Hi there,

I was just wondering if anyone knows the truth about my question.

Is it true that it takes a year to get your body back to normal after having a baby??

I had my second baby 7 months ago and my come home from the hospital weight was 200lbs. To todays date I am now 180. But I have been 180 for the past 2 months. I have tried all diets possible and even no/low carb diet. Plus i walk on the treadmill 3 miles a day with one day a week with aerobics hi cardio. So you would think that would get the weight down.

I was told that it is taking a long time because I havn't waited the one year period for my body to be back to noraml after having a baby. After my first baby it took me 16 months to lose the weight after my first baby but I didn't even try anything. This time I am working my butt off stopping myself from the treats I love and exercising every day.(i do enjoy the exercising though)

Can anyone help me with this? Do I just have to be patient or am I doing something wrong??

lightforce

I think that a lot of it depends on what kind of shape you kept yourself in before and during pregnancy. But I'm no expert.

I've heard that "one year" thing before, as well, but I think it's meant as a guideline and average for most women.

I have five sisters, four of us have had babies, and two have got back in shape within a year and the other two took much longer. Then there's ME. My youngest is five and I'm still a long way from where I was BEFORE I got pregnant with him.

But, I wasn't in great shape when I got pregnant with him, anyway, and ate out of control during the pregnancy, etc. I think the way to look at it is: If you work hard, watch what you eat, etc, you can hope/expect to be able to realistically rget back to where you were before the pregnancy.

Good luck!
Kathy

Hi.

If it's only been seven months, you've probably messed up your metabolism by trying "every diet out there". Note that there are no "no carb" plans - you might want to see if you can pick up a copy of one of the books and follow the plan to the letter, rather than kind of "wing it." Surprisingly, all it takes is one habitual mistake or poor food choice to ruin your weight loss efforts.

It might help if you start a journal here, and/or post a few days' worth of menus. That can help us nail any problems.

Good luck - keep us posted!

For me that wasn't true. I have 4 beautiful children and returned to pre- pregnancy weight with 3 of them. The last child I had become depressed and lazy to be honest.

Hello,

Thankyou all for your helpful information. I just finished printing out all the Atkins' diet plan. I am going to try that and not "wing"it. I know that I probably will take a long time now but I guess a start now is good as any.

Thanks again for the tips

lightforce

There is no truth to it taking a year for your body to get back to normal after having a baby. The average woman who makes no effort to lose weight will get back to pre-pregnancy weight in 18 months. My personal experience was that it took 7months to lose the weight after my first baby, 8 months after the second.

After the first I followed no particular diet, I just watched what I ate. After the second, the weight was not coming off with my usual diet, so I started the Zone diet. I also nursed both my daughters. As far as exercise, I did moderate-high intensity cardio 5 days/wk and strength training 3 days/wk. I also started taking Pilates and Yoga classes after dd#2, which really helped get my abs looking decent.

Are you doing any sort of strength training? After your pregnancies and dieting you have probably lost a lot of muscle mass. Increased muscle causes increased metabolism. Do you get your heart rate up walking? Sounds as if you need a new exercise program. If you have the $, invest in a personal trainer, at least in the short run. If not, do some research on this and other sites on effective workouts to burn fat. I highly recommend Body for Life. You can follow the Atkins diet while doing the BFL exercise program.

Jen

I have read that as well. I do know of people that walk out of the hospital skinny as can be. I hate them. lol

I too left the hospital after having my youngest weighing 200 lbs. I didn't decide to start Atkins until he was a year and a half old. I was just not motivated.

It has taken my about 8 months to lose 62 lbs. Don't give up, this is the best way of eating that I have ever found. It isn't too hard to follow and you are never hungry.

Good luck.

I nursed my babies and I regained my original weight rather quickly.

B57

I too left the hospital weighing 200 lbs. I did the atkins diet off and on for almost a year. I just couldn't stick with it. I was never in the right mindset. But I still lost about 35 pounds in a year. Now that the new year has begun and my baby is 15 months, I am finally determined to get the rest of my weight off.

Good luck!