Alright.
Spill your secrets. How did you lose the weight after the baby?
Like everything else I could’ve possibly tried to do in life, I was overly optimistic about my post-partum weight loss. I thought that, once I popped Tony out, the weight would just fall off. Then I realized that I’d have to work on it, but I was like, “Eh. I’ll just workout in between feeding the baby.” I did not realize how incredibly EXHAUSTING having a newborn is!
(Of course, I constantly have to remind myself that it’s only been two weeks. Nay, not even that.)
So extreme dieting is out (low-carb, I bid thee farewell), as are pills (sorry, Zantrex 3). The good news is that all I’m craving is salads and fruits; the bad news is that it’s not easy to always have those available. It’s been too cold to take many walks with the bebe, so I’ve done Pilates. Once. And it nearly killed me.
So spill. What are your secrets?
Dahling.. Don’t over do it! It’s been what two weeks? Just eat the good stuff, keep nursing, and don’t worry about it. Nursing takes away soo many calories. Once you have more energy, which will happen one day. Then start the Pilates.. You’ll be fine, I have faith in ya!
It is way to early to even think about it. A bunch of weight will fall off without you doing anything. The rest will come later. And you’re supposed to get a doctor’s okay before doing anything. Your nether regions were traumatized. Give them a rest.
If you can find a Mommy and Me yoga or Pilates class near you after you get the okay from your doctor at 6 weeks, join one of those. You’ll get out, get exercise and find some other moms with newborns. Once the newborn stage is over (usually around the fourth month) you’ll have more energy to work out for real.
I gained more than 60 lbs when I was pregnant and lost it all by 9 months. It felt like forever, but all of the popular wisdom says 9 months on (10 really) 9 months off. So give yourself a break. I detailed it painstakingly on my non-breastfeeding blog.
I agree. Take it easy. BUT, if you want to start working towards that goal you know (and I’m sure you already are doing so) you should chug water, water, water. Obviously, its just a good idea period. Also, if you’re really wanting salads do yourself a favor and skip the creamy dressings (I recommend a balsamic vinegrette) but, I don’t really know what you can and can’t have while breast feeding.
Speaking of breast feeding…that scares the crap out of me, and if you decide to pump and give him a bottle…no judgement here.
I have to disagree about low-carb being extreme. I happen to be of the opinion that processed grains and refined sugars are totally EVIL. Carbohydrate is the only macronutrient that’s completely unnecessary for the proper functioning of the human body. I recommend whole or minimally processed foods — veggies, lower-GI fruits, leaner proteins, healthy fats in moderation. What’s extreme about that?
That’s the method that I’m using to take off the baby weight, anyway. The fact that my youngest is 9 years old? Well, let’s not talk about that, okay?
Good luck.
It took you 10 months to get to that weight, it will take 10 months to get it off.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is a total liar. Or an overachiever. Or both. Or has an extremely fast metabolism, and we don’t listen to those people, because their perception of reality is completely skewed. Yes, Stephanie, I’m talking about you.
Do not expect your body to let go of this weight right away. With Helen, I gained 45 pounds. 33 of those pounds were gone within 6 days. The last 12? It took almost 2 years. And then I was pregnant again. With Alice, I gained 25 pounds, and it took 2 years and Weight Watchers to get it all back off again.
Jerry would say to me, over and over and over again when I was filled with body-hate: “Give yourself a break. You JUST had a baby.”
Seriously. 10 months up, 10 months down. MINIMUM. And if you make it in less time than that, then you’re amazing. You didn’t get here overnight, so it’s not going to come off that fast either.
Hang in there, and stop beating yourself up. Yet another thing you can’t really control. Welcome to The New Normal.
It took me 16 months for all of it to come off. And then I put the last five right back on. I do think you shouldn’t worry about it yet, just eat right (for Tony)and do what you can. It’s not like you have a personal trainer and a nanny and a wet nurse.
What they said. And by the way, you look fabulous, darling. (Just in case no one has told you today.) Also, I am pretty sure your placenta is long gone. That was the wet lasagna noodle you delivered after you delivered the baby. What you want to shrink is your uterus. It will take at least 6-8 wks to get shrunk down to normal size. Until then try not to stress about it. Wear flowy clothes and your maternity stuff. You are gorgeous!
Okay, so I’m going to chime in. Low-carb is BAD. Sure, excess carbs (and protein, and fat) that you consume are stored as fat. But, glucose, which primarily comes from carbs is the primary source of energy for the body and the brain. Your brain uses 100 grams of glucose each day just to maintain normal function. Likely more if you strain it all day at work and school. So, if you aren’t eating any carbs or you are eating very low carb your body has to produces its only glucose via gluconeogenisis. This works for awhile, but after you run out of soem of that easily accessible fat your body will begin to break down muscles to make glucose from protein. The end result is you are weaker than you were before, your heart is at risk (it’s a muscle!), you have excess ketone bodies, and that funky “Atkins diet” breath. Besides, people who are eating low carb are typically eating waaay to much meat and cheese which is loaded with saturated fat, which our bodies can’t metabolize, which will raise your LDL (low density lipoproteins–”bad” cholesterol) and next thing you know it’s heart attack city. Plus there aren’t that many vitamins in those fatty foods, so you don’t have many antioxidants, and free radicals love to ravage those boogers. Sorry for ranting, but there are so many people doing the Atkins thing without understanding the science behind it.
And, a lot of the weight people lose on Atkins is not so much from lost fat, but extreme dehydration. As ketone bodies build up it screws with the pH of your blood and it becomes somewhat toxic. To try to maintain this balance your body is constantly flushing itself through the kidneys. Oh, so bad. Okay, I’m done. Biochemistry 301…
Sorry other Sarah, but you’re wrong — and I find your dogmatic sanctimony more than a tad insulting. The brain uses glycogen as its fuel, but it prefers — and functions better — using protein-derived ketones as fuel. How could we possibly need grains to survive when the agricultural processes that produce them are only 7000 years old? Literally the blink of an eye in evolutionary terms. Plow through all 600+ footnoted pages of esteemed science writer Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories to find out just how profoundly we’ve all been hurt by what has essentially been a vast failed public health experiment by the pro-carb factions.
Real Sarah, sorry to hijack your blog as my soapbox. As to the dehydration hypothesis, a lot of the research that’s coming out now points to low-carb/low-GI as the most effective approach for long-term weight loss. One of the health blogs I write for a corporate client involves plowing through the latest research at sites like sciencedaily.com and Medscape. It’s all right there. I’m firmly convinced that we’re on the cusp of a major paradigm shift re: carbs. The scientific literature in favor of low-carb/low-GI is steadily accumulating.
Anecdotally, I’ve lost 50+ lbs. and eight sizes this year through a sensible low-carb diet and exercise regimen. I drink 100+ oz. of water a day. Clearly, not all water weight.
Also, I nth what Elaine/other Michelle/Mallory said. Take it slowly and honor the huge upheaval your body has just been through.
Best,
–M
Low GI diets are good. Atkins is bad. Any diet that promotes bacon, eggs, ham, burgers, and sour cream while restricting whole grains isn’t good for you. Depriving yourself of carbohydrates isn’t healthy when you’re nursing. Depriving yourself of carbs when your not nursing is sometimes healthy, but only if you understand nutrition.
A healthful diet includes plenty of fruits and veggies, whole grains, dairy, protein and small amounts of fat. A low GI diet doesn’t eliminate carbs, it redirects you to healthier versions and smaller portions.
Time. Just time.
And, umm, if you still have placenta, you have a problem! That’s your uterus, sweetie!
I just read Elaine’s response. Bitch. I did NOT lose my weight overnight either! I didn’t gain very much with Mike because I stayed sick. (I only gained 25 pounds total.) It still took me 6 months to lose the weight I put on.
I didnt read the other comments but let me just tell you this. I gainned 52 lbs with Nathan, He turned 11 weeks yesterday and I have lost 41 doing practically NOTHING! I go to the gym about 2x’s a week and sort of watch what i am eating but im toatlly NOT on a diet. its the breast feeding, serisouly! Give it a little time and dont over do it, if you do now your just going to bleed and cramp like crazy, its way too soon.