Lower tummy always bulging but I'm NOT fat! What is wrong?

Most of my life I have had the same problem. The only place I carry fat/excess weight is in my lower abdomen. Even when I trained and ran a marathon (once) twenty five years ago. I only weighed 110 lbs. in those days, but I still had the bulging tummy. Also when I was a gym rat and worked out everyday at the health club doing high impact aerobics, I still had the tummy. I have always fixed pasta dishes, especially when my two kids were growing up (it made the grocery budget go a little further and allowed me to serve tasty {nutritious it seemed} meals that we all loved).
The only time in my adult life that I didn't have much of a tummy was about three years ago, when I went through a divorce and went on a low carb diet.. I got down into size 4 jeans. I didn't drink hardly any alcohol at that time since I was alone for three months and busy getting my home ready to sell.
NOW for the last two years I have been living in sunny southern California and in a satisfying relationship with a man who enjoys having drinks EVERY night before/after dinner. To be sociable, I have joined him.... having at least ONE (often more) Bacardi light rum and diet cokes every night, and lately stopped being so careful about the carbs, NOW I feel like I have an even bigger stomach than I ever have and was saddened to find that I can't wear many of the pretty outfits (in size 8 even!!!) that I bought three years ago or less.
Last week after returning from a week's cruise and being surrounded by many grossly overweight men and women, I decided to cut back on carbs completely. I am only eating salads, fruits, lean meats, high protein Kashi Go Lean cereal...but ironically my stomach feels bigger than ever! I am really frustrated, especially since I have a family event to attend in about a week involving my ex-husband and our two adult kids.
My mother who is 83 years old will be there also. She is about fifty pounds overweight (mostly in her abdomen). She has such a hard time getting out of chairs, walking, etc. She has never exercised in her entire life. I don't want to ever get like she is! I try to get her to watch what she eats, but it falls on deaf ears. She says her doctor "won't let her diet" so she eats fattening pastries, deep fried fish, etc. and tells me that her doctor "won't allow her to diet on fresh fruits, vegetables, low fat meats".

I have the same problem and I have been researching it a little. My mom and my Gram on my dad's side both have diabetes and they carry their weight in the mid section as well. I think it is genetic!!! I hate that but I have done everything I can to get rid of it. I have noticed that the more water I drink the better it gets.....fill it up and it goes away ?? I don't really get that but it works. I also read that eating red grapes and mangos and pinapples help cut the fat in the tummy region. I do know that sit ups DONT help - they create muscle on the outside and help hold in all the inside parts but I still have that little pooch !!!! I have been sucking in my gut and sitting up straight and that seems to help a little too !!! Good luck.

hi i am 5'4 and 97 pounds and thats excatly the same with me.my tummy is really nice but my lower stomach has a little bulge i cant get rid of its great in the morning but by the evening its bulgy at the bottom i suck it in for hours and that help!!!but i dont understand i have a idea what it could be i have alot of rice and pasta and carbs thats wat i live on. if i was you i would eat cornflakes and milk for 5 days then bring back all the other food one by one then when your tummy bloats then you know what the cause is

Have you maybe tried straightening your posture.. It's a hard habit to get into, but a proper posture has done wonders for me. :)

I dont knkow about anyone else and i didnt finishing reading all the comments bc i need to o to bed but, in my family its hereditary. Im 5'2 and right now im 112 lbs and i have it. Iv always been very thin, the most iv ever weighed was 120. At one point i was on a medicine that made me drop down to 82 lbs and i still had it even though i was all skin and bones everywhere else.

I've had lower stomach fat my entire life and I've tried almost everything to get rid of it.  Even when I was super fit during my senior year in high school when I ran a half marathon I still had a pooch going on.  I don't know what it is but I hope someone does research on it to find out how to get rid of it because I'm really sick of mine too :(

I am currently a dietetic technology major and I have done substantial readings on these types of conditions. Ladies, there is no miracle food or exercise. As long as you're healthy and maintaining a healthy weight, that may be where your body stores your weight no matter what you do to get rid of it. Do not go on a crazy low-carb diet as that will only result in other complications such as ketosis where your blood will not be able to deliver oxygen efficiently. Consume a variety of foods such as nuts, fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins, and whole grains.

I'm thinking it comes down to protein. I used to eat a lot more than I do now, even late at night, but I really only ate protein, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and I was smaller than I am now and didn't have the pooch I do today. I really think it's carbs, especially sugars like fruit, juice, tea...

If you can afford it, I'd suggest endeavoring to eat meat at least twice a day. Have egg(s) for breakfast (scrambled or an omelette with veggies), eat yogurt for the probiotics or/and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch (if you must have it... pb = protein and fat, which is good for you in moderation and cuts back craving), and then have steak for dinner. Or chicken, or anything that is primarily (I mean 70%) meat. Eat that for a week and drink lots of waters flush out toxins and see if you don't feel thinner. I need to go back to eating more meat, but it is more expensive than carbs, sadly. Maybe try an egg diet... :)

For the skinny healthy people with great bodies it's your hip muscles....

Okey, so I read all your comments so I should say thanks. I'm 19 years old and a Filipino citizen so I don't think large intake of carbs like pasta and pizza is the reason why I have this big stomach and also its because i cant afford. I noticed that some of you says its the lower abdomen that bulge, but in my case, i think it is my stomach. The thing is, I'm 5'2 and 100lbs only and totally not fat. I run, do some exercise specifically to flatten my stomach but I dont see any improvements. Maybe I'm just a bit impatient. But should I continue? It is really an issue for me because it lowers my self esteem. I cant wear what I really want to wear. 

what about the hip muscles, exactly?

i'm 5'2 and 90 pounds, i used to do sit ups for an hour strait a day, to try and get a six pack, but instead it made my stomach worse, and now i have muscley fatty stuff over my lower abs and they wont go away even tho i changed my excersizes and eat pretty well. i dont even know if its fat but i just want to know how to get it away

Male: at 5'10 and 165 lbs last summer I rode my bike 4,000 miles across the country in 2 months. I left at 7% body fat and had been lifting heavily at the gym before leaving. At 25 years old I was in the best shape of my life. YET before and after my trip (averaging 75 miles a day on the bicycle) I still had a stomach pooch. Good luck peeps!

If anyone is still interested I have found multiple reasons for the lower bulge. Firstly it can be that your lower lumbar curve is exaggerated. For most people this is due to very tight hip reflexors, and for some others like myself it's actually due to a combination of tight hip reflexors as well as an overarching lower spine as the degrees of my individual lower vertebra are larger than they should be. Try doing hip flexor stretches twice a day and over time it should minimize. Also add in the right amount of daily fiber, diet, exercise and lower ab workouts such as leg lifts and planks. Hope this helps.