To All Moms:

ChantelleFowler · January 2012

How much weight did you gain in your pregnancy and how long did it take you to lose it? Did you ever lose that "mommy chub" at the bottom of your tummy?

I had my daughter in 2008 and gained 60 lbs with my pregnancy. I was basically unrecognizable after having her! Yuck. Ive lost most of the weight (and gained a ton of muscle) since then but I'm still trying to get rid of the mommy tummy! I've seen tons of women who have successfully gotten rid of theirs but I'm still waiting for mine to leave haha. It's the part of me I'm most self-conscious of! I know that I need a mixture of strength training, clean eats and cardio to get rid of it. I do cardio & HIIT frequently so I know HOW to get rid of it...it just won't budge, dammit!

I guess I'm just curious how long it took you ladies to bounce back. I'm impatient. I thought over 3 years would be good enough by now

JacksMom12 · January 2012

I gained over 80 while pregnant. (oops-and talk about unrecognizable) my son is almost 8 months, and after 8 months of dieting and eating pretty clean and heavy on the protein... I'm about 10 lbs from Pre pregnancy weight. I am doing a hybrid of Jillian's Ripped in 30, with p90x and still have my mommy tummy bulge (I had an emergency c section too). I'm curious as to what other people reply with. I'm thinking maybe when I lose my last 10 lbs, it will finally go away? Here's to hoping!

jenlarz · January 2012

I gained 25 pnds or so with both my kids, breast fed and lost weight very quickly. Been up and down many times since the the first one (is 7 now). I don't know that I've ever lost my mommy bulge completely, but its gotten smaller when I've weighed less. I know this isn't much help, but most of the time I'm ok w/ it cuz it reminds me why I need to keep being healthy and that I have 2 boys who are my life!

carrie_eggo · January 2012

I weighed almost 200lbs (yeah, oops!!!) with both pregnancies and got back down to 122/123 both times. I didn't really start trying to lose seriously until each baby was about 2 1/2, and I weighed about 150. It only took maybe 3 months.

campi_mama · January 2012

I really think part of it's genetics. After 3 kids, 3 c-sections, gaining and losing 50-70 lbs each time, I highly doubt my pooch will ever disappear completely. I run, I do pilates, strength train etc. It's not as obvious now that I'm close to goal, but it's still there.

vs1023 · January 2012

Before I got pregnant with my daughter in 2004 I had recently made lifetime status at WW the year before. I put on about 10lbs before getting pregnant with her and gained 55lbs. I lost that all by the time she was 18 months.

We moved in 2007 and I gained weight after a knee injury so I weighed more when I got pregnant with my son. I only gained about 25lbs with him, but now i'm at my highest weight ever (on a regular basis that is) and it's slower to come off. In total I want to lose 70lbs to get back to my previous WW goal and then i'll re-evaluate and see if i want to go lower.

With my daughter I started working out right when I got the ok from my dr at 8 weeks. I didn't breastfeed. With my son he was in the NICU for 3 months and I pumped for 7-8 (he can't eat everything by mouth) so I didn't start this journey again until this past September/October. I'm patient with weight loss and I know if i just keep doing what I'm doing it will come off.

anhancock10 · January 2012

Gained 61 with the first pregnancy - emergency c section didnt lose the weight til she was almost 3
Gained 51 with the second- also a c section and lost the weight in 2-3 months.
I think it depends on how hard you work for it, genetics and activeness.
My stomach even when i weighed 120 had the "mommy pouch" so im not sure how to get that to go away , mine constantly looks like a smiley face where my scar is and the skin hangs over it.

Sarah59913 · January 2012

Before I got pregnant I weighed between 135-140, I don't own a scale. I'm 5'8" though, so that's pretty skinny. I got up to 210 while pregnant with my son. And I gained weight everywhere, legs, belly (obviously), chest, face arms. He's 5 months old now & I've not really done much to lose the weight. I am probably in the 170-180 range, just based off of my last doctor visit. I used to be that person that had a hard time putting weight on.

I haven't really been motivated until lately to try and lose some weight. My Jillian Michael's 30 day shred and 6 pack in 6 weeks videos come in the mail today. So today starts my workout routine. I'm interested to see how well it works with doing these.

As for the little mommy pouch, I've been reading on how to get rid of that, cardio, crunches, lots of water & massage your belly. Sounds weird, but it just may work...

melissa221979 · January 2012

Hi I had an emergency section 6 months ago and know what you mean re the flabby lower tummy! I have been doing the Tracy Anderson post pregnancy dvd , it focus's a lot on abs and have really noticed a difference in only 3 weeks with combining that with cardio such as walking and cycling. Its hard work but i highly recomend it. Good luck xx

TidoWyla · January 2012

I gained 60lbs with my first, had her in 2008, after going back to work I still had a good 40 pounds on me. It took me almost a year to get motivated to lose it. I joined MFP and I lost all of it with in a matter of 5 months.....just to get pregnant again. This time I was a little bit smarter about it and only gained 35 pounds. Had an emergency C-section with her in 2010, took me about 9 months to decide to lose the weight. I didn't have nearly the weight to lose, about 20 lbs and did so fairly quickly once I got my butt off the couch. Still have that mommy pouch and I'm not sure it will ever go away, sure hope so, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I want to have another baby in the next couple years too, so that probably won't do it any good.

I think a lot of it might be genetics...who knows, I have tons of stretch marks and my mother has none, so who really knows.

RBXChas · January 2012

I had my son about a year ago (on the 27th) and weighed 255ish. My pre-pregnancy weight was roughly 190 , perhaps 185 (I'm not 100% sure where I was exactly). Regardless, I gained a LOT of weight while pregnant.

I lost 20 lbs right off the bat but pretty much stopped there even though I was breastfeeding and pumping. I think I slinked down to 230 but gained back some, ending at 235.8 before I started MFP on 3/31/11.

I'm down to 158.6 now by eating well and exercising a lot (running and Spinning 5-6 days/week).

My little tummy is nearly gone - overall fat loss is the way to get rid of that, since there's no such thing as spot reduction), but due to being heavier pre-pregnancy and of course with stretching during pregnancy, my skin isn't that pretty there. I don't have visible stretch marks anymore, thankfully, but I recently noticed that if I lean forward, the skin on my lower abdomen sort of hangs funny and looks like a sad, deflated balloon.

When I'm upright, it's only really sad-looking where the c-section scar typically resides (I didn't have a c-section, but I'm using that as an indicator as to where my skin is less-than-happy).

So yeah, it's possibly to rid yourself of the fat, though it's probably the last place it'll disappear, but you may be left with extra skin from stretching during pregnancy :frown:

ericapage · January 2012

I agree it's some genetics and also how you carried and/or delivered. I gained 30 lbs with each of my pregnancies but I carried my boys extremely low. I swear a day didn't pass when someone didn't look at me with bug eyes and ask if he was gonna fall out. LOL... So unfortunately, even when I once lost 40 pounds and was only 20 over my goal weight, my lower stomach still had a lovely "flap". I would love to get a tummy tuck some day...

As of now, instead of always doing regular crunches I'm doing reverse crunches and other exercises that focus on lower abs. We'll see how it goes.

GreekByMarriage · January 2012

I weighed about 182 pounds when I got pregnant with my first son... When I gave birth I weighed about 185 (I lost 11 pounds in the first trimester). I never lost any weight after I had him (which I don't understand because he weighed 8.9 pounds!). He was born in 2008 via emergency c-section.

I weighed 206 pounds in 2010 when I got pregnant with my 2nd son (yeah... I gained a few pounds between kids). 2 days before I had him in 2011 I weighed 206 pounds as well! I lost about 15 pounds in my first trimester and then gained it all back through the 2nd and 3rd.

206 pounds was the heaviest I ever weighed as far as I know... I weighed myself at the doctors office at my 8 week postpartum visit in May 2011 and was down to about 185! I am not sure how I lost that weight (other than my 2nd son weighing in at 9.9 pounds, also via c-section). I was able to get down to almost 175 by August 2011 and then I started work and went back up to 185ish... so now I have been tracking my calories on here for the last few days and am down to 180.8 as of this morning! I am hoping to get down to about 150 and then possibly re-assess my goals after that (I am only 5'2 so an Ultimate Goal weight of 130ish is where I will probably lean towards).

SeaSiren1 · January 2012

I have had 6 pregnacies. The largest gain was 62lbs, I nursed and did not diet the first year, was down 40 lbs the next and then took the rest off shortly after. The tummy did go away, but ttok 2-1/2 yrs to "snap back". That was 14 yrs ago and now after my little surprise, I still have a slight one after #6, but it's not been 2 yrs yet and I was MUCH thinner pre-preg.

CessGill · January 2012

i gained 42lbs with my first pregnancy in 2009, but right before i was able to drop the baby fat... I was pregnant again. Ooops! So I gained another 30lbs

I am still trying to loose them, down 20lbs, 40 more to go.

Vermilla · January 2012

I gained 50 lbs with mine but carried her really high. All my weight was right in the middle of the stomach. I really didn't gain any weight on my thighs or side or anywhere else. So my middle is really saggy. My daughter is 5 now and I'm still working on it. I lost most of the weight pretty quickly but the stomach was flabby for the longest time (like on the movie "Click" where he has the flabby stomach near the end :laugh: ). I've still got the "mommy tummy" because it refuses to go away, even though I've lost all the pregnancy weight and then 20 past that. It's mostly skin, though. They say it shrinks/tightens over time but 5 years should've been enough! Ah well. :ohwell:

kaydensmom12 · January 2012

My pre-pregnancy weight was 120lbs and i gained 75lbd during pregnancy. No one knew who I was lol. Pre pregnancy I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain anything, and I thought I was fat lol.

I stayed 165lbs his whole first year until I started dieting. I have been dieting and exercising since May and am down to about 132, so I still have a ways to go.

I just started to 30 day shred because it mixes the strength training with cardio.

ladybg81 · January 2012

I also had my son in 2008 and gained 60 pounds. I've always been thin (145 before getting pregnant, 5'10ish) but tipped the scales at 205 lbs 2 days before giving birth. I nursed and lost about 50 lbs the first year. Last year I found MFP and lost the final 10 plus another 20 so I am sitting at 125 right now. I lost the mommy chub last year when I finally lost all of the weight. My tummy is not what it used to be but is much better than it was. I can not really help but I can offer some advise and peace of mind. It does take time so try and be patient. I think the exercises you are doing are certainly going to help get you where you want to be.

wildhehr2 · January 2012

I've had 3 kids (all c sections--first two babies were over 9lbs each, third was just under 8). The youngest is three, and I still have my mommy tummy. It is decreasing, albeit very slowly. I was overweight before I got pregnant, but gained less than 20lbs with each pregnancy (also had gestational diabetes with all three). My biggest little guy (#2) I carried VERY low...had to have hemorrhoid surgery while pregnant. Most of what I have now is just the flab above my scars. Pretty sure it's a combination of genetics and having carried low. Don't think it will ever go away, but as I lose weight all over, I care less. I look good in my clothes. I'm also doing the 30 day shred, which has taken 4 inches off my baby belly so far. Just give it lots and lots of time.

JacksMom12 · January 2012

I also had my son in 2008 and gained 60 pounds. I've always been thin (145 before getting pregnant, 5'10ish) but tipped the scales at 205 lbs 2 days before giving birth. I nursed and lost about 50 lbs the first year. Last year I found MFP and lost the final 10 plus another 20 so I am sitting at 125 right now. I lost the mommy chub last year when I finally lost all of the weight. My tummy is not what it used to be but is much better than it was. I can not really help but I can offer some advise and peace of mind. It does take time so try and be patient. I think the exercises you are doing are certainly going to help get you where you want to be.

5'10" and 125 lbs?!?! Yeah, there's no way you have ANY stomach. That's extremely thin.

jennajava · January 2012

Most people say it takes an entire year. It's been nine months for me, and I am about 10 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight, and getting pretty close to the look, too.

justle · January 2012

i gained around 5 stone (70 lbs) during my first pregnancy in 2007-2008. i lost about 2 stone(28lbs) of it, then got pregnant again later that year 2008-2009 and gained around 2/3 stone it was only in july 2010 that i decided to loose weight and get my life back in shape.

i started by walking my eldest to playschool, then walking with the little one in the buggy until we were ready to go pick the big one up, i was walking 3 hours straight twice a week.

then i started with exercise dvds.

its really only in the last 6 months that i've started eating right and joined the gym and really put my *kitten* into getting in shape.

i've gone from a uk 22 to a uk 14 (which i'm almost into a 12).

its a long road, hard work but i've only got about another 30 lbs until i'm at my pre-pregnancy weight -

AnneElise · January 2012

I had my little girl 6 months ago but only gained around 17 lbs during the pregnancy (due to throwing up not good habits sadly). I am at my pre-pregnancy weight but my clothes fit way differently and the belly is still there for sure. I am a full size higher than I was this weight before the baby.

karenmiller81 · January 2012

I didn't gain a whole lot with either pregnancy--roughly the recommended 25-30 pounds and what I found both times is that losing the weight has been pretty easy...except for the last 5 pounds! Boy are they stubborn. That's what I'm working on. But it is important to remember that for some of us, the mommy pooch is partially stretched out skin (at least in my case it is as my babies were pretty big and I'm average size). And there isn't anything that can remove stretched out skin, except for a tummy tuck!

KatFierce · January 2012

I had my first son in Jan 2009 and gained about 60-70 lbs oops lol I never lost most of it. I had my second son this past September and lost all of it ( gained about 40) within 2.5 months. I am now working on loosing the rest of the leftover from my first pregnancy
I havent lost all of the mommy pooch yet but it has gotten better.

ryzbat512 · January 2012

I gained 1 pound during pregnancy (however, I lost 25 in the first trimester so that 1 pound doesn't mean much) and I was told that if you had a "pooch" at the bottom of your tummy, it never goes away. I didn't have gestational diabetes or any complications other than pre-eclampsia the last 3 weeks from being so stressed out at work, and I was so plus sized before having my son (size 20 or 22) that I already had the mommy flab. I'm already almost 20 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, and mine is still there with a vengeance. At least it still kinda covers the c-section scar!!!

kelceyjean12011 · January 2012

i gained 80 lbs with my little boy. he will be a year old on friday and ive lost 120 since delivering him. they say your stomach is the last to go and its true...ive lost everywhere else but my stomach, i have about 40lbs to go to my goal weight and its just finally starting to go away with the help of 30 day shred. after 30 ds i plan on doing ripped in 30 and hopefully my pooch gets smaller! good luck! oh yeah, i heard reverse crunches help with the pooch...at least thats wjhat jillian said lol

ShaeDetermined · January 2012

I had 5 kids in under 10 years, and so my weight was up and down a lot.
My last baby nursed till he was almost 3!!! and between that and a heavy running schedule i went down to my pre-kids weight with practically no effort.
That baby pouch was FLAT!
slacking, lack of sleep and just sheer laziness since this september has let some of those pounds creep back, and guess where they went?!
yup. tummy is back just a little and pissing me off!

I've increased my protein intake and added more strength and core routines, so i'm hoping to say good bye to that unwanted little bulge real soon!

rebecca0101 · January 2012

Ok, Now I feel bad after read everyone's. But that only helps me to remember that it's time for my weight to go away. I weighted 115 pre-preg before I had my son TEN years ago. Yes 10 years! I gained 42 pounds and never lost a pound after having him. And now I weigh 193 only after I joined this site at the first of this year. My heaviest has been 198. I will accept all friend request if anyone wants to support me on getting back to my pre-preg weight!

KitKate68 · January 2012

I gained about 40 pounds during both pregnancies, way back in the mid to late 90's (my kids are now 12 and 15). I dropped the weight after each one, but still had the tummy issue. For me, it's the way my skin is--it just doesn't have the elasticity to return to its former state after all that stretching (my first baby was 9 lbs, 3 oz, and I'm not so tall--all the weight was right out front, and the stretching was unbelievable...I had my first stretch mark at 3 months!). So...even when I lose all the weight, there's still that belly there, and it's mostly stretched out skin (at this point, my problem is typical middle age weight gain and slower metabolism...I'm 43 now). My dad's a dermatologist, and says the only thing I could do to fix the problem is have a tummy tuck, but I'm not interested in surgery. I do my best to stay fit and tone my abs, etc., and at least I know they are in there somewhere!

MrsSullivan08 · January 2012

When I had my son, I gained 50+ pounds and until now, I haven't lost any of it other than the whole whopping 6lbs 13oz my son weighed. I haven't lost but 5.5 lbs for now but I'm hoping to get down to 145 which is my first goal. Then after I reach that I plan to drop another 10-20lbs.....As far as the "mommy pooch" I was wondering the same thing.

To All Moms:

Replies

Categories