pherjo: My daughter, who has a four-year old son and is 34, belongs to a gym and has lost about 24 lbs on Atkins. She is shorter than I by several inches and is "short-waisted", whereas I have (lucky me unless I am trying to find jeans that fit) a long torso. She has the baby-fat plus the lbs gained that have nothing whatsoever to do with "baby", and still has 30 lbs to go before she reaches her goal. (BTW: she said it was fine with her if I discussed her when I told her about your original post.) Anyway, the fitness instructor at the gym she uses pretty much told her you can do crunches to tone the lower abdomen but that there is nothing specific that will a: tighten up loose skin from having a big stomach over a fairly long period of time (this is a different issue from stretch marks from pregnancy), and b: get rid of fat in a specific spot...you get rid of it all over. Now, that is one person's opinion and I don't know what his qualifications are. Why don't you ask TrainerDan this specific question. If anyone would probably know, he would. I have seen before&after pictures of some really heavy guys that followed his training advice after losing a significant amount of weight and I didn't see bellies or hanging skin on them. Of course, they may have had surgery, too, but I am sure TrainerDan would be honest and tell you if that is what it will take. Then, of course, let us ALL know what he says!!