Getting back in shape after baby

Looking for some advice & encouragement.

With my first pregnancy I put on probably close to 30lbs. Most of it melted off during the first month or two but I lost it all and then some by the time Azula was 8 months, and then I got pregnant right away with [name_f]Indira[/name_f]. In my second pregnancy I put on closer to 40lbs and am still carrying the majority of that now, 5 months later. I am quite short & have nowhere to hide these 20 or so lbs of extra weight so I am really feeling self-conscious about all my lumps & bumps. I am working 4 shifts a week serving at a very busy place, so I spend quite a bit of time on my feet carrying heavy plates etc, but this poundage is still not moving.

Most of it is probably due to stress & exhaustion.

I am going to try drinking more water, and eating slightly healthier (we eat mostly vegetarian/sometimes vegan but aren’t very strict about it) and am thinking of buying a weighted hula hoop to work out with for 20-30m per day.
I don’t want to take any supplements or try anything drastic that could damage my milk supply. I nurse [name_f]Indira[/name_f] exclusively - when I work I express milk for DH to give to her, and I still nurse Azula as well once or twice a day at least… more when she’s feeling sick or whatever.

Any ideas?
Workouts that really worked for you?
Ideas other than just hitting the gym?
Recipes?
Advice?
[name_f]Music[/name_f] suggestions?
[name_m]How[/name_m] long did it take you to lose baby weight?

I don’t even know, we went to the beach today so I did the bathing suit thing & now I’m just feeling mopey this evening.

Anyway, thanks.

I haven’t had kids yet- however, what worked for my mum (and for me- I have been in a medical situation where I wasted nearly all my muscle, fat and a some bone away, so I really had to ease back into it. From being the girl with a six pack who did one arm chin ups to not being able to do a single press up or even stand up without assistance was a bit of a shock) was to ease really slowly back into it, working towards a goal. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t be super strict with your diet: eat your fruit and vegies, but don’t be obsessive and crazy about calorie intake or anything like that: your body knows exactly what it is doing, listen to it.

[name_f]My[/name_f] mum / me started with walking. However, if you are medically okay, start working towards some fitness goals: pushups (real pushups, one arm pushups, wide stance pushups, clapping pushups, etc.), sprints, etc. As a working mum, you are obviously very busy, but you really don’t need a lot of time to work out successfully: a super intense (for you) 15 minute workout (5 minute warm up, 15 minute workout and 5 minute cool down- spend more time on your warm up and cool down if you can, but if not, this is fine). A HIIT style of workout, coupled with low impact cardio (taking your kids for a walk in the pram for 20 minutes or doing some light yoga when you get up / before bed) really does work wonders.

Sample workout:

20 Pushups (scale up or down depending upon your ability: you might start with 5-10, or even 1)
10 Burpees (ditto)
10 V-Snaps (ditto)
2 rows of lunge walks (lap of your living room or wherever you are working out: the garden, etc.) (ditto)
50 [name_f]Air[/name_f] Squats (ditto)

15 minutes, A.M.R.A.P (As many rounds as possible).

Tabata workouts are also great if you are really time poor. [name_m]Just[/name_m] push yourself as hard as YOU can. [name_m]Just[/name_m] switch up the exercises, add weights (the heavier, the better- they will not make you bulky :)), etc.

Hula hooping is great- I am a circus performer and aerialist among other things, and while hooping is not my specialty (aerial silks and flying trapeze are), they are a lot of fun. The most important thing is to just have fun. I know from watching my mum (and my medical condition), that it is never fun to have to start from scratch again, and how yuck you feel when you first do the swimsuit thing (I had massive scars and broken blood vessels all over me, so go figure :)). However, you have delivered a beautiful baby this year, and it will take time to heal (it takes two years for your hormone levels to restore to pre pregnancy levels.). Especially having two gorgeous babies back to back- you might want to get your cortisol and other hormones tested- my mum did, and she had some serious imbalances that needed addressing. The weight came off a lot easier once she did.

Workout music wise, this is really cheesy, but I personally love listening to musicals (really spunky stuff), such as Chicago’s ‘Cell Block [name_m]Tango[/name_m]’ (I am doing an aerials routine to this), Moulin Rouge’s ‘[name_f]El[/name_f] [name_m]Tango[/name_m] de [name_f]Roxanne[/name_f]’ and big power / fun songs by [name_f]Christina[/name_f] Aguilera (‘Candyman’, ‘Lady Marmalade’, etc.), [name_f]Pink[/name_f] and [name_f]Paloma[/name_f] [name_f]Faith[/name_f] (‘Can’t Rely on You.’). Anything that you can’t help but groove along to / makes you emotional (then you fuel that into the workout :)).

Also, Pranayam breathing exercises are wonderful- they really destress you, energise you and strengthen your lungs and stomach muscles. [name_f]Tara[/name_f] Stiles has some lovely yoga routines on Youtube.

Food wise, you sound like you are on the right track. Drinking enough water makes a huge difference, as your body will hold onto a lot of water weight if you don’t drink enough.

It took my mum about 6 months when I was born, and about a year with my sister (there was a massive age gap, she was running her own café and there 14 hour days until the birth, etc.= STRESS).

I know I am no authority when it comes to bouncing back after children, but I thought I would just give my two cents. Have a great day :).

Since I’m currently pregnant with baby number one I don’t have any advice really. But I just wanted to say good luck and I know that you can do it! :slight_smile:

I currently do a pregnant lady workout and am enjoying it, I bet there are several 20 minute long workouts that you could do to help you, I use a [name_f]Denise[/name_f] [name_m]Austin[/name_m] one. And as for music use music that makes you happy!

Big, big fan of carb restriction. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you go zero carb all the way into frank ketosis it doesn’t change the composition of your breastmilk and is safe for baby. You can’t cheat, but if you adhere to it (esp if you can get into ketosis by really restricting) you’ll go into fat-burning mode and the pounds will just melt off.

I wish we all had time to really work out, but you know… babies. Can’t just plop them in front of the TV while you take a leisurely 5 mile run anymore.

I had my second in [name_f]July[/name_f] of last year; although I had been overweight for quite a number of years before both of my pregnancies.

I’ve had success this year following a “paleo” style diet.
No grains, dairy, sugar. Low carbs. Although I’ve been following it in a thoroughly haphazard way, with many things consumed that shouldn’t have been, and very little exercise done, I’ve lost 15kg since the beginning of the year. Google tells me that this is about 33lbs.

Although its been slow, I’m quite pleased with my progress, and am happy just maintaining what I have achieved so far. We’re getting into [name_u]Winter[/name_u] here now, so all my favourite veges are out of season, and the colder weather does make me want to eat all the things.

I can see myself continuing to do my best to avoid dairy and grains especially, then I’ll probably kick it up again in the [name_f]Spring[/name_f]. I’d really like to lose at least another 10kg (22lbs-ish) before the end of the year.

Stress absolutely can make it hard to lose weight. Carb reduction helps me, if I eat a lot of carbs, I gain weight, if I restrict my carb intake but don’t change my calories I’ll lose weight if I’m overweight. Assuming I’m exercising. Which is really my problem right now. But I’ve heard some people do better with fat reduction diets (although I don’t know if that’s good for nursing). Sleep is huge. If you aren’t getting enough sleep that can effect your ability to lose weight. [name_f]My[/name_f] magic formula is cut carbs, exercise (running, walking, yoga and weights) and get enough sleep. Everyone is different though I think so you may have to play around with it to get what works for you.

I can be on my feet all day, but that never changes my weight. Dance classes never did much either. It is all in the diet for me. I started out underweight with my first and I am now (five years later and just hitting the second trimester of my second pregnancy) 20 lbs heavier than before becoming pregnant the first time. To cut back weight gain I am definitely avoiding eating out and over indulging in sweets, which was a big problem last time. I eat small portions all day long. If I’m hungry I grab an apple or crackers…not a full chicken tender meal. Good luck!

[name_m]AH[/name_m]! I wrote a big response & lost it. [name_m]How[/name_m] irritating!

I am a carb monster. Bread bread bread. I have tried to cut out all refined carbs before but it makes me into one cranky [name_f]Katie[/name_f]. I should definitely limit myself more though, I know its no good for me. I just need to remember to snack on other things through the day so I don’t look at the clock after dealing with babies all day or working a long shift and go “oh gosh I haven’t eaten anything in about 10 hours” and then proceed to eat an entire baguette to compensate.

I used to have a great figure naturally. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t hate me! I was vegetarian & would bus and walk everywhere & never spent much time sitting around watching TV or anything. I never had to work out, I just never put weight on. Once I met DH I had a desk job for a while, and a couple pregnancies & over time my habits changed - [name_u]Corey[/name_u] is naturally very thin & has to work hard to maintain a healthy weight. He has no qualms about sitting on the couch & eating non-stop while playing video games or watching TV marathons. He will occasionally make an effort to “bulk up” which consists of consuming a great deal of calories, all the time, and taking protein supplements & then doing a bit of weight training at the gym (we tried going to the gym together for a while but stopped because we had different goals there - he was there to put weight on & I was there to take it off & we’d get impatient with each other). It is hard for me to find the motivation to go for a run & make a salad for myself while he sits & plays games & eats an inhuman amount of food with no visible consequences. [name_u]Early[/name_u] this year we watched a few documentaries on food, and now [name_u]Corey[/name_u] tries a little harder to eat healthily (healthily being vegetarian/vegan & chemical free), but if we wait too long between meals he still suggests just getting take-out or whatever pretty regularly.
[name_m]Aren[/name_m]'t guys just the WORST?

End rant.

I definitely am not getting enough sleep. That’s going to be difficult to change, but I’ll try. Drinking more water shouldn’t be to difficult, and I’m sure I can find a solid 30m per day for some intense physical activity. I’m going to try some strict meal-planning (and budgeting, which could help with my stress levels if I stick to it) & try to make everything from scratch (using as little refined ingredients as possible).

Those of you that carb count or stick to strict diets, do you have a cheat day? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you stick with your routine even when you go out (to a restaurant, or to a friends place, or while out running errands) or do you cut yourself some slack?