How to lose the baby weight

SarahJean0

DH and I watched our honeymoon video tonight (i was skinny!), so now of course I'm starting to think about diet and exercise to lose the baby weight.

I'm thinking of trying weight watchers or maybe start with the 30 shred (on Drs. OK of course).

Do any of you already have a plan, or if you're a STM, what worked for you before?

Jams1002

Tosca Reno's books - The Eat Clean Diet Series.

Just simple, common-sense approach to weight loss. The author knows how to write to women - I often found myself thinking if she was in my brain! And I've done all the others - and this is the one that just makes the most sense.

CBNJ2012

Breastfeeding helped me. I would lose in spurts and then plateau for awhile but I found it came off much easier than I expected b/c my body had to burn the extra calories. But then after I stopped BF, that is actually when it got tough to keep it off. Be gentle with yourself at the outset. You are going to be soooo tired, there are only so many things you can deal with. Good luck. 

hunter91011

I already have the 30 day shred, and it is challenging, but at only about 20 minutes I followed through very well.  I am planning on using it again when dr ok's me. I feel the same way looking at wedding pictures.  I get sad that it was not quite a year ago that I was so skinny...

saraid2426

I have used a postpartum girdle, bf, eating right and doing zumba.  I have always lost all of my weight and have gone back to a size 9, but we will see with this one.  LOL

damabo80

BreastfeeDing worked for me the first time. And drinking lots of water (which your body craves when you bf). 

I didn't have to watch what I ate and I still lost weight. Awesomeness. I want to bf the next kid until he's 10, just for this reason alone.  

brideandbreve

I'm a FTM, so no previous experience with losing baby weight, but I'm hoping to BF and do that in conjunction with eating a high-protein/veggie diet and walking and/or using a cardio workout DVD that I've had success with in the past. My ILs live a few minutes away and they have a gym in their basement, which DH and I are going to use a couple times a week once my maternity leave's up.

BillyMollyEmmy

I'm going to be breastfeeding and eating well. I've committed myself to a 5 km run in the spring so I have to be up to snuff.

STMs - how quickly did you drop weight breast feeding? I'm wondering if it's going to be a pound a week or less? More? I have hardly anything that fits over my ass right now so I need to drop some weight to have clothes for the fall! 

damabo80

BillyMollyEmmy:

I'm going to be breastfeeding and eating well. I've committed myself to a 5 km run in the spring so I have to be up to snuff.

STMs - how quickly did you drop weight breast feeding? I'm wondering if it's going to be a pound a week or less? More? I have hardly anything that fits over my ass right now so I need to drop some weight to have clothes for the fall! 

I want to say it was around 2-3m that I was below my pre pg weight.

I could fit into my pre pg clothes around week 8. 

mavs41

I did Weight Watchers in the fall and easily lost 20 lbs (and kept it off until I got pregnant)!  If breastfeeding doesn't do it for me I will do WW again. 

mplataro

I'll be going back to Insanity workout...

KarBear

Honestly, it was SOOO hard for me to eat healthy while BFing because I was starving all the time (it was worse than pregnancy for me).  The good news is that I never had milk supply issues, the bad news is that I barely lost anything during my entire year of BFing.

terri_doula2010

I had to stop eating gluten half way through this pregnancy, and that made my weight gain slow down. I think my arms are actually skinnier now than when I got pregnant, so I'm hoping being gluten free will continue to help. I also plan to take up zumba. I did one class (Gold) while pregnant and loved it!

I used a personal trainer for a while 1.5 years ago and I still have my workouts for her. Once I feel comfortable leaving both kids in the gym, I hope to get back into that. I do think between breastfeeding my little one and chasing after my big one (while wearing my little one!) I will get a decent amount of exercise in without really trying.

samk213

I got back to pre-preg weight by the time I went back to work at 12 weeks and then lost another 10. I FF so I lost it all walking several times a week and I did a strict South Beach diet, mainly grilled lean meats and green veggies, no carbs and I calorie counted and tracked everything on Livestrong.  

TAGSL710

Go veg. I'm vegetarian now but eat 90 vegan. I was vegan before. You don't have to count calories if you're just eating fruits, veggies and whole grains. I plan to try couch to 5k with my Dad once I'm cleared and the weather gets nicer. I will BF too.

FYI...I hate how the mobile bump cuts down post titles. Your title came up "How to lose the baby..." on my screen and I freaked out for you. Glad we are talking baby weight.

on_a_whim

I don't plan on doing anything "extra"... just eating sensibly and regular exercise, although once I'm actually able to get back into my gym and yoga routine, I'll probably amp up the # of workouts I do for a while to get my body back in the swing of things.  Other than that, I don't plan on trying any new diets or regimens.

BabySeaTurtles

I'm a FTM and seriously can't wait to lose all this weight. DH has a slide show of our honeymoon pics as our screensaver and it's so hard seeing how trim and skinny I was. I have the 30 day shred so I may try that in addition to the BFing. It probably depends on my level of tiredness when LO is here.

Tarta

I'll be returning to my normal anti-inflammatory diet. Virtually grain free, dairy free, and vegetarian. Lots of veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds and eggs for me.

Eventually my goal is to be back into triathlon shape, but I know how those first months are and so my initial plan before I even start back to the gym is to do my two favorite home workouts together. The couch to 5k program and my absolute favorite workout video. It's 4 minutes long, gets your metabolism pumped and I can do it a couple times a day. It's perfect to squeeze in with a baby and a toddler around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AimPOSXe7n4

Eventually, when this little guy has more of an immune system and is comfy with staying in the childcare for awhile, I'll get back to my normal schedule at the gym. I love my yoga/pilates/taichi class and my weightlifting class, and spin class, and whatever other classes I can manage to fit into my schedule. I might even be swayed to try out Crossfit after 6 months out or so. It'll all depend how much sleep I'm getting at that point.

tma1685

mavs41:

I did Weight Watchers in the fall and easily lost 20 lbs (and kept it off until I got pregnant)!  If breastfeeding doesn't do it for me I will do WW again. 

Just to let you know WW has a plan that is made for breast feeding mothers. Gives you more points per day but they just want you to spend them a little different.

I lost all my pregnancy weight by my 6 week check up with my last one breast feeding. I'm hoping to be able to produce enough milk for both these boys. It will be a great restart to my massive weight loss plan I was on. I had already lost 30 pounds but was trying to get down another 40-50 before I got pregnant.  

BakerMommy

Once I realized that BFing wasn't taking the weight off (at about 5 mo PP--I'm a slow learner ), I signed up for Weight Watchers.  It was pretty easy with how many points they give BF moms, and made me more conscious of what I ate.  I actually got down to pre-marriage size!  I plan on starting much earlier this time.

Walking also helped a lot--even if it was just to get outside and lift my mood.

catdwg83

Breastfeeding & chasing a toddler around should do the trick. 

BillyMollyEmmy:

STMs - how quickly did you drop weight breast feeding? I'm wondering if it's going to be a pound a week or less? More? I have hardly anything that fits over my ass right now so I need to drop some weight to have clothes for the fall!  

I was in pre-pg clothes 6/7 weeks after. I may have been able to wear them sooner, but I did not miss buttons & zippers lol. I was under pre-pg weight by maybe 2.5 months or so. The entire time I ate more than I've ever eaten in my life, & definitely more than when pg. It was insane how much junk food & ice cream I'd go through, especially when I was still losing weight eating it all. I know I may be one of the lucky ones, but I've seen tons of IRL skinny post-baby bf moms with the same experience.  

3monkeysmama

I plan to do the 30 day shred, walking, eating clean and breastfeeding. I have always been really lucky to have baby weight fall off by 6 weeks PP. I have had to give up dairy too while BF'ing because it doesn't agree with mykids through breastmilk for some reason. Since this is my last baby, I really want to lose the rest of my weight, about 90lbs from right now total!

MrsAB1316

After I get the Dr's ok, I plan on doing P90x.   I'm also going to be breastfeeding, so I won't be doing the P90x meal plan but I figure the workout alone will help.  I've gained quite a bit, but it's ALL belly and boobs so I'm hoping that I will be able to drop it quickly.

pammeelala

Well, I never lost the weight from my first... I turn 30 in 11 months and am bound and determined to be happy with my weight for the first time in a decade.  Plus, my friend's vow renewal is at the beginning of Nov and I would like to feel good in my dress.

I plan to start taking daily walks wearing LO and pushing Jack in the stroller.  Possibly 2 if I can also convince MH to come along with us and bring the dogs, who have also gotten a bit chunky this pregnancy.

When I have lost enough to feel like I won't die, I plan to start insanity.  MH bought me a Kinect and some games like Biggest Loser, Zumba, and the dance games so I figure I can do those while the little guys are napping.

Since I will be able to cook again, no more fast food.  And I plan to not let any snack foods that I like to munch on into the house.  Hard to over eat on crap if there isn't any in the pantry.

I'm unable to BF, so I am not help there.

AppleMomma

I lost 85 pounds after my daughter 2 was born in 10 months using the 30DS, and that was every other day and on the other days did the elliptical machine, I used MyFitnessPal to calorie count and find a balance in my eating, it's not dieting if you want to stay in shape, that's one thing I realized, it had to be your routine, your lifestyle. I plan to use the same methods to lose the weight this time.

BPer

I plan to BF, walk every day with LO and my fur baby, and once my doctor clears me, 30 Day Shred and Bikram Yoga. I swear by Bikram Yoga, or any hot yoga for weight loss results. The heat makes it almost a yoga-cardio class, and you can burn between 500-600 calories per class. (1h15m)

chizekgeena

mplataro:

I'll be going back to Insanity workout...

This! And I plan on EBFing and running (DH is buying me a treadmill). I'm also a very clean eater when I'm not pregnant and craving junk so I really hope this helps. 

AppleMomma

To give you an example of how my method worked (obviously I was pregnant in the left photo):

The left photo was taken a day before I had DD. January 2011. I was over 250 and had dropped to 237 after birthing my daughter.

The right photo was taken this January after my BFP. I was 151. I had this wonderful lifestyle down and once I got pregnant the foods I was loving became nasty. I've put on 45 pounds, and hope it hovers there until my son arrives!

str8outalne

jaimenamie:

Tosca Reno's books - The Eat Clean Diet Series.

Just simple, common-sense approach to weight loss. The author knows how to write to women - I often found myself thinking if she was in my brain! And I've done all the others - and this is the one that just makes the most sense.

 

This!  I plan to eat clean and hit a crossfit gym ASAP!

CarlySara

Luckily, this time I don't think I'll have much to lose since I've been exercising throughout. 

With DD, I gained 33lbs and dropped 50+ in 9 months by BFing and walking 1-3 miles 5 days a week (while pushing DD & another baby in a double stroller), weather permitting, of course!

This time, I plan on BFing and Zumba once I'm cleared to exercise.

mlf625

I lost the weight pretty easily the first two times, and I never breastfed.  Not having time to sit and eat full meals helped with portion control, for sure!  I started taking stroller walks as soon as I felt even remotely able (2 weeks post c/s) and slowly ramped those up to an hour or so of brisk walking.  I gained 50lb with each baby and lost the first 40 over probably 4 months.  When I was ready to lose the last 10 and tone up, I did the 30 Day Shred and had awesome effects with that.  I'll probably start that sooner this time, as soon as I'm cleared (6w or so?)

Flamingemu

I will do C25K to get back into running since I had to stop around 22 weeks and 30ds until I can get back to boot camp. After a few weeks off, I will need to feel like I can finish a workout before I start back up with my class.

RachelOC

AppleMomma:

To give you an example of how my method worked (obviously I was pregnant in the left photo):

The left photo was taken a day before I had DD. January 2011. I was over 250 and had dropped to 237 after birthing my daughter.

The right photo was taken this January after my BFP. I was 151. I had this wonderful lifestyle down and once I got pregnant the foods I was loving became nasty. I've put on 45 pounds, and hope it hovers there until my son arrives!

Oh my god that is amazing!  

SarahJean0

RachelOC:

AppleMomma:

To give you an example of how my method worked (obviously I was pregnant in the left photo):

The left photo was taken a day before I had DD. January 2011. I was over 250 and had dropped to 237 after birthing my daughter.

The right photo was taken this January after my BFP. I was 151. I had this wonderful lifestyle down and once I got pregnant the foods I was loving became nasty. I've put on 45 pounds, and hope it hovers there until my son arrives!

Oh my god that is amazing!  

I agree! You look great, glad you know how to get back into pre-baby shape!

AppleMomma

Thanks ladies! It's not going to be easy to do it twice, but it's worth it! 

melody921

I'm just going to walk after DD is born, then start a more regimented exercise plan at 6 wks out. This, combined with a healthy diet, should do the trick. I also feel like I have a way to go to get to what I looked like when we got married, considering I was about 10-12 pounds heavier than I like to be before this pregnancy.

rhondagraymond

I lost my post-baby weight (29 pounds!) on Dukan diet?s personal weight loss plan. It was great, really and just so simple! It?s a low-carb, high protein diet that is easy to sustain in the long run and doesn?t make you feel like you?re ?on a diet?. I felt like I was eating ALL the time and that?s probably because I was full ALL the time! I lost the weight in 13 weeks (June, last year) and I?ve kept the weight off ever since.

hmp1

I just went back to my regular habits and the weight came off on its own. No more ice cream after dinner or snacking on cookies in the afternoon. I started mildly working out after getting the all clear and did stroller walks starting week 1. I was also really skinny for my wedding and have given up thinking that is an ok weight for me. I have my regular/ideal weight and that is what I aim for, not my wedding stressed out weight.