I’m basically wondering about realistic expectations about losing weight after pregnancy. I was quite skinny before I got pregnant (7 stone/100 pounds), and I’m in no way expecting to go back to my pre pregnancy size, I guess it’s not even possible with the hips and all. I gained 3 stone during my pregnancy (which is quite a big jump!), and I would like to loose maybe 1 1/2. I actually don’t know how much I weigh now, come to think of it, the 10 stone was before baby was born. The belly has almost gone away, and I look fine, but there’s something about maybe fitting into some of my old clothes… this isn’t just about me being vain (although I am) but I’ve had some major body-image issues growing up, and being at risk of ppd, I want to be happy with as many things as possible. I run and do yoga, but I mostly do this because I eat a lot and I love food so much, this is the only way I can keep my weight under control. I doubt I can ever go on a diet again, and during my pregnancy I kind of slipped from being a vegan/vegetarian and back into the meat realm which probably contributed to the weight gain… Anyways, ladies, experiences? We plan on (or did before Roo came along, haven’t talked about it since) to get pregnant relatively fast, is there any point in losing the weight if I’ll just gain it back?
I have heard you have 6 months to lose the weight or risk not ever losing it. Not that it’s impossible to lose weight at month 7, just most people acquiesce to their new size. I’m not sure how tall you are so I don’t know what’s considered healthy weight v. “ideal” weight. This varies by about 20 pounds (9kg) for me.
I am looking forward to responses!! I am completely fines with gaining whatever is needed to have a fat healthy baby, but as I too have dealt with weight and body issues I certainly plan/hope to drop it fast.
I don’t mean this is an unkind way, but I giggle when I hear people talk of weight in stones. Very different to my silly American ears (:
[name]Ottilie[/name]-- if you were slender before the birth, as you were, you should NOT expect to fit into your prepartum clothes again for at least two months (and that is fast). It takes at least six weeks for the uterus to involute back down to its normal, empty size. It takes a few months for your abdominal muscles to tighten again (alas, unless you plan on doing an extremely aggressive core-strengthening exercise regimen, they will never be nice and firm again. The anterior abdominal wall will always be a bit lax and unless you consciously tighten them, you’ll have an adorable mum pooch.) the dictum is that it takes nine months to put on the weight, and nine months to take it completely off.
The weight gain goes like this:
10lbs: baby + placenta
2lbs: uterus
2lbs: breast hypertrophy and milk
7 lbs: increased blood plasma volume and amniotic fluid, retained interstitial tissue fluid (AKA swollen ankles, puffy fingers, etc)
Remainder: true weight gain for mother
So, if you gained 42lbs or so, you have about twenty to lose to return to your pre-pregnancy weight. You burn about 500 calories a day breastfeeding exclusively, so if you keep eating about 2000 calories daily you’ll burn a pound every four days. This is absent any gentle exercise like walking or swimming.
The question is, should you return to your pre-pregnancy weight? The rule of thumb is five pounds for every inch over five feet (so a woman who’s 5’2" should weigh 110, adjusting for body type). Also I think part of motherhood is accepting and embracing the changes pregnancy brings to your body. [name]Even[/name] if the number on the scale is the same, your body simply won’t be. You’ll have redundant tissue around your middle that make low-rise trousers less appealing. Depending if you were one of the unlucky ones plagued by stretchmarks, midriffs and bikinis might be troublesome. Etc.
In the short term: for the next month while your uterus involutes, wear your professional-looking maternity clothes (or your regular ones with a belly band). Shower daily. Style your hair. Wear makeup. Leave the house, with [name]Rosalind[/name] or without, at least once daily, even if it’s a five minute walk to a corner shop. After a month you’ll be able to wear normal-cut clothes just in a bigger size. Bite the bullet and buy them, as loathe as we all are to buy bigger clothes! Buy them on e[name]Bay[/name] or at a thrift shop, but dress in your usual style. I found it helps so much to recover your sense of self.
I ditto buying some “in between but still flattering” clothes. Skirts with forgivng waists that are flowy, yoga pants with wide legs, that sort of thing. Also I cannot stress the importance of good bras because having “the girls” up where they should be and not hanging low makes things look better up top too (I got some nice nursing bras when pregnant that are doing this for me right now, woo hoo! But nursing or not, your breasts do change after pregnancy so get sized and get some new ones if need be). I didnt gain hardly anything by the time thngs were said and done (about 7 1/2 pounds for an 8 1/2 pound baby, figure that one out!) and my waist/stomach area is still puffy even if the rest of me (except by breasts) has gone down in size. I have had enough pregnancies to know what happens for me personally, and I can loose weight just fine when all is said and done (this pregnancy I gained the least…my others I averaged between 15-20 except for [name]Seb[/name]'s I gained almost 30 but I blame being pumped full of IV fluids so much during that pregnancy which needed, but, gosh looking at pictures from back then my face etc were so puffy/swollen) I have never been able to get rid of the excess belly skin from it stretching so much and genetics play a part too from what I have been told. All this to say, I am not sure about my hips etc changing shape or size since I wasnt wearng too many tighter fitting waist lined items back then (before my first pregnancy). [name]Just[/name] eat healthy, stay active and be forgiving of your body since its gone through so many changes in less than a years time.
I’ve always had an athletic build, and a larger frame than most women. I’m extremely curvaceous (my husband jokes that my butt makes [name]Kim[/name] Kardashian’s look small, lol) and it took me a loooong time to accept that I was never going to be 110 pounds no matter what I did. I’ve been about 25-30 lbs overweight most of my adult life and when I got pregnant with [name]Rowan[/name], I was the heaviest I’ve ever been (185 lbs or so) but I actually started losing weight the first 20 weeks of pregnancy due to eating healthier and drinking tons of water. I lost 10 lbs and stayed the same weight until 37 weeks, and it started to come back and by the end I was close to 200 lbs. I was freaking out. After I had her, the weight came off dramatically. I think I lost 20 lbs in less than 2 weeks. And now I’m around 175 again. And I’ve had stretchmarks since I was 13, haha.
Honestly, telling you to not worry about it would be silly because we’re women…we worry about our weight, it’s kinda a given. But don’t worry about it. 100 lbs as a full grown adult human? Come on now, that’s tiny! 120 lbs is tiny! [name]Don[/name]'t fret, and you should definitely embrace any new curves because believe me, our men like them. 
I’ve done the pregnancy weight gain/weight loss thing four times. It takes me a year to lose all of the weight. Six months to lose most of it, but a full year to lose it all. The first three months were the most frustrating for me because I expected to see more drastic changes, but, by three months, I felt that I still looked 3-4 months pregnant. Months 3-6 were more encouraging for me because this was when I felt that I was getting my old shape back. By six months, I still had some weight to lose, but it wasn’t much.
My kids are very closely spaced, and I pretty much got pregnant with each child as soon as I lost the weight from the previous pregnancy. I put in a little effort to lose the weight, and I don’t really regret it. I’m not sure if it made a difference with how much I gained and how easy it was to lose after I gave birth, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
Anyway, I hope this helps! I wore maternity clothes for a few months after I gave birth. Then I bought some bigger normal clothes and then I was eventually able to wear most of my old clothes.
You sound almost exactly like me. I’m 5ft 5in and 168lbs (lowest I’ve been since I hit puberty). I have a lot of muscle but it’s hidden under the flab that I have from when I was younger and then I have an obnoxious butt and hips. Plus stretch marks from gaining 30+ lbs with puberty (a 12 year old with stretch marks, unheard of. Lol).
But the weight gain of pregnancy is what scares me, so Ottile thank you for starting this thread.
My entire family seems to gain weight like mad while they’re pregnant. My 110lbs cousin weighed 180lbs or so by the end of it and lost none of the weight. My mom gained 50lbs with me & my brother (twins) and then another 40lbs or so with my youngest brother. Another cousin has gained 60lbs. It seems to be genetic that weight comes and stays. [name]Reading[/name] through here it makes it seem possible to lose a good portion of the baby weight and be okay with the changes.
Thanks everyone!
I’m 5’4, and I know I was too thin before I got pregnant, so I have no trouble being a bit “fatter”. I weighed myself today and I am 9 stone (126 pounds/58 kgs). I think I’m mostly ok with that (and according to that rule, I’m almost at the weight I should be), I know the body changes it’s just boring that hardly anything I own (and I own a lot of clothes) fit anymore. I guess [name]Fara[/name] & Oxfam will be happy… But hips widening I can’t do anything about. I didn’t get any stretchmarks, so I’m lucky.
[name]Blade[/name], that’s a great tip. I always do my hair and make up in the morning, and getting some nicer bigger clothes is a good idea. For now it’s mostly yoga pants and shirts, and I do get into some of my old wider dresses. I hope I’ll still look decent in a bikini… I love the beach!
[name]Jenn[/name], I have bought so many nursing bras (I went kind of crazy!) and they all fit perfectly and makes it look nice. It’s quite a shock, I’ve never really had too much up there, I’ve been faking it with wonder-bras most my life, and all the sudden that’s not necessary anymore…
[name]Tristan[/name], that’s good to hear, thanks!
RGE & [name]Erin[/name], you two sounds exactly like my sister! She’s very curvy (and so stunning) and fabulous!
[name]Poppy[/name], yes, I know, stones are stupid. I think so myself. Having a Norwegian mother, it’s always been kilos and meters in our house But for some reason, Brits want to use as strange measurements as possible!
I had somewhat different results. I was about 120 when I got pregnant, had horrible morning sickness for 5 or so months and lost 15 pounds but then ended up around 160 at delivery. The first 20 pounds fell off very quickly but after that, any weight loss made my milk supply suffer so I did not aggressively work out really (well, my back made that tricky anyways). Right when he turned one and stopped nursing as much, I lost 15 pounds in a month or so without changing my diet or exercise levels. I just wanted to encourage you in case your body holds onto some weight while you nurse.
Heck yeah 
Metric system for most things but Imperial for others! ;D We do like to pick and choose!
There’s nothing wrong with being slim either! 
Otter, you’re a waif! You could use the extra padding.
No, but really, I bet you’ll feel better once you’re back to exercising more. It’s always surprising to me how quickly the tiniest bit of exercise will shift me back to feeling good about my body when I’ve gotten away from fighting-weight. Try not to worry about the number on the scale, because it sounds like you have a history of that. [name]Just[/name] focus on doing your yoga and things that make you feel happy about your body, whether or not you drop all of the weight. xxooo!
[name]Just[/name] don’t stress over it, stress can cause you to keep the weight on. [name]Just[/name] eat healthy and stay active - it will also help that you breastfeed. (I think I read that in one of your posts, I could be wrong).
With my son, I was a little overweight (not much, just a little squishy) before and I only gained 25lbs with him and went home in my pre-pregnancy jeans…then for some reason, AFTER I had him, I gained about 30lbs. It was very odd.
@Ottile: You sound like my sister. She’s 5ft 2in and 132lbs. But she has like 7% body fat so she’s extremely small.
Oh dear… no hope for me then!! Sigh
I just wanted to say even though I am not trying to lose weight and not pregnant, that some of us are just small. I’m 5’7" and 119 pounds. I have actually tried to gain weight. Total junk food. I gained three pounds. I’ve been called Flaca (Spanish for skinny) my whole life and it is not really said as a complement. I do not look cute in a bathing suit. I have none of the fun curves. To all the Mami’s here: you grew a child inside of you. I get wanting to feel “normal” again, but I find what the female body can do amazing and pregnancy glow and post pregnancy body shifts are beautiful. I’ve seen the berry faces thread. We are a hot looking group! I’m sure you all look beautiful.
You don’t really need to do any strenuous exercise or fasting, 30 minutes walking a day might very well be enough. That’s how i lost my weight. I hope it doesn’t come back now that i’m depressed again though… How tall are you? i’m 5’9 1/2 so the weight was sort of distributed without me looking too big.
i love the name rosalind btw and the middle names are so much better then uma thurman’s choice’s.
But if your BMI is ok then don’t worry about it!
Yep. Precisely. Some people are just naturally slim and constantly hearing things like ‘you need to eat something’ or ‘real women have curves’ can be just as hurtful as weight comments aimed at larger women. Everyone’s different and we should be embracing the fact that that’s ok! Dindlee, I’m sure you’re perfect exactly as you are
Dina, you’re absolutely beautiful, and as Ren said, some people are just naturally slim. I’ve never been called nicknames like that, but everyone’s always been very on me about my weight and my body which is what led to my body-issues. I am excited about the breasts though, it makes me feel more womanly.
Emma, a waif, a waif, does that mean I’m a poor and homeless child???
I did yoga today… man that was weird without the bump. I do feel better today, and my boyfriend told me he thought I looked more beautiful than ever! But he has to say that right? Also, it’s so cold in London now, maybe the grey clouds and stormy ice cold winds which means I have to put on so many layers make me feel fatter as well. I think the tightening up is what I really need. Also, I’m not that thin, I think my bone structure is just really fine and light (or whatever I’m supposed to call it).
Thanks for the supportive words all!
I’m so glad you posted this, ottilie! I’ve been worrying about it too…mainly because I’ve never actually tried to lose weight before, naturally pretty small and always very active. I’ve gained about 15 pounds at 25 weeks, but I’m almost more worried about my frame changing than the actual pounds…I swear my actual ribcage has already broadened a bit (does that ever go back or should I throw out my old bras now!?)
[name]Spring[/name] is coming (so they keep promising) so hopefully soon enough you and [name]Rosalind[/name] can get out and walk (without the bulky layers) and get right back to your happy weight (if not your exact pre-baby weight). 
Also the post-baby celebrity photos are heavily photoshopped and potentially even surgically altered.
For any happy famous new mothers who have undergone c-section, many doctors (in la-la land where their patients are women who more or less take off their clothes for money) will do a combination c-section and abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, through the same incision and at the same time. [name]Hence[/name] those two weeks postpartum bikini shots.
For most others, the women are clothed and the photos are shot wearing clothing many sizes too big, with ferocious shapewear underneath. The clothes are pinned/tucked to perfectly mold to the woman’s frame without causing unsightly bulges that normal clothing would do. The resulting image is then photoshopped.
Celebrity culture: pretending the dramatically abnormal is normal.
FYI pregnancy does not significantly change your frame. Your actual bony pelvis does not widen in childbirth, unless it was extremely traumatic with fractures and resultant poor healing. The ligaments connecting the bones do relax causing the hips to appear wider right before birth, but once postpartum they tighten up again (which is why we can all walk, run, etc normally).