Can’t Lose the Damn Weight - 2 Years Postpartum
- Thread starter morirach
- Start date
-
- Tags
- vent working moms
katrina2017
New member
@katrina2017 A lot of people just do. I did. Many people are more sedentary during pregnancy because being pregnant is hard AF. I could not keep up the same exercise between morning sickness 24/7 and debilitating pelvic girdle pain. "Mom butt" is a thing. In early postpartum especially if you're breastfeeding you're just sitting around most of the time.
sarahjeanne
New member
flyingdonkey
New member
@sarahjeanne I was going to say this too lol. I joke my daughter is made up of my ass because it completely disappeared between conception and when I finished breastfeeding. A +1 to the anecdote. I also weighed less and looked much worse.
sarahjeanne
New member
@flyingdonkey Same same same. I have a tendency to be a bit of a cardio queen, too.
@sarahjeanne Same! And people here are saying to do weights, not cardio… but that’s not my experience. I didn’t get my pre body body back until I ran hard. I focused on running form so intense core and butt. My body came back so fast as soon as I started that.
katrina2017
New member
@katrina2017 I'm sure there is but I'm too lazy to find it lol
@jesking 100% this as well protein (I aim for 100-125g/day) + heavy weights + at least 7000k steps per day and I'm also hypothyroid which adds a fun extra factor to actually losing weight. I used to be able to get away with a ton of HIIT/Crossfit workouts which yes they had weights but not necessarily heavy (minus the strength portion of crossfit class) and eating reasonably well before kids and maintained my weight no problem. Now if I do that more than 3ish times per week my body just gets stressed, holds weight and is inflamed, so I've had to shift to only 2x per week (because I enjoy it) and the rest of the week doing a more traditional heavy lifting routine (3x per week).
theperfectbone
New member
@theperfectbone Sure I had 100g by dinner today
…I generally do protein, veggies/fruit and some sort of starch for each meal
Breakfast I had 1.5 servings of good culture cottage cheese + tomatoes + everything bagel season, banana, berries (mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries today)
Lunch- burgers bowls: air fried sweet potatoes, 1/4 lb ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, shredded cheese topped with sir kensingtons burger sauce
Snack- fair life protein shake (26g) + handful of wheat thin (random!)
Dinner- Buffalo chicken salad: Air fried buffalo chicken tenders served in a bowl with rice, lettuce, cheese, peppers and bolt house yogurt ranch dressing
Snack- I’ll probably have a 2 Yasso bars cuz it’s Friday, but they have also have a few grams of protein
Other quick high protein snacks I like perfect bars, string cheese/babybell, Greek yogurt (sometimes I’ll mix in a half scoop of protein for extra staying power, I love clean simple eats brownie batter protein)
…I generally do protein, veggies/fruit and some sort of starch for each mealBreakfast I had 1.5 servings of good culture cottage cheese + tomatoes + everything bagel season, banana, berries (mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries today)
Lunch- burgers bowls: air fried sweet potatoes, 1/4 lb ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, shredded cheese topped with sir kensingtons burger sauce
Snack- fair life protein shake (26g) + handful of wheat thin (random!)
Dinner- Buffalo chicken salad: Air fried buffalo chicken tenders served in a bowl with rice, lettuce, cheese, peppers and bolt house yogurt ranch dressing
Snack- I’ll probably have a 2 Yasso bars cuz it’s Friday, but they have also have a few grams of protein
Other quick high protein snacks I like perfect bars, string cheese/babybell, Greek yogurt (sometimes I’ll mix in a half scoop of protein for extra staying power, I love clean simple eats brownie batter protein)
theperfectbone
New member
roadlesstravelled
New member
@jesking Agree with building muscle! Can even be body weight exercises.
As for food changes, I found as long as I provided healthyish meals for the family and included enough lower carb options I could adjust my plate to my needs. For example, when we have chicken breast, roasted carrots, and mashed potatoes I serve myself a smaller portion of potatoes and a larger portion of carrots. I'm still eating the same meal, but focusing on the vegetables and protein.
As for food changes, I found as long as I provided healthyish meals for the family and included enough lower carb options I could adjust my plate to my needs. For example, when we have chicken breast, roasted carrots, and mashed potatoes I serve myself a smaller portion of potatoes and a larger portion of carrots. I'm still eating the same meal, but focusing on the vegetables and protein.
@morirach I’ve battled my weight my whole life after college. I actually lost weight during pregnancy, but gained a ton in the couple years after it. Every year older, I have to do more and more to simply not gain weight. I have constant food noise in the background, and until recently, my weight (and thus my value) was on my mind constantly.
I have been taking the approach recently of body neutrality. I want to be healthy, so I exercise, whether or not it does anything for my weight. I eat healthier because it makes me feel better so my body can do what I want it to do, and again, the weight is secondary. I don’t view my body anymore as anything other than a vehicle.
I say this not because I think it’s the right mentality for everyone. I just spent so many years hating myself and believing myself to be worthless because I didn’t feel attractive. I really regret losing that time, and none of it did me any good. I wish I had discovered this before my late 30’s, because I will never be slim again - but I can still separate my physical body and my personal worth from each other and love who I am.
I have been taking the approach recently of body neutrality. I want to be healthy, so I exercise, whether or not it does anything for my weight. I eat healthier because it makes me feel better so my body can do what I want it to do, and again, the weight is secondary. I don’t view my body anymore as anything other than a vehicle.
I say this not because I think it’s the right mentality for everyone. I just spent so many years hating myself and believing myself to be worthless because I didn’t feel attractive. I really regret losing that time, and none of it did me any good. I wish I had discovered this before my late 30’s, because I will never be slim again - but I can still separate my physical body and my personal worth from each other and love who I am.
pgardner2358
New member
@quizteam Agree wholeheartedly! I was anorexic for most of my teenage years and 20s. I’m recovered and a healthy weight now but could easily find things to dislike about my body if I let myself focus on it. Instead of trying to reverse years of body dysmorphia and go from hating my body to loving it… I now reframe to put things in perspective of my values.
How do I want to show up for my son? I want to be fully present with my kid and my family, and trying to count every single calorie and obsessing over what food is ok or not to eat takes me completely out of enjoying my time with them. How do I move my body in a way that aligns with my values? I don’t want to excise for hours just to “look better”. I can say from experience that “looking better” or being skinnier doesn’t automatically bring happiness. But I do want to be healthy enough to run and play with my son, so that means getting in movement and including him in it too. We do lots of walks, take him in the bike trailer, go to parent-kid gymnastics classes, etc.
There needs to be a balance between physical and mental health. What that looks like is different for each person. If you’re going to be miserable counting calories for the rest of your life, then maybe that’s not the right answer even if that means you’re a bit heavier.
How do I want to show up for my son? I want to be fully present with my kid and my family, and trying to count every single calorie and obsessing over what food is ok or not to eat takes me completely out of enjoying my time with them. How do I move my body in a way that aligns with my values? I don’t want to excise for hours just to “look better”. I can say from experience that “looking better” or being skinnier doesn’t automatically bring happiness. But I do want to be healthy enough to run and play with my son, so that means getting in movement and including him in it too. We do lots of walks, take him in the bike trailer, go to parent-kid gymnastics classes, etc.
There needs to be a balance between physical and mental health. What that looks like is different for each person. If you’re going to be miserable counting calories for the rest of your life, then maybe that’s not the right answer even if that means you’re a bit heavier.
@morirach Big yes. Seemed like everyone else around me snapped back and I didn’t.
I have finally lost most of the weight, but yes, it took exactly what you are describing. I count calories meticulously. I skip breakfast and eat a small lunch so I can eat a regular dinner with my family. I workout 4-5x a week. And it took several months of that. It is so hard.
I have finally lost most of the weight, but yes, it took exactly what you are describing. I count calories meticulously. I skip breakfast and eat a small lunch so I can eat a regular dinner with my family. I workout 4-5x a week. And it took several months of that. It is so hard.
katehunt977
New member
@jsj123 I think we are just harder on ourselves than we are on others. I can't tell when my friend has 10-15lbs more or less honestly. I'm about 10 lbs before my preppregnancy (2x) and I bet alot of people thought I snapped back but I did in fact not. My boobs are bigger, my hips are wider, i dont give myself time to exercise with any regularity, I eat healthy and drink water. I'm not trying to do whole 30 every 3 months to stay at 145lbs it's not worth it to me. I rather just live my damn life.
@morirach Yeah, as it turns out, my pregnancy triggered PCOS. I could NOT lose the weight, and I finally saw an endocrinologist about it . She has me on a medication right now to lose weight, and it is the ONLY thing that has worked. It's also helping me retrain myself how to eat better and have healthier portion sizes.