OT: All I want for Christmas is no more MUFFIN TOP!

agrace

I'm very appreciative of the posts about weight loss and RoseandJoan's inspirational recipe post. I must jump off topic briefly just to complain that I really do not like having a muffin top. I am getting inspired by hearing all of the efforts on here for weight loss and just being healthier in general and just loathing this muffin top that I get in all of my clothes. It keeps me from wearing so many things I would otherwise be all over.
Just venting, half tongue in cheek. But the muffin top's days are limited....

16 years ago

General

8 replies

Latest reply was from agrace

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I like to think there is no such thing as muffin top just clothes that don't fit quite right! Good luck with the healthy eating plan!

16 years ago

Boof

Active Member

I'm with Julie. I've come to the conclusion that no matter how much I weigh, I will have some sort of muffin spillage with certain clothes. I would like to lose a few more lbs., but that won't make my muffin top go away. After two babies, age, etc., I think that surgery is the only thing that would eliminate the muffin top. I just won't do that, so I'm learning to embrace the muffin. Clothes that fit properly make all of the difference! I actually had less muffin top when I was heavier, because the extra body fat plumped everything up. I"ll happily take the muffin that comes with a healthier body. :o)

16 years ago

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Not all muffin tops are the same, I have learned.

1. There's the kind that comes from putting on pants that used to fit perfectly fine but now you're coming out from the top; that kind is fixable with healthier eating/more exercise.
2. Then there's the kind that comes as soon as your put on pants that are in your correct size; they might "fit" but the cut of them isn't right for your body. Get a pair with a higher rise instead to resolve that one.

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

The question is, "Do you have muffin top when you are buck-naked?" Probably not.

Most pants are designed for an "average" hip-to-waist ratio ... right around 0.7. Check out size charts and you'll see...

size 2 is 25/35 = 0.7 ratio
size 4 is 26/36 = 0.7 ratio
size 6 is 27/37 = 0.7 ratio
...and on.

However, few women fit this average. If you are below 0.7 ratio, you'll need a belt because your jeans will gap in the back. If you are above this ratio, you get muffin top. Unless you size up to fit your waist, in which case the pants will be too loose in the hips.

I'm a 0.8 ratio no matter how thin I am. I look just fine without clothes on, or with stretchy clothes like ponte knit slacks or yoga pants. Nobody would call me fat. But I still get muffin top with many, many brands of jeans and slacks. Even when my body fat ratio was super-low. It's just how I'm built!

16 years ago

agrace

Active Member

You are all so wise! KP, I love your identification of the 'type' of muffin top. Very helpful for the diagnosis. I think mine is primarily # 1...the thing is I NEVER had muffin top before having 2 kids. I really think this is postpartum muffin top. I'm just not sure how to get rid of it because I am a runner and so I know the problem is likely my eating PLUS the fit of things. I have apple tendencies to be sure.

Shiny - thank you for the incredibly helpful info. You are so knowledgeable.

I just never, ever had it before I had kids. And back then I thought I was too heavy! Sigh. Time to kick it into even higher gear and try to get rid of it. And maybe try some different cuts of jeans too. A higher waist is definitely in order.

16 years ago

Maya

Veteran

Shiny is so right.

Actually, even if you have the right WH ratio, you'll probably still get muffin top unless your stomach is hard and flat as a board. I am 27/37 but I am super short-waisted, so the vertical proportions on jeans are never quite right for me and end up pinching. When I lift my arms up and stretch my torso, I am able to fit 2 hands between my bust and waist...which according to Imogen's theory, would be normal--neither short nor long waisted. It is amazing how much thinner I am just as a result of those few extra inches that allow just enough space for the little fat I have to distribute itself.

Then as soon as I put my hands back by my side, everything compresses back to its former flabby glory. Sigh. But it made me realize there is nothing I can do about it. There just simply isn't any room in that area, so even an ounce of fluff is going to look more like a pound. I was flabby even at a 25" waist.

For me, muffin top has nothing to do with being fat, having kids, wearing the wrong size or fit, or not wearing a high enough rise. I have 10" rise jeans that give me muffin top and I am a size 4. Never had any babies. For some reason, pants don't seem to do this and I haven't quite figured out why. Skirts and dresses skim over everything perfectly, so if there is ever a day when you are feeling low, I recommend ditching jeans and pants and wearing a pretty dress instead.

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

*chuckle*

It’s a fact that skirts and dresses are the more flattering options for muffin top. Layering, volume and structure in the right places helps too. In fact dressing smartly is the perfect solution. Out of all body shape challenges with my clients, muffin top is #1. By far. It’s especially challenging with casual wear. But it is what it is and there are always solutions.

I don’t know if that made you feel better, agrace. Hope so :0)

16 years ago

agrace

Active Member

Angie, It is helpful to know I am not the only one out there with this dreaded problem. I never realized it was such a big problem but I see so many 'what not to wear' examples of EXTREME muffin top. I just pray I'm not one of the extreme ones LOL. Seriously, I wish designers/ retailers would start paying heed to the muffin top issue. Maybe a line of clothes designed for muffin top. What could it be called?
Maybe 'muffin by muffin top' or something catchy? But it would have jeans and a whole bunch of other clothes designed to camouflage AND feel comfortable for we who have the dreaded muffin top.

16 years ago

Category