How long did it take?

[soontobe]

Hi,

My baby is almost 6 weeks old and I was sure I was going to loose all my pregnancy weight by now, but I haven't. I only gained 23 pounds and I and BFing. How long did it take you? Should I be more aggresivley dieting or am I not being realistic? (I am careful to eat well).

THANKS!!!

[WatchingThemGrow]

LOL - ummmm 8 months? Both times, it took until after I stopped nursing for me to fit back in my regular dress pants. However, by then, I was pregnant again. This time, I've got my eye on 7 months :)

If you're nursing, you need to be eating enough calories to nourish both you and the baby. Be gentle with yourself.

[elephantmeg]

I have 1 lb left and DD is almost 9 months. With DS it took a little over a year to loose the last 5 lbs. Even if you loose all the weight now, it takes a while for your body to go back to where everything was (you uterus to shrink, etc). Be easy on yourself! IME (from friends) cutting calories too drastically the first 6 months or so = losing milk. So I usually eat normally until then and then start working on it.

[mommyp]

It took me 10 months to fit back into most of my pre-pregnancy pants. I gained close to 40 lb and am still BFing. I didn't worry at all about what I was eating (except as healthfully as possible) and went for lots of walks with the stroller.

[SnuggleBuggles]

With ds1 I gained 27lbs and it was off pretty quickly (probably by 6 weeks) **but** I was not eating well! I lost a ton of weight that 1st year but it started to creep back on when ds turned 1.

With ds2 I gained 40lbs and it took me till 7 months to lose it all.

Some women find that breastfeeding is a total fat melter but other people hang on to a few extra pounds till they wean.


I agree with the others that at 6 weeks you need to just worry about recovering and taking good care of yourself and baby.

The addage goes 9 months on, 9 months off. Don't count on the weight to come off faster than that.


Beth

[infomama]

It took me about 4 months. I watched what I ate and bumped up the protien a little. I did not cut out carbs to say the least...I love them TOO much to do that.

I also did something I wish I would have done with DD#1...I hired a personal trainer for three sessions. Since I have been working out for a while I had a good base but I needed a program. My trainer was not only a certified personal trainer but she is a nurse practioner so she was very careful with suggestions for my diet (she knew I was BF) which was great. She also made a program that I could do at the gym OR at home with the tools I had already (a couple of free weights and a "ball"). It was super flexible and it worked wonders. She also supported me via email and if something wasn't working for me, she altered the program.

Check out your local gyms for a trainer. Although I was a member at our gym I learned that you did not need to be a member in order to hire a trainer from there. She was was reasonable at about $40 for a 90 minute session. It was the best money I spent (for me) after DD#2 came along.

GL!

[gatorsmom]

With all 3 of my pregnancies I lost 20 pounds within the first 6 weeks. Poof! After that, it took me a whole year of watching what I ate and exercising to lose the remaining 25 pounds. This last pregnancy has been the exception. It has been a year since I gave birth to the twins and am still trying to lose that last 25 pounds. sigh.

It's so hard, isn't it?

[KrisM]

It took me about 3-4 months with each to lose it. The last 5 or so was hardest and took work. If you're nursing, don't diet too much.

Right now, I'm at 5 months and I'm actually 15 lbs below my starting weight. But, I've been picking up the exercising and working to get it off. This is our last baby and I'm still a good 10 lbs over where I was before I had DS1.

[bubbaray]

With DD#1, I lost 55+ lbs in 2w. With DD#2 I lost 40+ lbs in 4w. I kept losing with each child and got below my pre-PG weight, but (unfortunately) did not stay there. As I reduced BFg and eventually weaned, I got back to my pre-PG weight. Bummer. I like rail-thin better -- especially when I can eat like a linebacker. LOL.