Well, for starters, it's not important what anyone thinks about a belly piercing except for you b/c a body piercing and body ink has to be special for you b/c you have to live with it.
However, as a person who has had a navel piercing, I loved it except I didn't count on being allergic to nickel. Many women are. I mean the stats are somewhere upwards of 75 to 80% of women who are allergic to nickel so you need to know ahead of time or just skip the whole process of surgical stainless steel b/c it does contain nickel (I know b/c I lost my navel piercing b/c it became infected although I have Lupus (SLE) & Sjogren's Disease so I'm prone to infection & when I get infections, be they viral or bacterial, it can go sideways in a hurry). My doctor was willing to keep it checked but an infection started within days after & I had to have my jewelry taken out w/ special cleaning orders so it wouldn't close up w/infection in the center of the piercing hole.
Before you even considering a piercing artist, do some homework. Find out if the artist you have in mind has a health certification, what the rating is, & if they possess & use an autoclave. If not, go elsewhere to someone who does b/c piercings w/o an autoclave can spread HIV/Aids & even hepatitis. Ensure they use fresh gloves & use a hazardous waste bin for all items that are no longer sterile & req safe disposal. It will cost a bit more but considering the possibility of the alternative, it's worth the extra $.
As for the "chub", there's an answer here but it will take vigilance & it may require putting off your piercing, which is the best way. The best way to lose "chub" is in the water. Swimming laps uses every muscle in the body & doing this every day to 3-4 days a week will do wonders! I've personally lost 40lbs by swimming laps in the pool. It's best to get up to 10 laps at each session but build up to it, don't try to do it all at once. Just 1-2 laps a few times a week will make a major difference but will also req a change in diet & ensure you hydrate well w/lots of water. Cut down on sodas a little at a time & replace them with water & fresh juice or juice that's "not-from-concentrate." Eat a light healthy breakfast every day. If you must have coffee, switch to decaf or half-caf (various roasters carry half-caf beans) coffee. Buy a quality French Press, burr grinder, vac-sealed container after each removal to grind fresh coffee beans, & a hand-held frothing wand that can make 1% milk & even Silk milk creamy for coffee.
At 1st, the weight loss on the scales won't seem as if it's truly lost but it is. It takes time to build up from toning muscles you didn't know you had to reaching the point where the toning is done & the weight loss begins while maintaining the tone & muscle strength. Keep at it. If you do what I've mentioned above, plus let your doctor in on the regimen & only go thro w/it if he/she agrees. If you do, within a period of 3-4mos you can lose as high as 40lbs w/o seeming as if you've even tried. Oh, ask a swimmer who swims laps to teach you how to turn while in the water without having to stop so you can push off the wall after flipping at the end of a lap as you prepare to swim back in the direction you came. It can shave time off your laps.
If you're sore, soak for 10 to 15mins in the spa at the fitness center or the YMCA. Most have a hot tub area. It will help reduce soreness & muscle tightening from using muscles you didn't know you had.
Ask your piercing artist how long you should stay out of the water after your piercing & follow the directions to the letter. You don't want infection & you certainly don't want the burn from chlorine in the pools & spas b/c commercial spas/pools have a higher chlorine amount added than that of a home in-ground poo/lap-pool. If you're a natural or bottle blond (I've been for 25+yrs), stop by your hairdressers for special shampoo/conditioner to remove chlorine from hair to prevent it from becoming brassy from the chlorine. A swim cap helps too.
Keep up the swimming & healthy diet, healthier coffee (Bodum French Press) & burr grinder w/fresh coffee beans (half-caf from roaster not grocer) using RO water & light to 1% milk while watching what you eat by sticking w/broiled, boiled, grilled, or baked foods w/little meat & more fruits/veggies & you can show off your new abs & navel piercing!
FYI: I haven't had time to have my navel re-pierced but I did have my left nostril pierced. I wear 1 of 2 gold (10K gold) nose bones w/2mm high-quality diamonds in my piercing. It's elegant & goes w/everything. I keep a few retainers in case I have to have tests run that req removing my jewelry but I pop the nose bone back into place shortly after w/o a problem. Best of all, I'm happy w/it.