best way to slim down after having children

cassyparker
cassyparker Posts: 25
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 22 and have two beautiful children age 2 and 2 months. I've always had a problem getting to a healthy weight and size and I would like to slim down to a healthy weight and size now that I have my two children. I've lost 19 pounds since I weighed myself for the first time after my son was born in June and I would like to lose at least an other 20 pounds but I keep finding that I am plateauing and that even when I do drop sizes I feel flabby. What in other peoples experiences has been the most successful way to tone up and lose weight after having children?

Replies

  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    I heard breasfeeding helps women take almost all the weight off...except for the last stubborn ten pounds or so
  • mrsweigl
    mrsweigl Posts: 198 Member
    It's funny but i actually gained weight breastfeeding lol
  • gymjunkie79
    gymjunkie79 Posts: 14
    Me too! I was just hungry all the time so struggle with keeping the appetite in check!!! I'm still BF'ing actually - bub is 9 months old. I'm hoping that once I stop, the appetite will get back to normal!!! And then I can lose the last few pounds that are lingering!!! lol
  • cassyparker
    cassyparker Posts: 25
    ya I wasn't able to breast feed my son, he had issues with it so I stopped after three weeks
  • lovey0707
    lovey0707 Posts: 5
    I heard breasfeeding helps women take almost all the weight off...except for the last stubborn ten pounds or so

    After my first pregnancy this was very true, although in that pregnancy i gained 60lbs so it took a bit. After my 2nd pregnancy (my LO is 6mo) i dropped to my pre-pregnancy weight in less than 6wks but it has taken forever to budge past that but i am finally getting somewhere. I am walking 3mile a day 3x a week plus doing the 30 day shred at least 50 days a week (i have injuries to nurse)
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
    When I had my daughter (now about to turn 4), I was a competitive swimmer. I had swam (non-competitively) throughout my pregnancy and I couldn't wait to get back to it after I had my daughter. It was October, which is the start of competitive swim season, and I was in the pool as soon as I stopped bleeding, about 20 days after having my daughter. I had been breastfeeding as well and I lost every single pound I had gained within 4 weeks of having her. BAD MOVE!!! I didn't give my skin time to get back to normal since I dropped the weight so fast, and I'm stuck with stretch marks as a result. I also have loose skin. Yes, I've tried everything in the books for stretch marks and loose skin but 4 years later, I look like I could have had her 2 months ago because while I lost the weight, my body couldn't change as fast as I was losing the fat so it just stayed the same. :frown:

    Start some exercise when your doctor gives you the okay. Fill up on as many healthy foods as you can (but watch some veggies, like broccoli, that can make your baby gassy if you are BF). Most of all, take your time, follow MFP, and the weight will come off. A lot of my friends after having their kids would say "What did you do? I want to lose the weight super fast too" but I beg them not to try to lose it so fast (unless you are one of those super lucky people who didn't get stretch marks!) because I would have much rather spent another month or two at a higher weight and be free of stretch marks and loose skin now!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    I'm 22 and have two beautiful children age 2 and 2 months. I've always had a problem getting to a healthy weight and size and I would like to slim down to a healthy weight and size now that I have my two children. I've lost 19 pounds since I weighed myself for the first time after my son was born in June and I would like to lose at least an other 20 pounds but I keep finding that I am plateauing and that even when I do drop sizes I feel flabby. What in other peoples experiences has been the most successful way to tone up and lose weight after having children?
    Hit the weights heavy and do cardio. There's no best way, but I do this with clients all the time and the results are consistent.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Once I was done breastfeeding, I just did it the old fashioned way. Diet (counting calories) and exercise (a mix of cardio and strength).
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    It took me until my youngest turned 3 before I started losing the baby weight. Give yourself time. They say it takes 9 months to gain the weight and another 9 to lose it, but I didn't shift a lb until I stopped breastfeeding. I had to put in serious work, exercising an hour a day, 6 days a week to get myself back in shape, and I didn't have time for that until my youngest started nursery. I also couldn't run or do much in the way of impact sports with size 32HH boobs Again, the stopping breastfeeding helped that one.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I heard breasfeeding helps women take almost all the weight off...except for the last stubborn ten pounds or so

    Really didn't work that way for me!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I heard breasfeeding helps women take almost all the weight off...except for the last stubborn ten pounds or so

    Really didn't work that way for me!

    Oh yeah, me neither. I was so jealous of the women that did have that happen.
  • hjfischer
    hjfischer Posts: 250
    I heard breasfeeding helps women take almost all the weight off...except for the last stubborn ten pounds or so

    Really didn't work that way for me!

    Oh yeah, me neither. I was so jealous of the women that did have that happen.

    Yep, me either. I hoped it would have worked with one of my four. The only thing that worked for me was counting calories, running (lots), lifting and making sure I was eating clean. It was hard and still is.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Breastfeeding only helps your UTERUS return to its original size more quickly than if you did not breastfeed, however the uterus will return to its original size even if the rest of you does not.

    If you would like the REST of your body to return to its original size you will have to do something besides breastfeeding --ha!

    Spin is an excellent way to drop pounds and increase your cardio fitness relatively quickly. It is a big bang for the buck with regard to burning calories, while being easy on the joints.

    blessings.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    When I had my daughter (now about to turn 4), I was a competitive swimmer. I had swam (non-competitively) throughout my pregnancy and I couldn't wait to get back to it after I had my daughter. It was October, which is the start of competitive swim season, and I was in the pool as soon as I stopped bleeding, about 20 days after having my daughter. I had been breastfeeding as well and I lost every single pound I had gained within 4 weeks of having her. BAD MOVE!!! I didn't give my skin time to get back to normal since I dropped the weight so fast, and I'm stuck with stretch marks as a result. I also have loose skin. Yes, I've tried everything in the books for stretch marks and loose skin but 4 years later, I look like I could have had her 2 months ago because while I lost the weight, my body couldn't change as fast as I was losing the fat so it just stayed the same. :frown:

    Start some exercise when your doctor gives you the okay. Fill up on as many healthy foods as you can (but watch some veggies, like broccoli, that can make your baby gassy if you are BF). Most of all, take your time, follow MFP, and the weight will come off. A lot of my friends after having their kids would say "What did you do? I want to lose the weight super fast too" but I beg them not to try to lose it so fast (unless you are one of those super lucky people who didn't get stretch marks!) because I would have much rather spent another month or two at a higher weight and be free of stretch marks and loose skin now!

    Stretch marks are often hereditary, although the older you are and the more weight you gain, the more likely you are to get them. Also, certain races are more likely to get them than others. Stretch marks come from getting BIGGER, hence the name STRETCH--marks, they don't come from losing weight--regardless of the pace.

    It is much the same with loose skin, heredity and how much you gain plays a significant role. Loose skin is common on most women who have given birth--often the more frequently you've expanded that belly, the looser the skin that remains. I delivered 3 of my 4 kids via c-section, and on the 2nd and 3rd times the ob removed the old incisions along with some skin and significant scar tissue (evidently I'm really good at making scar tissue--ha!). I have seen some women with only 1 child have significantly more stretch marks and loose skin than I have -- although I will say that I got most of it the first time--subsequent pregnancies did add, however did not seem to do equal damage as the 1st.

    blessings.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I lost weight from breastfeeding, then gained it all back when he stopped nursing. Honestly, losing weight after children has been no different for me than losing weight in general. There was nothing specific around it except to make sure that I was consuming enough calories to keep nursing for the 16 months I nursed.
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