I had my baby girl 9 weeks ago by c-section (she was breech) and I am having trouble losing my pregnancy weight. I put on about 20 kilograms during my pregnancy and 10 came off after a few weeks. I have only lost maybe 1 or 2 since then, despite eating pretty healthy and exercising. I am breastfeeding also so I thought the weight would be going down faster.
Any suggestions? It is so frustrating not fitting into any of my clothes!
Hi there,
Please don't stress about losing the weight quickly - 9 weeks post birth is not a long time at all! Your body has been through so much in the past year, its important to just take things slow and steady. It sounds like you are doing all the right things, and I don't doubt that you will lose the extra weight, however you need to give yourself a bit more time! Your body may not want to drop the weight at a dramatic rate - due to it needing the stores to breastfeed. But don't stress, I'm sure it will come off over time.
I always found the best type of exercise to help me lose weight was actually resistance/weights, such as pump classes. As they increase your lean muscle mass, which increases your metabolism so you are burning more fat at any time of the day - and also helps you feel great because you are stronger!
But seriously hon, I bet you look beautiful as a new Mummy as you are atm. Please don't stress about it, if you keep up the healthy eating and exercise the weight will definitely come off, it just may take longer than what you thought - and remember, its actually healthier for your body to lose weight at a slower rate than a faster one.
Sometimes BF is not the weightloss wonder that it is assumed to be. As we gain weight during pg, our body lays down fat stores to prepare us for BF and sometimes our bodies need to hang on to that weight to be able to produce milk. I know how frustrating it is not being able to fit into anything, but there is a saying that it takes 9 months to put the weight on and it can take 9 months for it to come of again.
Another thing is you might be eating too healthy and excercising too much, sending your body into 'flight or fight', meaning that your body thinks tht this aint right and is holding onto the weight so you still have milk. There are many reasons why, and it will be different for every woman. Plus bubs is only 9 weeks old, give it a little more time.
9 weeks is hardly anytime at all, and you've done well to shed an extra kilo or two more than your immediate post-baby loss. Please take a long term approach, like Sherie said it took nearly a year to put it on, it's gonna take more than a couple of months to take it off again.
My dietician told me the other day that BFing is great for shedding kilos -if you're the sort of person who loses weight easily in the first place (!) but for everyone else it's just a hard slog. For starters BFing makes you hungrier...!
Maybe it would be nice to treat yourself with some nice clothes that will fit you and help you to feel good while you're losing, instead of just being frustrated about not getting into your pre-pg clothes...?
Thank you for your kind replies. It does make sense that it takes 9 months to put the weight on so it may take that long to lose it. I am going to try not to stress too much and just enjoy my beautiful baby. I hope everyone has a great day!
Definatly don't stress! Remember that eating less (better) and excercising WILL make you lose weight but it takes a while. Keep at it and do it slowly and sensibly and you will see it happen and it is more likely to stay off.
It will take a while before your body will be ready for alot of excercise after a c-sec so take it slowly and you will see results.
I think you've done REALLY well to have lost 10kg already!! That's fantastic!
I was amazed at how difficult it was for me to lose weight while bf. Some of us just aren't able to do it as easily as others. I think your body likes to hold onto some of the extra to keep those stores there for bub. It actually took me a whole 12 months to lose it all after I had Em. But like the others said, don't stress, you have plenty of time.
Whilst i did b/f and lost weight relatively quickly with both my pregnancies, it did take me a good 12 months to feel completely satisfied with my body - that included exercise. But in saying that, there were still bumps and humps that i never had pre-baby.....and no matter what i did, they seemed to wanna hang around. A 'war wound' i used to call them......like the others have said, youve done really well to loose 10kgs......dont expect miracles overnight......give yourself small goals, and you never know, within a year you may reach your ideal weight...
You have done great in losing 10kilos already. It does take time for the rest to follow. I found joining weight watchers has helped me and i still have a way to go.
I also like you put on 20kilos when i was pg and it's taken me over 6months to lose 24kilos.
Bookmarks