Can’t Lose the Damn Weight - 2 Years Postpartum

[haidee]

@morirach The only weight loss attempt that works for me is intermittent fasting. It’s incredibly easy… you just don’t eat until it’s time to eat. Also, healthy habits tend to follow. I end up only eating food that is healthy because junk food doesn’t satisfy me anymore. If you only get to eat in a span of a few hours, you’d want to make it count.

 

[dinkold]

@morirach I ate salads for lunch to reduce my daily carbs. But I also don’t think it’s a problem to have salad for dinner. Toddlers need vegetables too, though at this age they might just eat carrots and ranch. I go by the “Offer healthy foods and let them decide how much to eat” method. So you can add a small salad to whatever else they’re eating but don’t make them eat it if they don’t want to. Similarly, just take a small portion of whatever toddler is eating to keep modeling the variety.

 

[peter153]

@morirach Three years deep, I feel like I’m finally feeling “okay” about my body even though the scale isn’t budging much despite diet, calorie deficit and exercise. I feel good, I keep up with my toddler, and I started buying clothes that fit, not ones that were “goal” pants that were slightly too small. Made a huge difference

 

[katrina2017]

@morirach Following. Three years postpartum and can’t lose the 20 lbs. I’m 5’3”, 140 lbs.

 

[hypnobear]

@morirach After baby my metabolism is different. Pilates and yoga alone don’t do it anymore - I have had a lot of luck with weightlifting and resistance training. I don’t restrict what I eat or watch my weight, but I find that I am more muscular and toned and am losing weight in places like my midsection.

 

[icemaster108]

@morirach So I'm almost four years out and six months ago started noom and it has been the only thing that has worked. I was still 25 pounds over pre pregnancy weight, and in six months I've lost 14 pounds.

I tried intermittent fasting, low carbs, you name it. Nothing worked. I look and feel better right now, but I will say my body isn't necessarily a smaller size. Like my hips/ribs that got stretched out, those aren't going back but I still feel better about myself.

 

[paranoid]

@morirach Get your thyroid checked yet?

 

[paranoid]

Also, check out the app Intent! It does all your meal planning, even a grocery list! I love it

 

[seal87]

@morirach Many people are forever a different size after having kids due to permanent body changes postpartum. My ribcage and hips permanently expanded, for example. And some folks have extra skin on their stomach that can contribute to clothes fitting differently. No amount of diet and exercise will get rid of these things.

Also, your metabolism and hormones are different. It sucks, but that can happen too.

You don't have to subsist on chicken and salad. But you probably need to increase your fiber and lean protein. Look into the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest diets in the world. Also, try to increase your steps and focus on strength training over cardio. Also sleep - not getting enough sleep is a huge factor in not being able to lose weight.

Finally, accept your body. Humans are meant to inhabit a dynamic body that changes over time. We aren't ever meant to look the same for our entire life. It's ok to be bigger than you were before this huge life change. Try to live a healthy life without worrying about the size or scale too much.

 

[cinamon]

@morirach There is no secret. Here is how I stay lean and in shape. I also want to preface this with it’s a lifestyle and I enjoy exercise and feeling good. If you choose a “diet” and can’t maintain it for life, it won’t work.

1. I track my calories every day. If I want to lose, I make a small deficit. No food is off limits but I eat healthy foods most of the time.
2. I eat at least 1g per pound of body weight in lean protein.
3. I eat at least 25 grams of fiber.
4. I lift heavy weights at least 3x per week.
5. I get 10k steps per day.
6. I exercise every day unless I am sick.
7. Limit alcohol. I hardly drink.

I stick to the above “rules” but again, they’re my rules and I can easily maintain them.

 

[tini91]

@morirach I’m a dietitian and I have been able to lose the weight postpartum with all three of my babies, however, I truly believe this is a skill — the mind-body relationship with food — that takes a while to learn in the modern era where everything is set up to influence you to fail. I gained 20lb when I was 16 and made all the mistakes trying to lose it. Became a dietitian because of my journey. I eventually learned how to have a healthy mindset toward food, a thorough understanding of calories without the need to count anymore, and I have repaired my ability to sense and manage my internal hunger and fullness cues. I am ok with going very slow when it comes to weight loss, think 1-2lb per month and I keep trying again and again even if I regain some weight or eat too much. I accept my body at every weight without shame or guilt.

These are my keys to success but it has taken me 20+ years to really develop them. Anyone whose first foray with weight gain and loss is pregnancy is starting where I was all those years ago. It’s doesn’t need to take 20 years to master these skills, but you also shouldn’t feel discouraged that it’s not something you’ve picked up easily.

One of the best things you can do is start to understand calories. The primary way we gain/lose/manage our weight is through food. Exercise functions as a boost to your efforts but will never be the primary way we succeed. You can easily out eat any amount of exercise, and I say this as someone who used to run trail ultramarathons (distances more than 26mi). Know roughly what your body needs and what you’re eating day to day. Mindful eating is also very helpful — that’s the term for relearning our natural hunger and fullness cues. Because I understand calories, I’m able to just use mindful eating to manage my weight and I don’t count calories anymore. It also helps me not feel like I’m starving all the time and I eat dessert sometimes, Starbucks, etc because I can easily balance it all.

Then you need to look at what are any barriers to success you might have. I don’t keep sweets in the house because I am prone to overeating them, just as one example. I get more exercise through walks, speed cleaning, etc than running like I used to because I just don’t have the time or energy to get up early for a run. Basically I figure every problem has a solution so we will identify what’s preventing my weight loss and figure out a solution. Then being patient for results. I have my whole life ahead of me, there’s no deadline for getting to my goal weight postpartum. It took me 6 months one time and over 2 years another time. Any progress is progress, it doesn’t have to be fast.

I hope this helps in anyway. I know this is so hard and you are not alone in struggling and feeling frustrated!

 

[harmonyluv]

@morirach I grew up skinny and lost weight pretty fast after having my first child. Completely different story after having my second. I wasn’t active and my new body felt foreign to me. I know that I want to be around and healthy for my future grand babies, so I had to make a changes. I recently started tracking my calories, my activity, and the amount of water I drink. I’m making progress, which is encouraging.

 

[emmiejoy]

@morirach Me. Over here.

 

[katrina2017]

@morirach I’m currently unhappy with my weight after having my second, so I sympathize with you! I don’t have weight loss advice, but I do have a story I tell myself on my bad days.

I used to work at a small boutique in college. The owner had a friend who was super kind and who we all thought was just really cool and pretty. One day she was coming in to try on clothes and didn’t have much time, so I was pulling her sizes prior and was shocked to learn her size as it was 3-4 sizes larger than I expected. Guess what? We still all thought she was so beautiful and it made me feel so much better that I didn’t have to be a size 2 to be considered pretty in other peoples eyes. I guess it really resonated to me that other people don’t notice our “weight” as much as we do. Buy the clothes you feel good in, eat the food you love, and focus on things that bring you happiness.

 

[yukphunjenny]

@morirach 30lbs over my pre pregnancy weight…with my first, I lost a lot of weight breastfeeding. Then got pregnant within 2 years and now 1.5 years after my second I’m not able to shake it off. Probably hormones and not eating right.

 

[sidelined]

@morirach I started putting a whole protein shake in my coffee every morning. So I will drink iced coffee and that’s kind of cut my mid morning snacking and cravings. I’ll later drink another cup of coffee or an herbal tea before lunch if I have time. And then I try not to eat everything in front of me. So I’ll only eat half my plate and save the rest for lunch the next day. Or I will drink a diet soda or something with bubbles non alcoholic. I’ve also stopped eating fried food because it really messes with my stomach and I already limit dairy because I’m lactose intolerant.

 

[ardabili]

@morirach I gained 40 pounds since having my last baby. The pounds just slowly packed on despite nothing changing about my diet and exercise habits (or lack thereof). I've always been heavy, and always struggled with eating healthy and exercising. I'm a picky eater so there's a lot of healthy foods I don't like and won't eat. I'm working with a bariatric doctor now and he's given me a "diet" plan to follow to see if that'll help lose some weight. It's been a couple months now and nothing's changed. I've made diet and exercise changes and the pounds continue to stack on. Labs come back normal. No high blood pressure. No high cholesterol. I'm not prediabetic. I'm generally considered healthy aside from my weight (and mental health issues). I'm trying so hard to embrace being larger but I just can't. When I was 50 pounds lighter, l felt better, I looked better, hiking was easier for me, I had more energy and motivation, and now I feel like a fat blob. I tried Ozempic and other weight loss drugs but the side effects made me incredibly sick. There is literally nothing working for me and the next option is surgery (or starvation).