Is it harder to lose weight post-kids?

WinesNot Whines · October 2011

Or is it just me?

I lost all of my pregnancy weight while on maternity leave, but I gained 10 pounds back after I returned to work. I'm having a heck of a time getting it back off. I think it's a combination of less time to exercise and slower metabolism. This sucks! Just cutting out snacking and desserts isn't enough to make me lose weight anymore.

kastle · October 2011

I think so.

all I know is that my stomach--which wasn't bikini perfect by any means before--looks like crap & all the sit ups & ab workouts I've been doing haven't helped one bit.

It doesn't help that Sprout's favorite thing to do now is lift up my shirt & pinch the fat slab from pregnancy. (to be fair, he also pinches his own belly fat.)

tomandcourt · October 2011

Yeah, things are definitely different. It used to take a lot less effort for me to lose weight. And it used to be that if I gained, it was more ... all over? And now it's more concentrated on my stomach/hips, which is really fun when I'm trying to find clothes that fit.

bh2720 · October 2011

I don't know...but I do know that my body was just way different after having Warner. I lost all but about 10-12lbs pretty quickly after Warner was born, but since I was already about 25 lbs heavier than I wanted to be when I got pg, I had some work to do.

I joined WW when Warner was about 6 months old and lost 11 lbs, but then plateaued and then I kind of gave up. I didn't gain any weight back, but I stayed at my not-so-great pre-pg weight for about a year. Then magically last fall, I just dropped 20 lbs. I was eating a little less, but nothing dramatically different. It's really kind of a mystery how it happened. I was just really busy for a few months and all of a sudden I realized that I was back down to a size 6-8--woohoo!

So this time around, instead of beating myself up for not losing all kinds of weight by 9 months post-partem, I'll give myself more like a year and a half :-)

victoria1212 · October 2011

For me it was really hard. The only thing that changed was being pregnant, so I blame it on that Big Smile

I eat so much better and work out more and I still am not in the shape I was pre-baby. It sucks.

Hey Jellisy · October 2011

Post DD, I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight in 5 or so months, and then dropped an additional 10 lbs and I was still a dress size larger. Post DS it took me 8 months to get to my pre-pregnancy weight and I am still a dress size larger at this weight than I was pre-kids. And it is all in my tummy and thighs. Seriously my boots look funny because my calves have gotten thin - the fat just migrated up I guess.

magkenz · October 2011

My body seems to really have changed with my second, born this July. I am 5 lbs less my pre-pregnancy weight; however I am up a pants size thanks to the belly and hips flab. I feel self conscious carrying around this "pizza dough" in my midsection and doesnt do wonders for feeling cute. Even my feet went up half a size when they didnt after the first kid. Its hard to cut snacks and dessets, I agree. Celery sticks just doesnt cut it for me. I worry with the upcoming daylight savings time in Nov 6th, if Id be less inclined to work out. Darkness outside is too cozy!! I just wanna burrow with a fire and a book. I tell myself 9 mths up and 9 mths down. I've 6 more months of denial before I get tempted by a tummy tuck brochure.

mssaint · October 2011

I am still breastfeeding, so I am down under my pre-pregnancy weight and seem to have hit a pretty steady point. I am sure when I am done, I'll gain more weight.

And I totally understand what pp said about fat migration! I've always had big calves and non-wide calf boots were always too tight for me, but suddenly I can fit into them, and my old boots are all gaping. But my tummy has a nice round bump that looks like it did when I was 14-18 weeks pregnant (and I am so not pregnant).

vtkgirl77 · October 2011

Well, this is a timely post for me. After DD#1, when people asked me this question, I said "it's just as hard to lose weight as it was before". With DD#1 though, I dropped all of the pregnancy weight within about 3-4 weeks (although my clothes didn't fit the same).

But now after having #2, I feel it is DEFINITELY harder. I have been trying to lose 10lbs for 5 months now to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I feel like I have tried everything and it is just not coming off. I even breastfed for almost 4 months and that didn't help (but I was eating like a football player in training camp because I was so hungry). I've been working out, eating less, etc.

As of today, it was my first day with WW. I'm so excited and hoping that this will give me the kick in the butt that I need. I am determined to get the weight off because none of my clothes fit and I can't afford a new wardrobe. Plus, I don't want to accept this as my "new normal". I want to get back to my old size. I guess it wil just be harder this time.

tomandcourt · October 2011

mssaint:
I am still breastfeeding, so I am down under my pre-pregnancy weight and seem to have hit a pretty steady point. I am sure when I am done, I'll gain more weight.

This is what happened to me, too. I was about 10 pounds under, gained 5 back once I weaned. So I'm still 5 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, but pre-pregnancy stuff doesn't really fit because my weight is all redistributed. And why is NONE of redistributing to my boobs, which are smaller than they were before I got pregnant?

AgrippaRidesAgain · October 2011

I'm having a much harder time losing weight the second time around. I'm the opposite of you though. I much prefer exercise to dieting, so that's why I'm 2 weeks out from a year after giving birth and still have 10 lbs to go.

Artslvr · October 2011

In a word, yes. At least for me. Tongue Tied

Sofka · October 2011

yes, especially after the 2nd time

and my feet also got bigger, I need all new shoes, I didn't go up a size but they got wider and I am not really a shoe person so this is not a good thing

MrsPhilDunphy · October 2011

Abso-frickin-lutely. I've always struggled with my weight, so the physiological issues aren't even that much of a shock to me, but time and motivation definitely are. I used to be fairly good about working out in the evenings, but now by the time I've rushed to get dinner done for a hungry hulk toddler and get him in bed by 7:30/8, I am DONE.

I managed to lose a good deal of weight in C's first year (was 10 pounds under pre pregnancy). But then I weaned, went back to work full time, went back on hormonal BC and my weight totally blew up. Probably didn't help that after 9 months of pregnancy and 13 of nursing I couldn't remember how to survive on a normal caloric intake.

tomandcourt · October 2011

MrsPhilDunphy:
Probably didn't help that after 9 months of pregnancy and 13 of nursing I couldn't remember how to survive on a normal caloric intake.

Right? After two years of being able to eat what I wanted with no consequences, it was really hard to go back to watching what I eat. I'm still not that good about it 10 months later, gah.

vtmezzo · October 2011

After two kids, I am accepting that I will NEVER wear a bikini again. My stomach is gross. DS #2 is 5 months old and I think I still look about 3-4 months pregnant. Blech.

WinesNot Whines · October 2011

tomandcourt:

MrsPhilDunphy:

Probably didn't help that after 9 months of pregnancy and 13 of nursing I couldn't remember how to survive on a normal caloric intake.

Right? After two years of being able to eat what I wanted with no consequences, it was really hard to go back to watching what I eat. I'm still not that good about it 10 months later, gah.

I'm having a lot of trouble with this, too. I think I'm still eating like that, and it's not pretty.

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