From what I understand, it doesn’t seem to matter if your baby is just born, 6 months or 2 years old – the likelihood of your body being the same as it was pre-baby is pretty slim. (Unlike my tummy right now.)
Not to be all “woe is me”, but in the post-baby weight struggle, I sometimes honestly feel like I’m the only Mama dealing with this.
It’s been a year now. (12 long months). And I still have 15 pounds to lose just to get to the weight I was before getting pregnant.
Most of the Moms I’ve spoken to have lost all the baby weight LONG before their baby is a year, and didn’t really have to work super hard to get there. SIDE NOTE: If you’re one of those Mamas who had the weight just fall off – I’m sorry, but I hate you a little bit right now.
I, on the other hand, have to watch what I eat carefully, work out and take Thyroid medication just to maintain my weight. Hello?? Annoying much?
(Excuse me a minute while I dust the arrowroot cookie crumbs off my keyboard.... Thanks. And now back to my rant about how hard it is for me to lose weight...)
(What??)
Oh, and for everyone who says breastfeeding makes you lose the weight easily, I respond with a hearty, full-bodied: HA!
My hips are forever changed. So my pre-pregnancy jeans will probably never be worn by me again. I have stretch marks on my tummy that are just sort of fading now. My boobs are still Nell-Carter-giant (aka: not in the good way).
So yeah. I think it’s safe to say that my body is different.
I can deal with the body changes. I really can. But the weight thing tends to get me down every now and again. Mostly because I look around at all the other Moms who have lost all their weight and wonder:
“What the heck am I doing wrong?”
But that’s pretty much the mantra for new Moms everywhere, isn’t it?
I'm staying very anonymous with this comment, but you'll know who I am.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the lucky ones who hasn't had much trouble losing the weight I gained, however (and this is a BIG however), I am basically a peach-coloured zebra on my stomach and hips. I didn't just get a few stretchmarks, I got a TON, especially with my second gigantic baby.
My boobs are no longer the perky, beautiful creatures they were before I breastfed. My tummy is a bit like crepe-paper if I turn the wrong way.
It comes with the territory. I don't think it's reasonable to expect our bodies to look like the did before an entire human being (or two) came out of it. It is depressing though sometimes. Like yesterday when I longing gazed at bikinis I will never wear again. But, then I saw my two boys holding hands and giggling around the mall and not wearing a bikini didn't seem like such a bad trade off.
I always said that after I had a baby, I would get my boobs put back up to where they belong. That was before I had a baby though. I think having a babe changes your outlook just a bit. Yeah, my boobs are saggy and much smaller than before. Yes, I still can't seem to lose the last 10lbs to get back to my pre-pre-pregnancy (wedding day) weight. And yes, it does make me sad that I can't wear some of the things I used to wear. But it is weird...I don't really care that much. My busband still finds me attractive, and I don't think I am half bad ;) Of course, it also helped that I invested in a few pairs of "comfort waisted" pants from Reitmans...it is like you are wearing maternity pants but no one knows!
ReplyDeleteEvery month or so I try on my pre-pregnancy clothes. This usually ends in a huff and stomps out of the room. Why do I put myself through that...it's a guaranteed punch to the self-esteem. I have yet to get rid of any pre-pregnancy clothes in the hopes that I might fit into them again one day. In the back of my mind I know that even if I am the same weight, my shape is different. But alas I'm not ready to give up on the dream. I've also weaned my little one and I am trying to come to grips with the soft droopy boobies that remain. My firm perky girls are gone. I went bra shopping the other week to help support my girls as a first step in acceptance. I'm thinking at this point I'll have to wait until I'm pregnant again and nursing to truly be proud of them once again.
ReplyDeleteTry not to fret, you are a beautiful yummy mommy!
@Anonymous (the first) - your last sentence was so beautiful - and true!
ReplyDelete@Colleen - I must go searching for those pants!!!!
@Anonymous (the second) - so sweet! Thanks for calling me a yummy mommy!! I'm not sure who you are, but you're alright in my books! :)
OK so here I sit at this very late hour after work, waiting for my gingerbread dough to chill an hour before I can shape it, rechill it and bake it for my 7 year old's cultural celebration of traditions at school tomorrow. See what you have to look forward to? :)
ReplyDeletePhew, anyway I have been thinking about this post today and of course, as the topic hits me especially close to home, I have to comment! This is not a personal trainer's devil's advocate post, but rather my own experience.
I have been lucky with genetics that the baby weight came off me fairly quickly after both pregnancies, although my fitness levels were apples and oranges. I do maintain that weight is relative to fitness, but certainly not the be all end all. 170 pounds of solid toned muscle would feel just as great as 130 lbs I imagine..... but I digress.....
I will focus on my second pregnancy because I had the experience of the first to draw on. Pregnancy is allll about discipline and abstinance, as you all well know and I think with baby #2 I took that to a whole new level- training pg, and then really approaching my postpartum period as an extension of that. I mean, we have to discipline nutritionally to support nursing- I ate every 4 hours religiously, even during night pump sessions I would eat toast w/PB. I never allowed my body to enter the fasting state. I held on to 10 pounds.
Once Seth weaned I took it as a kick in the butt to tighten up the reigns on my nutrition. I ate a little less, watched calories and allowed my metabolism to adjust to the non nursing state while maintaining my exercise.
Heather, we have discussed this already. It's a simple formula and not rocket science. Marrying nutrition and exercise in a serious, committed and consistent way WILL give you the results you are looking for. This does not have to be about your pre vs postpregnancy body. Sure our bellies all look a little crepey when we lie a certain way (O "Anonymous" I LOVE that! and P.S. EMAIL ME woman tick tick) and well I always had the teardrop boobs so nah nah nah nah welcome to my world perky bitches lol. I reject wholeheartedly that our bodies can't be toned into this new shape and be hotter than ever.
Now seriously clean up those crumbs and those freaking Arrowroots add up so knock it off and did you get your workout in today? Hmmmmm?
My gingerbread is cooled :) See you Sunday!