Help! Post pregnancy weight loss!

sapnamalik
sapnamalik Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I had my baby boy 5 weeks ago. A bit of history - this is my 3rd (and last!) baby. I am 5'6" and here's a summary of my weight history:
Wedding weight: 125
A year after: 135
Gained about 45 pounds with first pregnancy, lost most of it and was 137
Gained about 45 pounds with second pregnancy, lost most of it and was 138
I lost it both times mainly by restricting calories and very minimal exercise.
Gained 30 pounds with my last pregnancy. In the first three weeks after the birth lost 16 pounds (baby, water weight etc). I am now 152. Since I am not able to breastfeed I have been able to restrict my calories. Intially I Was eating 1200-1300/day and the scale showed 150 one day but then I read that I should be eating at least as much as my BMR (about 1430) so I thought I could eat about 1450 on 4 days of the week and 1200 on the other 3 (Saturday, Monday, Wednesday). Have done this for one week and now am back at 152 :(
I have no issues with restricting calories but I just need to know I am on the right track and that sticking with this will make me lose the weight eventually! I feel like my metabolism isn't great and 1200-1300 hardly lets me lose 1/2 a pound a week - and I'm worried that increasing this will just maintain my weight. I read the nytimes article (the fat trap) and I feel like my body is so used to eating 1200-1300 that I will gain if I eat more. I would love to be 135 again.
Note: I have not started exercising yet after giving birth - I will probably start walking/swimming since I am not a gym person at all.
Any advice appreciated!:smile:

Replies

  • PinkCoconut
    PinkCoconut Posts: 655 Member
    Congrats on your wee one!

    I know from my own experience that my body does not like losing when I go down to 1,200 - 1,300 calories per day. I was barely losing when I decided to go down that low but when I popped up to about 1,400 calories I started losing a little more consistently. Your body may just be trying to adjust to the new calorie range, I'd honestly give it a couple of weeks to see what's going on. One week oftentimes is not enough time to see if a new way of doing things is working. I know for me personally that my body went through some funky changes every time I changed things up for about two weeks.

    Please feel free to friend me, I have a 4-month old currently napping and am currently doing the work to get back to my post-pregnancy weight! :)
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Congratulations!

    Yes, you should eat at least your BMR. Keep in mind that a 2-lb "gain" most likely isn't a gain of fat. Our weights fluctuate wildly from day to day for many, many reasons aside from gaining fat.

    Here is a link to help you set your calorie goals:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    Here is another link to a group of moms with babies (we're nice and non-judgey) if you need motivation:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/639-post-partum-pack

    Best wishes!
  • PinkCupcakes84
    PinkCupcakes84 Posts: 235 Member
    I just stopped by to say congrats on your bundle!! I love babies but after our 4th my husband said no more lol. Don't worry, you'll find a routine that works for you. I took advantage of breastfeeding with my babies but I'm sure you'll get some advice from other mommies on here. Congrats again.
  • smille01
    smille01 Posts: 32 Member
    Hi and congrats! My baby boy is 7 months old now. I did not breastfeed and the weight still came off fairly easily. I've lost about 50 pounds since I gave birth by eating what I want in moderation and moving more. I walk a lot with my son in his stroller and do chores around the house all day. I don't do any formal exercise (I hate exercise) except for some squats randomly. I've had great results this way. Be patient and enjoy your baby!
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    I'm not a woman, but I live with one and two kids :)

    My wife has never eaten more than now and has almost returned to her normal weight (she's now 125, 5' 6". Our boy is 9 months old and she was 160 before giving birth). She eats a lot - really a lot. She attributes this to breastfeeding, for what is worth. Which is a total win-win situation if viable for you.

    I'd stay away from the stupid gimmick stuff. But that's just me.
  • feedmedonuts
    feedmedonuts Posts: 241 Member
    Following.........almost 11 weeks preggo with 1st baby. 5'5" wedding weight 128lbs, pre-preg weight (4yrs later) 150lbs which I was trying to lose before I knew I was pregnant, current weight 145lbs I am guessing due to muscle loss/loss of appetite. Very concerned about losing weight post baby because my job requires me to take physical fitness and waist measurement tests 6mos post partum :/ I'm HOPING to gain no more than 25lbs since I already had weight to lose, but we will see about that lol.
  • SiempreBella
    SiempreBella Posts: 125 Member
    Congrats, my nutrition teacher recommended for my sister to breast feed and just go for an easy work out. She pointed out to my sis that breast feeding can burn around 500 calories and then adding a walk can add to the deficit. just a thought tho

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