ab exercise...what to do?

Ok I have lost over 70 pounds and over 42 inches all over but still my lower stomach is the biggest part of me now. I have been told different things such as don't do ab workouts untill you lose all the weight you want and then do ab exercises to tighten them up while you are losing weight. Can anyone tell me which way is best and what you did to get that lower stomach tighter. I know there is a lot of skin when you lose weight but something has to make it a little smaller than it is.

Thanks for any input!!

Ab crunches will tighten your muscles but the extra skin will be there unless you have PS. If you have a gym to go to you can start anytime. I do 100 crunches every time I go, same for leg press and back muscles.

You can tighten up the muscles and that will make you lose inches overall, but there really isn't much you can do about the skin.

Certainly do the exercises! Strong abdominals are great for posture and will help you maintain better form during cardio workouts. I do leg lifts, crunches, planks, and supermans. Google those terms and you'll find examples. They aren't my favorite exercises, but I know they're good for me.

Incidentally, the hanging skin can make them a little uncomfortable, so I usually wear a compression shirt or long sports bra tank to help. Best of luck and congrats on your success thus far!

My only advise is don't only do crunches. Google ab exercises or get a DVD!

*Advice

You can't spot reduce and choose where you lose inches, but any kind of exercise will only help you. Doing core exercises won't necessarily make your stomach any flatter, and because your abs have such a small range of motion, ab exercises alone don't burn many calories. But the stronger your core, the more ready you'll be to take on more vigorous, full-body workouts that will much more dramatically help with overall weight loss.

As for skin, no exercise in the world will reduce excess skin.

Also, I echo the poster above who advised to not just do crunches. There are a ton of really effective core workouts, so make sure to use a variety designed to target different areas--upper and lower abs, obliques, serratus, and even your diaphragm, which will aid in proper breathing during cardio.

I go 5 times a week to the YMCA
Do weight lifting 50 minutes walking and 50 minutes swimming and on saturday i play racketball with y hubby
I love it so much and never before was I so exersize crazy like now...