Age: 27
Pregnancies/Births: 2
Age of children: 14 month old identical twin boys
Story: I gave birth to twin boys 14 months ago. I weighed 235 when they were born and dropped down to 187 while breastfeeding. My pre-pregnancy weight was around 180. I stopped breastfeeding at 9 or 10 months. I have since gained weight and am now 219. I’ve tried changing my diet for the better but I just can’t seem to drop pounds or get rid of the “twin belly.” There was a time for some months where I would eat everything in sight because of the stress and lack of sleep and now this is the outcome. I now have time to be depressed over my body since I do not have devote all my time to the boys since they are more independent and have each other to play with.
I try to take them out for walks but since it’s cold out, we can’t go everyday. I try to exercise when they nap but I feel like I am getting nowhere. If anyone has this problem and is making progress in at least losing some of the belly flap, please share any tips. I think this is the part of my body I hate most right now. My boobs are deflated but it’s nothing a bra can’t hide, however, the stomach is another story (and cellulite and stretch marks, but I am more concerned about fitting into clothes!) I can’t find clothes that fit right and can’t fit into any type of jeans, even maternity ones!
Hey Jessica,
I have a 6 yr old and twins that are 3 1/2yrs. The flap will never go away, but you can make your stomach smaller and tighter. It took me over 2 years to do it though! I needed a friend and I needed to find something I love doing. I found kickboxing with weight training and my neighbor (now friend) Jen. We motivate each other and the class is like a community. I also gradually replaced some of my notsogood food choices with better options. I was almost 200lbs with full term twins and am now a strong, proud 145lb woman. My kids love my loose twin skin and call it my play-doh belly. So I love it too (even though I still have to tuck it into my pants!) I don’t think there is any one complete answer, but for me it took friendship, more protein, less carbs, fun exercise, building muscle, and finally learning to love my twin belly (in that order!!)
Hey Jessica,
I don’t have any flat belly tips because I am struggling myself but I just wanted to give you a shout out. I just had a baby 6 weeks ago and I recently struggled with my weight but for different reasons. Due to quitting smoking and gaining 20 pounds and the gaining 30 with pregnancy, I am working on losing what was a 50 pound weight gain so I understand. I have always been bottom heavy and my cellulite now wraps around my entire leg since pregnancy down to my knees. I used to have a wash board stomach (my cellulite was hereditary not from being very overweight) now I have a pouch from a c section and I am mourning what was once the best part of my body. Now I am just wobbly all over. Also, I had gotten my breasts done and THEN got pregnant a year later so they are covered in stretch marks. That was a waste of money. Lol. The cold can be depressing too. I am with a newborn in Chicago getting cabin fever. Hang in there and keep working out when the kids are asleep or playing. Be patient with your weight loss and believe in yourself. Then you can work on toning. You carried two babies. You can do anything! And maybe try Weight Watchers or something. That is what I am going to do. If I have to go to a meeting I will be held more accountable. I’m sorry I dont have more advice but I wanted you to know you are not alone and that someone was reading this. Thank you for sharing and take care!
I feel your frustration. I have had a belly my entire adult life in some form or another. There have been times when it’s been small and other times when it hasn’t! I’ve made peace with my stretchmarks and the subtle sag of my belly. There is no formula for making peace with the changes in your body. Being the healthiest version of yourself is certainly a good place to start. If you are looking to burn fat and keep your heart healthy then consider doing HIIT workouts (high intensity interval training). It’s exactly what it sounds like. You work at a moderate to high level and then there are short bursts of maximum effort followed by a short recovery period. It’s fun but it is hard work. I’m currently using TurboFire from Beachbody. I have also used and loved Fitness Blender on YouTube. My eating habits have changed too. Losing weight and maintaining the loss is 20% exercise and 80% what you eat. Write down what you eat. Frankly, there are things that I just don’t want to write down that I actually ate so I don’t eat those things and I make healthier choices. It helps me chart patterns too. If I lose more weight from one week to the next I can look at what I’m eating to see if there is a trend. Also my moods can be affected by food and I can identify if a certain food is an issue. There is a secret to eating well: Preparation. Cut up vegetables for snacks and meals once a week and wash all your fruit so you can just grab and go. onceamonthmom.com is a great blog. My husband and I go on there and find make ahead freezer recipes. It’s a bit of prep but it’s so worth it. Perhaps talk to your doctor about having your thyroid checked. I had mine checked after both my kids. Pregnancy can affect your thyroid function. Kera made a good point about friendship. I don’t have a lot of friends but the ones I do have are incredible. It really helps my outlook when I have supportive people in my life who value my friendship as well. Hang in there!
Hi! I wanted to chime in since I have also been on a journey to lose weight and the postpartum belly overhang. For one, I was not able to be successful until my kids were old enough to allow me to get reliable sleep. Once I was getting adequate sleep, I was better able to control my cravings. I got a gym membership that has childcare and it has been so helpful. I look forward to going because, as a stay-at-home-mom, I enjoy that quiet time. I also started doing yoga and it has been incredible for toning and strength training as well as my patience and mood. By having a stable mood, I am better able to control cravings and by building muscles, I’ve improved my posture and I carry my weight much better. Tracking calories in the beginning, was a good way for me to reset my appetite and get my sugar addiction under control. Now I eat what I want within reason and moderation, stop when I’m full and I am continuing to lose weight at a very healthy rate. Absolutely, most significant to my success in losing weight though, was accepting myself as I was. Once the exercise and dieting stopped being about punishing myself and started being about living my best life and helping myself feel healthy, the weight loss fell into place. Best of luck momma, you deserve great things!
Hello to you! I had triplet boys almost 8 years ago and still deal with my trip skin everyday. It can be depressing at times but I have my healthy guys and that is why my body wears it!
I had twin 13 years ago and a very large son 4 years later. It took a VERY long time but I managed to get back to a (mostly) flat stomach. However, I still have what the girls call the Emily pouch – a pocket of skin where Emily sat when I was pregnant with her. As they are quickly becoming young women, I cherish this pouch of skin and show it off proudly. I am the mother of twins and I have the body to prove it.
Confronted as we are with the glossy, glamorous airbrushed bodies of celebrities, it’s easy to feel ashamed of our post-partum bodies. 27 years ago I had twin boys, followed by a daughter 2 years later. After the twins were born my body felt especially deflated. It was a hard pregnancy. I lost 36 pounds, gained it back and then 35 more in that 9 months. Saggy, crepe paper skin over what used to be nice, taut tummy, the flaps and crinkles, wrinkles and bumps, stretch marks, you name it. I recall standing in front of a mirror while visiting my mother some years later as a 30 something, weeping and grieving the loss of my body. I was undone. I had been a dancer all my life and to me, I looked like a middle-aged woman, the woman I am today.I wasn’t prepared for this then and my own mother never said anything to me about the changes after delivery. I loved my babies but it seemed a huge price to pay and no matter how much weight I lost, my body still looked spent and ravaged. Now that I’m in my mid 50’s, I’ve lived with this long enough to accept it. I haven’t learned to love it completely but I’ve grown into it. When I go to a day spa or public bath and see women of various ages, there is comfort in the realization that while time may not be kind to our skin, there is grace in the sheer strength and kinship we have with one another and the miracle of bringing life into being. My pooch, as I refer to it, is my well earned medal of honor as a mother. I vow to share it with my daughter if she ever decides to have a baby as well.
Hey girl, just thought I’d respond since I’m in a similar boat and I know exactly how you feel. I was pretty happy at my prepregnancy weight of 180, and I weighed over 250 when I gave birth to my identical twin daughters. I quickly got down to 189 while bfing and I stopped around 10 months as well! I kept up the stress eating and got back up to 225. Now I’m in the process of taking back my body and I’m down 9 pounds, with a long way to go. I don’t expect to lose the flap, but I’m sure it will get much smaller as the weight comes off. I love my stretch marks, though! As far as weight loss, try to focus mostly on nutrition, and if you happen to squeeze in a walk, great! I’m told that weight loss is 80% what you eat and only 20% exercise
Thank you ladies for all the comments. I really appreciate them!