look bad, you know? So, for me, yes, it's okay

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Thats like the one about the sound of a tree falling in the forest if no one is there to hear it Una! I say its like Vegas, baby...what happens in the muffintop zone stays in the muffintop zone (provided it is truly concealed!)... L

kellygirl

Veteran

I agree with Thimbelina : ) If you can't see it, it's not there.

catgirl

Veteran

I don't wear low rise jeans any more... part of my problem is that I have no waist or derriere, so my jeans have to fit a little more snugly to stay up. Yet somehow I manage to have flab there. I did just thrift a pair of Cabi wide legs that are fitting really nicely so far, and no MT!

crwilson

Veteran

I agree with Thimbelina and Kellygirl in theory, but in practice, I can't stand it, even if others can't see it. I have the same issue because my hips are so much smaller than they should be, given the size of my waist.

Barbara

Veteran

Muffin top is a rather unflattering and brutally honest description of flesh spilling out over the top of jeans. It can happen when the jeans are too tight or there is an overabundance of tummy, or spare tire, to put it bluntly.

Julie said it perfectly: Stay away from fat-laden muffins or, even better, develop a low fat recipe.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

In order to get the fit that I like on the thighs, hips and rear of my jeans I often times end up with muffin top.

anne

Veteran

It is so hard to avoid. I have jeans that fit perfectly when I put them on but over the course of the day they slip down and then I get muffin top.
I vote for just cover them up!

Queen Mum

Veteran

I think it depends on how much muffin top we're talking. A little... then ok, alot, then I'm guessing the jeans aren't the best fit.

catgirl

Veteran

It's not a lot, but like anne said, over the course of the day stretching and slippage will bring it out...

Queen Mum

Veteran

I think you're fine then.

Jonesy

Veteran

I think the only real solution is a higher rise. With lower rise jeans, at least a bit of bulging over the waistband is practically inevitable for most people--gravity works its mischief throughout the day.

Kyle

Veteran

I hate this myself and find that it's really only a problem with lower cut and too tight jeans. If you try a higher rise and it's still an issue, then it's time to make the best of it. So find and wear the jeans that create the least MT, and wear tops that don't spotlight it. I personally don't want others to see it, but don't like the feel of it, either, even if I'm the only one who knows. So I'm all about eliminating or minimizing in any way possible.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Julie and Barbara, I respectfully disagree. Muffin top is a fact of life for certain body shapes. The wrong jeans can create one -- I would get it with tight, low-rise jeans even when I was 23, in deadly shape and weighed 98 lbs.

If you're lucky enough to be slim and have lots of space between the bottom of your ribcage and the top of your hips, you may not get this problem. But for us shortwaisted gals with no butt, muffin top is an ongoing problem, no matter how skinny we get.

The best solution I have found so far is to wear mid-rise jeans that fit really well. Una, I'm having deja vu. I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before!

rosee

Veteran

Sorry to disagree with Barbara (NC) ... but it's not the fat that causes muffin top or extra padding in the abdomen, it's often low-fat /high-carb foods (has to do with how insulin spikes occur with the excess carbs); most fats are actually healthy for you, but saturated fats only in moderation.

Fashion-wise: if it is concealed by the clothes, muffin top does not exist in the eye of the beholder. It can be concealed in clever ways (nothing too clingy over top, no exposed midriff).

CK

I get the same thing with the slippage throughout the day, but I find my jeans slip less if I wear a belt. I just ordered an invisibelt for when I don't want my belt to show - which is usually - I'm not a tucker.

Kristine

Veteran

Sometimes muffin top has to do with shape, not size. I'm a slim rectangle and I get muffin top because most pants that fit in the hips are a bit tight in the waist. I think it's fine as long as it's comfortable and well covered (not a shirt that might ride up).

catgirl

Veteran

I have to say, I climb with a woman who is rail thin, but her harness, at mid-waist, gives her muffin top because it digs in to whatever she does have there, internal organs for all I know. Like Elizabeth, this might have been a problem for me even at my thinnest, when I was quite unhealthy - but rises were higher back then. I think the higher rise is the solution...

Jonesy

Veteran

Una, I was at a Levi's store recently when I was in Chicago, and I tried on a couple of their new cuts of women's jeans (the slight curve and the demi curve, since I have no butt and narrow hips relative to my waist). They were both so low rise on me that they didn't work at all. Then the sales guy brought me some men's super skinny jeans, claiming they were popular with women (with a certain body type) and they had a higher rise. I was dubious, but I put them on and the angels started singing!!! Pure bliss! I have been wearing them non-stop since I got them. They fit so well--no more constantly tugging up my jeans throughout the day. So, have you tried dude jeans?

http://us.levi.com/product/ind.....54.3691988

crwilson

Veteran

I'm going to echo elisabeth and say that I think it's inevitable for certain body types - even if very slender - especially those of us with super-short waists for whom even mid-rise jeans means that the waist will be sitting well above the belly button and quite close to the bust. If you combine a short waist with very slender hips (and no butt)...muffin top is difficult to avoid, even if very fit.

To be honest, this is why I avoid jeans. Una - I honestly think you'll be fine if it doesn't make you too uncomfortable. I find that a cami helps me feel better about it. (I did vote "nay," for the record, but only because I think it's just plain uncomfortable and firmly believe that everyone deserves comfort.)

sarah

Veteran

High-five, Elisabeth. I have to disagree with much of what is being said here, ladies. I hate muffin top, with a passion. BUT, that said, I very often have (concealed) muffin top. I am fit (I work out nearly daily), I have an extremely healthy diet, and I am not overweight. However, as I age and near menopause, my metabolism has slowed to a crawl, my weight has settled around the mid-section of my rectangular/IT frame, and as a person with no hips, the only way I can get my pants to fit is to have them snug around my waist, which sometimes results in, you guessed it, muffin top. And I don't have the option of wearing a higher rise in all of my pants - for example, this happens with my BR Martin skinnies, as well as other pants besides jeans. I wear a jacket or a cardi, and call it a successful day. Here's to "out of sight out of mind".

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Love that you tried dude jeans, Jonesy!! Have we seen them on?

I have a lot to say about muffin top. It is the NUMBER ONE fit challenge with my clientele - by far.

Higher rise anything is very effective, but its not the only solution by far. Soft woven tops that float away from the body are an even better solution in my book. And banded tops are about the best solution.

To answer your question Una, try higher rise jeans first.

Maya

Veteran

Muffin top doesn't exist on naked bodies. It is created by clothes. Likewise, clothes can make it go away too. As others have said, if you can't see it, it isn't there.

kellygirl

Veteran

elisabeth and sarah, you took the words right out of my mouth. I'm raising my hand to be in the "no butt" group!

Carole

Veteran

I have to say, higher waist jeans are heaven!

Girl X

(website)

Veteran

Jonesy has it right: no waist + flat bum = men's jeans. Men's jeans have come a long way, you could totally find something stylish and flattering. Get yourself to a store that caters to boys in their 20's and you'll even find a full colour palette to choose from.

Kari

Veteran

I nearly always have this with pants or jeans. Regardless of my weight or size, I always carry some squishiness around my midsection and hips, and my rise is VERY high. There is no way to get pants that fit at my actual waist, so even regular rise pants end up being low rise on me. Muffin top is just part of the game.

That's one more reason why I am a skirt/dress girl. With skirts, the waistband is actually up at or near my natural waist, and with dresses of course this problem is avoided entirely.

catgirl

Veteran

Jonesy, yes! I used to thrift men's and boys jeans all the time, until my friends started remarking that I looked like a teen skateboard punk. I will scale up in quality and see if that helps.

Angie, thanks! I am talking more about the existence of muffin top than the visibility of it. I have figured out ways to hide it (just bought the Hinge peacock blouse). So are you saying your clients may have muffin top but wear clothes to disguise it, and that's okay? Or that they find a way to eliminate its very existence?

Thanks so much to all of you who chimed in with a similar issue - you made me feel so much better that I am not alone...

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