Big beer bellies and belts versus suspenders

So I used to be quite big (BMI 40-43) and now are getting close to goal (BMI of 27-28).  Like a lot of guys, I carried a lot of weight on my belly/waist, but I was _really_ good at it - my arms and upper body didn't have my fat, but I looked like a ... pear?  Biiiiig round belly and love handles and whatever we call back fat.

So, my "holdout" is my belly and lovehandles.  My waist is a nice small size (wearing 36 pants currently) but my belly just above it is another size altogether!  I have trouble wearing pants with a belt now - the belly fat and skin ride along the top of my pants and push them down...  doesn't matter how tight the belt is (actually I think tighter makes it worse), I'm always having to pull my pants up many times a day.

I asked my surgeon about this - he said that's what suspenders are for!  The problem is that with a smaller waist but big belly, the suspenders really call attention to the belly fat as they cut through it.  Anyone have any recommendations?

Couple of ideas.

Have you tried any type of support garments under your clothes?  Have no practical expereince in these but sure some will offer up something.

Can you wear your shirttail out?

Have you lookeding into plastic surgery to remove your panniculus?

Hey -

Thanks for responding:

1)  I haven't tried any support garments - I really know -nothing- about them.
2)  I can wear my shirttail out, yes
3)  I haven't looking into PS yet since I'm still losing.  I was going to investigate that next year.

Don't know how old you are.  I tried my suspenders from way back in my college days...When I got smaller.  I was looking for that 70'-early 80's Three Dog Night-Chicago type of look.  I ended up looking like a country hillbilly.  I would go to Kohls and try different styles and cuts of pants.  Look at some belts also.  Go with the suspenders around the house or on work projects...Usually not in public.  Just my thoughts.

I've seen that country hillbilly.  Yee Haw!  ROFL 

I am a big believer in spandex undershirts. I found some for about $10 at Walmart and wear them all the time. They tend to slim down the belly area (where I stored most of my fat). Helps keep the excess from pushing down the waist. Try looking on the racks with sports-related stuff. Used a lot my baseball players. Also found some at Big 5 sports.

Even after I hit my goal weight it still looked like I had a layer of fat in my stomach area. Talked with my doc about this. He claims that there is a type of fat that connects itself to the skin and the only way to get rid of it is surgery. He said lipo won't fix things and I could drop 20-30 lbs more and that fat would still be there.

So, I use the compression shirts to smooth things out and give me a slimmer look. I tried suspenders and I really only like them if I'm wearing a sweater or sport coat. Don't like them for daily use.