Moms- harder time losing weight after having kids?

For me, it's a little more difficult having more food in the house. I'm at home all day as a work at home mom. If it was still just my husband and me, I feel like I could eat less than I'm tempted to do now. And of course, it would be easier to squeeze in workouts. But I don't think that having been pg and giving birth to our kids in itself makes it any harder to lose weight. It's just that the logistics are a little more difficult now. But I also think it's worth it :-)

I never had trouble managing my weight before getting pg. I don't think its directly related to being a mom though. I gained 90lb when I was pg, I got older, I didn't work out to maintain muscle mass, and with limited time reached for convenience foods more often. By the time my sons 7th birthday came along though I had found the time and motivation to get in great shape. The weight I gained back (after maintaining 3yr) was only because I started eating more and moving less over time.

It has been much more difficult for me to go from 148 to 137-140 now than it was when I was 26 and dieting for the first time. That's due to me being more concerned with retaining muscle mass, though. Back when I was 26 I just wanted the weight off, with no real regard to body composition. Sometimes now I consider just backing off on lifting and hightailing it down the scale, just to get it over with, but I haven't done it.

As a teenager, you likely had a metabolism boost from the fact that you were still growing. So, yes, I can imagine it might have been easier then. For me, it wasn't easier to lose weight when I was younger because I didn't have the tools. I have zero ability to fill a plate with food and just stop eating when I'm not hungry anymore. (Or, rather, if I do that, I gain weight because my body doesn't tell me I'm not hungry until it's way too late.) So, I need to limit my calories by limiting what I put on my plate.

There are a few things that are more difficult losing weight with a husband and kids compared to losing weight as a single (which I did seven years ago prior to weight gain from pregnancies). It's harder to measure exact portion sizes because I can't rely on me being the only person to eat the whole recipe eventually. So, I've had to get good at measuring 1/3 of a cooked recipe. (Husband gets half; I get a third; toddler gets a sixth.)

It's harder to schedule "work out at the gym" time. But we take lots of walks as a family, and I take a fitness class twice a week on my lunch hour at work. And playing at the playground is good exercise as is chasing kids and carrying them around.

I have to take other people's tastes into consideration when cooking dinner. e.g. One of the few vegetables my older son won't eat is cauliflower. So, we don't have cauliflower very often. We still eat mostly nutritious food, but I have to remember that I shouldn't feed a toddler "diet food" and my husband needs 1000 calories/day more than I do.

So, yes, it's harder to lose weight with a family underfoot. But it's still eminently doable. I've lost 17 pounds in the last 2 months (and am expecting my next "whoosh" of lost water weigh in the next week or so).

ebaroldy wrote: »

So far I'm down 74 pounds (I'm 28 yrs old) and I remember when I was 19 years old, I lost 60 pounds in 6 months with NO exercise!! This time, almost 10 years later, I've been at this for 1.5 years and exercising but it's much harder to get the weight off! Maybe my teenage metabolism went down the toilet?! But I wonder if it's just more difficult after having kids too!

I wasn't overweight before having my dd 16 years ago actually so I can't compare.
I was 25 when she was born. Before my dd was born I was in school or had an active job and was on my feet much of the day. I became really sedentary but ate the same... maybe. I was suddenly married with a baby and preparing meals but actually used to cooking for 5 people instead of 3. Too big of portions, too much finishing dd's food. Trying to out exercise it or guess portion sizes was like trying to fill a leaky bucket.
I had no experience losing weight and didn't know how many calories I needed. Most diets didn't mention figuring out your calorie needs. I lost and gained for 15 years. I have been most succesful and had an easier time at weight loss after age 40 though.
Some people believe strongly that it is almost impossible the older you get to lose weight but I think mainly it is an excuse. Everyone has challenges of some kind- age, work, school, kids, health conditions, poverty, injury, living with other people, not cooking, etc. You find the right calorie deficit and you will lose weight though as you know. Stop thinking about what you did 10 years ago.
74 lbs in 1.5 years is extremely good for any age.

The only thing that makes it harder after kids is they take up all your time and energy and they suck the living life out of you....so yeah, it's harder...lol my kid is 20 now so now it's starting to get a "little" easier..

I'm finding it easier just because if I don't take care of myself, I quickly turn into a hot, anxious mess. Eating right and exercising has been necessary for my survival. It made me feel better before I had kids, but now it is essential.