I'm a size six and have a little bit of a bubba on my belly, sometimes a bit more than others. I have a couple pair of "low-rise jeans", and I wear a longer shirt with them--something that will cover my flesh--although if I have to bend over and you catch a glimpse of my thong, get over it, if I had granny panties on you would have seen them too. I don't intentionally show off my underwear.
Here's a tip--Ralph Lauren makes a great mid-rise jean--VERY comfortable and VERY, VERY, VERY slimming--the most slimming pair of pants I've ever owned! I've had a couple of pairs for a couple of years now and they wear wonderfully. With those you can wear a shorter shirt (not crop-top) without worry of looking like a muffin top. Oh, and your thong won't show either.
BTW--I don't see why so many of you have an obsession about thong underwear showing. I've seen lots of baggy granny panties hanging out of the backs of women's pants, and no one ever seems to complain about that. Personally I think that looks a lot worse...
And until you've tried a thong, don't knock them. They are a lot more comfortable than walking around with half of your cotton panties wedgied up your crack--it's a lot less fabric to be readjusting all the time (ie. no readjusting ever needed), and no panty lines. IMHO, many of them are uncomfortable. The trick is to find the right one for you. Once you do, you'll never look back.
Anne