I’m currently 9 months postpartum. Before I got pregnant I had lost 60lbs and felt the most confident I have in my adult life(I’m 28). I’m currently 40lbs higher than my pre pregnancy weight. I’ve been struggling with postpartum depression and insomnia and I think I finally have the depression under control but still struggling with sleep. I started back at the gym 4-5 times a week and eating in a calorie deficit about a month ago which is how I lost weight last time and I can’t seem to lose the weight and it’s so discouraging. Also I had a c section so my lower tummy now folds over and I just feel so ugly. What helped yall?! Or maybe I just need some words of encouragement!
What helped you lose the weight?
- Thread starter olviersue
- Start date
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- postpartum recovery
@olviersue Cutting alcohol way down and a combo of cardio and weights using my peloton bike. Another big game changer was setting a step goal and sticking to it almost every day. I got a walking pad to keep up my steps through winter. Now I am pregnant again but I’ve also gained less weight trying to keep up my steps and stay active!
@3346hope Yes agree! The sleep thing is rough for us moms I think but if you can at least work on healthy sleep hygiene it may improve your quality of sleep, even if you can’t increase the quantity. And I also strongly agree with focusing on protein and overall dietary balance. OP, around this time my daughter started eating more normal foods (or shortly thereafter), and it’s inspired me to meal plan and cook more, and keep meals well rounded. It’s been great for our whole family!
confusedstepdad
New member
@confusedstepdad I started at 8000 and worked up to 10000. I’m back down to 8000 currently as I am 28 weeks pregnant.
@olviersue Hi, I’m 8 months pp and actually a tad lower on the scale now than right before getting pregnant.
I track calories and measure everything with a food scale and liquids with measuring cups. To save my sanity, I meal prep on the weekend and pre portion everything so I don’t have to do that during the week. The less stress, the better.
I think the biggest thing is setting yourself up for success. It takes a bit of work planning meals and then preparing to stick to it, but it’s money in the bank in the long run.
I also avoid temptations in the home. This isn’t through depriving myself. Instead of buying family sized portions of things, we only bring in single servings of goodies. (Be aware that ultra processed foods are designed to make it hard to stop eating them and also designed to make you hungry again instantly, so I avoid them as much as I can.)
I reached my first goal weight at 7 months pp and then I switched to a high fat and high protein diet to improve my energy and body composition. This has taken things to the next level and I wish I had tried it sooner. Higher fat and protein keeps you feeling fuller longer and also preserves muscle better when in a deficit.
But honestly the thing that helped the most was making a game plan, meal preparation and weighing everything out for the week so all I have to do is grab it and enter it into an app.
I track calories and measure everything with a food scale and liquids with measuring cups. To save my sanity, I meal prep on the weekend and pre portion everything so I don’t have to do that during the week. The less stress, the better.
I think the biggest thing is setting yourself up for success. It takes a bit of work planning meals and then preparing to stick to it, but it’s money in the bank in the long run.
I also avoid temptations in the home. This isn’t through depriving myself. Instead of buying family sized portions of things, we only bring in single servings of goodies. (Be aware that ultra processed foods are designed to make it hard to stop eating them and also designed to make you hungry again instantly, so I avoid them as much as I can.)
I reached my first goal weight at 7 months pp and then I switched to a high fat and high protein diet to improve my energy and body composition. This has taken things to the next level and I wish I had tried it sooner. Higher fat and protein keeps you feeling fuller longer and also preserves muscle better when in a deficit.
But honestly the thing that helped the most was making a game plan, meal preparation and weighing everything out for the week so all I have to do is grab it and enter it into an app.
@olviersue Sleep, limiting carbs and walking my dog. Weights.
@olviersue I'm currently doing 75 Hard at 11 months PP. I don't do crazy workouts and I'm using Weight Watchers as my structured diet. I'm on day 45 and it's BECOME really manageable. I've lost almost 20lbs (starting weight 216 at 5'8"). I'll finish the day before my son's 1st birthday. I'll then transition into a soft version of the program. I need the structure and challenge to stay committed apparently. 
beautifullove
New member
@olviersue I'm also 9m pp and 40lbs overweight (I'm 36). I'm exclusively breastfeeding so my body is really holding onto everything. I tried renting a Peloton bike around 5m pp and biked every day for a month or two and there was literally no change. I can't do calorie counting bc I get obsessive and will have disordered eating. But the 2 things that seem to help so far: 1. Eating what my baby eats (mostly). We do baby led weaning mostly, so I try to cook healthy for her and then eat the same. So my sugar and sodium levels are down, my veggies intake is up. 2. Lifting weights. My husband and I have a routine that after the baby is in bed, we do a little workout. It's usually 3 exercises, 12 reps 3 sets, Monday-friday. Just dumbbells. More than that and we would probably quit lol, but it's just enough to feel like a workout. Unfortunately, I don't think I've lost any lbs, but I think it's because I've gained muscle. It's been about 5 weeks now and I think I can see a difference starting to happen. We are switching up the workouts every 4 weeks so it doesn't get stale. And I'm hoping that even though I'm not seeing the scale move now, when I'm done breastfeeding and when my period comes back and hormones regulate more ill see more results. And by then I'll have stronger muscles too. Idk if this is helpful but I hope you find something that works for you!
michael_92
New member
@beautifullove Random, but how did you rent your peloton?