Since going on this roller coaster of a journey I have turned into one of those people who worries about weight. I have never really concerned myself much about it in the past. Always kind of been a size 10 in my 20s and then kept up to 12 in my 30s. Not bad considering I haven't done much exercise since my clubbing days and a stint of getting healthy in 2013 when I did 3 half marathons (crazy right?) Ha ha.
I put on weight through the ivf meds over the last few years but then a friend did a nutritional therapy course and I volunteered as a guinae pig. Through her support and lack of alcohol consumption I got within grasp of being an actual size 10 again! Way hay! But then, ivf meds etc and I shot a stone back on.
Gorgeous Angus arrived and once the swelling went down (from having the fluids pumped into me following the c section) i managed to get back into my size 12 clothes around 2 months after his birth. "Woo hoo! This is going to be great" I said to myself. And promptly saw myself getting fit and svelte by the time I returned to work. So of course I signed up for a half marathon knowing that would be the only motivation that would make my sorry ass do any exercise ha ha. But I couldn't get myself moving and I was going to meet friends and family. Having lunches (with chips), buying ready made meals way more often than ever - it is not wrong to do this just maybe not every day ha ha. Take always, fish and chips, celebratory drinks. That chocolate in the evening to celebrate keeping Angus alive for another day (does that anxiety ever leave). So, my weight went to higher than it has ever been. I have become a solid size 14 😱.
Lockdown.... only one exercise a day. Reaching for the treats and probably a glass of wine of an evening way more often than usual. But - more home cooked food, less eating out, no massive cake and coffee (sometimes twice) daily. Ladies, I think I have actually lost a couple of pounds already! Yay. Here's hoping that I will actually do some exercise on top of this pilates etc and maybe, just maybe I will get closer to where I would like to be.
No point really, I guess I am saying that perhaps this lock down- as well as doing our bit to keep the nation alive and allowing us to spend more time as a family, may actually be good for my weight too. Bonus!
Every cloud has a silver lining!! Maybe you can do a half marathon around your garden?!?
I think lockdown (plus weaning) has been good for us too. No eating out, less chocolate and trying out new things for baby to eat, hubby drinking less beer... and we're saving money. Plus I'm committed to my daily exercise of going up and down stairs now. I think we'll come out of this with some good habits and a different view of what we 'need'.
I can totally empathize with your situation. I did a TON of work on befriending my body through the IVF process. I even loved my growing shape through my pregnancy. Fast forward 6 months and I haven't lost a single pound past the initial loss from his birth. I still look like I'm about 5-6 mo pregnant and can only fit into maternity clothes. It's starting to get a bit distressing as I refuse to resort back to my dieting ways from the past. I eat well. Not too much snacking and virtually no treats or takeout, especially since COVID-19.
I have no idea what it's going to take to fix this or how long it will be. I don't need to "get my body back," but it must be possible to not look pregnant any more at some point. I guess I just expected that everything would sort itself out eventually on its own...
I hope you and your family are staying well during this time. Xx
I don't know if I would have lost the pregnancy weight if I hadn't breastfed. But even having lost the weight I definitely wouldn't say I got my body back - I'm bigger through the hips and thighs and my right boob is three times the size of the left one!!!
Did you get much diastasis? That can really affect how your stomach looks. I had a little and my Pilates teacher passed me some exercises to help close it...
It's when the abdominal muscles separate. It's pretty common in pregnancy apparently. My Pilates teacher is a physiotherapist and we talked about it a lot when I was doing classes when pregnant. I'd never heard of it before that though. If it's just 1 finger-width you can close the gap with exercises - but you have to be careful to do the right kind. For example, crunches are terrible, or anything that makes your belly dome out...
No, it's when the muscles separate moving to the left and right to make space for the uterus, nothing to do with the c section incision - if my section is anything to go by, the incision is on the bikini line and horizontal. You'd notice the diastasis higher up, around the belly button and the separation is vertical xxx
I wish I was a solid size 14 😫 Before we started ivf treatments I was a 10/12. During ivf I went up to a 12/14. During pregnancy I was an 18/20!! 8 months on I’m a 16/18. 16 is on a good day. 18 is an average day due to my massive boobies 😂 Don’t be too hard on yourself xx
Oh wow. That's a whole lot of different wardrobes. I guess there is one solace from all of this and that is our little bundles of joy... mine is refusing to go to sleep this evening due to teething ha ha x
I relate to this so much. I loved my pregnancy body, I ended my pregnancy at the same weight I started at, but looked much slimmer around my face and legs. I lost so much weight right after giving birth and was so happy with my shape. Fast forward to today, 13 weeks after having Llewy and I am so annoyed with myself. I've put so much weight back on and I'm the same weight now as I was when 38 weeks pregnant and my tummy looks so flabby and fat. I ordered my wedding dress for next summer in a size 12 and I'm a 16 at the moment. Just cannot find the motivation in this lockdown to eat properly and I'm still not recovered enough from the birth to exercise 😩 to be honest it's getting me down x
I put on weight after initially doing well and losing some. But lockdown and the lack of access to lunches out and cakes every day will hopefully help.... if only I would stop buying snacks and making scones.... xx
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