Baby Fat
My waist @ 8 weeks pregnant
My waist @ 8 weeks pregnant
Weight gain during pregnancy is practically inevitable. There are a rare few who gain little to no weight, but most will experience some level of weight gain. How much weight one gains is largely dependent upon one's level of fitness prior to conception. Mothers who follow a fairly healthy diet and exercise regimen pre-pregnancy tend to gain less weight, have little to no health-related complications during pregnancy, and have less difficulty losing weight postpartum.
Luckily for me, I was in fairly good shape pre-pregnancy, and was able to maintain my exercise regimen up until a week or so before delivery. Some women experience a lot of discomfort in their last trimester, which prevents them from being able to workout as they would like, but for the most part, there wasn't much that I wasn't able to do. As for my diet, I definitely ate more, but I didn't eat junk. I still tried to maintain my high fiber, low fat diet. Yet, despite all my efforts, I still gained a total of 40 pounds, which isn't bad, although I would have loved for it to have been around 25!
Before & During
8 weeks side view vs. 38 weeks side view
After
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My goal is to lose the baby weight before the year is out. I plan to do so by:
- Resuming my normal exercise regimen, which includes cardio 3-5 times a week and weight training 1-2 times a week.
- Eating a diet full of high fiber, low-fat foods such as fruits, veggies, and complex carbs.
- Cutting back on sugar (Although I generally eat a well balanced diet, such as the one mentioned above, I have been splurging on sweets a lot more. I will therefore try my best to replace most of my candy consumption with fruit!).
- Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding burns tons of calories, and every time a woman breastfeeds, her body produces oxytocin, a hormone that causes the uterus to contract, assisting in it returning to its normal size. If I maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen, the additional calories burned through breastfeeding should help me get back to my original weight in no time!
For those of you who have children, what did you do to get back to your pre-pregnancy size? If you never returned to your pre-pregnancy weight, what do you think prevented you from doing so? Please sound off, as I look forward to receiving your response.
9 comments:
I breastfed, worked-out and did not eat a morsel over the daily recommeded calorie allotment for a nursing mom...some moms tend to think that nursing = free pass to eat more, but quite frankly all the weight gained during pregnant alone is sufficient to produce milk for at least 4 months post partum, once your milk supply is adequately established I wouldn't get too caught up in "eating enough to make milk". As a mom of 4 who has nursed each child past 2 year apiece I realized that our bodies do amazing things! Good luck in your weight loss journey!
Thanks CurvyChic for your feedback. You said the same thing that my lactation consultant said, which is that the weight gained during pregnancy should be enough to support breastfeeding. I'll definitely keep that in mind as I try to drop this baby weight. Thanks again!
i wish you the best on your fitness after baby is born but it will take a while to get into it so start slow. cause if you think pregnancy takes a toll u havent seen anything until delivery. breast feeding helps a lot with resuming your shape so i recommend that. i was one of those lucky women who didnt gain a single pound and barely could tell i was preggers when i was 3 weeks over due. but it happens ya know. but your beautiful inside and out but please take it slow because u dont want to cause injury to your body because it doesnt just just back to its state. hormones and such can be off for months and in some cases up to a year after birth so stay turned into your body and in this case DONT push it to its limits. xoxo god bless you and your family.
I was definitely in need of some exercise before having my son but i only gain 20lbs during that pregnancy. It was a high risk pregnancy so i wasn't allowed to exercise. For some reason when im pregnant and i stand i go into prelabor. Well im preggers again and so far its going much better. Although the doctor wants to be causious again it still feels different. I still have to get stitches to hold the cervix together tmi i know...sorry. But im able to walk and do a bit of excerising. So im glad. Because i've already gained 10lbs and im still in the first trimester. Lol
oh and i do agree breastfeeding burns alot of calories.
@God'n'Me3: I hear ya on that. Thanks so much for the feedback!
@Avillacorta: Congrats on your pregnancy! I pray that all goes well :-).
Congrats again. I strictly breastfed for 18 months. I kept a well balanced meal (no junk food, no caffeine, no fast food) and I worked out. I mainly walked and did belly dancing (that is all I had access to) During pregnancy I lost 15 pounds because I experienced very bad morning/day/evening sickness (LOL). But then I gain that back plus some for a total of 26 pounds. I lost it all within two months. I think I would have lost more if I would have been able to exercise more frequently. Good luck to you
My Goodness!!! Congrats!!! I am sooooo happy for you!! I wish nothing but the best to you and your family!!
@Ntralbeauty: Thanks!
Sounds like you have the right formula in mind to attain your pre-pregnancy weight. For me personally, I have not gotten back to my pre-pregnancy size so I have a bunch of clothes in my closet that I haven't been able to wear in 2 yrs now. BUT it's my own fault because I didn't incorporate the exercise and good eating habits after the 1st baby. Now that I've had my 2nd baby, I am going to be committed to a healthier lifestyle. Good luck on your personal journey..you can do it!!!
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