Any moms who successfully lost their baby weight?

tiggerhammon

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.

I was overweight to begin with and am overweight now. I gained more than the doctor's wanted me to and even had a C section. I still bounced right back. My body is exactly the same as it was before. (But, as I said before, my body now - and before - is not ideal)

crystalnichle

I'm back to the same weight I was before I got pregnant HOWEVER I carry the weight differently now. I don't believe the scale because I do look differently then I did before getting pregnant, my hips are also wider than they were before baby so it makes me feel a lot bigger.

BTW. I did have a c-section... I know that makes it harder to work out and lose weight especially in the beginning.

gemmamummy

I had my son nearly 3 years ago. Lost my baby weight....however, I am left with a small amount of excess skin on my stomach. I lost weight simply by going to the gym and having a high protein diet and determination. That being said when your a mum, I think its a juggling act to fit in working, family time, cooking meals, cleaning the house and exercising. Thankfully I'm a full time mum, who has family watch my son so I can weightlift/do taekwondo. I take my hat off to women who do it all!

squeakybuttcheeks

I am 19 lbs away from pre baby weight (again haha)! My youngest son will be two at the end of October and I am shooting to have lost it all by then.

lisalsd1

My youngest is 3 and a half. I also have a 6 year old.

I weigh 21 lbs less than before I got pregnant with my first child. When I was 27 (before kids), I was (at my smallest) a size 8. After 2 kids and at 34, I'm down to a 4.

***Overhauling my diet and reducing the amount of processed food, cardio and weight lifting

kshadows

I lost all the baby weight after I delivered my son (who is now 6). I am currently at my prepregnancy weight with my daughter (who will be 2 in October). I have 18ish pounds to lose to be where I want to be.

It's absolutely doable.

veganbettie

i'm thinner now 2 years after my son was born than I was before I got pregnant.

You just have to find that groove.

mjmeintjes

Wow! This forum is the best. Thanks to everyone who has replied to my request with your inspirational stories. It is really great to see all the positivity. That's exactly what I want to share with my sister - a positive attitude is the first step to getting motivated to achieve your goals.

I think what has had a negative impact on my sister is her friends telling her that "she's a mom now, and that just the way moms look". And "giving birth slowed down your metabolism, there's nothing you can do about it".

I don't agree with this. I understand that a women's body changes when she gives birth, but you are all examples of why this shouldn't mean that you should be overweight and unhealthy for the rest of your life. Like someone told me recently - "you can have excuses or you can have results".

I really appreciate your advice and stories. I'm planning to reply to all of you individually as well as I go through all the information.

Thanks again.

spunkychelsea

I'm 5'3" and 30 years old now.

I was 125 lbs when I got married at 19. Put on weight over the years.

PP#1 I was 157 lbs. Gained 23 lbs - 180 lbs. Within 8 days postpartum I was back to 157 lbs. Still overweight. Lost 10 lbs between 7-9 months postpartum and got pregnant again.

PP#2 I was 147 lbs. Gained 46 (FOURTY SIX POUNDS) - 193. 2 months pp i was only down to 171 lbs. Found MFP counted calories, breastfed, and took kids on walk in double stroller. 6.5 months postpartum I lost 36 lbs more to 135 lbs - 12 lbs below pp weight. Got pregnant again.

PP#3 I was 135 lbs. Gained 22 lbs - 157 (my pp weight of #1!). 2.5 months postpartum I am down 19 lbs. I plan on losing the last 3 lbs (hopefully in the next month) and another 10 lbs.

I had 3 kids in under 3 years and am 20 lbs lighter than when I started having kids.

mjmeintjes

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!

Thanks for your story DiamondRubyMom. I love that are getting slimmer with each child. I also agree with you about making small lifestyle changes that become permanent, rather than drastic, but temporary, changes. I believe that the way we look are just a symptom of what we do. Which means we can't look healthy if we don't live healthy.

I agree with you that it is important for her to understand that some things about her body has changed permanently.

I think the main issues she has is with her health and setting a good example for her son. Since gaining the weight she has struggled with back pain. She has also told me that she wants her son to grow up and look at her as an example of a fit, healthy person.

Unfortunately, the problem is that she believes that there is nothing she can do about it. Some of her friends have told her that her being overweight is just a normal consequence of being a mom ("you're a mom now, and that just the way moms look"), and that her metabolism has slowed down permanently and there is nothing she can do about it ("giving birth slowed down your metabolism, there's nothing you can do about it").

That's why I appreciate your candid and inspirational story - I find it very inspirational that you focused on making small, positive lifestyle changes. Thanks for sharing your story!

mjmeintjes

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.

Yes, Tendersound, your story has helped a lot. I really appreciate your list of tips. I also believe that waking up early is one of the secrets to achieving your goals. Early morning can be a very productive time, and night time is often our most unproductive time. Swapping unproductive time for productive time is a very good strategy.

Thanks again for the tips, I'm definitely going to include them!

mjmeintjes

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:

Congratulations on reaching your goals AllOutof_Bubblegum! I think that is also an important reason why my sister wants to lose her baby weight, as she's told me about the dangers of possible problems when you are overweight when getting pregnant (e.g. miscarriages and other nasty complications).

What did you use to keep you motivated, or are you just a very motivated person by nature?

BombshellPhoenix

I have two little ones. A 3 year old and a one year old. I gained 50 lbs with both. My second child I had May 16th 2013. I topped out at 190 lbs before I gave birth. I was 170 lbs at my 6 week postpartum check up. June 20th I started my weight loss. I picked a sustainable deficit at around 1650 net and did mostly walking a few days a week and weightlifting 3x a week. It took me 9 months but I lost 53 lbs and went from over 35% BF to 17%. I'm honestly in much better shape and two jeans sizes smaller than I was in high school, even !

The most important thing for me was learning moderation and fitting things I enjoyed into my day. Weightlifting was something I fell in love with and stuck to. The key to success is understanding that it isn't easy and it won't always go smoothly. Falling down and getting back up. Never giving up was one of the most important things I ever did.

mjmeintjes

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'!

Thanks SimaN2014, that's a very inspirational and positive story. I personally think a big reason why moms, and my sister, struggle with their baby weight is not because something fundamentally changed in their bodies, but rather it is due to their lifestyle and habits changing - i.e. they lose their healthy habits that they had before becoming pregnant.

Like you said, before the baby you were biking ever day. Then you got your baby and your whole lifestyle changed (you lost all of your healthy habits). And what you then did is work on getting your lifestyle back by building positive habits like tracking your exercise and logging what you eat. By working on getting your healthy lifestyle back, the natural result was that you got your healthy body back.

That's a very good lesson, and something I'm going to include. Thanks again.

mjmeintjes

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.

Hi BinaryPulsar. Thanks for sharing your story. Was it easier to get back to your prepregnancy weight the second time?

What did you do to stay motivated? How did you find time for exercise and still looking after your baby? My sister has told me that she struggles to consistently find time for exercise. I think it is more because she doesn't want to be away from her baby (and she just doesn't enjoy exercise that much )

Thanks for taking the time to reply, it is great to see that it is possible to achieve this, even if you have 2 kids!

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.

Hi BinaryPulsar. Thanks for sharing your story. Was it easier to get back to your prepregnancy weight the second time?

What did you do to stay motivated? How did you find time for exercise and still looking after your baby? My sister has told me that she struggles to consistently find time for exercise. I think it is more because she doesn't want to be away from her baby (and she just doesn't enjoy exercise that much )

Thanks for taking the time to reply, it is great to see that it is possible to achieve this, even if you have 2 kids!

The first time I had a baby I was 26. I gained a little bit more the first time (maybe 10 pounds more than the second), and after I had my baby I didn't really think about or focus on losing weight. I just walked a lot, did pilates, and was active with my baby. And I ate healthy food (I didn't know about counting calories). Around 8 months postpartum I noticed that I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and was wearing my bikini.

Although admittedly I was very fit before I got pregnant (I'm a dancer), and 2 weeks after I had my baby everyone was commenting that I had a flat tummy already. But, during my pregnancy I just walked because I couldn't dance and exercise. I had very bad, all day, vomiting for the whole pregnancy. And I ate a ton because I was worried I would not gain enough.

The second time I didn't want to gain as much weight and I wanted to get fit even quicker. So, I kept a food diary, but still was not counting calories. I gained a perfect amount of weight (not too much and not too little). And that was even with me needing to go on full bed rest for the last two months of my pregnancy due to a placental abruption. I was 29 when I had my second baby. In some ways it was easier because I gained less, but it took a little more work for my abs to return (but they did). I did the Tupler Technique to heal a very small diastasis.

At first I just took my babies with me, pushing them uphills in the double stroller, doing stuff with them, carrying my baby in the sling, doing pilates at home. When my baby was 5 months I joined the gym because I needed strength training. The gym had childcare. I did strength training and took pilates classes. And within a couple months I was turning heads and getting lots of compliments. Strength training was very important.

When my youngest baby was a toddler I went back to dancing. I danced on my own and I also took my kids with me and danced with them.

My kids are now 7 and 10. Fitness is an ongoing process.

I am motivated because I like being fit. I like the results. And I do enjoy dancing and moving and using my body. I make an effort to always choose the active choice and to make activity a part of my life and recreation.

_Tink_

<~~ Profile pic was taken today. I had baby #3 nine months ago at the age of 40, with no thyroid. I dropped all my weight except 5 pounds within 2 weeks. How? Consistent cardio, weight lifting, and yoga. Plus I track all of my food.

BinaryPulsar

<~~ Profile pic was taken today. I had baby #3 nine months ago at the age of 40, with no thyroid. I dropped all my weight except 5 pounds within 2 weeks. How? Consistent cardio, weight lifting, and yoga. Plus I track all of my food.

Fantastic! You look great!

j1wright

I gained 48 pounds topped out at 198 when I went into labor. I was miserable for 5 weeks and found MFP. After 6 months lost all baby weight after 9 months lost another 35 pounds. I haven't been this thin since high school. My boy is 2 years and 8 months old so it has almost been 2 years of maintaining. You can read my page for my story. It can definately be done.

949BeachMom

i am a mom to a one n a half year old and this year i started eating label free foods and have lost about 27 lbs so far. i go on light long walks with my husband and have a long way before i get back to my prebaby shape. i started at 220 - im now at 193 i was 145 before the baby. i am 5'5 and have always had big bottom n flat stomach . 130 was the lowest ive ever been . im hoping by my sons 2nd birthday which is february , i will be down to atleast 160. some women gain weight n some dont. i dont envy women who dont because when this weight is off me there will be no competition lol

julgwill

I am a mom of a ten month old and I was 160 before I got pregnant. I was was 195 when I came home from the hospital. I mostly just ate when I was hungry the first few months because I was breastfeeding, and some of the weight came off on its own. I plateaued at about 180.

My goal currently is 140 pounds. I started my fitness pal, and I did insanity everyday because then I didn't have to leave the house. Insanity brought me down to 160 again, and I was able to fit in all my old clothes. Now, in order to do the last twenty, I am going to spin class five days a week and doing heavy lifting, while watching my calories on MFP.

tayortoeknee

Hey there - I had my daughter this past December and lost my baby weight by sometime in March I think - and I'm actually around 10 pounds less now than when I found out I was pregnant. It's more than possible!

of course my stomach is a bit wrinklier and stuff butttttttttttt what can ya do.


edit: I should mention I was incredibly careful with my eating and and everything when I was pregnant and only went home with 13-16 extra pounds.

tayortoeknee

love this.

harribeau2012

It occurs to me (having ONLY read the OP subject title at this point) that it's usual to lose all the baby weight at birth, the baby leaving the mother's body. I am indeed being facetious I know, I cannot blame my 12 year old son for left over baby weight! It's the left over mother fat I cannot quite get rid of. :flowerforyou:

vegkitten

I have lost the weight from all three of my children. My youngest is four, so it wasn't within the last three years, but I still think I should chime in. I lost the weight differently for each baby.

For my first, I went from 115 to 167; gained 52 pounds. I lost the weight from my first very slow and steady. I would play occasional DDR, go on walks in the mall, would eat a range of 1200 to 200 calories a day. It took seven months to lose all of the weight.

For my second, I went from 111 to 155; gained 44 pounds. For this baby, I was much more dedicated to lose the weight because I had a family event about four months after he was born. I did one exercise video a day. My husband at the time worked at a video rental place, and I'd get VHS work out tapes for free. I would do all of them in a rotation for four months. So, some days would be 10 minute abs, others low impact like yoga or tai chi, or high impact cardio like pilates. I ate on average 1,000 to 2,000 a day WHILE breastfeeding. I would occasionaly go on walks as well.

For my third, I went from 110 to 140; 30 pounds gained. I had switched to a vegan diet a few months before becoming pregnant with him, so I think that helped with the weight gain during pregnancy. This was also more gradual like the first but with less weight to lose. I would walk my boys to and from school before I started working, and I would run in place at home for 30 to 60 minutes 3 days a week. I also was breastfeeding/pumping. I ate a clean diet and did not count calories at all. Everything I ate was vegan, mostly whole grains, lots of nuts, dried fruit, veg/fruit, and things like this.I ate small meals frequently through the day. I lost most of it within two months, but to get down to 110, it took a total of six months.

captmel

I have 1 little doll who will be 2 years old this month. I started at 196 and lost 12 pounds unintentionally during my first 3 months of pregnancy then bolted up to 252+ before I gave birth. I dont know what my final weight was, I weighed 252 nine days before she was born. I got down to about 185 by her 1st birthday by spending ALOT of time at the gym. Then went back to work, had no time for the gym, ate too much and went back up to 200lbs. In February 2014 I found MFP . I count calories, 1200-1400 per day, and go to to the gym 3-4 days a week. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I am down to 170 and my goal at the moment is 140 (just 25 pounds more than my age 8 weight of 115lbs).

wordyroo

Have her ask her doctor to run her thyroid levels. Pregnancy can do a number on the thyroid. I had autoimmune thyroiditis before pregnancy. After each pregnancy, I've gone extremely hyperthyroid for the first 5 months pp and then my immune system switches on and starts attacking my thyroid again and I go extremely hypo. I wasn't losing any weight at all this time around because I was starving from breastfeeding and an extremely hyper thyroid state. I'm trying to stay within a calorie goal, but it's really hard with no sleep and craving sugar and carbs. I joined a weight loss challenge for an incentive not to gain anything (you owe $1/pound) and I lost 8 pounds in 8 weeks. I've got 5 pounds to go to get to pre-baby-#2 weight... (I'm 5 months pp) then another 10 to pre-baby-#1 weight. It's hard. It takes dedication. She can do it, but she should definitely get blood work done to make sure she's starting out with a fully functioning metabolism.

howletta

I had back to back pregnancies (had my son in nov 2012 and my twin girls jun 2013 - they are less than 8 months apart in age). I had about 20 extra pounds about 6 months after I had my girls and I started running. I wasn't losing anything, so I started counting calories and doing pilates and walking. I lost 20 pounds within 6 months and my husband says I look better than before I got pregnant. I do have a little bit of twin skin, but it's not too bad as long as I'm not crouching over lol. I weigh about 110 and I'm 5'2.

zdyb23456

I have 3 children - 5, 3, and a 22 month old.

I was pretty fit (runner) before having babies and a healthy 122 pounds. I didn't gain much with my first, less than 30 pounds and was back to pre-pregnancy weight within 6 weeks. I came home from the hospital only having to lose 13 pounds. I didn't do anything, but take care of my newborn and pump exclusively (breastfeeding didn't work for me). I ended up pumping exclusively for 11 months and lost an additional 15 pounds! My lowest weight was 107, which was too skinny for me. Shortly after weaning from the pump, I got pregnant again (around 115 pounds).

Second pregnancy I gained 30 pounds and lost it all again within 6 weeks post partum. I breastfed and pumped and got down to around 115. Again doing nothing but take care of kids i.e. no exercise or dieting. I got pregnant with my third 11 months after my second was born! Oops!

Third pregnancy I gained 32 pounds. I literally must have gained weight the 2 days in the hospital after having her because I lost only 8 pounds after giving birth! She was an 8 pound baby! It took me 8 weeks to lose the weight and this time I had to work at it - consciously eat less and watch my portion sizes. I breastfed and pumped and got down to around 117.

When I started weaning from nursing/pumping after my third baby, that is when the weight started to creep up. That is when I knew that I didn't have the luxury of burning all the extra calories from nursing/pumping. So I decided to get back in running shape, signed up for an 8K this March and signed up here to start tracking calories. It's been about 5 months and it's been very hard just to maintain my current weight (around 120). I was used to eating like a horse - as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted because I was either pregnant or nursing/pumping. I'm having to retrain myself all over again - smaller portions, less often.

Jojojesse

I am a work in progress.

I was 299 pounds the day my twins were born ( and a tad lighter shortly after ) but still when I posted that number on the scale I was amazed. Shocked, stupified, but not quite ready to do anything about it.....

After baby #3 I was stuck at 262 and rising.

Today I am 220ish.

Walk, eat within your calorie goal and throw the fat pants away!

I lost all the baby weight, just working on all the extra now!!!