Post # 1
Member
7082 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Well, I finally did it. I’m back to my normal weight. I should be thrilled, right? I’m so disappointed. I couldn’t have ever imagined how much my body has changed. I know I have a beautiful baby to show for it, but I do believe I look at least 5 lbs heavier than I did before pregnancy, despite acheiving my normal weight.
The axiom is 9 months up and 9 months down. I only gained weight for 7 months, so I gave myself 7 months to hit my goal. I hit it a month early, but I’m not sure it even mattered 🙁
What’s your experience after the baby? Do you feel like you look really different? How are you dealing with it?
Post # 3
Member
2144 posts
Buzzing bee
I have no experience with this, but Mrs. Dumpling just recently mentioned this on her blog too, so you definitely aren’t alone!
Post # 4
Member
7771 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
I have no experience, but that really scares me. I don’t think it would be worth going through if it wasn’t for a baby 🙂 Maybe you just feel like you look larger ?
Post # 5
Member
1986 posts
Buzzing bee
Well, it took about a year to get my hips back to size, so thats one thing that might still shrink. My ribs too, it seems. My stomach it took doing a lot of yoga, running and incline sit ups to get back nice and flat, and I still have my “craving” pooch. (I call it that because if I stopped eating all the crap/chocolate/starbursts etc I eat it wouldn’t be there.)
Post # 6
Member
2867 posts
Sugar bee
Oh yea! So glad I have this to look forward to. I think that after baby I’m going to try to go for better fitness rather than pre-pregnancy weight.
Post # 7
Member
971 posts
Busy bee
With my last baby (I have 4, my last is 19 mos. old) I gained 15 lbs. during my pregnancy. I went home in my pre-pregnancy jeans!
Post # 8
Member
7082 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@camrie: Fitness becomes quite the challenge considering the demands on your time… but couch 2 5k helped me get here.
@BanditGirl: Good for you.
@Belle2Be: Good to know that things still might improve. My real problem is just tone. I don’t have stretch marks and I’d love to be able to show that off when I go to Hawaii in February… but it doesn’t look like that’ll happen.
Post # 9
Member
971 posts
Busy bee
I worked out before my pregnancy and during my pregnancy and that helped. Breastfeeding helped, too!
Post # 10
Member
1253 posts
Bumble bee
ugh I’m so frustrated with my after-baby body. (i have had two children) I’m 25, and I’m 5ft 5inches, I weigh 115lbs and my waist is a 26. Looks good on paper, but I have the weirdest stomach. It’s jiggly, but it’s not loose skin. I eat amazingly healthy, never eat fast food, never eat at restaurants, I cook super healthy food at home. I don’t know why my stomach is the way it is and I feel like I’ve done alot to try and change it but it’s not working! So frustrating!!!! I weigh the same as I did in highschool, but my body definetly doesn’t look the same!!!
Post # 11
Member
971 posts
Busy bee
Crunches, crunches, crunches and lots of ab work!
Post # 12
Member
161 posts
Blushing bee
@Mrs. DG: you go girl! No stretch marks?? You should feel like a goddess! I’m sure your body is kick ass, even if it isn’t quite what it was before.
My older sister is pregnant right now and due within the next five weeks. She hasn’t gained a lot of weight, about 12 lbs so far, but she is worried how her stomach will fair afterwards. She doesn’t have any stretchmarks yet either, and when I read that you didn’t have any she was like “THERE IS HOPE!” lol. So anyway, thanks for making her day!
Post # 13
Member
7082 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@Bostonsmom: You totally, totally get it! Thank you 🙂
@astrangeharris: I’m glad I could give her a ray of hope. I did lotion the belly every single day of the pregnancy. They say it doesn’t help, but my entire family has stretch marks except for me, so who knows. I do hope your sister fares well in the stomach department.
Post # 14
Member
1986 posts
Buzzing bee
@Mrs. DG: Toning was actually pretty easy for me! I did it in a month. I give all my credit to my shoes though(Vibram Five Fingers!), no joke. I walked/ellipticalled 20 minutes, ran a mile or 10 minutes on a treadmill, then did about 15 incline sit-ups 3 days a week, (after about 2 weeks I started adding more sit-ups and adding a medicine ball to the sit ups). No crunches, that just works out your upper abs which usually isn’t a trouble area after a baby. I also did Wii-Fit Yoga Core exercises at least 3 days a week for 30 minutes.
ETA it’s not like, crazy Yoga master toned, but its acceptably toned for me LOL. The main belly pooch is gone, I had 2 15 months apart so it was a little tough on my body.
Post # 15
Member
7082 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@Belle2Be: I wish that much working out would tone me… but no way. I need way more than that just to maintain. I guess I just require a lot more exercise.
Post # 16
Member
1253 posts
Bumble bee
I should really start working out more, but I don’t even know where to start. I have quite a few pilates and yoga dvd’s and I have a Wii fit, but since I had my second child it’s like I don’t have time anymore!
