Ladies... has anyone had a baby since they lost weight and come back down to goal?

CoffeeNCardio
CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So this is probably ridiculous, I mean CICO works, so obviously it can be done. But I've been worrying (probably needlessly) what am I gonna do when Hubby and I have another baby. We want 2-3 and I've never tried to lose weight before now and I'm doing well, but what do you do if you get pregnant. What do you do while pregnant? And most importantly, how long/hard was it til you came back down to where you're happy after you gave birth?

Again, this is probably absurd, obviously it can be done, but I can't help worrying about it anyway...

Replies

  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    i lost 50lbs after my first pregnancy. then i got pregnant with my second. i tried to stay healthy so as not to put on too much . after my second baby i had about 20lbs to lose to get back to my pre pregnancy weight. it took about 6 months. then i lost another 15lbs to bring me to my healthiest weight yet. still another 10 to go. of course it can be done. don't over stress it. u will gain during your pregnancy. just try not to let it get to u
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    I got down to a weight I was thrilled with (112 pounds) and then found out I was pregnant. This was back in 2010. I was very conscious of my weight gain during pregnancy and put on 28 pounds; I didn't exercise strenuously but I did quite a bit of walking until the weather turned. My daughter was born in January 2011, and by April I was down to about 108 - smaller than where I started. The weight flew off at first, but the last ten pounds took a lot of effort. That's when I found MFP actually - been here ever since. :)
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    Thank you guys, I think I just need a little reassurance. You always hear from moms about how great their bodies were before kids (my mom complains about this A LOT) and I always worry, cause I've only had one kid and she constantly reminds me it's the second baby that "gets you". Like I said, I know with CICO it can be done, it's just been 'weighing' on my mind:) Thanks again!
  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
    edited October 2015
    clgaram720 wrote: »
    Thank you guys, I think I just need a little reassurance. You always hear from moms about how great their bodies were before kids (my mom complains about this A LOT) and I always worry, cause I've only had one kid and she constantly reminds me it's the second baby that "gets you". Like I said, I know with CICO it can be done, it's just been 'weighing' on my mind:) Thanks again!


    It took me longer to lose the weight after the second kiddo, but it can be done. I found keeping the weight off harder with kids, not the initial loss.

    ETA: I didn't track calories when I was pregnant, but I tried to eat sensibly. It took me over a year to get back down to pre-baby weight with both, but it was more about the saggy parts than the weight that bothered me. It was really hard to get back in shape after #1 because my stomach muscles were pretty shot. With #2 I kept exercising for the first 3 months and that helped somewhat. I still found my lack of musculature frustrating, but it is what it is.

    I was also about 10 above goal weight when I get pregnant with #1 and about 7 when I got pregnant with #2.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I was at goal weight (or within 5lbs) for awhile then got pregnant. I tried to keep active as best I could while pregnant but had some issues where I had to stop running. Even without those issues, I doubt I would have been able to keep running because I was so uncomfortable. Walking was hard. But I walked and swam as much as I could. I didn't track my eating until later on. I ended up gaining a bit more than the recommended weight. I don't have a final total because I just didn't want to know.
    It took me almost a year to get back to my goal weight but, to be fair, I was nursing at first and didn't bother tracking food. I took my time getting back into exercise. To be honest, I was pretty slack the entire year about tracking food but I did train for a half Ironman so that helped. It wasn't "easy" but I also didn't put a ton of effort into it either.

    If we decide to have another, I'm going to be much more careful about how much I gain (a two week vacation/cruise at 4 months didn't help).
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Yep. I stopped counting calories while pregnant, but continued to stay active and workout (which was "OK'ed" by my OB). I gained some weight during the pregnancy, but was able to lose it in 5 months and continued to lose the rest of the weight I needed to lose.

    I didn't gain as much during my second pregnancy as I did with my first (first was full of health issues and ended at 34 wks). I contribute this to being healthier at the start, staying active, and not having any complications that would lead to bed rest.

    My mom actually told me to never expect to get to my highschool weight or to be as thin as I was in high school after having my first. She was wrong. I'm weigh about the same now as I did in my freshman year of high school and I'm actually thinner. That's after 2 kiddos.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257157/c-section-mom-of-2-my-progress-over-the-past-couple-years-lots-of-pics/p1
  • ydyms
    ydyms Posts: 266 Member
    edited October 2015
    I got down to goal weight much easier when I stopped breastfeeding. Some people simply don't lose weight then :(
    ETA- I had 4 c-sections and I weigh less than when I got married many years ago... It's possible with hard work!
  • Owlfan88
    Owlfan88 Posts: 187 Member
    ydyms wrote: »
    I got down to goal weight much easier when I stopped breastfeeding. Some people simply don't lose weight then :(
    ETA- I had 4 c-sections and I weigh less than when I got married many years ago... It's possible with hard work!

    On the other hand, breastfeeding helped me drop weight effortlessly. I felt like I could eat anything and everything and still lose the weight. Of course, I didn't have much time to eat, which may have been some of it, but I clearly remember the big bowl of ice cream every night and buying smaller jeans.
    I gained about 30 pounds with each of my 2 pregnancies and lost it pretty quickly. Seems like within about 6-8 weeks. My memory could be off though as my babies are 16 and 19 now. While the weight came off, the shape didn't come back nearly so well. Especially after the second kid. The flabby wobbly tummy meant it took a lot longer to get out of the maternity clothes after the 2nd kid, even when the weight was gone.
    For me, I kept my weight pretty much the same (after the initial loss) until I quit breastfeeding, then slowly the weight came up. I think I kept eating like I was still feeding another.
  • 5arahwhitney
    5arahwhitney Posts: 1 Member
    I had my third child 8 months ago. Losing the weight with this one was the hardest of all. I think it's because I'm older now, though. I had my other two in my mid 20s. I had this one in my mid 30s. with my first 2 the weight just eventually came off in about a year (I didn't stress about it or rush it, plus I breast-fed which also helped shed weight). With baby #3, who I just had 8 months ago, I had to consciously make an effort. I felt like the weight just wasn't coming off on its own this time, in spite of breast-feeding and doing everything the same as my prior two children. That's where I think age played a role. I was also in better shape going into this last pregnancy so I felt a greater need to get back to where I was pre-pregnancy #3.

    5 months postpartum of baby #3 (in July '15) I came onto myfitnesspal to start making a deliberate effort. I still had 20 pounds left to lose. I reached my goal last month- in late September '15 (7 months postpartum) - and it was very doable. I wouldn't worry about it if you're already on here and conscious of your choices and the impacts they make on your weight. And the babies are always worth it!!!!!
  • lucyleigh4
    lucyleigh4 Posts: 33 Member
    I have 5 children. I am .4 lbs away from my goal. My youngest is 2 and my oldest is 16. I haven't really tried to lose weight after my 2 year old until this past May. I am 40 and have had no problems getting to where I am goal/weight wise. Just had to get enough "want to". I wasn't overweight to start with. I was within my healthy BMI range, just towards the higher end of it and not at all where I am comfortable with. You can do it!
  • janiep81
    janiep81 Posts: 248 Member
    I'm glad you asked this question. We're still not sure when/if we're having a third child, but I've been worried about this as well.
  • Kettle_Belle14
    Kettle_Belle14 Posts: 246 Member
    edited October 2015
    Yes, I have! And I gained 55 lbs with my pregnancy (terrible food choices and almost no exercise). I'm almost 10 lbs under pre-pregnancy weight and my son is 16 months. Most of my baby weight was lost in the first 6 months. :)

    Edit: I was also unable to breastfeed due to low milk production.
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
    ydyms wrote: »
    I got down to goal weight much easier when I stopped breastfeeding. Some people simply don't lose weight then :(
    ETA- I had 4 c-sections and I weigh less than when I got married many years ago... It's possible with hard work!

    This happened to me too. I gained weight while nursing but once I weaned, it's going away.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    Everyone and every pregnancy is different. My experience was that it took 6 months to get to my prepregnancy weight with babies 1 & 2 and only 6 weeks with baby number 3. I started all my pregnancies at roughly the same weight and gained 30lbs, 40lbs and 25lbs with each baby (1-3). Funnily enough it was baby number 3 that gave me the loose skin and a few stretch marks.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    Yes, twice, but it took me about 2 years after baby #2. They were 20 months apart and I did no exercise the 2d time. It was a lot harder to lose the weight. But anything is possible!!
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    I've had two babies since I lost "the" weight. Four babies total. I lost 40 pounds after my 2nd baby and have been in maintenance for 5 years. It wasn't baby weight, it just crept on while busy with work and school and sidelined by a dislocated hip. I don't gain weight when I'm pregnant though, but since my last two were back to back I was in pretty bad shape after - it took me about 10 months to get my strength and lifts back to where they were prior.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    janiep81 wrote: »
    I'm glad you asked this question. We're still not sure when/if we're having a third child, but I've been worried about this as well.

    Yep, that's why I asked in the open forum and not just my friends/newsfeed. If I'm this worried, I was sure I couldn't be the only one. I feel SO much better about it now though, thank you so much ladies!!!
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    shadow2soul wrote: »
    Yep. I stopped counting calories while pregnant, but continued to stay active and workout (which was "OK'ed" by my OB). I gained some weight during the pregnancy, but was able to lose it in 5 months and continued to lose the rest of the weight I needed to lose.

    I didn't gain as much during my second pregnancy as I did with my first (first was full of health issues and ended at 34 wks). I contribute this to being healthier at the start, staying active, and not having any complications that would lead to bed rest.

    My mom actually told me to never expect to get to my highschool weight or to be as thin as I was in high school after having my first. She was wrong. I'm weigh about the same now as I did in my freshman year of high school and I'm actually thinner. That's after 2 kiddos.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257157/c-section-mom-of-2-my-progress-over-the-past-couple-years-lots-of-pics/p1

    Thank you for this. My mom's idea of what happens to your body after 2 kids has been especially freaking me out, and I didn't want to believe it but kinda did, and now I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one being told this and that it can be proved wrong, so thank you
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    I think I'll probably be okay then. I gained a lot of weight while pregnant (went from 131 to 186), but it was mostly crap eating habits and no control and I slept through dam near half the pregnancy! But while I was breastfeeding him exclusively, I dropped to 140 in a little less than a month and a half. It's from there, when I moved him to the bottle (he had severe reflux and a milk protein intolerance so we had to put him on the super expensive hypoallergenic formula Neocate $50 for a can that only last 1/2 a day ouch) that I swiftly moved back up to my starting weight on here 176. That was just from never exercising (anymore than carrying him to sleep several times a day) and eating whatever I wanted whenever. I also quit smoking when I got pregnant, cause of course I did, and never started again, and I've heard that has a lot to do with weight gain regardless of pregnancy.

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