Why is it so hard to loose baby weight..?

Pkn1357

It’s been 14 months since I had a baby girl and from October am on/off doing workouts and diet .. no matter how hard I workout and be on diets am not loosing the last 20lbs. Yes I had diabetes during pregnancy and still have thyroid what else do I have to consider other than loosing 500 calories min a day and eating 1200 calories of food watching what I eat.
Am 140 pounds since October and I want to loose 20 more pounds at-least start of loosing 5 pounds.. any suggestion really appreciate..

Lhenderson923

I just had a baby 3 months ago, so I understand! You didn’t mention if you’re breastfeeding as that will definitely play a role in what anyone should advise you. You say that you’ve been on/off diets trying to lose the weight. So my first, and biggest suggestion is to not think of this as a diet. In order to lose weight you need long term changes in your choices and habits, not short term like a “diet” implies. Set a reasonable goal- if eating in a 500 calorie deficit is too much, then plan to lose 0.5lbs a week instead. Yes it’s slower, but slow is sustainable.

Iwannabeapunkrockmom

I have had 5 children and no matter what, I can't lose much weight while breastfeeding. I tend to lose around 2 years postpartum. My youngest just had his second birthday and I just passed my pre pregnancy weight. The amount of time is different for everyone, just be patient and keep making healthy choices.

Anthem76

Breastfeeding seems to have one of two opposite effects. Either women lose the postpartum weight rapidly or hold on to excess weight until they stop. I unfortunately fell into the latter category when nursing each of my babies. The reason? Breastfeeding made me ravenous. And not just hungry for any food; I constantly craved simple carbs/sweets. And normally, I don't have much of a sweet tooth (my cravings lean strongly toward the salty/savory). I remember being so frustrated marching around the neighborhood with a baby strapped to my chest or working out at the gym and the scale refusing to budge. I'm sure the sleep disruptions didn't help either. After I stopped nursing, my appetite and weight loss resumed a normal pattern. Despite the difficulties, I'm glad I had the opportunity to nurse my babies.

LoveyChar

I had a baby in my twenties, one in my thirties, and the third was born in my forties. He's three now. I didn't worry about losing weight while breastfeeding, although, I wasn't overweight to begin with or while breastfeeding with any of my babies. However when I did decide to lose the extra pesky 10-14 pounds I held onto, I kept a journal, recorded what I ate and what exercise I did.

You are dealing with issues that I did not - diabetes and a thyroid condition. I'd only suggest healthy choices - eating healthy foods, exercising and as above poster suggested - patience.

psychod787

because they stick around for 18+ years..... joking.....

penguinmama87

Based on my experience, the answer is probably that you will have to learn to get precise with calories in and out.

I'm breastfeeding my fifth baby at present, mostly exclusively, and while I lost most of the baby weight very quickly with my first few babies it has stuck around a lot longer for the later two. I am now under my pre-pregnancy weight at 10 months postpartum, but have a long way to go to normal weight. Like Anthem76 my hunger signals ramp up like crazy when I'm breastfeeding, so it was very easy for me to overeat, and once I started logging very precisely it was pretty obvious that was the culprit. I picked a slower deficit even though I was obese and still lost quite rapidly at first. My supply dropped and I got very fatigued, and so I got even more precise with calories out and increased my calories in. Even at 10 months I'm probably burning more than 500 calories per day to make milk - no wonder I get so hungry! But I'm still losing weight at a rate over a pound per week while averaging about 2200 calories per day, which isn't too shabby. I am also very active anyway apart from intentional exercise.

In the immediate postpartum period it takes time to revert back to not being pregnant, so that's why it's best to wait with vigorous exercise so you don't injure yourself with loose joints etc, or burn so many calories your milk supply dries up. I think also as moms we tend to put our needs last, which is sometimes necessary but it doesn't work in the long term. Establishing healthy routines that work for everybody in the family, finding a support system, etc. I think are critical for long-term physical and mental health for parents.