A question for moms

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Jaydensmamma
Jaydensmamma Posts: 41 Member
in Getting Started
Is it possible to get back down to your original weight before you had your kid? I have gotten mixed opinions from friends and family and Im asking because I would like to set a realistic goal weight for myself. Not all the changes are bad but I dont know if they will change my bodytype completely and put me in a new weight range...if that makes sense. For example, my hips have gotten wider and fuller and my chest has went from a high C/low D to DDD's. I know my chest is in part due to weight gain but I have not gained a lot and believe some of that will stay. Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    I weigh less now than before I had both of my kids.

    How long ago did you give birth? It's important to be patient and realistic with your expectations especially if you are newly post partum.
  • DaisyBlinks
    DaisyBlinks Posts: 18 Member
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    Getting back to the same weight is obviously possible. If you consume less energy then you spend, you'll lose weight until you hit it. I think you probably mean getting back to the exact same body you had? I think that's not really possible for a lot of people. Like you said, hips and boobs just change.
  • Jaydensmamma
    Jaydensmamma Posts: 41 Member
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    Thank you. I appreciate your comments. I was just trying to understand how it kind of works after you have kids. I havent actively tried to lose weight much since I had my son (going on 18mos). I have heard a lot of people tell me "You will never get back to the same size." I assume they meant weight and maybe clothing? They never elaborated on what they meant by that but it makes sense the way you explained it Daisy.
  • CaliMomTeach
    CaliMomTeach Posts: 745 Member
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    It took my years, but I got to a weight lower than I was before I had kids. My body did change though. Before kids, I had a very flat, small stomach in a size 8. Even at the size 4 I got to, my stomach was less tight, more flabby. Of course, this could be my age too, because I didn't lose the "baby weight" for about 10 years. I had a nicer butt before kids too. Now, it just kind of hangs there, lol. My chest went from a 36 B to a 38 F while pregnant. It's currently a 34 C. I nursed two kids, so they are not what they used to be. I think having kids does change your body, but I know from personal experience that you can definitely get back to the same size, even smaller.
  • Cyclone2011
    Cyclone2011 Posts: 51 Member
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    I was 245 before getting pregnant with my first, so I was overweight to begin with. I only gained five pounds with him and he was a 10lb 12oz baby :D

    I want to lose the weight, but I don't think my body will be the "same" if that makes sense. I've had two c-sections so I'll always have a pooch unless I get surgery, no matter how much I lose. It seems like since having kids everything has just shifted around.
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
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    The issue I had with getting back to pre pregnancy weight was that my body just didn't look the same as before I carried a baby. Even all these years later I still don't really look like what I did before pregnancy but I am working toward a new normal that I am comfortable with.
  • Keto_N_Iron
    Keto_N_Iron Posts: 5,385 Member
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    Jaydensmamma wrote: »
    Is it possible to get back down to your original weight before you had your kid? I have gotten mixed opinions from friends and family and Im asking because I would like to set a realistic goal weight for myself. Not all the changes are bad but I dont know if they will change my bodytype completely and put me in a new weight range...if that makes sense. For example, my hips have gotten wider and fuller and my chest has went from a high C/low D to DDD's. I know my chest is in part due to weight gain but I have not gained a lot and believe some of that will stay. Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

    of course its possible. your hips widening is a matter of ligaments not fat cells. you will never look the same (because lets face it hips, boobs, and tummy (depending on kid count and size, I have twins) will be changed forever)

    start of with a smaller goal perhaps. get your body fat measured and shoot for a body fat percentage that is healthy rather than a weight goal. weight is an inaccurate representation of fitness and health. especially if you putting on muscle.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    edited January 2018
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    kd_mazur wrote: »
    The issue I had with getting back to pre pregnancy weight was that my body just didn't look the same as before I carried a baby. Even all these years later I still don't really look like what I did before pregnancy but I am working toward a new normal that I am comfortable with.

    This is something I have heard and am starting to experience myself (4m pp)

    In reference to the op:
    Possible? yes, plenty of women have done it so it is technically possible

    should your new goal weight necessarily be your old weight? hard to say. If you are still breastfeeding your body probably still has some changes to come so that is something to consider. If you feel ok and are in the healthy weight range, but not quite as low a number as before, maybe it is something to just be ok with. ultimately, you do you, don't let anyone tell you what is right or wrong for you.

    just in case you are still breastfeeding and trying to figure out a plan this post has alot of great info in the second half:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10176233/gaining-weight-during-pregnancy-and-losing-it-post-partum

    ~best wishes
  • dinadyna21
    dinadyna21 Posts: 403 Member
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    Possible yes, whether you'll want to is a question only you can answer.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Not a mom, but my wife was overweight pre-kids...she lost the baby weight and then a few years later got really serious about her fitness and nutrition and dropped to a sexy and pretty ripped 125 Lbs. which is quite a bit less than her pre-baby weight.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
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    I think it's going to depend on the individual body and how much you work for it. I was overweight when I got pregnant, but after having my first I was able to drop the pregnancy weight and another 45 lbs and got within 10 lbs of my college weight, and back in size Smalls. I did wear a size 6 jean instead of the size 4 I wore in college, but it was close enough for me. My second is 20 months and I'm working on the last few vanity pounds, but I'm still wearing Smalls and I'm inbetween a size 6-8 jean. My hips are definitely a bit wider, and I wear a half size bigger shoe, but I feel like I look similar now to how I did before I gained weight and had my children. Good luck, and your son is adorable!
  • lmyers132625
    lmyers132625 Posts: 31 Member
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    I was able to after having my daughter 13 years ago. Pre-pregnancy I weighed 160, I gained 22 pounds while pregnant, and with diet and exercise I was able to get down to 130 by the time she was 1 1/2. I had wanted to lose weight before having her, but I was more motivated after she was born.
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
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    I am lighter than I was pre-pregnancy. I put on quite a bit with my second & took a good hard look. Surprised myself by getting down to 135lbs. I’ve put some back on (why I’m back here!), my bust is smaller, waist narrower, hips slightly wider, but overall I’m lighter than before. All depends where you’re starting from & what’s important to you.. good luck!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I was a little lighter than before getting pregnant within 4 months of giving birth with my first. But I was young and gained < 30 lbs with the pregnancy. By the time the last was born I think I was probably close to 10 lbs heavier than before the first, but I was several years older and my BMI was still on the low side of the healthy range.
  • Slasher09
    Slasher09 Posts: 316 Member
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    I've gotten down to pre-baby weight but not size, if that makes sense. Some parts of me had more fat than before, hips were a little wider and my body composition had changed. I was always very trim and toned...and being the same weight without that lean mass was a different size.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    My kids are 9 and 6. I'm smaller and in better shape than before I had kids. The smallest I was before kids was a size 8. The smallest I was after kids was a size 2.

    Before kids, I just ran. After kids, I compete in powerlifting. My body composition is "better" now with heavy lifting.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    All of my profile photos were taken after kids. The bottom rows after my first, the top row after 2. Am currently pregnant with my third, and I have no reason to think I can't get that body back yet again. Also, I never looked anywhere NEAR as good as these photos before I ever got pregnant to begin with.

    Yes, it's totally possible.
  • salbalxo
    salbalxo Posts: 3 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Hiya hunny.
    I’m a mum of a 4 year. I went up 3 stones whilst being pregnant which brought me to around 16 stone.
    After having him I got down to almost 12 stone.
    But sadly piled it all back on and more.
    So yes, it’s possible if you put your mind to it.
    Don’t be too hard on yourself.

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