How to lose weight after having a baby

[Cherry01]

I'm new here and I'm struggling with losing weight. I've just recently had a baby who is now 5 months old and I've added more weight on after birth than when I was pregnant. I've gone from size 8 to size 16 and it's getting me down. Any advice on how to lose the extra weight.

TIA x

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hello, Cherry01, and welcome to the forum

Congratulations on becoming a mother and I hope it's bringing you much joy, among all the many challenges and changes

My answer to your question about how to lose weight after having a baby would be a) take it easy and let your body find its 'new normal' as it's done a wonderful job for you and b) think long term, as a woman entering a new phase of life, and as a mum who will show your little one the path to follow for the future.

Please don't think about dieting. If you've been a healthy weight and size before your pregnancy, there's no reason you won't continue that way. Choose real food - veg, eggs, dairy, fish and meat (if you eat those), home cooked; enjoy your food; don't be over-restrictive, just avoid processed stuff including anything labelled low fat or diet or light as they're all highly processed.

You will have had a welcome message (see your notifications) with all the key information. Follow the link to Pinned Posts, particularly the Welcome Newbies post which explains how the forum works and how to find your way around. Also the Security/Privacy post, especially as your post is unlocked.

I recommend joining a weekly weigh-in on the day of your choice - how about weighing tomorrow morning and joining the very supportive Sunday Super Slimmers? Also, have a look at the Daily Diary where members post their meal plans and join in when you're ready.

I hope you'll become an active member of the forum and we'll see you around

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Thanks for this, StillConcerned - very helpful

[Cherry01]

Thank you for this advice x been finding it hard especially with suffering with postnatal depression x

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Cherry01]

You're welcome Try to be kind to yourself. Get involved with the forum: you'll find loads of encouragement and ideas here, and we will welcome your support, too

[Nutritionist-Diet]

Hi

This also happened to me so I went from size 8 to 16 !! Very shocking. However I am back to my size 10 after almost 3 years but still struggling to go back to 8 . It seems that this is not going to happen anymore . Well I am nutritionist and I know what should be eaten and not eaten but you know this is completely different story when you are pregnant. You crave to eat a lot of of sugary things and you are always hungry 😋. So I couldn’t really control myself . But , what I did to lose weight was that I cut on my carbs and sugary things, I also had reduced the portion sizes and it worked . Hope I could help . Good luck .

[Cosmo501 10 kg]

Hi Cherry01, Congratulations on your new baby!

A new baby is a huge adjustment isn't it!.. for mind and body. I hope you can take a step back and not be hard on yourself trying to lose weight in amongst everything you're coping with right now.

For me, I had the same. A lot of weight came on after my pregnancy. I was just so exhausted all the time, and so many cravings to keep my energy levels up.

I couldn't even think to tackle it until my little one reached 3 years.

The advice given by BridgeGirl and StillConcerned is what I followed, starting April this year. It has helped me so much, I finally feel I'm getting back to a healthy weight, amongst many other positive benefits. I can't thank everyone enough on this wonderful forum.

Wishing you well on your journey. xx

[bellawalsh67]

First of all, congrats on the baby. The 1st one is always the most special. As for your question, losing weight after having a baby is accomplished the same way as anyone else loses weight, by eating less calories than you burn in a day. While you might need to take it slow at first, you luckily don't really need exercise to lose any wait, however if your doctor clears you then you should definitely do some. There is a saying that "weight is lost in the kitchen" and that couldn't be truer. Apps like LoseIt or MyFitnessPal are great tools to help you calculate how many calories per day you should eat, and you can also track them in the app as well. Other than counting calories, there are some other things you can do to help speed up the weight loss like staying away from simple sugars (bread, pasta, etc.), getting enough fiber, and more: openfit.com/eat-way-great-a...