thread: weight loss post birth

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Registered User

    Jan 2010
    Melbourne, Vic
    26

    weight loss post birth

    Hi ladies,
    Just wondering how long did it take for you to return back to your pre baby shape and was it a diet and exercise regime that helped or was it just because it fell off by itself you didn't intend for it to happen? Some women I know are lucky to have it just fall off but others work to lose it and sometimes succeed.

  2. #2
    2013 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.

    May 2007
    Brisbane
    5,310

    For me it took about 7-8 months to take 15kg off, and then 10-12 more months to shift the last 9kgs. I gained 4kgs during TTC and 20kgs during pregnancy, and I'm now down to pre-TTC weight

    I did exercise like walking and also some Wii Fit. I didn't go to a gym or anything like that. I am still breastfeeding too, which is supposed to help although I couldn't say if it does or not. It was a fairly half-assed attempt, but I really embraced the "9 months to gain it, 9 months to lose it", plus I gained a kg a month while TTC, so an extra 5-6 months hehe and never really pushed myself LOL

    I guess it could have happened faster but I really did just take it easy. No point putting my body through more stress just to lose some weight. But I also have a history of eating disorders, so another reason for me to take it slow and eat properly and let my body bring itself back to its normal.


    Oh, and my body is very different. My whole shape has changed. Even being back at pre-TTC my body is so different, my belly is squishier and my hips are wider (even though I ended up with a c/s, she was pretty close to being out). So please be gentle with yourself, getting back to pre-pregnancy weight doesn't mean having your pre-pregnancy body. But its a body that has be blessed to grow a baby, and deserves that respect

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    5,951

    My body too is very different to pre-pregnancy. Like Leasha, my hips are wider
    I gained 10kg both times during pregnancy, and lost that within 24 hours of having the girls, but my body didn't look anything like it did pre-pregnancy.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Jan 2006
    8,369

    Took me about a week to get back to a satisfactory shape. Three years on I'm not quite as flat-stomached as I was, but it's nothing to worry about.

    I did a lot of exercise and healthy eating in pregnancy. I also had next to no food in hospital - seriously, those portions wouldn't satisfy an anorexic fairy, let alone a breastfeeding mother.

    The biggest difference I've noticed are a couple of stretchmarks on the tops of my thighs and some scars on my stomach have moved around a bit. I'm pretty much the same shape... I had huge hips to begin with.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Perth
    3,299

    I lost the baby weight from DD in the first week. I still want to lose another 3kg to get back to my weight before DS.

    Like the other posters, my body shape is different now. My hips are definitely wider and my tummy is softer although I think I can improve that one once I start back at pilates.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Melbourne
    2,008

    My DS is 8 months old and I am finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight! It was only about a month ago that I was finally able to wear my pre-preg jeans. I really didn't do anything to loose the weight, I decided that I would give it 12 months and then if it wasn't gone take some serious action. Like people say, it took 9 months for your body to get to that point so it is unrealistic to expect it to take any less time to go back, but I guess some people are just really lucky and it happens quicker.

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Mar 2007
    6,900

    I think it took about 4 months for me. I gained 16kg during pregnancy which was huge for me bc I'm only small. My belly took ages to go down. I did absolutely no exercise, lol, and my diet wasn't that crash hot either. I think it was just breastfeeding a hungry baby. Now I am down to 47kg which is 6kg less than before I was pregnant. I don't ever remember being this light, even in high school and the only thing I'm doing different is breastfeeding so I think that just really works for me. But my tummy isn't flat at all, it never was but it's more podgy now, lol.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Mar 2007
    6,900

    I think it took about 4 months for me. I gained 16kg during pregnancy which was huge for me bc I'm only small. My belly took ages to go down. I did absolutely no exercise, lol, and my diet wasn't that crash hot either. I think it was just breastfeeding a hungry baby. Now I am down to 47kg which is 6kg less than before I was pregnant. I don't ever remember being this light, even in high school and the only thing I'm doing different is breastfeeding so I think that just really works for me. But my tummy isn't flat at all, it never was but it's more podgy now, lol.

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Jul 2008
    Melbourne
    3,244

    i was lucky in that my PG weight dropped off pretty quickly & i'd say i was at my pre-PG weight within 1-2 months. however....DS is now almost 8.5 months & i still don't fit into my pre-PG jeans because i have extra weight on my belly. i'm a couple of kgs under my pre-PG weight now & i'm not sure where i've lost that from but i def have extra around my belly. so yeah, like others i guess i'm a diff shape now.

    i think i lost the weight quickly because i had a lot of fluid (for a few days i was losing 1-2kg a day) & i also didn't eat enough in the first couple of months. days just seemed to fly by & i wasn't eating between breakfast & dinner (not that i'd recommend this, i was soooo hungry all the time as well esp with BFing!).

  10. #10
    Registered User
    Add helle on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    Bunbury, Western Australia
    3,963

    I lost all my weight about 5 weeks after, I carried a lot of fluid when I was pregnant as well. I think breastfeeding has helped shift a lot it, in actual fact I'm crapping myself about weaning because I eat like a horse atm and I think it will catch up with me once I do! Wouldn't mind losing a few more, maybe another 7 cos I'm a little podgey in some areas! But slowly does it, it took me nine months to stack it on so I'm taking my time getting it back off. My hips are definitely wider now too, my jeans fit me everywhere but around my hips The things we do for love XD

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Taking a ride on my grdonkey :D
    2,716

    It's taken me a long time and a lot of heartache. I put on 30kg while pg with DD1, and lost about 15 kgs within weeks of her birth (mostly fluid and baby-related weight like placenta etc), then conceived DD2 and put the weight back on (about 20kgs).
    After having DD2, I lost about 10-15kgs within the first couple of weeks, and hit the brick wall - despite BFing, I couldn't shift it. I only lost weight after I stopped BFing, it all just kind of fell off me - I was being much more careful about portion sizes but still ate pretty much whatever I felt like, and I exercised a fair bit (in the lounge room, just small weights and an exercise bike for about 45 mins a day), and I'm now only 5kg heavier than pre-pregnancy (as in, DD1, not DD2).
    That being said though, the entire shape of my body has completely changed since having kids - before having them, I had a pretty decent set of boobs for my size (full C), now they're flat, saggy and struggle to fit into a B cup. My hips haven't expanded a great deal (I'm in size 9/10 jeans now, before having DD1 I was an 8/9), but I have a HUGE pot-belly complete with overhang thanks to poor skin elasticity and weak core strength. And my upper arms carry a lot more extra weight than they ever did, I suppose it's genetics as my aunt and nanna (on dad's side of the family) have 'bingo wings' as well, but it's very frustrating.

    All in all, it's very hard for me to accept these changes - they frustrate me because I feel that I've worked very hard to get back into shape and it doesn't appear to be working, kwim? I see people who are blessed with great genes and walk out of hospital post-bub in their skinny jeans, and yes, I get jealous But I suppose my body shows the signs of having nurtured and delivered two babies, I need to learn to see the positives in that