Why do some women drop the baby weight and others dont?

amanda52488

I'm really just curious--- Why do some women drop most to all of the baby weight that they gain and others will not drop any of it?

I sort of have a fear that I will be the type that wont drop any of the baby weight. (Althought I am NOT pregnant)

Thoughts?

cindaroses

I have that same fear!

frootcat

I dunno, genetics maybe. Or some women get used to eating the increased calories and don't cut back after the baby is born/weaned. Or they suffer from post-partum depression.

amanda52488

atleast im not alone!

lowbpoint

I was very lucky and dropped all of my baby weight twice now (2 kids) in about 3-4 months after having them, but honestly, the best predictor in my opinion is look at your own mother. If it just melted off her there is a good chance of being one of the "lucky ones" and if it didnt, then it might be a bit more challenging, but you can still do it, of course.
but i would say if you had to guess which way you will be, look at your mother's experience.

(oh I should also say, so did my mom, so I, in fact, did follow her in having an easier time with the weight)

rcclcruiser

I am wondering if it has something to do with your age when you have the baby. I was 39 when I had mine and the 40 pounds I gained just stayed as belly fat. When I came back to work, people even asked me if I had had the baby yet!!

AZKristi

I think it depends on how much you gain. Its probably easier to drop the weight if you are younger, but ultimately it is all going to depend on nutrition and activity level.

Jen32285

I gained 60 with both kids. With my first, I had lost it all, plus around an extra 20 by the time she was a year old. With my second, I held onto the weight until he was around 2. Then I really started to get back into working out. I think it was so easy with my first was because I was working a full time job, on my feet for 8 hours a day. Then I would hit up the gym for at least an hour afterwards. With my second, I had 2 kids I was having to look after and I was overwhelmed.

lowbpoint

age is very true too. the weight came off much faster at 25 than it has at 33. that is why I am here

NotThePest

Nurse your baby, it burns 500 calories a day because your body has to work to make milk.

amanda52488

Yeah I definitely plan on nursing when I have kids--- I've heard that helps a lot!

Jen32285

I gained 60 with both kids. With my first, I had lost it all, plus around an extra 20 by the time she was a year old. With my second, I held onto the weight until he was around 2. Then I really started to get back into working out. I think it was so easy with my first was because I was working a full time job, on my feet for 8 hours a day. Then I would hit up the gym for at least an hour afterwards. With my second, I had 2 kids I was having to look after and I was overwhelmed.

Oh and to add. I was 20 when I had my oldest and 23 when I had my second.

jtdink1121

I know breast feeding helps A LOT! I would lose all the weight while breast feeding eating whatever I want and when I stopped and continued to eat whatever I want, I gained it all back.

Kamikazeflutterby

I always wonder if it's just age, activity level, and attitude more than genetics. I've had at least three women tell me with absolute conviction that it is impossible to lose pregnancy weight. Those women are idiots.

mes1119

I have absolutely no idea because I have never had a baby. My guess is it is probably a lot easier if you remain in good physical condition during the pregnancy. Also, a lot of women think they are "eating for two" and go haywire and gain a bunch of weight. It is probably easier if you keep the weight gain to only the necessary weight for the baby. I've read that you really only need to eat an extra 300-500 calories a day.

AlayshaJ

Because some women didn't over eat and gain "baby weight".

Breastfeeding can also play a factor.

Werglum

I am now at my pre-baby #1 weight. After my first I didn't get back down to my pre-baby weight but after my second I did! I breastfed both times and put on a lot of weight both times (baby girl #1 was 10lbs 3oz and baby girl #2 was 10lbs 4oz so a fair bit was baby). I think it is just knowledge and a willingness to try that made the difference. The first time I really wanted to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight but I didn't have the tools to go about it. I did get to about 4kg off just through exercise and 'healthy eating'. This time around I have the knowledge that breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day (exclusive) or 300 (older baby on solids) and I count calories and it works. I've always eaten pretty healthy food, mostly non processed and made from scratch (which seems to be a cultural thing - in my opinion - I live in NZ and we don't eat out much or buy processed stuff. Although I guess it could just be that I was raised that way so maybe it is a family thing rather than a cultural one?!?) but it turns out that my portion sizes were way bigger than I thought they were.
I think mainly it still comes down to a calories in, calories out thing. I am now at the stage where I have 4kg to go (8.8lbs) but I've stalled in my weight loss, I think that I might not be able to lose that until I've finished feeding my baby, which is ok with me, I'm pretty happy where I am at the moment anyway. I've been told that the last little bit of weight can be impossible to lose while nursing due to hormones etc.

ETA - Sorry, I'm sounding confused! I got to within 4kg of my pre-pregnancy weight first time around, this time I'm 4kg off my goal weight which is 5kg less than my pre-pregnancy weight, so I'm currently 5kg lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight for my second baby. - Yep I'm still sounding confused, blame lack of sleep!! :ohwell: :yawn: :ohwell:

Abrasue

Because some women didn't over eat and gain "baby weight".

Breastfeeding can also play a factor.

This sounds sooo judgmental

erogers85

who knows!? I asked myself this question over and over again after I had my first baby at 22. It felt nearly impossible to lose any weight at all after I had her and then I got pregnant with my second baby when the first was only 6 months old, then with my third when the second one was 10 months old. I didn't gain very much with the second or third babies but I just never lost the weight from my first! I nursed exclusively for all three (still nursing the baby) and unfortunately for me, breastfeeding just made me ravenously hungry! Don't stress too much about it though, now that I'm done with babies I have really been able to focus on eating healthy and exercising and I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight (third baby's 15 months old now). I will say that the first year is utterly exhausting and I could not find a spare minute to workout besides taking the babies on walks- now that they all (sort of) sleep through the night it is much better!

Soul4lyUrs

I like the theory of nursing which is said to help you lose weight; however, I nursed both of my babies and all the myths were not in my favor. I didn't lose weight and I got my cycle 6 weeks post partum. I nursed so much that I had an oversupply of breast milk so it wasn't for lack of pumping/nursing. I think your activity level and diet contribute greatly.

Colbyandsage

I don't know the answer. The weight didn't melt of me. I had to work it off. I gained 30 with my daughter and 40 with my son. When my son was a week old, I stepped on scale and it said that I lost 6 lbs. I remember being so pissed. I started eating better then it slowly came off.

My son is now 3.5. I just got down past my pre-pg weight. With my daughter, it came off in 3 months. The difference is that after my daughter, I logged my food and exercised when I could exercise. After my son, I didn't. It wasn't til this past Feb that I had enough, I was 10 pounds heavier than before my son, I lost that weight and then some by logging and exercise on MFP.

I am lucky to have very little stretch marks so I can honestly say that my body is back!

lillebanon

I gained a lot of weight AFTER the baby, while I was NURSING. It turned out for me that my body was holding onto fat because I wasn't eating ENOUGH to support my own body and the baby I was nursing, especially with all the exercising I was doing to try and lose the "baby weight". I'm still nursing now, and since I started fueling my body properly (2200+ calories a day), the weight and fat is coming off at a slow but steady pace.

arojas1227

I have absolutely no idea because I have never had a baby. My guess is it is probably a lot easier if you remain in good physical condition during the pregnancy. Also, a lot of women think they are "eating for two" and go haywire and gain a bunch of weight. It is probably easier if you keep the weight gain to only the necessary weight for the baby. I've read that you really only need to eat an extra 300-500 calories a day.

^Totally. Moderate activity is recommended during pregnancy if you're already used to it. I see so many women eating like crazy when they're pregnant because they think it will be good for their baby, when in reality, it would be best to increase 300-500 cal/day.

poustotah

I think there are a TON of factors that contribute to this. Age, weight, genetics, etc. I've had 4 kids. Here's the run down.

Kid 1 - I was 22 when I was pregnant with her. Gained 75 lbs, ate whatever I wanted. Breastfed for 3 months and dropped all of the weight within 12 weeks.

Kid 2 - I was 24. Gained 70 lbs, ate whatever I wanted. Breastfed for 3 months and dropped 60 lbs within 12 weeks.

Kid 3 - I was 30. Gained 70 lbs, ate whatever I wanted, got GD and had to go on a restrictive diet. Breastfed for 4 months and lost 20 lbs within 12 week.

Kid 4 - I was 34. Gained 45 lbs, ate healthy and exercised the entire pregnancy. Still breastfeeding after 11 months and have only lost 20 lbs.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

It really depends on a lot of things - genetics, your eating habits, the course of your pregnancy, if you are breast feed -- etc. I gained 17 pounds and came home from the hospital weighing 3 pounds more than before getting pregnant. I was sick a lot during my pregnancy, so "eating for two" was never an option. My sister in law gained 25 pounds, she had 15 pounds to lose when she got home -- she lost it all plus 10 more pounds within 2 months without trying (she attributes it to breast feeding). We were both about 10 pounds overweight to begin with, but we were active and ate healthy foods as much as possible pre pregnancy and during. My sister gained 40 pounds and lost 20 of it. She was 25-30 pounds overweight to start, ate for two (she craved deep fried food). She had another baby 2 years after the first and has the same pattern. This time she joined the gym and shed all 40 pounds from the second pregnancy within 4 months, she's now working one the 20 pounds left from the first pregnancy.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. You should consume 300-400 extra calories a day when you are pregnant. So long as you keep that in mind, you should gain excessive amounts of weight to lose. But if that's not possible (and that happens -- my sister felt like she was starving ALL THE TIME), it's just like losing weight you gained other ways. Meaning -- if you monitor your calories and work out, it will come off (barring medical issues that you would already know about).

Sentrita

I always wonder if it's just age, activity level, and attitude more than genetics. I've had at least three women tell me with absolute conviction that it is impossible to lose pregnancy weight. Those women are idiots.

Well, I'm 26 years old, and more active than before I got pregnant. I breastfeed, I fidget, and I still lost nothing. I ate healthy and everything. In the end, my attitude may be more the problem as I refuse to end up as my mom, overweight and unhappy. While it's not "impossible" to lose the pregnancy weight, I sure wish I could have an easier time of it. I'm still hoping I can drop a bunch when I'm done breastfeeding. A few months ago I worked out a lot and dropped 10 lbs. And then I stopped. I changed diet and exercise, nothing worked. I gave up and gained it back. Now I'm back at it using this website, I've not hit the 179 where I stopped before yet, but I'm a little scared it may not come off.

AABru

I actually lost weight to get pregnant, and then gained 80 pounds with the first pregnancy. Lost 70 pounds and got pregnant again. I am now 20 pounds from my prepregnancy weight. My youngest is 3. I was like the broad side of a barn pregnant-HUGE.

Nursing did not help me at all, as a matter of fact, I actually stored fat the whole time I was nursing in my upper arms, upper back and hips--the minute I stopped nursing the fat went away. Maybe I'm part camel.

I also was in my mid 30s when I had my second, was working fulltime, and taking classes. My grandma was in hospice, my godmother died, my father had knee replacement, and I helped to plan my cousin's wedding. SO...very busy and stressful time. I lost weight and then put a bunch back on with emotional eating...everyone is different. Our environment factors in as strongly as our genes. Don't let it sway you from doing what you think is right for you.

AABru

I always wonder if it's just age, activity level, and attitude more than genetics. I've had at least three women tell me with absolute conviction that it is impossible to lose pregnancy weight. Those women are idiots.

Well, I'm 26 years old, and more active than before I got pregnant. I breastfeed, I fidget, and I still lost nothing. I ate healthy and everything. In the end, my attitude may be more the problem as I refuse to end up as my mom, overweight and unhappy. While it's not "impossible" to lose the pregnancy weight, I sure wish I could have an easier time of it. I'm still hoping I can drop a bunch when I'm done breastfeeding. A few months ago I worked out a lot and dropped 10 lbs. And then I stopped. I changed diet and exercise, nothing worked. I gave up and gained it back. Now I'm back at it using this website, I've not hit the 179 where I stopped before yet, but I'm a little scared it may not come off.

If you are still nursing, that could be the reason you aren't losing...I stored fat.. Don't give up, your baby needs you healthy!

mstawnya

I think the key is to take time for yourself. Having a newborn (and other kids underfoot) is very hard. Sometimes so hard that the thought of going to the gym or taking them all for a walk is pretty overwhelming. I exercised throughout all of my pregnancies, ate pretty well, and held onto some of the weight for varying amounts of time. After daughter #1, the weight came off in 3-4 months. After daughter #2, it took over a year. After daughter #3, it took around 2 years. I'm not sure if it was an age factor or a timing factor. Having small kids is hard. It's hard to take time away from them, but I know that I'm a better mom when I get that hour in the gym. I breastfed all of my girls to the 2 year mark so I can't really say that was a factor in weight loss for me, but those extra calories were sure nice. Don't be afraid-your body will most likely change and you may get stretch marks or loose belly skin, but the kids are so worth it!

amanda52488

Thanks for all of the input! Interesting to hear! I didnt know you were only supposed to eat an extra 300-400 extra cals while pregnant!

momma_a

I gained 14 lb with both my pregnancies. My kids were 7 lb & 6 lb 11 oz, respectively. I dropped whatever baby weight I had 2-3 weeks after I had my kids. I ate like a pig the entire pregnancies, or at least as much as I could since there wasn't much room in there. I have never been overweight, and my family is tall & thin. I think genetics plays a big part.