“SUGGEST wearing a tum-flashing crop top to most mothers and they’ll baulk in horror – except, that is, if you’re an A-list ‘flatpack mum’. The likes of Emma Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian have recently showcased their incredibly toned midriffs – but experts say it takes a terrifying amount of time, energy and discipline”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
The likes of Emma Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian have recently showcased their incredibly toned midriffs – but experts say it takes a terrifying amount of time, energy and discipline to achieve.
Emma Stone looked gorgeous in yellow at the Golden Globe AwardsCredit: Getty
Gwyneth Paltrow showing off toned stomach midriff on social mediaCredit: Instagram “The flatpack mum body is one that’s trained and tightly controlled,” says Sarah Campus, a personal trainer who specialises in women’s fitness.
“It’s the result of strict exercise, food control, recovery teams, PTs, nutritionists, childcare and time. These are things most mums – of either newborns, kids or teens – simply don’t have.”
Emma Stone, 37, who is mum to four-year-old daughter Louise Jean McCary, was dubbed the “coolest girl” at the Golden Globes on Monday thanks to her butter-yellow Louis Vuitton belly shirt.
Her washboard abs took centre stage in the dramatic outfit, which she completed with a floor-length feather skirt.
Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow recently flaunted her flat tum while showing off a white bralet and midi skirt from her eponymous clothing collection.
The 53-year-old actress, who is mum to daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19, maintains her miniscule middle with the help of bone broth (a protein-rich soup known for gut and joint health) and vegetable-heavy meals.
Her Goop lifestyle website also promotes a January detox which contains no coffee, alcohol, dairy, gluten, corn, nightshades (a group of plants that includes tomatoes and aubergines), soy, refined sugar, shellfish, white rice or eggs.
“Unless you have a chef or somebody cooking your meals for you, this type of diet is incredibly hard to stick to, “ comments Rob Hobson, nutritionist and author of The Low Appetite Cookbook.
“Most normal mums just can’t devote this kind of time to meal prep and planning. Sleep deprivation and stress make it even harder.”
Trim stomachs with visible abs – aka the ‘flatpack’ tum – has become the ultimate celebrity status symbol.
It’s basically impossible to achieve by going under the knife – it takes a graft and discipline, which for most normal people is unrealistic.
While surgery and tweakments can remove fat and excess skin, they can’t create defined muscle if they’re not there to begin with.
This new look is in sharp contrast to the years spent championing curves and fighting against bounce-back mum bods – especially as, post-pregnancy, a woman’s body goes through drastic changes.
“After pregnancy, levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone drop quickly which affects how the body stores fat and can encourage weight to settle around the stomach,” explains Sarah.
“Levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise from stress and lack of sleep which also add to more fat around the stomach.”
She adds: “Permanent physical changes such as stretched skin, separated ab muscles, pelvic floor damage and surgical scarring can mean that a super-flat, visibly toned stomach is not a realistic or fair expectation for most mothers, even healthy ones.”
Rochelle Humes at the Loreal Paris runwayCredit: Getty
Lily Allen sparked the trend when she stepped out in a silk co-ordCredit: Getty Rochelle Humes, 36, who has three children with husband Marvin, showed off her toned middle at Paris Fashion Week last autumn in a cropped halter top and low-slung skirt.
She’s previously shared her love of Pilates and family walks, and her trainer, Peter Mac, told Hello!, that she also does three weight-lifting sessions a week alongside two cardio sessions.
Singer and mum-of-two Lily Allen, 40, reality star Kate Ferdinand, 34, who is mum to two kids and step-mum to three and Loose Women star Frankie Bridge, 37, who has two sons, have also revealed their trim tums.
There is not one single diet trick that will achieve a toned tummyRob Hobson, nutritionist
Meanwhile, mum-of-four Kim Kardashian, 45, showed us a hint of her flat tummy in a sparkly purple co-ord at mum Kris Jenner’s 70th in November.
The Skims founder, who has been criticised in the past for promoting laxative-filled ‘flat tummy shakes’, admitted to having a £4,000 skin-tightening procedure called the Morpheus8 Microneedling Fractional Treatment.
This delivers heat deep into the skin to stimulate production of collagen, helping to improve firmness and texture over time.
Melissa Alcantara, a trainer Kim has previously worked with, also told Women’s Health that her ab routine includes lying leg lifts, reverse v-ups and bicycle crunches with a clap.
Kim Kardashian’s toned tummy is thanks to exercise, diet and a few beauty treatmentsCredit: Instagram
Davina dazzled in a purple co-ord for a recent episode of The Masked SingerCredit: Instagram Meanwhile, Davina McCall, 58, a mum of three, keeps her tum trim with a rigorous exercise regime.
She told The Telegraph: “Twice a week, maybe three times, I’ll do weights…I’ll follow a workout from my own health platform, Davina Own Goals, which has hundreds of classes by over 15 trainers, doing everything from barre, weights, HIIT, strength training, core and cardio.”
PT Sarah commented: “I would advise all women to strength train, aiming to build muscle with a progressive strength training programme, especially full-body and core-stability work, rather than endless ab exercises.
“For new mums, it’s important to check for diastasis recti, a separation of the abdominal muscles that can occur during pregnancy, and pelvic floor issues.
Throughout the nine months it takes for the body to bring a baby into the world, it goes through some huge physical changes.
Considering how different the body looks during pregnancy, it’s not surprising that there are some lasting changes.
And it some ways, it never does, Doctor Rachel Ward, a GP at Woodlands Medical Centre, Derby, said.
1. Wider ribcage and hips
“During pregnancy in order to accommodate a growing baby and prepare for giving birth, our body produces a hormone called relaxin,” she explained.
Relaxin works by increasing the flexibility and movement in our joints and ligaments.
“Many women find that after pregnancy the shape of their pelvis and ribcage remains different,” Dr Rachel said.
It is common to need a different bra size due to a change in chest circumference, the expert said.
“This is a reminder of the changes your body made to accommodate your baby and is nothing to be worried about,” she added.
2. Change in skin colour
During pregnancy, most women experience skin changes as it stretches to accommodate your bump and enlarging breasts.
“It is not uncommon to develop stretch marks.
“Though they will often fade over time and become a shiny pale colour, depending on your skin tone they will not go away completely,” Dr Rachel said.
“Some people do not like the way stretch marks look but they are an incredibly common change that we see in many people,” she added.
3. A change in breast shape
Breasts increase in size during pregnancy as the breast tissue prepares to produce milk.
And shortly after birth they will start to produce milk and become swollen, Dr Ward explained.
“If you choose to breast feed or not, it is likely that the shape, size and way your breasts look and feel will be different after pregnancy compared to before,” she added.
“This is not a problem but it is important that we do learn what the new normal is for our breasts so we can stay breast aware and pick up and changes that could be cancer.”
“Work with a physio if necessary, because traditional core workouts, such as sit-ups and crunches, can backfire.”
Nutritionist Rob said there is not “one single diet trick” to get this look.
“Prioritise protein at meals to support muscle maintenance and keep you fuller; this may help with energy levels and appetite,” he says.
“Choose carbohydrate sources with fibre and balance them with protein and fats to support steadier blood glucose responses, potentially reducing reliance on quick, sugary foods for energy.
Frankie also opted for a silk co-ord over the festive seasonCredit: Instagram
Kate Ferdinand is another celeb mum who works hard in the gym to achieve her bodyCredit: instagram./xkateferdinand “Be mindful of ultra-processed foods; diets high in these are consistently associated with lower nutrient density, reduced fibre intake and poorer overall diet quality.”
But, as with all of these celebrity trends, it is important to feel happy and healthy in your own body and not compare yourself to multi-millionaire A-listers.
Sarah added: “I hope that women – especially new mums – realise just how much work can go into a flat tummy and that they shouldn’t be adding this pressure to their life when they’re busy raising children.
“Consistency is essential over months and years as opposed to intensity. Don’t compare your body to a celebrity’s body; these are often shaped by extreme routines and image editing, so this will only undermine progress.
“The goal should be a strong, supported body that feels good, not punishment in pursuit of an unrealistic ideal.
“Celeb’s flat, toned stomachs aren’t actually a fair or typical benchmark weeks, months or even years after having children.”