Losing the Baby Weight
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Ladies, here’s a fun open thread for today: how did you lose the baby weight? If you haven’t yet (but have tried), what do you think the reason is? Have you discovered any new great recipes or workouts you love along the way?
For my $.02, I’m still struggling, I guess with weight that I originally put on when I was pregnant with my first (who was born in August 2011, so, uh, it’s technically still baby weight, right?). I did everything to lose weight after J was born — being in a new body at the same time I was going through my postpartum identity crisis seemed like adding insult to injury.
I finally got into a good groove right around the time we got pregnant with my second, H. During my first trimester, J was just starting a new “school year” at his daycare, and I caught at least two stomach bugs from him. As a result, I actually lost about 10 pounds during those few months. My doctors said not to worry, one telling me cheerfully, “You have a very efficient little parasite in there!” I was already so overweight that minimal weight gain during my pregnancy was the goal anyway. I gained 20 pounds after that point — before delivering a 10 pound, 2 oz. baby. After H, I fell into a good weight training regimen and lost more weight — then hit a stressful patch last summer and gained a ton of it back… and then tore my ACL on vacation in November, which at least put the focus on food.
Going back even further than THAT, though, I had lost/maintained a healthy weight for years when I was in BigLaw — but when I left my firm (ending my nightly healthyish Seamless dinners for 1) and got married, and started drinking a glass of wine (or more) with dinner most nights, that was when the real weight creep started. I never really found my “healthy” groove, if that makes sense.
SO: I’m pretty much exactly where I was after having J. I make small adjustments to my diet/lifestyle every week, it seems (I’m only going to eat the same 5 dinners! I’m only going to have a glass of wine every OTHER night! I get a star if I work out 3x a week!), and I’ve been doing some version of Weight Watchers for the better part of a decade at this point — so I’m not really the best person to give advice.
So instead, let’s turn it over to you guys — what did you do to lose the baby weight? Have other lifestyle changes (new job, new house, new baby) made maintaining your diet a challenge? What is your body image like right now?
Pictured: Pixabay.
Gained a lot with first pregnancy- early miscarriage. Gained more with second pregnancy- healthy baby (woo!).
Almost two years later still working at losing all the weight. Taking it more seriously since July than ever before and making some real strides. It’s going to be a slow process but I’m going to basically change my lifestyle not my weight. Focusing on going to the gym three times a week and walking more and eating better.
Similar to the commenters at the top who decided the “baby weight” was the wrong focus…
I decided after #2 (last year) that I wanted to focus on getting stronger. I wanted to be able to lift heavy things. (Including my 5 year old.) So I started weight lifting with a personal trainer. (I do the “slow lift” or “power of 10” thing.) Weight loss was incidental to that, but mostly I’m happy because I am a lot stronger. I leg press something like 320 lbs. :) and I’m a petite person who has been slim but never strong. So that makes me happy.
I was one of those women who can’t seem to keep weight on while breastfeeding, and then when I wean it comes back with a vengeance and I can’t shed it no matter what. I have two kids. For both, I was around 120 when I got pregnant, delivered at 140, and was 125 at my 6 week pp check up. Then, about 3 months after I had them, I was between 110-115 and just stayed there for the two years I breastfed with each. When I weaned with my first, I got pregnant again so I’m assuming I would have continued to gain weight but was pregnant instead so it doesn’t count. After my second, after I weaned my weight just kept climbing and I’ve tried to keep it off but it’s so hard. I swear my calorie intake has to stay around 1000-1200 for it to budge at all, and I love food so that’s really hard.
My normal weight used to hang out at 125, but I gained 5 lbs from back to back IVF rounds. Then I gained 53 lbs during pregnancy (I did also have a lot of swelling, so there was significant fluid). I don’t remember what I was after delivery because I ended up back in the hospital with heart failure…. But I started dieting pretty shortly after because due to hemorrhaging/heart failure/blood transfusions etc I wasn’t breastfeeding. I was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight by 7 months and down to 123 (I moved my goal down a bit because my waist is much wider than before) by 9 months. I finally found that I did best eating a normal breakfast, normal lunch, and having a very small dinner (pickles, cheese and crackers, unsweetened iced tea). We also keep very active (walks almost every day, we go to the park a lot, we go to a botanical garden almost every weekend and walk 7-8 miles). I have a hard time with the gym because I get up at 4:30 to get into work early and I don’t want to give up my time with the baby after work.
I wouldn’t assume everyone wants to lose the baby weight, for starters. I understand that many people do, so I get where this question is coming from, but I would rather measure my health in terms of how I feel (strong, fast, calm, happy, not stressed). I also run at lunch (things get reshuffled to fit this in – I joke that I work while I pump, eat while I work, and run at lunch) for a quick adrenaline boost :)
I’m fairly petite, and often get comments like ‘you look like you were never pregnant!’, which sounds like people are assuming I must’ve actively done something to lose the baby weight, or that losing weight was a concern of mine. I realise those comments are often meant as compliments, and receive them in that spirit – but I worry that accepting them as compliments just feeds into the misconception that ‘everyone wants to lose baby weight’.
So my story isn’t awesome – but it’s getting better.
Baby 1 was born extremely premature, but I was already on track to gain way more weight than I should. Apparently I turn into a blimp when I’m pregnant (must run in the family, my much-thinner, more-health-conscious sister does too). In the aftermath of traumatic birth, NICU and subsequent loss, I pretty much ate for comfort. Looking back I also suspect maybe some hormonal things weren’t right. About 8 months after my son died, I finally started Anne Louise Gittleman’s Fat Flush Diet, and was weight training and finally got back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
Baby 2 was full term, and I gained about 55 pounds, in spite of trying to stay active. In the first 6 months PP I lost some, and then in the second 6 months my weight sky-rocketed. I ended up heavier than when I was 9 months pregnant. After working with my doctor, I found I had hypothyroidism, estrogen dominance and low progesterone – all of which contribute to weight gain and retention. I was so miserable.
Now that my test results are coming back normal, I’m tracking calories and trying to stay active. I’m not a big exercise person, but I’m making choices to walk when I can, play with my son at the park, run around in the back yard, and take the stairs. I’ve lost 22 pounds in about 3 months. I’ve still got a ways to go, but positive changes are making a difference.
I am actually 5- 10 lbs lighter than I was before my 1st baby. The kids just don’t let me eat – I’m constantly getting up and down, getting them milk and ketchup or whatever. It’s kind of miserable actually – I’ve been to countless family events and holidays where this is all this beautiful food, and I barely eat 3 bites because I have a toddler and a baby who are so high friggin’ maintenance. However, even though I am lighter, my body is a mess. I have a major pooch and my mid-section looks like a Sharpei. I wasn’t thin before kids, and was never really happy with my body, so I am not devastated with not having a great body now. I’m actually not concerned with my appearance at all. My husband is nice to me, and think I look good (and would never say otherwise), and I look ok in clothes. I feel like I’m reaching a stage in my life where I’m just done obsessing about my looks. But I want to be healthier, so I’ve been doing a lot of HIIT and spin classes (5X a week) and eating well (not “light” but everything I eat is good food). I feel good overall.
I’m reading this while eating Oreos…sigh
I gained 20 pounds during pregnancy and had basically lost it all within two months. Not by any particular effort on my end. However, I was (am) overweight to start (and finish).
Now that I am back at work, have a long commute and unlimited snacks at the office (lara bars, potato chips, peanut butter, the aforementioned oreos), I’ve been putting weight back on. About 4 pounds in 3 months. I’m still breastfeeding, but less so.
My belly is clearly not what is was before. I attribute this to the skin being stretched and is now unable to hold back the fat to the degree it had before.
I don’t have body image issues, but I do know I have a responsibility to my family to be healthy and live a long time with them, and to set a good example for my baby girl.
I’ve always struggled with my weight, and I’ve never been particularly healthy, since I don’t really like exercise, sweating or many vegetables – although I’m trying to make myself.
I finally joined WW when my oldest was 1, and lost the 20-30 extra pounds over the course of a year to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight – but even then my BMI was still on the “overweight” end of the scale.
I slowly gained some of that back and then got pregnant with #2, where I had a ridiculous constant craving for carbs and cheese. Postpartum I tried WW again, but even when I followed it strictly I still only lost 0.5 lb or less a week, and was starving and cranky ALL the time.
I never totally lost the weight from kid #2, and a stressful job followed by a long bout of depression did not help anything, and I gained back more weight.
However, I’m working with a good psychiatrist now and for the first time in a really long time I think my depression, ADHD and anxiety are in balance, and I’m finally not Vitamin D or Iron decificent. I switched to Vyvanse and a low dose of Prozac, and I’ve had the happy side effect of not craving mass quantities of simple carbs and actually feeling satisfied after a reasonably sized meal. I lost 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks, and while some of the appetite suppression is wearing off (I had no desire at all for lunch for about a week) the overall balanced feeling has helped keep me steady. It has kept me from “eating my feelings” and/or my feelings aren’t so gray and in need of comfort with carbs, cheese and ice cream. It had has also helped me feel more playing actively with my kids instead of wanting to stay in bed with the covers over my head. I’ve read online that Prozac can affect your blood sugar levels and for me it seems to have done so for the better.
I’m not saying it’s a cure all, but if you are like me and have been struggling with both being truly overweight /obese and depression, be aware that getting that in check medically has really helped me get back on track to get my diet under control, and now my next step is to get back into an exercise routine.
I hate to sound like a jerk, but my babyweight magically disappeared within 6 months after each pregnancy despite gaining ~50lbs both times. My secret is mostly lucky genes, I think, but I also autopilot to pretty healthy habits. That said, if I want to veg for a few days and eat mac and cheese and cookies, I just do it. I like to think that always doing/eating what I want teaches my body to want what’s going to keep it at its “happy weight,” which is a size I’m totally OK with.
Food: DH and I have always been cook-at-home types with a lot of go-to meals that are easy and comparatively light. Scrambled eggs/breakfast burritos, fajitas, and fish all take <30 minutes to get on the table, are almost as fast and easy as take-out, and are made out of things I almost always have in the house (frozen fish fillets, frozen mixed vegetables, black beans, peppers, tortillas, cheese, eggs). Our meals are not interesting (except on Blue Apron/Plated nights), but at least they're not calorie bombs. I bring the same yogurt + frozen berries and snack / salad lunch – sometimes augmented with dinner leftovers – almost every day because I'm cheap, lazy and don't like to think.
Exercise: I've realized that while schedules appeal to my type A side, giving myself the leeway to do whatever I'm in the mood for gets me out of the house more reliably than knowing I need to knock out Workout A on NROLFW (although I do love that program). I'm a quasi-regular at my gym's HIIT and yoga classes, do a lot of swimming, and some rowing and weight training. Going to the gym is my introvert recharge time after a long day of work+kids and crucial to my mental health, so I go at least 3 nights/week. DH and I love rock climbing, but it's been relegated to date nights until the kids are old enough to join in. When the weather's nice, we're outside on evenings and weekends playing in the yard, hiking/biking/walking to the neighborhood pool or playground with the kiddos. It keeps all of us sane (and most importantly, tires out the kids) and moving without feeling like a slog.
I gained over 40 pounds while pregnant. I was carrying an extra 10-20 pounds for quite a while; and when I went back to work at 20 weeks PP, I still wore the first-trimester clothes and maternity clothes I had bought for work. But by around 9/10 months postpartum, I suddenly lost all the weight and then some, and was at my lowest weight in my adult life. I was eating like a horse and not exercising (except my walking commute), and not sleeping well (still pumping overnight for daycare quantities). I think I have mentioned my love of “second breakfast.” So I can only assume that the unsolicited weight loss was a breastfeeding side effect. My weight is slowly creeping back up now that I’m finishing weaning.
I don’t have a fit body— my arms and tummy, my tricky spots, are as flabby as ever, just proportionately smaller. And I did finally have to buy some work clothes in smaller sizes because I was swimming in what I had and it made me extra frumpy; but I bought cheap stuff because I know my body/metabolism and my lifestyle basically require me to be about 10 pounds overweight and I know it’s only a matter of time before I am back to normal-for-me. I feel now like I squandered an opportunity to get fit once I was handed the gift of effortless weight loss. But it just was not a priority at all.
Related question— my boobs have always been small, but since giving birth they have gotten even smaller. Will eliminating breastfeeding bring anything back up top?
I gained about 25 pounds with my son and lost it pretty quickly (breastfeeding plus some PPD issues in first six weeks). However, I proceeded to put about 15 pounds back on in the year or so after his birth–just being busy, tired, and starting to indulge in wine or beer with dinner most nights! I’ve been working to take it back off but it’s tough. I am finding that cutting out alcohol during the week is helping, as are some kickboxing videos on YouTube that I do after kiddo goes to bed. But I’m striving to be kind and cut myself some slack:)
Why are the comments running over to a second page?
Thanks to hyperemesis + an extremely demanding baby who had to be held 24/7 and spent all of her waking hours eating, at two weeks postpartum I was the lightest I’ve ever been in my adult life. I do not recommend this method of weight loss. Much of that loss was undoubtedly muscle mass. It took several months to return to my “normal” weight, but I never regained the muscle. My waist ended up permanently thicker and my hips permanently smaller. I had to replace all of my pants and pencil skirts.
A decade later, my metabolism is slowing down and I am eating out way too often as a result of heavy business travel. I am constantly trying to cut out my daily soda and do the 30-Day Shred, but then I go on another trip and end up right back at square one. I would be happy at a slightly higher weight if I could just build some muscle and get some of my flexibility and endurance back. And not be tired all the time because I desperately need the sugar and caffeine from that soda.
This is so timely for me! My son just turned 1, and I’m still about 10 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight and 20 pounds above my wedding weight. I gained too much during pregnancy, assuming that it would all magically fall off – which it didn’t. Instead, I’ve been very slowly dropping about a pound a month by trying to eat better and get more exercise over my lunch break. While I refuse to just accept that this is my new body and give in to the weight creep, I also don’t want to perpetuate an unhealthy body image or body shaming mentality that I could pass on to my kid. So – I’m trying to redouble my efforts to adopt healthy habits (no crazy juice cleansing or elimination fad diets for me), to set a good example for my kid while feeling better about myself. I just want to fit into all my old clothes again!!
2.5 years postpartum and I am 10 pounds heavier than I was before getting pregnant. Due to an underactive thyroid, emergency surgery and divorce, I have been on a weight roller coaster postpartum; I lost all of the baby weight and then some, gained back 20 pounds, lost 8 pounds, and now I’m hoping to just coast at my current weight.
I have struggled with the idea of not getting back to my pre-baby weight. BUT I was looking at pre-pregnancy pictures a few months ago and realized that I was really skinny before getting pregnant, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. At this point I think I can also say that my hips and rib cage won’t be going back to their original locations. So even if I lost that last 10 pounds, I wouldn’t fit my pre-pregnancy pants.
It’s freeing to accept that this is my new body, that it’s beautiful, and that I can exercise for fun rather than weight loss. And frankly, I enjoy food much more too, which helps me eat a little less (maybe?).