I am 27 years old, and the proud mother of 4 beautiful boys! I was 15, and weighed 120,130 when I got pregnant for the first time, I was 150 after delivery and couldn’t lose it! Two years later I had my second son, up to 180!! Three years later third son, 205. Got pregnant immediately after and nine months later I weighed 230! Its been four and a half years and I still can’t lose the weight! My legs are still thin but my tummy still looks like I’m about 7 or 8 months pregnant!! Now my hubby is talking about going for a little girl! But I’m terrified about how much bigger I might get! If anyone has a secret I don’t know about please tell me!!!!!
why don’t you try sharing your fears with your husband? Ask him to wait on that little girl until you are more comfortable with your body. If you think losing weight would be beneficial, tell him you want to be at a healthier weight before you get pregnant again.
What did you try to lose it?
Endless bouts of cardio and low-fat diets do not work. ESPECIALLY for postpartum women.
Have you ever specifically exercised your transverse abdominus?
If any of the above are surprises or unknown to you… then I can give you some new things to try! Not secrets, just approaches that fly in the face of anything the stupid women’s fitness magazines try to sell you.
I know the secret! Diets don’t work. You may lose, even a lot, very quickly. But if it’s not food you enjoy, if it’s not maintainable, it’ll all come right back. Find healthy foods you like. Real foods, not packaged stuff, not restaurant stuff, ENJOY eating. Give in to cravings so do don’t feel deprived and binge. Don’t set rules for yourself. Don’t think of food as the enemy. Just eat when you’re hungry (and a little bit socially lol), and eat real food. :) Good luck on your journey. :)
I agree with above poster: talk to your husband about how you feel. Its not all about body image, but also health. If you are at a healthy weight and your body is fit you will probably have a more comfortable and healthy pregnancy, and be able to take care of your other kiddos better. I don’t stick to a particular “diet” or pay for anything special, but I track calories. I now know that I need about 1600 calories a day, less to lose weight. That is A WHOLE LOT LESS than I would naturally eat, so it is crucial to actually know the content of what you eat, measure portions until you can eyeball them well, and track your daily eating. It was a huge eye opener for me. I eat about half of what I used to!!! But you get used to it and feel much better in the end. Eat whole foods, mostly fruits and veggies. Low intensity cardio helps burn fat – things like long walks with the kids. Good luck!
I totally agree with Susy. Choose healthy things that you actually like.
Plus, exercise. I’ve only just started, after complaining for 8 months about my pouch, I exercise my abs every other evening and take aerobics classes + 50 minutes fast walking on the treadmill 2-3 times a week, and it really shows. Not only I lost 5 pounds in a month but also feel toned and don’t have to suck my stomach in, though it usually looks way worse in the evening and is flat again when I wake up!
I have 2 kids….after my son was born, I kept 20 of the pounds I had gained. Exercise didn’t work- finally I just started riting down everything I ate and managing my calories. I was slowly able to lose the weight- took about 4 months, and I’ve lost almost all of it. Note. I’m still 40 pounds over weight :-). Looking at the calorie counter, I figured I couldn’t eat how I wanted to eat on that many calories. Eating normally, or me, means being overweight-once I figured that out, I decided I was ok with it! Knowledge is power!
my story is almost the same as yours except i had that 5th baby lol. my youngesst son is 4 months old. based on your pic we could be twins. that is exactly what i look like. i know its frustrating! nice to know im not the only one
Hey Girls don’t feel bad, I’ve had 5 children my eldest is 22 and my youngest 2 yrs, trust me I know exactly how u feel, I’ve been there and I can’t tell u how much I was unsatisfied with how I look, but u can get rid of it, it takes a lot of work and I call it me time, time for me, u first need a good gym one that u really like and one that has a crèche for children and really good support, then u need cardio 30 mins to 1 hr a day for 4 days when u get on the treadmill mix walk and run, I do half hr cardio 15 / 20 mins weight. Then u need to change yr eating habit not totally but at least for the first 3 weeks then learn to reward yrself just know if I do it with a chocolate bar u have to work harder next day at the gym, keep away from all fats and carbohydrates get a protien drink inside u every day , and eat very lean meat. Look I would like to have some Internet Gym buddies so if u want encouragement we could encourage each other over the net.
By the way I was 85 kg and counting hated every bit of me still now I hate some bits but it’s ok, now ive come to terms with it. Women’s body building has encouraged me although I know I will never get there like them it has encouraged me and I’m 45.
Last year I went down to 68 kg loved it, had a bad patch went up to 79 but all is good because I’ve built myself up again and aiming for 68 kg again back to my me time.
Looks like you may have diastasis recti. Talk to your doctor and research. I have it. I lost most of the weight but I still have a protruding belly. The rest of you is probably small.