Post Pregnancy Weight Loss

margueritebelmares05
margueritebelmares05 Posts: 21
edited October 7 in Chit-Chat
This is a major gripe, even though I happen to be losing weight with a baby under six months. Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, who else? Like you can't pop out a baby take a picture and then 3 months later be like oh I lost weight. There is a natural weight loss your body undergoes starting immediately after a baby is removed from it.

This is not aimed at anyone but rather as a broad based gripe. Posting yourself 10 minutes after birth and then 3 months later is not weight loss. I just feel like it's cheating. It's definitely an unfair advantage and it makes other people have incorrect expectations about their own goals.

That is all.

Replies

  • rubyred75
    rubyred75 Posts: 30 Member
    I agree. Everyone kept telling me how awesome it was that I lost 20lbs in just over a month after my son was born. What people dont understand is that 20 lbs was all "baby" weight. This is taken from the American pregnancy association website:

    Weight distribution in the average woman:
    7 1/2 pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy.
    1 1/2 pounds is how much the placenta weighs.
    4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume.
    2 pounds is the weight of the uterus.
    2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue.
    4 pounds is because of increased blood volume.
    7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients.
    2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.
    Total: 30 pounds

    The real work begins after that first initial drop.
  • tinalatina
    tinalatina Posts: 499 Member
    Me and best friends were just griping about this other day. The truth of the matter is that some people really can bounce back that quick...I on the other hand was not one of those! OMG 9 years and im still trying!

    Now for the "Hollywood" people ....they dont count!!! Dont believe a word those people tell you about I did it the good old fashion way. You know they all had some kind of surgery. Lipos, Tucks, trims! ummm hmmm You see people success stories on MFP and I can actually appreciate their stories cause they worked hard at it.

    We'll get there some day!! Hang in there....
  • kspoon5
    kspoon5 Posts: 239 Member
    I agree - after my first pregnancy I lost all my weight by the time he was 3 months old - but totally natural process - not working out - I did nurse and know that can help some. I have wondered the same thing about the new ads with Mariah Carey - I think they are very misleading........ after my other 2 pregnancies though I have not been so lucky so now my kids are preteens and teens and I need to do something .....
  • jmorrisof2
    jmorrisof2 Posts: 108 Member
    Well said - I couldn't agree with you more. I think it makes women in general have unrealistic expectations about themselves. That is something I struggle with now regarding how I look at myself. I am a work in progress. But these superstars don't help.
  • carmenospino
    carmenospino Posts: 2 Member
    I agree 100% with this. I went into the hospital weighing 16 lbs more than what i weighed pre-pregnancy to deliver my daughter. Within a week that entire 16 lbs was gone. It was all baby, plus all that other good stuff (placenta, blood, amniotic fluids etc). Pushing anything out of your body is going to result in a natural weight loss. Its just now, almost 4 months afterwards, that my real weight loss work has started.
  • ammiehill79
    ammiehill79 Posts: 31 Member
    Completely agree. It wasn't until I did my first 24 day challenge that I realized that I too can lose the 2nd post baby bulge quickier than I did the first baby bulge.
  • Vermilla
    Vermilla Posts: 348
    I agree. Everyone kept telling me how awesome it was that I lost 20lbs in just over a month after my son was born. What people dont understand is that 20 lbs was all "baby" weight. This is taken from the American pregnancy association website:

    Weight distribution in the average woman:
    7 1/2 pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy.
    1 1/2 pounds is how much the placenta weighs.
    4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume.
    2 pounds is the weight of the uterus.
    2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue.
    4 pounds is because of increased blood volume.
    7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients.
    2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.
    Total: 30 pounds

    The real work begins after that first initial drop.

    That's interesting to know. I have no idea how much I initially lost after having a kid, but I have to say I'm jealous of those few people who look like they never had a kid. They come up in a bikini with a flat stomach and a one-month-old baby. What, did they adopt? :noway:
  • jmeza408
    jmeza408 Posts: 56
    hmm well i can agree and disagree with you i have three children and post pregnancy never lost weight i have a condition where instead of losing weight after a baby i actually gain and have to diet and exercise in order to get rid of it or else i just keep gaining couple women in my family have this and totally sucks one of my cousins was really slim before baby after baby she tripled in size literally and she just kept telling herself she would lose the weight and two years later nothing until she started to exercise and diet. So I just guess it depends on the person.
  • Vermilla
    Vermilla Posts: 348
    hmm well i can agree and disagree with you i have three children and post pregnancy never lost weight i have a condition where instead of losing weight after a baby i actually gain and have to diet and exercise in order to get rid of it or else i just keep gaining couple women in my family have this and totally sucks one of my cousins was really slim before baby after baby she tripled in size literally and she just kept telling herself she would lose the weight and two years later nothing until she started to exercise and diet. So I just guess it depends on the person.

    Oh wow. What condition is that?
  • hjfischer
    hjfischer Posts: 250
    I have 4 kids, all by c-section and it sucked losing the baby weight. I still have a good 10-15 lbs of pre-pre-pre-pregnancy weight to lose. I never 'bounced back', even nursing. Nope, I have to watch what I eat, log everything and work out hard. I do think that Hollywood types make it so that we as women are harder on ourselves post-baby. If the magazines would stop glamorizing how great they look, maybe we could be nicer to ourselves. I did enjoy when Sarah Jessica Parker told W Magazine (3 months post-baby) that yes, she looks good, but she has a chef, personal trainer and nanny AND it is her job to look good. Thank you! Now, someone get my check, personal trainer, nanny and someone to work in my office for 3 months..... ;)
  • margueritebelmares05
    margueritebelmares05 Posts: 21
    I agree. Everyone kept telling me how awesome it was that I lost 20lbs in just over a month after my son was born. What people dont understand is that 20 lbs was all "baby" weight. This is taken from the American pregnancy association website:

    Weight distribution in the average woman:
    7 1/2 pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy.
    1 1/2 pounds is how much the placenta weighs.
    4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume.
    2 pounds is the weight of the uterus.
    2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue.
    4 pounds is because of increased blood volume.
    7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients.
    2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.
    Total: 30 pounds

    The real work begins after that first initial drop.

    That's interesting to know. I have no idea how much I initially lost after having a kid, but I have to say I'm jealous of those few people who look like they never had a kid. They come up in a bikini with a flat stomach and a one-month-old baby. What, did they adopt? :noway:

    LMAO! I remember saying to someone "I know that ain't your baby!" cause they were unreasonably thin after having I baby. I did know this person. But I think they didn't get how much I mean it to be a compliment. lol

    Learning as I go.
  • DaniellePF
    DaniellePF Posts: 308 Member
    It took me two years to get down to pre-preg. weight. I hate seeing that unrealistic bs.:yawn:
  • margueritebelmares05
    margueritebelmares05 Posts: 21
    hmm well i can agree and disagree with you i have three children and post pregnancy never lost weight i have a condition where instead of losing weight after a baby i actually gain and have to diet and exercise in order to get rid of it or else i just keep gaining couple women in my family have this and totally sucks one of my cousins was really slim before baby after baby she tripled in size literally and she just kept telling herself she would lose the weight and two years later nothing until she started to exercise and diet. So I just guess it depends on the person.

    Oh wow. What condition is that?

    I got that condition too. I just called it a case of the fats. I was still eating like I was pregnant, not resting enough, and not getting enough exercise....for seven years. Now I have a husband that thinks it's amazing that I get up every morning at 5 and go work out. It's awesome to have someone confident and supportive in your corner!
  • yoshi91610
    yoshi91610 Posts: 177 Member
    I agree I lost all 22lbs of my pregnancy weight before my son was three months old. I didn't exercise, I only watched what I ate kinda because I was breastfeeding so I stayed away from spicy stuff etc.
  • amoment
    amoment Posts: 40 Member
    Honestly,...I gained 45 pounds with my son and lost it all withing 6 weeks after he was born. Of course my son was very large (over 10 pds) and everything else (blood, placenta etc.) was a little higher too because of that.

    I put on all the weight when my son was 2....so now I've got the weight and no second baby to show for it ;P
  • CLotfy
    CLotfy Posts: 31
    I put on 40lbs during my pregnancy with my twins. I delivered at 36 weeks and was so puffy and swollen and massive, measuring at 50+ weeks in size . I lost 20lbs just by giving birth. Like babies came out, they're 1 day old, and I was 20lbs lighter. Within the first month of their life the 40lbs disappeared. Now they're 19 months old and I'm just starting to lose the real baby weight. I'm down 10lbs from 219 to 209 and I have tons and tons of belly skin. What do those famous people do with the skin??? Mariah Carey was pregnant with twins too....surely her stomach got just as stretched out as mine...I mean my stretch marks had stretch marks.
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    Agreed. I dropped the weight within like 3 weeks after I had my kids - without any effort at ALL. My body had simply held on to that weight for the babys sake, once the baby was out, so was the weight. Now, the weight I gained between pregnancies....different story. 2 years later and I'm still trying to get it off!!
  • margueritebelmares05
    margueritebelmares05 Posts: 21
    I put on 40lbs during my pregnancy with my twins. I delivered at 36 weeks and was so puffy and swollen and massive, measuring at 50+ weeks in size . I lost 20lbs just by giving birth. Like babies came out, they're 1 day old, and I was 20lbs lighter. Within the first month of their life the 40lbs disappeared. Now they're 19 months old and I'm just starting to lose the real baby weight. I'm down 10lbs from 219 to 209 and I have tons and tons of belly skin. What do those famous people do with the skin??? Mariah Carey was pregnant with twins too....surely her stomach got just as stretched out as mine...I mean my stretch marks had stretch marks.

    That's like the octo mom said she was just blessed with good skin because she doesn't have stretch marks. There ain't enough photo shop in the world to get rid of what her natural body looked like. Let's be honest though, cause these celebrities can't most of the time.
  • CLotfy
    CLotfy Posts: 31
    I put on 40lbs during my pregnancy with my twins. I delivered at 36 weeks and was so puffy and swollen and massive, measuring at 50+ weeks in size . I lost 20lbs just by giving birth. Like babies came out, they're 1 day old, and I was 20lbs lighter. Within the first month of their life the 40lbs disappeared. Now they're 19 months old and I'm just starting to lose the real baby weight. I'm down 10lbs from 219 to 209 and I have tons and tons of belly skin. What do those famous people do with the skin??? Mariah Carey was pregnant with twins too....surely her stomach got just as stretched out as mine...I mean my stretch marks had stretch marks.

    That's like the octo mom said she was just blessed with good skin because she doesn't have stretch marks. There ain't enough photo shop in the world to get rid of what her natural body looked like. Let's be honest though, cause these celebrities can't most of the time.

    This is me, the day I gave birth, at 36 weeks pregnant with twins. My stretch marks are very noticeable....how do you not get stretch marks when you're that big??? I wish I could be a celebrity and have someone whip me into shape or magically make my body wonderful again.

    29837_400469194260_638469260_4407826_2371546_n.jpg
  • annehdavis
    annehdavis Posts: 157 Member
    I disagree. I weighed the same thing nine months pregnant as I did when my son was seven months old. I did this with all my pregnancies . I started my weight loss journey when my son was seven months old.
  • jenniefromtherock
    jenniefromtherock Posts: 80 Member
    I gained about 35 lbs when I was pregnant with my son, when I went back for my 1 week checkup after he was born I was actually 12 lbs less than when I first got pregnant! I could not eat chocolate when I was pregnant!
  • AshDHart
    AshDHart Posts: 818 Member
    I gained about 35 lbs when I was pregnant with my son, when I went back for my 1 week checkup after he was born I was actually 12 lbs less than when I first got pregnant! I could not eat chocolate when I was pregnant!

    Same with the chocolate. I weighed the same or less by the time I had my first checkups. With my youngest I actually weighed the same the day before she was born.
    I disagree. I weighed the same thing nine months pregnant as I did when my son was seven months old. I did this with all my pregnancies . I started my weight loss journey when my son was seven months old.

    You might have weighed the same but I doubt you looked the same. I know that even though I never gained any weight with my youngest my waist sure was larger! The photo of me in the hospital after her birth makes me look like I'm still pregnant!
  • ItsJustK
    ItsJustK Posts: 159 Member
    I wish I could pop a baby out right now, so I could lose the 30lbs quick.
  • dollipop
    dollipop Posts: 379 Member
    Agreed. I dropped the weight within like 3 weeks after I had my kids - without any effort at ALL. My body had simply held on to that weight for the babys sake, once the baby was out, so was the weight. Now, the weight I gained between pregnancies....different story. 2 years later and I'm still trying to get it off!!
    Oh gawd - me too, but it's 5 years and no second baby! :sad:
  • sejalmehra
    sejalmehra Posts: 5 Member
    I gained 50plus lbs with each of my 2 pregnancies. I lost it all with my first when he was 7-8 months old. It came off slowly but naturally. I sort of watched what I ate and walked a lot but that's it.

    Now, 2 years later and with a 2 month old I have 35 lbs to still lose to get back to pp weight. I think it's going to be harder this time!
  • PneumaticEnd
    PneumaticEnd Posts: 28
    I agree that it's really unrealistic how these celebrity women can 'bounce back' so fast..

    I lost all of my baby weight within two weeks of having her.. but my body is forever changed. My hips are a lot wider, my breasts are HUGE and I've got a little baby pouch that looks like I'm still 5 months pregnant, and I had her 3 months ago.. But all of the weight is gone.

    I know genetics has a lot to do with it, but it seems like us non-celebrity women were dealt a poorer (I'm honestly not sure if that's a word or not o_O I think it is but I feel pretty dumb right now..) hand than the celebrities were. A lot of them you can't even tell they've had children.
  • loved1
    loved1 Posts: 206 Member
    I think it's misleading to have an ad that includes baby weight in the weight loss number since a significant portion of it drops away naturally. For example, I saw an article talking about Mariah Carey's "staggering 30 pound baby weight loss in 3 months." She would have dropped a significant amount of weight after giving birth to twins. Plus I think there's a good chance that Mariah had a tummy tuck after giving birth.

    I lost most of my baby weight within the first few weeks naturally, but I did not have my shape back & my weight gradually increased because of the lifestyle change when I returned to work. My normal routine used to be long runs & 2 hours of gym classes.
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