Postpartum weight loss is just not happening...

soveryexcited · August 2012

With my first two pregnancies, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130. By six months, I was below that by four or five pounds. I am six months post partum with this pregnancy and I still have ten pounds left to lose and its driving me absolutely stark raving mad. I have been counting calories with the myfitnesspal app religiously and using the stationary bike at least 30 minutes every day. Why oh why oh why isn't the weight coming off??? I'm 145 most days, every week or so I will go to 142, but the vast majority of the time I am at 145 and nothing is budging.

I have a history of hypothyroidism, but was tested in May (DD was 2 months), and my thyroid was better than when I was pregnant and not hypo so I don't think that's it.

I'm getting depressed still being so blubbery six months after the baby. I hate the body right now and I just don't know what else to do. I'm on 1340 calories per day and burn about 250 with the biking. Any thoughts?

Arnegard · August 2012

My first thought is that 1340 calories is not enough to survive on!! Burning 250 calories daily, you are putting your body into starvation mode by living off of 1140 calories to run after 3 kids. Are you BF too?

I'm not a big calorie counter. I believe if you exercise and eat healthy, it will come off. I'd talk to your doc to recheck your thyroid again and eat more!!

NerdyMama2 · August 2012

If you're eating 1340 calories and burning 250, you need to eat those back.

vlagrl29 · August 2012

I personally would eat more esp. with working out. Besides doing the bike, you should also really do weight lifting. that burns calories up to 48 hours whereas once you get off the bike the burning calories is done.

Sunidaze · August 2012

If you are only doing the stationary bike for 30 minutes a day, that is likely a bit part of the problem. You need variety! Your body is used to the bike and definitely isn't working that hard at it. Get outside and walk, definitely had some strength/resistance training. If you can swing it - join a gym, take group exercise classes (Zumba and Turbo are both popular, but I opt for Spinning and will be starting a Boot Camp next week). But you need variety...your body is bored with the staionary bike.

blueandgray · August 2012

Hard to say, but diet can have a big impact. You are counting calories (and that does not sound like enough), but what KIND of calories are you eating? A fat free, sugar free yogurt loaded with chemicals, or a 'low cal' snack bar with ingredients you can't pronounce are no good. Stick to real foods: real meat/fish, real vegetables and fruit, eggs, limited dairy, avoid sugar and grains. The easy rule is avoid stuff from a box and go to town on real foods. I also agree with changing up your workout routine and adding in weights, or at least a different exercise from day to day (ie, bike one day, weights the next, run sprints the next, body-weight exercises (squats/pushups/situps/pullups) the next, etc....).

Hang in there...you only had your third baby 6 months ago! I imagine 3 kids now may be a little detrimental to your sleep and stress levels without getting crazy counting calories and pounds too.

brewcitybride · August 2012

My weight loss after baby #2 stalled at about 4 months post partum and didn't pick up again until I was about 8 months post-partum. What happened? I changed my diet- instead of thinking my diet was ok and I needed to exercise more, I started to focus more on the foods I was putting into my body. Also, changing my diet actuallyallowed me to eat more than I thought. 1340 calories is probably not enough. It wouldn't be for me! I eat about 1600 calories, and it's mostly fresh produce, greek yogurt, fish or chicken, and more veggies, and a sweet potato or brown rice for good carbs. Add in lots of water, I stay away from sweets, and a good cardio and weights session 3-4 times per week, and I have gotten past my plateau. Still not there yet, though. It's a process, every day I try my best!

Of course, this doesn't account for days like yesterday when I got my period and had a McDouble AND thai food! Bad bad bad. But today, I'm back on my healthy diet, so I don't fret too much. You can't beat yourself up. I don't know how tall you are or your body frame, but 145 is stil pretty small for the average woman, and you've had three kids! Give yourself a break!

cwm11985 · August 2012

Sunidaze:
If you are only doing the stationary bike for 30 minutes a day, that is likely a bit part of the problem. You need variety! Your body is used to the bike and definitely isn't working that hard at it. Get outside and walk, definitely had some strength/resistance training. If you can swing it - join a gym, take group exercise classes (Zumba and Turbo are both popular, but I opt for Spinning and will be starting a Boot Camp next week). But you need variety...your body is bored with the staionary bike.

This. Try switching up your cardio and add in strength training.

mbody · August 2012

Strength training, strength training, strength training.

And switch up your cardio every once in a while. You need variety so you body and muscles don't get used to the same thing which is most likely your problem now.

pianist1989 · August 2012

You may want to get your thyroid levels checked again, I know that mine change monthly. Do you get your thyroglobulin antibody levels checked? All my other levels are always pretty normal, but it wasn't until I started geting the antibody levels drawn that we realized just how bad my thyroid was. Also maybe research a gluten free diet. One thing that has helped my antibody levels get abck down to more "normal" was to cut out all gluten. There is quite a bit of research out there that supports a gluten free diet for hypothroidism/hashimotos sufferers.

I agree with the others, it doesn't sound like you are eating enough either.

tasiaceleste · August 2012

As PPs have said, STRENGTH TRAINING. Do whole-body, high-intensity lifting. Get a trainer to put together a couple of good, hard workouts for you, or look up videos online and do them 3x/week.

The body is smart: it adapts to whatever you're putting it through quickly and learns to hold on to body fat. Thus, 30 minutes of same-old cardio isn't going to cut it. Work in intervals, switch machines, and make sure you're working HARD. You should be out of breath.

CrazyLife3 · August 2012

From personal experience, the only way to know for sure that you are really eating 1340 calories per day is to weigh food. A little extra nibble on the peanut butter? 50 calories, a little extra slurp of apple juice? 25 calories. A little extra dab of butter? 50 calories. You get the point. Are you breastfeeding? If so you are eating way to little. If you are really eating 1340 and exercising 250 or so you would be losing weight. It really is math unless there is a medical problem.

soveryexcited · August 2012

Thank you all so much for answering!

I am breastfeeding.

I've been really trying hard to eat healthy foods; so lots of veggies and fruits and I am doing good most of the days. Interesting about eating more... I ate around 1600-1800 calories the last couple of days and I have lost three pounds...

I am going to add in strength training; I hadn't even thought of that. I also started redoing C25K to mix things up a bit more; so hopefully my body will get the idea.

I got my blood drawn on Monday to check my TSH levels, so hopefully I get info back on that soon. Thanks again everyone. :-)

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