6 pack became two 3 packs

[UCLA man 101]

So I had a consult with a surgeon to discuss surgical repair of my abs separating. I'm only halfway to my weight loss goal and told him so. Surprisingly he said that he thought the separation will close when I'm at my weight loss goal so no need to research further and plan for a surgical repair in the future.

Has anyone else experienced their separation closing after weight loss without surgical repair?

[japeters 44]

wow i've never heard of this happening before, i'm interested in knowing more about this!

[AvaFern 3,516]

In theory, the separation might close, purely because there is no more fat underneath your abs causing them to be spread apart. When you have the abs repaired though they are actually sewn back together, which then not only helps the aesthetic in the moment, but if you do gain a little weight again, it minimizes the amount of separation in the future...unless you gain a lot and then either way that's not going to be great.

I also had separated abs, which unlike for most women was just because I was fat not because I had children, and the only way to fix it was as part of my abdominoplasty. I was very close to goal when I had plastics done, and I didn't even realize I had separated abs until I asked the doctor afterward. You can very clearly see the difference in my waist before and after, and it's one of the things people noticed first...wow, your waist got smaller!

Since you aren't at goal yet, there seems to be no harm in waiting until then and seeking a second opinion.

[UCLA man 101]

In theory, the separation might close, purely because there is no more fat underneath your abs causing them to be spread apart. When you have the abs repaired though they are actually sewn back together, which then not only helps the aesthetic in the moment, but if you do gain a little weight again, it minimizes the amount of separation in the future...unless you gain a lot and then either way that's not going to be great.

I also had separated abs, which unlike for most women was just because I was fat not because I had children, and the only way to fix it was as part of my abdominoplasty. I was very close to goal when I had plastics done, and I didn't even realize I had separated abs until I asked the doctor afterward. You can very clearly see the difference in my waist before and after, and it's one of the things people noticed first...wow, your waist got smaller!

Since you aren't at goal yet, there seems to be no harm in waiting until then and seeking a second opinion.

Thanks for sharing. I do agree that I need to wait and see. I am surprised more people aren't aware. A hernia doctor identified this years ago when I was gaining weight. To see if your abs have separated simply lie and the floor and perform a crunch. A ridge protrudes running from below the chest to the belly button because the abs have moved to the sides. Separated abs compromise core strength which is important for low back pain.