Is losing weight after a baby harder?

ayreka7
ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just had a beautiful baby girl 3 months ago. I'm not the best at avoiding temptations when pregnant and I gained 60+ lbs :(. I was already overweight. Well I've been trying so hard since I got back to work almost 8 weeks ago. Drinking black coffee, no sweets, no carbs, healthy fresh veggies, lean meats-poultry-and fish, preparing all my meals ahead of time, calculating calories, exercising. I lost 14 lbs in that time. I know a healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week, I'm sure my expectations are high. However, a few years back I was really serious about weight loss and lost 40 lbs in 8 weeks (this was about 3 years after my first child). I'm more serious now and it just seems like a struggle. Is it harder to lose weight after a baby?

Replies

  • fitmomforu
    fitmomforu Posts: 80 Member
    Morning!! I have two kids one of them just turned one. I had complications and was in for additional surgeries after which pushed my start date to get fit way back. The first 3 months nothing really happened. I took a personal trainer course and an additional college course on pre and post baby workouts to help me. Once a base is established it's done. After baby two it was a lot harder but now I'm smaller then I was before I was pregnant with my first baby. Add me, we can do this together!! I still have goals and mine is to bring down my body fat %. You got this and congrats on the bundle:)
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    40 pounds in 8 weeks isn't healthy at all. Whatever you're doing now is much safer and more sustainable. No, I wouldn't say that losing weight after a baby is any harder. My son is a year old and I was able to lose nearly 50 pounds just by watching my intake and becoming more active.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Here's my question for you, why are you eliminating all carbs from your diet? Carbs are your body's fuel source and are really important for proper nutrition. It's good to restrict carbs while dieting, but you should not eliminate them altogether. Also, how many calories/day are you eating?

    Allan
  • Fit_Housewife
    Fit_Housewife Posts: 168 Member
    I'm finding it harder. I'm older now too which I'm sure doesn't help. I have 3 kids and it's gotten more difficult to lose with each child. It just may take longer this time but you can do it! It took us 9 months to gain it so we should get 9 months to lose it :)
  • ayreka7
    ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
    Allan: I'm not eliminating all carbs just not eating things that are filled with carbs, like pastas, rice, bread, etc. There are still carbs in other foods that I consume. I'm trying to go for the more protein rich diet and veggies, minimal carbs and minimal sugars. I was having slight carbs and I spoke to a coworker of mine who was bigger then me pre-pregnancy and lost a lot of weight this year and she suggested this kind of eating. Since I see the results on her I've been trying to copy her style.
  • ayreka7
    ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
    Also, I was eating between 1200-1400 calories a day before I spoke to this co-worker. She suggested I was being too obsessive over the scale and tracking every calorie and to just go by how a snug pair of pants fit and eat until I'm full and only concentrate on protein and veggies. So I haven't been tracking them for about 2 weeks.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I don't think having a baby makes it harder to lose weight physically (I supposed it could if your hormones are out of whack), but if can be harder emotionally/mentally. Lack of sleep, less time to work out and prep meals, stress, etc..

    Also, do what works for you, not what a coworker tells you. If you don't lose weight without tracking, start tracking again. A lot of people see it as obsessive, but there are many people who have been very successful with that method. Just be sure you're in a deficit, one way or another, and you'll lose weight.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    40 pounds in eight weeks sounds unhealthy to me.

    I guess if it was mostly post-baby weight loss, it makes some sense. But, yeah, expecting to repeat that loss is unrealistic. 14 pounds in eight weeks is a great loss.
  • ayreka7
    ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
    Well I am losing weight both methods. Tracking I lost 9 lbs in 5 weeks and I lost 5 lbs in the past 2 weeks trying my co-worker's method. I just wanted to know if it was harder after baby. To also add, I had a c-section with both of my children. I'm sure it is easier for those who have natural birth to drop the weight.

    That said, both methods are working, just discouraged at the results. I know it took me 9 months and its only been 3 months. I guess my expectations are high. I just want to feel better as soon as possible. And to fit into my clothes again.
  • ayreka7
    ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
    Yes, 40lbs in 8 weeks was probably not healthy but it felt good to get the results that quickly.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    It depends. Breastfeeding burns a LOT of calories so that can help you lose weight quickly. However, it can also make you ravenously hungry so it's possible to not lose weight too, depending on what you're eating. There's no inherent reason losing after a baby is harder, besides you're busier!

    After my son was born, I lost all the weight I'd gained plus 10 pounds by the time he was a year old. My daughter is almost 2 and I am just now at pre-pregnancy weight, with another 15-20 pounds to get to pre-pregnancy weight from my son.

    You can do it! Congrats on your daughter :)
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    You already lost weight after having a baby previously, so I am not sure why you are asking, but I would say barring some hormonal imbalances it should not be any harder to lose weight after having a baby. You may just need to be more patient.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    No, I don't think it's any harder. I've actually had more success after having babies than I did before.

    14lbs is great progress. Keep up the good work.

    I'd encourage you to go back to calorie counting but maybe set your goal higher than 1200. It's really easy to accidentally eat at maintenance when you don't count which of course completely stalls any weight loss.
  • thaatgurl
    thaatgurl Posts: 26 Member
    After having my first baby, I carried the weight for 5 years. Then I had my second child and lost about 15 lbs, but it didn't stay gone long - maybe 6 months - before I gained it all back. My third baby will be 1 next month and weight lose this time around has been easier. But I have gallbladder disease and gallstones now so I'm on a pretty specific diet. That on top of counting calories has produced great results!

    If anyone is interested, here's the site I use as a guideline for what not to eat in order to prevent gallbladder attacks.
    www.livestrong.com/article/29457-list-good-bad-foods/

    My family has also cut out sugar, processed, and hormone injected foods. Here's the site we use for that.
    www.100daysofrealfood.com
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    It's as hard as you make it. Calories in vs. calories out. Worked for me.
  • ayreka7
    ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
    Thanks everyone for the responses.
  • stacief82
    stacief82 Posts: 109 Member
    I have had 2 children. The first when I was 20 and a full time college student/working part time. I gained 40lbs with his pregnancy and lost everything (plus 2 lbs) by my 6 week checkup. I wasn't dieting or exercising at all just eating normally and trying to maintain my crazy schedule.

    I had my second child at 29. I gained 50lbs with his pregnancy and it took me somewhere between 4-6 months to lose all the weight (most of it came off in 6-8 weeks, just the last 10lbs or so took a bit longer).

    I think age plays a big part in how easy it is to lose the weight, along with genetics, and other factors like breastfeeding (I didn't breastfeed my first, but did my second, which may explain the 10lbs that I held on to for awhile). I had a very complicated delivery with my first (with a hard recovery) and my second was a c-section, but really my c-setion recover was easier, so I can't blame that on my slow weight loss.
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
    No fix your diet and be patient. Work out when you can. I always aimed for 3x a week when my babies were that small. Now they are older I can drop them at the daycare I try for 5x a week.
  • funfang
    funfang Posts: 200 Member
    Congrats for the weight lost :-) the first year after my 2nd child was born, all I could think about was sleep.

    I started this March when my daughter was 16 month old ( I already lost about 5~10 lbs) and I have now lost all the weight. But I can also tell my body shape is now different. My cloths don't fit me the same especially around my butt, it's tighter around there.

    I think it might be easier if you are younger but as long as you count your calories and work out ( that, really helped a lot in my case) You should be able to do it.

    Good luck!
  • bigsistruck
    bigsistruck Posts: 125 Member
    Personally, I find it harder to lose weight now than with both of my pregnancies. I think it's mostly because I was easier on myself after pregnancy and told myself slow and steady was fine and I would lose it, and I did. Now, I blame myself for gaining weight without an excuse and I am really hard on myself about losing weight faster. After pregnancy, there was just a lot of "stuff" that had to go back to it's original shape and it slowly did but now it's just plain fat. Just my experience!
  • mermer315
    mermer315 Posts: 34 Member
    It depends. Breastfeeding burns a LOT of calories so that can help you lose weight quickly.

    Wrong! :) lol! I've been breastfeeding for 6 months and have lost nothing. wahhhhhh!!!!
  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
    After my first child, I didn't find it harder. After my second child, I have definitely found it much harder.
  • Tazzza
    Tazzza Posts: 11 Member
    I would say no, it's not harder for your body to lose weight. It's just harder to find the time and the energy to exercise and cook decent food but I think if you stuck to a proper diet and exercised good enough you would lose weight just the same as you did before ????
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Well I am losing weight both methods. Tracking I lost 9 lbs in 5 weeks and I lost 5 lbs in the past 2 weeks trying my co-worker's method. I just wanted to know if it was harder after baby. To also add, I had a c-section with both of my children. I'm sure it is easier for those who have natural birth to drop the weight.

    That said, both methods are working, just discouraged at the results. I know it took me 9 months and its only been 3 months. I guess my expectations are high. I just want to feel better as soon as possible. And to fit into my clothes again.

    I am trying to understand why you're discouraged by what appears to be about 2 pounds per week? :huh:
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    It depends. Breastfeeding burns a LOT of calories so that can help you lose weight quickly.

    Wrong! :) lol! I've been breastfeeding for 6 months and have lost nothing. wahhhhhh!!!!

    It does burn a lot of calories, but some of us need to eat those calories to maintain milk supply, or just because it makes us super hungry.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I haven't found it more or less difficult. I eat bread, rice, and pasta. I lost while nursing, I lost after I stopped nursing. The only challenge is fitting in my workouts and sleep.
  • ayreka7
    ayreka7 Posts: 198 Member
    I appreciate all the responses! Thank you everyone! Seems like everyone is different, some things have or have not worked for people. 14 lbs is a good loss in 8 weeks and I will just keep up with it. I will just be patient, stick with it, and think positive.

Categories