For people who think they magically vanish with diet and exercise: I have lost 82 lbs since late June 2008. You can have washboard ab muscles, but when you lose that much weight you’ll still have loose skin over the washboard abs. And then, guess what? Ta da! Muffin top! You could work out 24/7/365 and it’s not going anywhere!
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Yup, there are two types of muffin tops:
Excess skin…nothing short of surgery gets rid of that
Excess subcutaneous fat
Even a small amount of excess weight and the wrong style or size pants can create a muffin top. The amount of excess weight and the tightness and area the waist band falls in will change the size of the muffin top.
Excess skin muffin top can be hidden or controlled with a combo of the right height waist band according to your figure and making sure the waist band isn’t tight. Fitted to slightly loose, never snug.
Excess weight muffin tops can be hidden the same way most of the time…but a lot of excess weight will be more obvious.
try doing a search online for dressing right according to boody shapes. There’s a few that show how to dress right for your shape and how to do it. It can help to choose the right riding clothes too. And for any shape and size that isn’t very very thin…remember that the right size bottoms are necessary. Too many people of all siizes think the smaller of the sizes they fit in means they look that size. However even bottoms only very slightly snug on a person makes them look larger instead of smaller. Go a size up, makes you look better. :yes:
I’m very short waisted, so if I wear regular rise breeches the top is actually higher than anything that could be considered a muffin top. I normally wear Tailored Sportsman breeches, I forget if its Royal or Supreme Hunter (the ones everyone used to wear religiously before the cheaper, stretchier TS ones became the “in” choice) because of their shape, and because they have a little more fabric/construction to them which is great for hiding undesirable traits…prefer the side zip infinitely over the front zip.
I pair these with the fitted RL polo shirts (not the “classic” aka boxy fit) which are short enough to still look neat and tidy untucked.
For horse shows I just pull my tucked-in shirt out a little bit (which I would do anyway for the sake of range of movement).
One other thing to note - I do teach a couple of pretty heavy adult riders and I swear they must all shop at the same saddlery because each one has some really ugly ribbed, super stretchy, super cheap breeches that just make them look awful. I can’t stress how important it is to go with something really well made, with substance. Its like you could wear spandex, or you could wear tailored slacks…which would you choose?
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[QUOTE=BelladonnaLily;4293979]
I am short-waisted (with little butt), so matter how much I weigh, I always have somewhat of a belly. With normal waist jeans and an extra 5 lbs, I have a muffin top. I have ALWAYS been paranoid about this. I have found that low-rise/mid-rise (No, NOT crack showing low low rise) pants do work well for me. I’m not showing my midriff under ANY circumstances, so showing my crack/underwear/skin isn’t a problem. But it does make the lines work better with most shirts. I rarely tuck anything in, but don’t have to wear long shirts to hide anything. I live in Gap and Old Navy v-neck tshirts. Because I am short-waisted, the mid/low rise seems to hit a more natural waist area for me.
And FWIW, I eat healthy, am a normal weight and work out 5-6 days a week, so some people will have these issues no matter their weight. When I gain any weight, it is ALL around my middle…I just have a screwed up shape 
:lol: Even at 130 lbs, I have no waist :no:[/QUOTE]
I think we’re twins! I’m exactly the same. I found a short sleeved Under Armour-like material top with pockets in the front (like a sweatshirt) and a zip up, that is super cool for summer riding, and hides my muffin top, such as it is.
I found it at an Eddie Bauer outlet, and bought it in four colors. The pockets in front hide the muffin top! It looks sort of like this, but without the hood, different fabric and slightly shorter sleeves.
You can bet, now that I know it hides my mt and is slimming looking, I’ll be buying them anytime I see them! :yes:
[QUOTE=Lucassb;4293516]
Depends a bit on how you are built, I think.
I am short waisted and although I am by no means skinny, I find the low rise breeches are more flattering than the ones that could multitask as a shelf bra. My low rise breeches actually hit me about an inch below my natural waist and are in no danger of producing anything like the plumber’s crack that I agree is just plain… icky.[/QUOTE]
Me too! I have some older breeches that my husband says comes to the bottom of my bra. A couple of good tugs and I could probably cover up part of the bra :lol:
I would try on a bunch of breeches and make sure that whatever you buy fits your waist. Nothing creates muffin top faster than a too tight waistband. I like the Ariats myself. Fit is everything. I can put on 5 different kinds of breeches of the same size and they will all fit differently. I swear, I put on the cheap TS and I look like I tried to cram 10 lbs of cr@p in a 5 lb sack but if I put on the expensive TS breeches in the same size, they fit. If you are still really concious of how you look, maybe evaluate your exercise program. But if you have already done that and you just have the bit of extra that most of us have, work on finding the right fit and try not to worry about it. It is probably not nearly as bad as you think it is. Besides, I can honestly say I have never checked out anyone’s muffin tops or VPLs at shows or clinics. I am way too busy with my horse and worrying about my own muffin top :winkgrin:
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This Australian girl is making riding jeans with a wide, mid-rise waistband so that the muffin top is reduced
(heads up - you can get a $15 discount here if you sign up: http://barcoo.launchrock.com/ )
A muffin top is usually caused by clothing - either a bad fit or wrong size. More often bad size.
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Wow, half these comments are rude af.
OP, is looking for some styling suggestions, not diet/fitness advice. So if you don’t have maybe think first.
The skinniest, fittest women can EASILY get a muffin top, it’s skin.
There are PLENTY of options to make a plus size/slim/curvy/petite/ANY women looks stylish depending on body shape.
OP - your best bet, is anything high waist, whether it breeches/riding tights/jeans. High waist will appear smoother, thus can be more flattering if you do wish to tuck a shirt.
I hope any comments about exercise and diet didn’t scare you away. We should all be very aware, every person is different, built wise, health wise, under lying issue wise.
Christ.
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Zombie thread. Resurrected by a new poster with five posts, all about the Australian jeans. Which might be divine.
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But I can’t see any of these Australian jeans, not even on the fb. I’m so confused. But yes, some of these posters are jerks.
It looks like the resurrector has over 2k posts and the newb responded to that. Not sure if maybe there was a message deleted b/c I don’t see anything about Australian jeans. I did read through the whole thing and found a brand I want to try so this is one I’m actually okay with getting bumped
The Australian Jean link was deleted. I saw it, too–and that was the person who resurrected several other old threads as well for the purpose of promoting a product.
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Okay, maybe this thread is not legit, but for those reading that are interested, I always find that a nice patterned top does wonders. Solid colors just draw attention to any imperfections. And let’s face it, how many of us are perfect. Opt for the patterns or tops with color blocks with the black sides. Something to break up your vision helps! For instance, Kerrits makes quite a few that I like! For instance: http://kerrits.com/womens/technical-riding-shirts/breeze-ice-fil-tank for casual summer riding. Of course, other makers have nice tops as well. And I agree with the other posters that suggest a nice WIDE waistband and belt help as well. Mid rise is my choice. Though these are expensive, something like this might help as well. It’s a bra, but also compression top. https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/cheata-equestrian-trotter-tank--14637
better go with a muffin top than this suggestion as this could lead to some uncomfortable medical condition(s)
As others have mentioned try on several types of breeches that fit better - some low rise may accentuate the issue.
Just putting this here: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?_r=0
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Right?! You will never ever hear a dr or dietician or fitness expert recommend a biggest loser type weight loss plan. Because it’s dangerous and unsustainable and dangerously unsustainable.
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Too many comments to read through to see if someone recommended what I do. I wear Jockey slip shorts (skimmies, etc) with the higher waist. They have a couple of different styles and leg lengths. Available at Target now. They aren’t restrictive like Spanx but they help smooth everything out. Plus, you don’t have any lines…I wear them pretty much under everything now. Helps with skinny jeans too.
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My problem is a short waist, thick torso and SKINNY legs. Naturally, there are no breeches or tights for this body type. Did I mention I’m also in my late 50’s? My body is not as “tight” as it used to be. To find pants that fit well on my waist, they are baggy on my legs.
It sucks being old AND short! 
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ROFL!
