how hard is it to lose pregnancy weight?

20carrots
20carrots Posts: 279 Member
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok this is an extremely premature post since I don't even plan on getting pg for another 2-3 YEARS but I think this question is contributing to my fear of success.

I figure, if I'm going to gain a ton of weight having kids, what's the point of losing any now? (faulty logic I know)

So...my question is, how much do women gain and how hard is it to lose it? I watch Kendra on E and she started out super skinny and is having a hard time.

Any thoughts please share. Thanks!

Replies

  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    Having a baby is the best thing in the world. Check out Tamtastics page! She will inspire you!!! If you do a search you can find her progression page. Beautiful!:heart:

    It is all choices! Feed your body well and it will reward you. :flowerforyou: Feed it garbage and you will look like a big ugly trash can. :laugh: :laugh:
  • jenlhugg
    jenlhugg Posts: 141 Member
    With my second child I started out at a comfortable weight I was happy with, kepy active, didn't let myself give in to napping and eating crap all day, and the weight came off easily. You have to take care of yourself, eat right, and not just sit around and gain weight because you can. Not saying it just melts off, but it isn't horrible.
  • mama22girlz
    mama22girlz Posts: 291
    If you watch what you eat (but eat what you need to ) then you shouldn't gain alot. You not really "eating for two" and if you plan to Breastfeed that burns calories like crazy. I lost all the baby weight I gained after having both girls within a few months of having them. (I only gained about 15-20 lbs each time) Of course I gained it all back with horrible eating habbits and the fact that I was overweight to begin with LOL but really can't blame that on the kids ;)
  • beckamarie
    beckamarie Posts: 23 Member
    Amen to Jen. With my first I sat around and ate whatever I wanted. With my second, I didn't. I logged what I ate, I ate well, I stayed more active and I am getting the weight I had left off much faster this time. Goodness, children are worth any amount of weight gain and stress. :smooched:
    I also got ALL of baby weight from number 1 completely off before getting pregnant with baby number 2 and I think that has made all the difference. My children are 27 months apart so it is doable.
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    Here is the link for Tamtastic.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/50347-success-in-pregnancy-progression-pics


    PS: Consider breast feeding after! I was eating clean already but with breastfeeding, I got down to 102 after my babies...less than I weighed in college.
  • DawnCallas
    DawnCallas Posts: 68
    I just had my second child six weeks ago. With both of my children I stayed active and watched what I ate. I gained 19 with my first and 15 with my second. In both cases I lost all of their weight prior to leaving the hosiptal. I weighed 175 when I got pregnant with my first and 184 with my second. Needless to say I had extra weight already. I would encourage you not to let this get in your way of losing weight now! It will only make your body a healthier home for your babies!! I would have much rather preffered to have been at a healthier weight both times.

    I can promise you that the sweet little face looking up at you will make you forget all of the pounds you may or may not have to lose! Chilren are the greatest blessing! :)
  • heather_boyd
    heather_boyd Posts: 53
    I was honestly never in better shape than I was during the first 6 - 7 months of my pregnancy... I spent a lot of time walking the dog and had strange hankerings for foods that my body actually needed.

    All told, my first pregnancy I only gained about 20lbs (the last 2 months, however, were brutal on my body), but I lost almost all the weight by the time I was out of the hospital.

    The real challenge for me was the year off of work after that when I slowly let myself go back to within 10lbs of my highest pregnancy weight.

    My concern now that I am at my lowest weight in 7 - 8 years is that when I decide to try for baby #2 (maybe this fall), that I'll balloon like crazy right off the hop.

    But trust me, it's all worth it ... And eventually your life will get back to some resemblance of normalcy and you'll appreciate yourself and your body all the more and have even more reason to live a long, healthy and active life.
  • amjayasuriya
    amjayasuriya Posts: 10
    I gained 30lbs with this little one and lost all of that within 2 months. I am now 5 months post partum and down 5lbs further....with breastfeeding the weight really does just fall off easily if you eat even semi-well. It wont be nearly as bad as you think I promise!!
  • kaylada89
    kaylada89 Posts: 38 Member
    It all depends on what size you normally are and what you eat. I have had 2 children 20 months apart. With my first boy i was bed ridden most of the time from illness and put on 3 stone. i found it very hard to lose. With my second one i was ill again but actually lost weight while i was pregnent. He is 10 months now and i have lost weight but i am definately not back to my post pregnancy body. Its hard work but i would never change it for the world. If you lose weight now and stay healthy you will probably have a better time during pregnancy and an easier time losing the weight after! Good luck K
  • ractayjon
    ractayjon Posts: 365
    Every body is different and every pregnancy is different.
    For me I started out at 30 years old and my ideal weight - I waas pregnant with twins, gained 37 pounds and lost it within 4 months without trying (I was looser then before but the baby fat was gone)
    For my second pregnancy 2 years later I was about 7 pounds heavier, single baby and gained 52 pounds...after that preganancy I worked my butt off literally on WW and exercised daily strength training and cardio...I had the baby in Feb and by Sept was at my lowest body fat and weight since my early 20's.
    Then I had a few health problems and gained about 10 pounds...by the time my 4th baby came (my 3rd pregnancy) I was 35 and about 15 pounds heavier then I was at my first pregnancy...I gained only 7 pounds the first 5 months of the pregnancy and then by the time I was in my 8th month had only put on 15 pounds...I was so excited thinking I was going to have the baby and be thin again....but, AFTER she was born in the next 5 months I gained 20 pounds??
    I am 4 1/2 years out from that preganancy and have been up and down up and down with that 20 pounds since then...mostly because I wasnt seriously trying....now Im seriously trying and jhave dropped a solid 10 of it.
    In my opinion losing pregnancy weight isnt hard if you TRY...and just dont use it as an excuse to be over weight.....
    PS...I did not breast feed so Ididnt have that extra calorie burn....
    PSS...if you continue to exercise during the pregnancy it will be even easier afterwards!!
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    Ok this is an extremely premature post since I don't even plan on getting pg for another 2-3 YEARS but I think this question is contributing to my fear of success.

    I figure, if I'm going to gain a ton of weight having kids, what's the point of losing any now? (faulty logic I know)

    So...my question is, how much do women gain and how hard is it to lose it? I watch Kendra on E and she started out super skinny and is having a hard time.

    Any thoughts please share. Thanks!

    I'm 5'4''. My healthy range is 118lbs - 145lbs.
    When I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 185lbs.... and actually thought I looked pretty good. Poor misguided me.
    Doctors never cautioned me about my weight gain.
    We did an Army move to the middle of no where in the middle of a heat wave. I stayed inside our tiny apartment. No where to go, heat was too extreme to even go for a walk after 6am.
    I gained weight. Lots of weight. I filled my days with the internet and movies and food.
    At delivery, I weighed 245lbs.

    It took me an active year to lose back to 185lbs.

    The bad part is the damage done to my body. By being overweight before, my abdomen is shot to hell. I have a flabby tummy that no amount of sit ups will ever correct. I have stretch marks (which I believe my body was predestined for) covering that flab. My tummy looks like a battlefield, imo.

    Make a goal to be at a healthy weight before getting pregnant. Work out during your pregnancy and eat right. You'll be able to gain very little pregnancy weight, have a HEALTHY child and HEALTHY mom! Besides, once that kid gets here... there is no time left to work out, focus on yourself, take the time to cook huge healthy meals. You can adjust into a healthy lifestyle after a kid, but it's difficult. Get into pre-kid and you can keep it flowing post-kid.

    Just my two cents.
  • tmlane810
    tmlane810 Posts: 87 Member
    I gain alot of weight with my daughter, about 65 pounds. I lost about 25-30 pretty quickly mostly due to water weight. My problem was that I didn't continue to eat right or exercise so I kept most of the weight on. Before I was pregnant, I weigh between 175-180. When I gave birth I was about 245. When I finally decided to take this issue and control it before it controls me, I was at 255, that was in Jan, 2010. Today I am 236 eating better and exercising everyday, even if for only 20 minutes. I have seen a bigg difference in not just my weight but my energy and how some of my clothes fit. I was not able to breastfeed as I didn't have the milk supply, however, I have many friends and co-workers who praise breastfeeding and its assistance in losing weight after giving birth. I say don't fear pregnancy or child birth because of possible weight gain. Having a child is the one of the most amazing, miraculous blessings. If you eat right and stay active, then weight gain shouldn't be too much of an issue.
  • aerobicgirl
    aerobicgirl Posts: 354 Member
    i agree it just depends on your body, and what you eat. your body changes after you have a baby. look at kendra she says now she has more curves than she did before. in my case i think my hips got wider after my daughter. i have 2 kids 3 yrs old and a 6mth old bf i was at 145 now im at 152. and i just cant seem to lose it maybe bc im ok with my body i eat right and i exercise so i don't let it bring me down. just stay active and eat right. but having a kid is a blessing.
  • Kristen81
    Kristen81 Posts: 342 Member
    I gained a total of 27 pounds when I was pregnant. I don't think it's always the weight thats hard to lose...it's toning back up. At 2 weeks I had already lost all but 5 pounds of pregnancy weight without trying. So, I looked like my old self again but when I took my clothes off, I had some extra loose skin in the tummy area.
    My Son is now 5 1/2 months old and I weigh a little less than I did pre pregnancy and am starting to look better. The tummy is the HARDEST part. When you are pregnant and give birth, it completely destroys your stomach muscles, so it's like starting from scratch when it comes to toning back up. Don't worry too much about the weight.....just take care of yourself.
    Either way....This is the BEST experience you will ever have! Being pregnant is beautiful and most amazing feeling! While going through labor can be a bit tough, you forget what it felt like as soon as your beautiful baby is in your arms.
  • aerobicgirl
    aerobicgirl Posts: 354 Member
    I gained a total of 27 pounds when I was pregnant. I don't think it's always the weight thats hard to lose...it's toning back up. At 2 weeks I had already lost all but 5 pounds of pregnancy weight without trying. So, I looked like my old self again but when I took my clothes off, I had some extra loose skin in the tummy area.
    My Son is now 5 1/2 months old and I weigh a little less than I did pre pregnancy and am starting to look better. The tummy is the HARDEST part. When you are pregnant and give birth, it completely destroys your stomach muscles, so it's like starting from scratch when it comes to toning back up. Don't worry too much about the weight.....just take care of yourself.
    Either way....This is the BEST experience you will ever have! Being pregnant is beautiful and most amazing feeling! While going through labor can be a bit tough, you forget what it felt like as soon as your beautiful baby is in your arms.

    your right its the tummy area u can lose weight but your stomach muscles are different, thats why some people have tummy tucks, but over all its a blessing. haha somepeople actually like they new body.
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    I LOST ALL THE WEIGHT PLUS 40 POUNDS WITHIN A FEW MONTHS BUT MY TUMMY STILL HAS EXTRA SKIN
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