Any moms who successfully lost their baby weight?

mjmeintjes

My sister had her baby about a year ago, and has been struggling with her weight ever since. With the baby taking up most of her time, she struggles to stay motivated. She recently told me that she thinks her body and has metabolism changed permanently, and that it is now impossible for her to get her old body back.

I however believe that it is possible for her to achieve her goals. I got the idea of interviewing moms who have successfully lost their baby weight. I want to put together an "inspirational" booklet of different moms who have lost their baby weight, along with how they did it.

If you are a mom who recently (past 3 years) gave birth, and you've managed to successfully get your old body back, please reply and let me know (and please tell me what you did).

DiamondRubyMom

Hello. I'm a mom of three and I successfully lost the baby weight after each one. I was over weight before I started but I'm getting slimmer with each child. Things that helped me were having a schedule and sticking to it and breastfeeding. I used this site especially for the last two. Most of my weight loss was baby steps of lifestyle changes and not big drastic changes. At first I began exercising just 2-3 days a week for 20 minutes. I slowly increased frequency, duration, and intensity. I also increased my fiber, protein, and drinking lots of water is huge. Mostly it has been a very slow road for me. I tend to loose a about 10-15 pounds a year but then I don't do drastic dieting and I live my life. Online videos can be great for a busy mom. They can be done during naps or with the kid in a playpen watching you. My kids grew up watching me work out to Wii games. They encourage me and sometime join in for a minute or two.
That being said. It is really hard to get back your pre-pregnant body. A lot of areas stretched and filled out for me and I doubt exercise will every completely restore that. Pilates are great for your lower abs to loose that mom pouch but they won't remove stretch marks. Your sister's body has changed and with some work, she can come to see some of those changes are badges of honor. I know I take great pride in being called Mom. In some small ways my body will always show that I earned that title.
Good luck to both of you!

sofiachohdary

Hi, I'm a mom of a 2 year old and a 3 year old. I was slightly overweight before I became a mom, but my 2nd pregnancy gained me a whopping 25 kg extra. It took me around 2 years to lose the pregnancy weight, (and the extra kgs that were above my recommended BMI), and a lot of bad experimenting.

What has really worked for me, is a lot of exercising daily with no rest days (60 minutes of cycling or yoga, with a small combination of dumbbell exercises and strength training exercises) and a small calorie deficit. I didn't cut any food from my diet, I still enjoy life's pleasures such as pizza, chocolate cake etc, but I learned about portion control and discipline, and my unhealthy food for the week accounts for 20% while 80% I make sure that it comes from vegetables, fruits, lean un-processed meat, fish, and legumes.

Other small things that helped me reach my goals faster is:
- Don't eat anything after lunch. I will have a huge breakfast, a decent lunch, but no dinner or snacks after that until the next morning.
- Too much water. I drink 3 glasses of water as soon as I wake up, and make sure I reach 8 glasses of water until lunch time. That mostly ends up to 11-13 glasses of water daily.
- Lemongrass tea in the morning, can substitute with lemon water if you like.
- Psyllium husk in the morning, helps lower cholesterol levels, aids in digestion.
- Don't drink the calories. The only thing I am willing to drink other than water is tea, and sometimes warm milk with honey. Juices and sodas are a no no.
- Breakfast means everything to my day. I make sure I include a lot of protein and at least a serving of a fruit.
- Wake up early, sleep early. Even though my kids keep me super busy, I manage to do everything I want in my day, including 1 hour of exercise. I sleep early, and I wake up around 4:00, by the time kids wake up, mommy has already prayed, exercised, took shower, had breakfast, and cleaned the house.

My prayers to your sister. I hope I have helped.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

I lost my baby weight.

<

---

2 years postpartum. Ready to ruin it all over again with baby #2. :laugh:

I ate/eat at a deficit and lift heavy weights. That's it. Nothing special, aside from LOTS of dedication and no giving up. :flowerforyou:

SimaN2014

Yes! I had my daughter almost 2.5 years ago. Before getting pregnant I was just over the overweight line by a little. During pregnancy, I gained a normal amount of weight and a lot of water. I hit my pre-pregnancy weight 4.5 months out. And then... nusring. OMG, nursing I was soooo hungry. I nursed until she was 18 months, and whereas for other people this leads to weight loss, for me, I gained another 6 kg or so. Uggh.

A couple friends used web apps to help bring down their weight, so I evaluated and settled on MFP. I love it. Since Feb, I've lost 8.5 kg and I'm back into my normal BMI range. I have a couple more to go to reach my goal weight.

What changed for me (and I'm a working mom) is just the amount of exercise compared to what I used to do went way down. I've now got a few lunchtimes where I walk and two days where I go to the gym and work out hard (cardio + resistance training). Before baby, I used to bike 2+ hours every day, walk an hour a day, etc. Baby (now toddler) just takes a lot of time and cuts into your sleep.

By logging everything I eat and tracking my exercise, I've just reset the new portion sizes I really need at this stage in my life.

My goal was not to throw out my old wardrobe. Now I may have to because a lot of it is too big, ha ha!

I am not in any way deprived. I eat everything I enjoy, just in moderation (and I mostly eat and enjoy healthy stuff, as long as there is a regular supply of a little bit of dark chocolate, I'm good to go...) And I'm 5'0", 42 years old. I don't have a lot of spare calories to make a deficit, but I still manage. :happy:

Good luck to your sis'!

deezer602482

Bump

BinaryPulsar

I lost my baby weight both times. I was fit and back to prepregnancy weight at 7 months postpartum after my second baby. I breastfed, pushed my babies uphill in a double stroller, walked a lot, played, did pilates, weights at the gym, carried my baby around.

Lilly_the_Hillbilly

Two children aged three and two- I weigh less now than I did when I first got pregnant. Lost it all eating at a deficit (I still eat whatever I want and I have dessert) and I go out for a fast walk daily with both kids in a stroller. Started at the beginning of the year and I'm 17 kilos lighter now.

likitisplit

I have two girls: a four-year-old and a 2 1/2- year-old. They are 21 months apart, and I hadn't lost my baby weight from my first when I got the second positive test. I had to get all new maternity clothes because I was too big for the first set.

I nursed and returned to work after 3 months. So, I was pumping during my breaks and lunch and was getting very few consecutive hours of sleep because my babies nursed throughout the night (my second was sleeping a solid 8 hours from her second week until the day I returned to work). I was SOOO tired. It's hard to maintain any sort of discipline when you're that tired.

Every time I tried to restrict my food intake, I'd end up starving and eating everything in sight. I felt so out of control.

Every time I tried to pop-in an exercise tape, I ended up with a sobbing toddler clinging to my ankle.

Luckily, kids grow older, they start sleeping through the night, I was able to stop pumping as they graduated to whole milk...it seems like forever, but this period really only lasts a few months. Less than a year. It took me longer than a year to get it figured out.

Eventually, I learned about the Couch to 5k program. I never thought I'd be able to graduate from it, but I could pop the kids in the double-stroller and push them around for 30 minutes. It was the ONE thing I could do that worked for all of us. So that's what I did. Who cares how often I made it out? Who cares whether I'd eve be a runner? I had to so SOMETHING. In 9 weeks I was able to run for 30 minutes consecutively and pushed the three of us through our first 5k in 41 minutes.

About 2 months into the Couch to 5k program, I realized that I was able to make time for that, so I had the time to get my eating under control. I found out about the MFP application (best reviewed diet plan on Consumer Reports). You know why I was starving so badly when I tried to control my portions? Because I was wildly undereating. At my current weight and activity level, I had to eat almost twice what I had been trying to limit myself to. Not all the food. But a whole bunch of it. Once I figured that out, the weight just started melting off. And I wasn't really crazy hungry, except just before meals.

I'm pretty much at my goal weight 18 months later. I could have been there a lot sooner, but I took some time off when I ran my half marathon, and I wanted to gain some muscle back earlier this year.

Now the good, the bad and the ugly:

Good: Having kids gives you muscles. I started out with and maintained way more muscle mass than I ever had pre-kids. Muscle=sexy.

Bad: My tummy is still stretched out some. However, I've been around this site long enough to know that the longer I stay lean, the more chance I get for getting this area firmer. And my boobs have decided to deposit some fat into my armpits, which I don't know how to get rid of, besides becoming super-lean. I really just want to stay at a healthy, easily-maintainable weight, so I'm just shopping around this for now.

Ugly: Yeah, I have some "tiger stripes." I earned them.

The bottom line: your sister might be overwhelmed right now. And that's ok. It's not forever. It will be easier in weeks. Once she's really ready to get herself back, she just needs to do what she can. It doesn't really matter if it's everything she needs to do as long as it's a positive change.

Try figuring out her maintenance calories on MFP and eating at that level for two weeks. How does that work for her? If she can do that pretty easily, the next step into weight loss won't be that hard.

ETA: I was 38 years old with my first baby and 39 with my second.

Jennisin1

I'm weigh what I did when I was 13 years old, 10 lbs less than my "adult weight".. my pre-pregnancy weight after two children. It didn't happen until my youngest turned 1 and was finished breastfeeding though.

TLwineguzzler

21 years later and I'm still trying!!! :bigsmile:

HappyAnna2014

I think it has a lot to do with age and genetics. When I had my son, 22 years ago, I didn't try to lose weight. I was working full time, and nursing, so I was just trying to exist. I was at a "normal" weight when I conceived, gained 36 lbs. while pregnant, but lost 50, without trying, before his 4 month birthday. I was actually underweight at that point. On the other hand, in my mid 30's, I started gaining, and I've been struggling ever since then. Not sure if this helps or not, but it is another perspective.

DawnieB1977

I'm 36 and my third baby is 13 weeks old so I'm in the process of losing it all again. I logged and exercised in pregnancy but still gained!

I had my first baby in 2009 and I'd started off my pregnancy slightly overweight, a BMI of about 27. I lost it all after him and was pregnant again in 2010. After she was born I lost 66lbs and ended up about 15lbs lighter than I'd started my first pregnancy.

I exercise a lot - 5 times a week at the gym/doing classes - and go out a lot with my children. We live by the sea so spend a lot of time on the seafront, me walking and the kids on scooters. I also eat healthily and allow myself a treat day once a week, which usually involves a couple of homemade cookies, or a slice of cake.

I've probably got around 28lbs to lose now, and I'm hoping it'll come off again. Maybe I can get even smaller this time round!

I think it takes a while for the weight loss to kick in post baby as you have all those hormones still, plus you're tired. I'm lucky as I'm in England and we can have a year for maternity leave, so at least I don't have work to worry about.

randomtai

Yup I had 4 kids and lost it all and then some.

losingforgood120

I think people (EDIT:) return to pre-pregnancy weight faster when they didn't gain too much during (and after) pregnancy, were fit before and during pregnancy. And patience is really important. I know I tried to lose by a huge deficit (eating 1200 calories a day) while breastfeeding when my baby was less than a year old. It was a disaster. My milk supply dropped significantly and I had to up my calories over maintenance to get my milk supply back up. And pump a lot.

After finishing breastfeeding I had a lot of unsuccessful attempts losing weight but I'm finally making progress. I started my pregnancy at 120, I started losing at 170, now I'm at 159. I will reach goal weight by the time my baby's 3. The progress is moving along better now that I've gotten the hang of logging.

In the future, I would not eat at a deficit while breastfeeding. I will eat enough calories to maintain and breastfeed and work on strength training and frequent meals. (To possibly do some body recomp- lose fat, gain muscle) Then when I'm done breastfeeding if I have fat I'd like to lose I'll eat at a small deficit like I am now. (Plus once I finished breastfeeding this time- when my baby was 13 months- I was also sleeping better and less stressed when made exercising a lot easier.) I'd say success isn't measured by how fast you can get your body back. But starting out fit and staying fit during pregnancy would make it faster for sure!

jgrodzicki

In for the inspiration I need some motivation too.... 9 months since having my 2nd and I weigh about 10-12 lbs. more than I did a week after having her... :-\

oregonzoo

I think people are more successful when they didn't gain too much during (and after) pregnancy, were fit before and during pregnancy. And patience is really important. I know I tried to lose by a huge deficit (eating 1200 calories a day) while breastfeeding when my baby was less than a year old. It was a disaster. My milk supply dropped significantly and I had to up my calories over maintenance to get my milk supply back up. And pump a lot.

After finishing breastfeeding I had a lot of unsuccessful attempts losing weight but I'm finally making progress. I started my pregnancy at 120, I started losing at 170, now I'm at 159. I will reach goal weight by the time my baby's 3. The progress is moving along better now that I've gotten the hang of logging.

In the future, I would not eat at a deficit while breastfeeding. I will eat enough calories to maintain and breastfeed and work on strength training and frequent meals. (To possibly do some body recomp- lose fat, gain muscle) Then when I'm done breastfeeding if I have fat I'd like to lose I'll eat at a small deficit like I am now. (Plus once I finished breastfeeding this time- when my baby was 13 months- I was also sleeping better and less stressed when made exercising a lot easier.) I'd say success isn't measured by how fast you can get your body back. But starting out fit and staying fit during pregnancy would make it faster for sure!

I gained entirely too much with my daughter. 60lbs. And I lost all of it.
How much you gained during the pregnancy doesn't make it any harder to get the weight off. You just have to work at it.

losingforgood120

I think people are more successful when they didn't gain too much during (and after) pregnancy, were fit before and during pregnancy. And patience is really important. I know I tried to lose by a huge deficit (eating 1200 calories a day) while breastfeeding when my baby was less than a year old. It was a disaster. My milk supply dropped significantly and I had to up my calories over maintenance to get my milk supply back up. And pump a lot.

After finishing breastfeeding I had a lot of unsuccessful attempts losing weight but I'm finally making progress. I started my pregnancy at 120, I started losing at 170, now I'm at 159. I will reach goal weight by the time my baby's 3. The progress is moving along better now that I've gotten the hang of logging.

In the future, I would not eat at a deficit while breastfeeding. I will eat enough calories to maintain and breastfeed and work on strength training and frequent meals. (To possibly do some body recomp- lose fat, gain muscle) Then when I'm done breastfeeding if I have fat I'd like to lose I'll eat at a small deficit like I am now. (Plus once I finished breastfeeding this time- when my baby was 13 months- I was also sleeping better and less stressed when made exercising a lot easier.) I'd say success isn't measured by how fast you can get your body back. But starting out fit and staying fit during pregnancy would make it faster for sure!

I gained entirely too much with my daughter. 60lbs. And I lost all of it.
How much you gained during the pregnancy doesn't make it any harder to get the weight off. You just have to work at it.

Yeah... sorry I didn't say that right- it's FASTER if you have less to lose. I think some people have unrealistic expectations of how fast they can "get their body back" because they see pictures of people saying- 3 months later and I'm back at pre-pregnancy weight. (I sure had unrealistic expectation.) But what I realized is those women were fit during pregnancy and didn't gain more weight that they were supposed to. Since I gained more than that- it'll take longer.

Holly_Roman_Empire

I'm about a year and a half post partum. I lost about 30 pounds of baby weight in 8 months. I started out doing C25K, and then as I was about 5 pounds away from my goal weight, I realized that I wasn't going to look the same as I did before. So I introduced weights into my routine. I'd done heavy lifting before, but never with a calorie deficit. Anyway, the weights are really what got me the body that I wanted. I contend that I now look better than I did before having the baby.

ETA: And a calorie deficit. I never averaged less than 1500 calories a day.

sarahjanescobie

Hey tell her not to give up hope!! I had 3 kids under age 4! After my 2nd when we decided we weren't having anymore I joined this site and joined my local gym I lost 49lb in a yr..... then I fell with my 3rd and he is almost 5 months and I'm back as I gained it all back.

Because I had my first 2 in 18 months I could only get to gym on my hubby's days off so I did a lot of fitness dvd's mainly Jillian Michaels. I also bought a cross trainer and went on that as much as I could. Now I have 3 I go on my cross trainer and go to gym when hubby is off work. I haven't did any fitness dvd's yet as just getting back into the swing of it and can only do them when kids in bed and by then I'm wiped out lol. Walking is a great form of excersise, I do that 4 mornings a week when my oldest 2 are in tots but as its the holidays at mo not doing as much.

She will do it, tell her to join here and read some success stories that always motivates me. Good luck to her :-)

AnitaCRice

My son just turned 2 recently, and I finally feel like I have the time and energy to devote to losing the pregnancy weight. I also work full-time, which makes it hard. I get up at 5:00 every morning during the week in order to get about 30 minutes of exercise in. I like to spend my evenings with my son and husband, so morning workouts are best for me.

I started MFP back in March, and I've lost a little over 15 pounds so far. It's slow, but I tend to overeat on the weekends a lot. I refuse to give up foods I love, so I'm okay with slow weight loss.

I have about 10-12 pounds to lose to get back to the weight I was when I got pregnant, but I would like to lose a total of about 30 pounds from my current weight to get to what I feel is an ideal weight for me.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

I did, but most of it was gone when I gave birth. I think pregnant women should only be concerned about their gains if the doctor is concerned, but I think sometimes we expect that weight is just going to fall off after the baby is born but it doesn't. It's a bummer and sometimes it takes time to process, because having a new baby is hard. As with everything, hard work and dedication is the key.

DawnieB1977

I think people are more successful when they didn't gain too much during (and after) pregnancy, were fit before and during pregnancy. And patience is really important. I know I tried to lose by a huge deficit (eating 1200 calories a day) while breastfeeding when my baby was less than a year old. It was a disaster. My milk supply dropped significantly and I had to up my calories over maintenance to get my milk supply back up. And pump a lot.

After finishing breastfeeding I had a lot of unsuccessful attempts losing weight but I'm finally making progress. I started my pregnancy at 120, I started losing at 170, now I'm at 159. I will reach goal weight by the time my baby's 3. The progress is moving along better now that I've gotten the hang of logging.

In the future, I would not eat at a deficit while breastfeeding. I will eat enough calories to maintain and breastfeed and work on strength training and frequent meals. (To possibly do some body recomp- lose fat, gain muscle) Then when I'm done breastfeeding if I have fat I'd like to lose I'll eat at a small deficit like I am now. (Plus once I finished breastfeeding this time- when my baby was 13 months- I was also sleeping better and less stressed when made exercising a lot easier.) I'd say success isn't measured by how fast you can get your body back. But starting out fit and staying fit during pregnancy would make it faster for sure!

I gained entirely too much with my daughter. 60lbs. And I lost all of it.
How much you gained during the pregnancy doesn't make it any harder to get the weight off. You just have to work at it.

Yeah... sorry I didn't say that right- it's FASTER if you have less to lose. I think some people have unrealistic expectations of how fast they can "get their body back" because they see pictures of people saying- 3 months later and I'm back at pre-pregnancy weight. (I sure had unrealistic expectation.) But what I realized is those women were fit during pregnancy and didn't gain more weight that they were supposed to. Since I gained more than that- it'll take longer.

I exercised until 38 weeks pregnant - aerobics, gym, spin, Zumba, step and lots of walking. I also had my two young kids to run round after, and worked (I'm a teacher) until 35 weeks. I also logged and didn't eat over maintenance calories for my pre preg weight, except on an odd occasion. I didn't weigh myself, and still haven't 3 months post partum, but I'm about 2 dress sizes bigger still! I was a UK 10/12 and now I'm a 14/16 (so US 6/8 to 10/12). So sometimes we still gain no matter what we do. I'd like to think that my previous fitness, and exercising during pregnancy, will help me lose again.

marieamethyst

I had my daughter at the end of May last year, so I'm 14 months postpartum. I started the pregnancy overweight, so I've managed to lose the pregnancy weight plus another 35 lbs of the fat weight. I stick to my calorie allowance most days (and don't beat myself up when I go over - I just make myself sweat more!). I also get creative with exercising since I'm home with my daughter during the day. I jog in place while watching something on TV to get my 10k steps in, do videos on YouTube like Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, kickboxing, and light weights. We also walk around the neighborhood after dinner as a family.

So definitely possible, with time and effort. I found success once I stopped making excuses and incorporated this lifestyle into my daily routine just like cooking meals and doing chores. Best of luck to your sister!

(And as another women commented above - ready to "ruin" this with baby #2!)

Before pregnancy / due date / 11 months postpartum (in the same shirt as the before picture)

SezxyStef

21 years later and I'm still trying!!! :bigsmile:

Hehe I was going to ask if it counted if it took 20 years...it will happen for you too.

enterdanger

I have a 3 year old and an 18 month old and, as of two weeks ago, have officially lost my baby weight. I did it by accepting that it would take a long time, set reasonable goals and calorie counted and exercised. It took 6 months and I lost 30lbs. It was not easy. Mostly finding time to go to the gym. I work and with the kids the only time I have is after 9pm when they are finally asleep. So, I go to the gym then. I really hate it.

Of course, I was fat before kids so I still have 45lbs to go to be at a healthy weight. I'll get there eventually. Slow and steady is best. I think we expect ourselves to be super moms and have the fat magically melt off. That's not realistic. There are going to be weeks where I don't go to the gym or eat at maintenance because kids are sick or life is too hectic. The important thing is to make better choices for myself and kids. I'm in it for the long haul.

JoelleAnn78

I was 202# when I got pregnant with my son (at age 33). Gained 35# and by his first birthday I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight. In the interest of full disclosure, though, I waited until he was 9 months old to really try. I started Couch to 5K and 15 months later I run 7 miles for fun at 5am on a Saturday while my toddler is still sleeping. She can do this.

Her path and timeline will be uniquely hers, though, and she won't want to compare herself to any of us, or she may come away feeling like she is not doing it right. When, in reality, she may be doing it just right... it's just slower for her. Or, the other way around. Best of luck to her!

keshabbaker

My baby just turned two and I have lost almost twenty pounds in the last six months only because I got serious and started myfitnesspal tracking my calories. I also joined a boot camp for two months which helped I have recently feel off the band wagon and have not lost anymore weight but I would love to lose 40 more pounds. I am smaller than I have been in about four years and it's all because of tracking and being accountable of what you put in your body and how much exercise you do to burn calories. I really want to start c25k and hopefully I can lose 10 more pounds by my birthday Nov. Good luck it's all about dedication and remember slow and steady wins the race.

likitisplit

I'm about a year and a half post partum. I lost about 30 pounds of baby weight in 8 months. I started out doing C25K, and then as I was about 5 pounds away from my goal weight, I realized that I wasn't going to look the same as I did before. So I introduced weights into my routine. I'd done heavy lifting before, but never with a calorie deficit. Anyway, the weights are really what got me the body that I wanted. I contend that I now look better than I did before having the baby.

ETA: And a calorie deficit. I never averaged less than 1500 calories a day.

Yes. A resistance (weight lifting) routine is key. Right now, I do a progressive body weight exercise program because I can do it around the kids in the time I have available. Just losing fat is less likely to get you that pre-baby shape.

ncl1313

I weigh less than my pre-pregnancy weight, but I was overweight when I got pregnant, so that's not really saying much. I only gained 9 pounds during my pregnancy which was fine according to my doctor considering my starting weight. Simply having my baby and dropping the retained water put me right back to pre-pregnancy weight. My point is that it's sort of an arbitrary goal.

Please realize that she may never get her "old body" back. Pregnancy changes your body, sometimes in permanent ways, and for her (or you) to hold her to an impossible standard sets her up for failure. Breasts change, hips change, bellies change. I think it's great when a woman is able to bounce back and everything's great, but that's not the case for a lot of women, and they shouldn't be made to feel bad about themselves if it doesn't happen that way for them. Besides, if you were to ask most of the women who seemingly bounce back, I'd be willing to bet there is something about her body that isn't the same as it was before.

In the meantime, if your sister is still nursing, she needs to make sure she is getting enough calories to support her supply. If she is sleep-deprived, spending her free time resting is more important to her health (mental health in particular) than getting a workout in. If she can take a long walk with baby in the stroller, great. If she can make sure she is eating a varied diet, that's awesome for both her and the baby. If she can manage to get 6-8 hours of solid sleep per day, she's doing wonders.

My son is now 2 1/2. I can credit him for my recent months' weight loss because running around after him all day more than makes up for the fact that I don't like to exercise for the sake of exercise. I make (mostly) healthy meals so that I can raise him with a better relationship with food than I had.

What your sister needs is your support, not your criticism. Giving her a long list of stories from women who were able to lose their weight quickly when she was not able to may have a very different (likely negative) affect than what you are intending. If she truly wants to lose weight, better her body, better herself, that motivation needs to come from within.

tiggerhammon

I had my old body back and was only 5lbs higher than pregnancy weight within 2.5 weeks. I am in all of my prepregnancy clothes.

However, I did not consider this a good thing yet as my prepregnancy body was nowhere near ideal to begin with.