Post baby weight loss plans.

310mbr · July 2015

does anyone want to share any weight loss tips for after baby? I'm 36 so I've heard it's harder the older you are. I'm planning on breastfeeding also heard this is suppose to help with weight loss. Ideas, opinions, thoughts??

taralohse · July 2015

I won't be breastfeeding but I am planning to use Insagenix - it's a nutrition cleanse maybe a month or two after baby. My sister uses it and she has lost tons of weight.

I'm a FTM so I don't have any personal advice, but what I've heard is that you need to start right away with a healthy diet and exercise as soon as your are able. The longer you wait, the more difficult the routine will be to fit into your new life with baby.

oywiththepoodlesalready · July 2015

I will be signing up for weight watchers asap. Used the program to loose 35 pounds before I got pregnant so I know it works. They have an adapted program for breast feeding moms so that you make sure to get enough of the right foods while loosing weight.

alinic916 · July 2015

Eat healthy and workout is what is going to help you best to lose and keep it off! Meal planning/prepping and getting cardio/weights in 4x a week is what I plan on doing. Although, if you need extra help I agree with @oywiththepoodlesalready that weight watchers is a great program.

aah1013 · July 2015

Weight Watchers all the way! I love the program and the fact that I can still eat my favorite foods. I don't do well with exclusion diets. My husband will be doing the program with me as he has packed on some pounds in the last few years. I used WW before and was able to lose weight pretty easily.

smlowe9311 · July 2015

I don't have a plan in just going to eat healthy and exercise and see how it goes. I also plan on breastfeeding and depending on your body you may or may not loose the weight more rapidly by doing so. Of course I don't mean to discourage you from bf'ing in any way, I just want you to be aware.

aah1013 · July 2015

smlowe9311 said:
I don't have a plan in just going to eat healthy and exercise and see how it goes. I also plan on breastfeeding and depending on your body you may or may not loose the weight more rapidly by doing so. Of course I don't mean to discourage you from bf'ing in any way, I just want you to be aware.

Yes, I'm one of the ones that couldn't drop the weight while breastfeeding the first time. Bummer!

amberrmariee20 · July 2015

I lost almost all of my weight except 10 lbs breastfeeding and I gained 59 lbs. 1.5 years after I had him I was 25 lbs smaller then before I got pregnant !

Raijapatterson · July 2015

I am going to Thrive by le-vel. Supposed to give you tons of energy! I can't wait to have energy

Sbrouwer0706 · July 2015

Weight loss is so different for everyone. My sister lost all of her baby weight plus some just from breast feeding and light exercise while one of my friends had the hardest time losing the weight after baby even though she put in a lot more effort.

As someone who is pretty into health and fitness I would suggest avoiding any fad diets. Most of the time anything that makes you lose weight quickly isn't healthy and there is a very good chance you will gain is back plus some. Especially if you are breast feeding your child, you need to make sure your body is getting the proper nutrition it needs. Not saying you were going to start a fad diet or anything, I just see it so often.

My plan is to go back into my pre-pregnancy routine. While I am still trying to follow the way I ate pre-pregnancy I could stand to clean up my diet a little bit. I follow a 90/10 rule for the most part. 90% of what I consume is healthy (no refined sugar, no white bread, lots of protein, no fried foods or trans fat) 10% of the time I allow myself a small splurge.

As for my exercise routine, pre-pregnancy I would work out 5 days a week with the other 2 days being active rest days. Out of the 5 days a week I would have 3 lifting/cardio days and 2 days with yoga and bodyweight exercises. I also take my dog on a walk that is at least 2 miles as many evenings as I can. Once baby arrives I plan on making family walks part of our daily routine.

The trick is to find what works for you and your lifestyle. It may be longer workouts fewer times a week or working out every day for 30 minutes. Good luck! Hopefully we can all keep each other accountable once our little ones arrive!

rue:D · July 2015

I plan on going back on Weight Watchers immediately. I'm going to Jamaica in January and want to look halfway decent!

bbiutmcph · July 2015

I plan to return to my full workout routine once cleared by the doctor and I will likely do walks with our dogs prior to that to maintain some level of exercise. I agree consistent healthy meal planning is a huge key to it. With my first I had a tough recovery which made my weight loss harder but I also was the first to grab something quick for dinner or snacks and eating unhealthy meals was easier. I was tired and take out, a quick meal or a bag of chips was fast. It took me 9 months to lose that weight. With my second I did meal planning from the start and even when tired I made myself get exercise. Walking is a good start since its relatively easy and something you can do fairly quickly after birth. It also makes more aggressive work outs easier once you can do that.

jefinley1 · July 2015

I'm going to talk to my midwife about good resources for post-baby exercise. I find that whenever I try to "diet," by calorie counting or cutting food groups, I don't lose weight in a way that is healthy and then just gain it back as it isn't sustainable. So as an adult, I just eat when I'm hungry, try to eat good, homemade foods that incorporate lots of different food groups for nutrients, and occasionally weigh myself. As long as I'm within a 10-15 lb range (I'm tall, so 10 lbs isn't a big deal when it's distributed), I try not to worry about it. So I'll just keep doing that and see how it goes as far as food.

My only concern for exercise is that based on what I've read, if you aren't a little bit gentle with your abdominal muscles, which have been separated and loosened (not sure of the technical jargon for this) with relaxin during pregnancy, they can get damaged and not heal properly. So an intense ab routine right away is, based on my understanding, actually quite harmful. Apparently there are actually post-pregnancy specific exercises to help a healthy recovery in your stomach muscles especially, and a good health care provider should be able to help with that in addition to recuperating your vaginal muscles in a healthy way. I see it like this: the fat can come off with time and (hopefully) the help of breastfeeding, but my body's most impacted muscles will actually really benefit from some conscious and intentional help as part of recovery, so that's what I'll focus on. I will be doing lots of walking with baby though if fall weather cooperates. I love to just trail or city walk for exercise, and as far as basic muscle tone and losing fat, it is what has worked best for me.

LiveNLove44 · July 2015

I plan to resume activity when I am ready, but I know that what and when you eat plays a much bigger role in weight loss/gain/maintenance. It's a common misconception that age alone can make it harder or easier to lose weight. In fact, as people age, their tendency to resistance train/maintain lean body mass (muscle) in some capacity dwindles. As you lose lean body mass and replace it with body fat, your resting metabolic rate slows, so your body requires fewer calories to maintain weight. Your lean body mass is a significant determining factor in whether it is "easier" or "harder" for you to lose weight. Beyond that, hormones, sleep, and diet will also play a role.

My plan after DD was cut off pretty quickly when I found that I couldn't restrict my caloric intake to the degree I had anticipated. I had to recalibrate and go at it from a different perspective. My first priority was producing breast milk for DD and staying healthy. My second priority, after my supply had been established and I understood more about how my body was healing PP, was making sure I wasn't over-eating for my body's fuel needs.

Each of our bodies will do it differently, so please don't hold yourself to a plan if it isn't working! I am all about being flexible with something like this, and I encourage others to just make good food choices and get rest in the early weeks!

ETA: words are hard

MamaOwl15 · July 2015

Just an FYI, breastfeeding may or may not help you lose weight. Some women find that the last 5-10 lbs won't budge till they wean. I didn't find breastfeeding to be the magic diet solution I've heard it is for some - it took me 2 years to lose 40 of the 57 lbs I gained with DS. That being said, I didn't have the best diet or exercise going, either.

My post-baby weight loss plan this time will be to try to eat as reasonably as I can, limiting sweets (during the holidays, haha!). I will work out at Planet Fitness, where I go now, because I can go and do a 30 minute cardio and weight circuit there that works the whole body, and they're open 24 hours M-F. I figure I can squeeze roughly an hour to an hour and a half of time to get to the gym, work out, and get back while DD hangs out at home with Daddy. I currently go after I put DS to bed . . .

I found last time around that when I ate a diet with plenty of fat and protein and stayed hydrated, that helped me produce enough milk while also losing weight (slowly). I didn't exercise as much then, hopefully that will help.

My ultimate goal in the first year or so is to get back at least to where I was before I had my first baby. Not necessarily in terms of body shape/size (who knows what I'll actually look like), but in terms of weight and fitness level. That means losing all the weight from this pregnancy, plus another 20 lbs or so and being able to run 3 miles again.

vamomtobe · July 2015

I was thinking about this the other day after I realized the holiday eating season is going to hit right after baby comes. Starts for me with halloween and doesn't quit til after V-day chocolates, eeek! My plan is to stay active for as long as possible through pregnancy and start up with a more normal exercise routine as soon as I get the OK from my doctor. Breastfeeding did help me lose weight with my first. My problem was I relied on bfing to indulge on dark beers and ice cream pretty much every day. Once I stopped nursing, I put on like 5 pounds immediately and never dropped it. So this time around, definitely going to be more aware of my diet as well as exercise! I'll probably forgo the ice cream, not the beer

.

DylansCandyBar · July 2015

The same way I did it previously, by sticking to a mostly clean diet and exercising daily.

adcoxmt · July 2015

jefinley1 said:

I'm going to talk to my midwife about good resources for post-baby exercise. I find that whenever I try to "diet," by calorie counting or cutting food groups, I don't lose weight in a way that is healthy and then just gain it back as it isn't sustainable. So as an adult, I just eat when I'm hungry, try to eat good, homemade foods that incorporate lots of different food groups for nutrients, and occasionally weigh myself. As long as I'm within a 10-15 lb range (I'm tall, so 10 lbs isn't a big deal when it's distributed), I try not to worry about it. So I'll just keep doing that and see how it goes as far as food.

My only concern for exercise is that based on what I've read, if you aren't a little bit gentle with your abdominal muscles, which have been separated and loosened (not sure of the technical jargon for this) with relaxin during pregnancy, they can get damaged and not heal properly. So an intense ab routine right away is, based on my understanding, actually quite harmful. Apparently there are actually post-pregnancy specific exercises to help a healthy recovery in your stomach muscles especially, and a good health care provider should be able to help with that in addition to recuperating your vaginal muscles in a healthy way. I see it like this: the fat can come off with time and (hopefully) the help of breastfeeding, but my body's most impacted muscles will actually really benefit from some conscious and intentional help as part of recovery, so that's what I'll focus on. I will be doing lots of walking with baby though if fall weather cooperates. I love to just trail or city walk for exercise, and as far as basic muscle tone and losing fat, it is what has worked best for me.

Diastasis Recti? Is that what you're referring to? I know not every woman gets this (I'm not sure the percentage), but that it's more likely with subsequent pregnancies. I'm paranoid about that - having the separation and making it worse by working out my abdominal muscles too soon. I've done a little google searching and it looks like there are certain moves you can do to repair that separation BEFORE resuming an intense abdominal regimen...the impression I got is that the Diastasis Recti won't heal on its own, that it requires those moves and possible PT through a specialist? Ugh.

Rikki_5 · July 2015

ya just old fashioned working out and dieting. Weight off by 9 months is my goal ! 9 months on 9 months off!

tbasinski · July 2015

Breastfeeding will only help you lose weight if you make healthy decisions. You have to eat a balanced diet, exercise, and drink plenty of water. Also keep in mind that it took you 9 mths to put that weight on, so plan on it taking that long to come off. Maybe it will take less or maybe more. I would recommend starting on that healthy lifestyle now also, adding exercise in (even if it's just walking) and making healthy food choices.

310mbr · July 2015

Great advice! Thank you so much

brittanispears · July 2015

I plan on exercising 3-4 days a week. But also I heard that after birth girdles or whatever they're called help keep things in place. I would only wear it for about 2 or 3 months. My husband is a gym rat so I'm counting on him to help me stay motivated. And my mom also told me breastfeeding is one of the easiest ways to lose weight. I do want to keep my diet in check like I have during my pregnancy, though, because I want the baby to be healthy via breast milk and I want to be healthy.

babykitcat · July 2015

DH is a gym rat for me too but I find his workouts boring...he asked if he could buy me a personal trainer! I'll shoot for working out 4 days a week maybe 1 with the trainer and 3 myself DH will stay home with baby.

I've worked with trainers in the past, ive run a marathon so this is a perfect 'push-present'. I hope to lose the weight quickly but I'm more excited now to be back into the same shape I was when I was 25!

jefinley1 · July 2015

adcoxmt said:

jefinley1 said:

I'm going to talk to my midwife about good resources for post-baby exercise. I find that whenever I try to "diet," by calorie counting or cutting food groups, I don't lose weight in a way that is healthy and then just gain it back as it isn't sustainable. So as an adult, I just eat when I'm hungry, try to eat good, homemade foods that incorporate lots of different food groups for nutrients, and occasionally weigh myself. As long as I'm within a 10-15 lb range (I'm tall, so 10 lbs isn't a big deal when it's distributed), I try not to worry about it. So I'll just keep doing that and see how it goes as far as food.

My only concern for exercise is that based on what I've read, if you aren't a little bit gentle with your abdominal muscles, which have been separated and loosened (not sure of the technical jargon for this) with relaxin during pregnancy, they can get damaged and not heal properly. So an intense ab routine right away is, based on my understanding, actually quite harmful. Apparently there are actually post-pregnancy specific exercises to help a healthy recovery in your stomach muscles especially, and a good health care provider should be able to help with that in addition to recuperating your vaginal muscles in a healthy way. I see it like this: the fat can come off with time and (hopefully) the help of breastfeeding, but my body's most impacted muscles will actually really benefit from some conscious and intentional help as part of recovery, so that's what I'll focus on. I will be doing lots of walking with baby though if fall weather cooperates. I love to just trail or city walk for exercise, and as far as basic muscle tone and losing fat, it is what has worked best for me.

Diastasis Recti? Is that what you're referring to? I know not every woman gets this (I'm not sure the percentage), but that it's more likely with subsequent pregnancies. I'm paranoid about that - having the separation and making it worse by working out my abdominal muscles too soon. I've done a little google searching and it looks like there are certain moves you can do to repair that separation BEFORE resuming an intense abdominal regimen...the impression I got is that the Diastasis Recti won't heal on its own, that it requires those moves and possible PT through a specialist? Ugh.

Yes! I just checked the book I had read about it in and that's exactly it. It seems like a doctor should be able to identify it, but a lot just don't check, so you can be completely unaware, which is why I want to ask about post-pregnancy exercise specifically. I plan on having more pregnancies, so it seems prudent to make sure I'm taking it easy as my body recovers and looking into exercises that specifically target the muscles that are effected to try to prevent it from happening in future as well. I don't have any medical background, but I know by their nature the more intensely and frequently muscles are damaged, the harder it is for them to fully heal. So being especially careful with those areas regardless seems smart to me. Apparently other developed countries are way more conscious of post-partum body recovery, so I would like to try to be aware even if our doctors don't make it as big a priority.

Sweet Sadie Mae · July 2015

My husband and I are going to take up running together which is kind of hilarious because I have always HATED running.

BBaires · July 2015

My family is full of triathletes and this year (before I found out I was pregnant) I signed up for another half ironman -- it was to be my return to racing after a couple years off for grad school -- so I plan on doing the race next year instead. That training, plus eating well and breastfeeding should do the trick and most importantly I love it and think it's fun!
Now the tough part is convincing DH to train with me and get rid of the pregnancy weight he's been happily packing on.

loveleighmami · July 2015

Breastfeeding helped me so much but I'm nervous as I had my youngest 7 years ago. I'm hoping it's just as easy to lose the weight as it was then!

ChariZae · July 2015

Nothing formally planned. I will breastfeed, chase after my two toddlers, and walk with LO in the stroller. DH and I would like one more LO after this so I am not overly concerned with weight loss. As long as I fit back into my normal wardrobe, I'll be content.

koriemo · July 2015

I gained weight before I got pregnant, and have gained quite a bit since I've been pregnant. I'm up 40 lbs from my "normal" weight, and up 25 lbs since getting pregnant. I hope to gain no more than 10 lbs in my third trimester. After the baby is born, I plan to breast feed. I have dreams of working out when I go back to work, but I doubt that will happen. When I get off of school for the summer, I plan to join a gym that I know has worked for me in the past. I want to get pregnant again, but I'd love to be back at my "normal" weight before I get pregnant again.

floyd1rl · July 2015

Last April I set out to lose 20lbs. I wanted to drop the weight to increase our chances when we began TTC. I found a friend who was a beachbody coach and signed up to do a challenge group with the 21 Day Fix. I dropped 7 lbs during my first round without doing the meal plan figuring I ate healthy enough. Round 2 and 3 I followed the meal plan and met my 20 lb goal! I like that the workouts were able to be modified and were quick, the woman in the videos wasn't so annoying that it made me want to cut her, and the portion controlled meal planning was super easy. So I will be going back to my beachbody ways once cleared. I also am breastfeeding and the wife and I plan to purchase an elliptical soon, for days like today when it's hot as F and I can't go outside.

dchiapella · July 2015

Look into your insurance. A lot of them will cover nutritionists. That's what I plan on doing to assist. I'm active and was very small to begin with so I know I'll get back there... but my issue is I go too crazy and will stick to like 700 calories a day and tons of excercise... don't think that's the greatest idea, especially while breast feeding. Hoping a nutritionist or "life coach" whatever the heck they're called now, can set up a good eating/ exercise plan for me to stick to so I feel more stable in the matter. We also live across the street from our gym (literally, we could toss a stone to it) with an indoor track which I'll be making use of in the winter and lakes with walking paths when the weather's nice. I'm going to try really hard not to go too crazy and ease myself back so I don't crash and burn.

rms924 · July 2015

I was very active prior to pregnancy ( I LOVE LOVE LOVE working out!). Right now, being a ftm, I am little paranoid about pushing myself, so I don't but I've tried to stay active during pregnancy. I did gain a lot of weight, especially in the beginning! I went from 115-140 in the first tri! I am hoping that some sort of reverse thing happens once I have the baby. I know a lot of that came from the fact that I was intensely exhausted and nauseated for most of the first tri, so I barely moved and lived on mashed potatoes. Please don't judge.

Generally I am pretty good about my diet, and because I love to exercise, I know that I can lose the weight. I am just concerned that breastfeeding will throw my hormones out of whack and that I won't skinny down. Of course, my son comes first, but I am really hoping that with a sensible diet and my usual workouts, I can be back in pre-pregnancy shape within the first 3 or 4 months.

I am also with @dchiapella with being sensible- I tend to go a little crazy too, and I'd like to be able to manage this without the subsequent burnout from over-working out or over dieting.

DeeGreer · July 2015

Kayla Itsines workouts with my hot-bod sister ;;) it's 28 minute circuits which is awesome since I'll have a little one and I won't have to leave for a gym. I'm pumped to get back at it and definitely maintaining a good diet since I've been too big to do most stuff besides walking/jogging lately.

gabrielafrnqyepez · July 2015

i lost over 25 lbs b4 baby by doing zumba, eating right and walking most i can, also not for nothing but running around with a kid at the park is great for losing weight! i hope to be able to go back to my routine and with 2 boys i dont see it as being too hard as my boys as is are very active!

kelsojohnso · July 2015

Clean eating! I'm good at it (the kitchen is my favorite place) and my husband is a gym rat... I was before pregnancy now I only make it about 3 nights a week. Pilates and running were my favorite. I'm naturally thin and have only gained 15 lbs so far I hope what ever comes next just falls off after LO gets here.

millereliz13 · July 2015

I may go back to doing Zumba. I'm uncoordinated, have no sense of rythm and love it. I enjoy making a fool of myself.

anorthro · July 2015

I'm going to do post-natal yoga. Lots of walking until I can start running again. The YMCA here has cheap child care so I will probably switch gyms. I also plan on eating well, as I've been doing this last trimester.

savsimon · July 2015

Prior to baby I was training for a marathon. My hope is to pick back up where I left off with that. I have been working out consistently throughout my pregnancy and just modifying where I need to. I think the combination of continuing to workout/picking back up running along with eating healthy and breastfeeding should help get me back to where I was!

elmann1 · July 2015

I'm planning to run and swim as much as I can and go back 100% vegetarian. I cannot WAIT to run!

baconlady · July 2015

elmann1 said:

I'm planning to run and swim as much as I can and go back 100% vegetarian. I cannot WAIT to run!

lol that turtle cracked me up! healthy eating and working out. I know it won't happen overnight. I'm going to try to be a little patient. I too miss running so much. Which is funny because when I could comfortably do it we had a love /hate relationship going. Now I see people running in my neighborhood and get so jealous.

elmann1 · July 2015

@baconlady Me too!! Right before pregnancy I had to force myself to run some days(even with my snazzy new Minimus trail 10v3), but now I sooo appreciate to have been able to even fit into my running shoes! It makes me so jealous to see people running.... that's a fair crying trigger haha.

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