Will I ever get my old body back?

[Owachi]

Ok....I don't know if this is the right place to post or not. I have 20 month old twins......Before I got pregnant I weighed 125 pounds, I'm 5'4.....I lost 12 pounds the 1st three months of pregnancy but then went up to 185. I dropped back down to my prepregnancy weight while breastfeeding but have gained 15 pounds since I stopped 3 months ago. I'm eating so much less.....while I was breastfeeding I could eat a whole large pizza and still be starving......now I eat maybe a bowl of cereal, a small lunch and dinner.....I don't snack anymore in between meals because I'm never hungry anymore.....i've been doing workout videos everyday for the last month. I do 200 crunches a day, along with cardio, and weight training. I'm not seeing the results I want....I know it will take a while but I'm feeling down. Will I ever have 6 pack abs like I used to. Even when I got back down to my pre pregnancy weight I couldn't fit back into my old jeans....and will I ever lose the belly bulge with a C section? I want my old body back now.....I don't want to have to work at it for 6 months, because we'll be trying for another child next year and it would all be for nothing. It's just frusterating........before I got pregnant I never had to workout, ever....and I had a perfect 6 pack........now I hate going in front of the mirror.....please tell me I will see results in another month.

[rik8144]

Your'e lucky you lost weight while breasfteeding I can't even do that. I breastfed my DD and am breastfeeding my DS and have never lost weight due to that. I will actually GAIN weight while breastfeeding....even though I feel ravenous for food and feed DS every 3 hours.

If you find a magic bullet let me know.

[asianyoushi]

i hope u can get ur body back... i am now the lightest i ever been since 7th grade but i still have a gross belly. i want a flat tummy too

[AngieB]

Please don't hate me!

No, you probable aren't going to get your old body back. You have given birth to two babies! Your body has been through a lot and has worked very very hard, so give it a break. That doesn't mean you can't look great and you will never be sexy again, but you will be different. You will be stronger and better. Stop think about how it was and start using what you got!

[operamommy]

I agree with AngieB - our bodies don't go back to the exact way they were pre-baby (or babies!). That doesn't have to mean anything bad; before I had kids I was straight up and down with zero hips or curves. I feel like my body is much more feminine now, even though I weigh less than I did before I had my first kiddo (when not pregnant).

And sorry sweetie, but if you had a perfect 6-pack without working out at all then you are one in a million!

[nina_yyc]

Typically it takes 6-8 weeks to see results from training. Hang in there.

[nolansmummy]

I'd have to say that probably No you won't see your old body back exactly the way it was before. But that doesn't mean your stuck like you are now. You can work out and still have a flat stomach, i think it just takes a lot more work once you have kids. I agree with pp it takes around 6 weeks to really see improvements and even still they say the stomach is the last thing to go. Keep at it. Hopefully you'll find that while you won't look exactly the same pp you can still look pretty darn good.

[morganeldi]

I am... 19 months PP (lol) and JUST starting to "naturally" lose some of the baby weight. Its like my body has just totally held onto it until now, I don't know why! Hopefully that will happen to you too

[bobandjess99]

No, you won't.
Being as how it sounds like you were so small prior, chances are that literally your FRAME has enlarged. Your hips widen, for one thing. With twins, even your rib cage expands a lot, etc. I think you will find that even once you get down to your pre-preg weight, you will likely still be a size or 2 bigger in pants, for example because literally your bones are wider than they were before. This is very common with small women - my boss found that even at 5 pounds less than her pre-preg weight, she still needed to buy size 5 pants, because after having a 9+ pound baby pass through her pelvis, it simply didn't go back to as narrow as it was before, so even though she had NO fat on her hips at all, the actual bones themselves were simply too wide to fit into her old size 3's.
If you are truly worried, you might try asking for a blood test of your thryoid and hormone levels...pregnancy can sometimes throw a body out of whack, so it is possible you actually have a health problems that could be fixxed, like post-partum hypothyroidism.

[GamineNoir]

Originally Posted by AngieB

Please don't hate me!

No, you probable aren't going to get your old body back. You have given birth to two babies! Your body has been through a lot and has worked very very hard, so give it a break. That doesn't mean you can't look great and you will never be sexy again, but you will be different. You will be stronger and better. Stop think about how it was and start using what you got!

Some days I am more accepting of my tummy and other days I just hate it.

Kudos to you for working out that much. You must feel great!

[michellemk]

Whenever I complain about my body, my friend says that I should just look at my beautiful children and admire what my body has accomplished.

I too am anxious to get my body back. I was a ballet dancer, and I'm comparing myself now to how I was in top shape. I'm only four months PP, and I know that with DS I didn't lose the remaining baby weight until he turned 2, and then I got pregnant! Right now, I'm telling myself that exercising makes me feel good and have more energy for my children. I'm trying to ignore what my body looks like altogether. DH likes me with "a little extra."

[SublimeBirthGirl]

Welcome to motherhood. You trade your 6-pack for two little bundles who will very soon, if they aren't already, be giving you hugs and kisses and saying "I love you mama!" I'm sure it's possible, with a lot of hard work, to get your old body mostly back (though probably not exactly the same). I would like to see a world where we're less concerned with this kind of thing, where health and happiness matter more than looking like a swimsuit model. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're in a different place now, and I think the best thing you can do is accept it, be as healthy as you can, and try to love yourself for who you are now (and you can work toward the body you had while still accepting the one you're in now, IMO).

[LoveChild421]

Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl

Welcome to motherhood. You trade your 6-pack for two little bundles who will very soon, if they aren't already, be giving you hugs and kisses and saying "I love you mama!" I'm sure it's possible, with a lot of hard work, to get your old body mostly back (though probably not exactly the same). I would like to see a world where we're less concerned with this kind of thing, where health and happiness matter more than looking like a swimsuit model. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're in a different place now, and I think the best thing you can do is accept it, be as healthy as you can, and try to love yourself for who you are now (and you can work toward the body you had while still accepting the one you're in now, IMO).

I agree. I also was 125 lbs, 5'4 before I got pregnant with my son. I was able to get back down to that weight again, but it took me about 2 years. My body just wanted to hang around 140 while I was breastfeeding and then after he weaned I started working a very physical job (daycare teacher for 2 year olds, lifting them all day, bending over and picking up toys) and walking everyday. Even when I got back into my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans I still had that little extra skin on the belly that would sort of "hang" even though my abs were flat. But heck my hips and my butt looked a lot nicer having just a little extra meat on them too...

My stomach may never look the same, I will always have a bit of extra skin on my belly...but I don't care...before I got pregnant with this one I looked damn good, heck I still feel like I look good...pregnancy is sexy to me. I try to just focus on the good and not think about the little things that would make me "perfect" according to our society's notions of what "hot" is. No one noticed the "baby flab" on my belly, I got more whistles and got hit on more after having my son than before. Guys aren't really into stomachs of all parts...

[MommaGreenBean]

Nope, don't think it usually goes back the same. I lost my weight, but it all is different. It is a lovely reminder of the miracle that is sleeping on my bed right now. My saggy veiny boobs provided (and still do) nourishment and comfort. The stretchy wrinkly skin where my jeans button grew that little one. I love my body now, it has a story

[Owachi]

I figured I wouldn't get to looking the old way, just hoping. It's weird.....I always said I wouldn't care what I look like afterwards because I'd be a mom and mom's don't need to look great......I'm so happy being a mom but still want a good body....when will that feeling go away, at 40, or 50? I'm only managing to work out every day because for months and months I just sat around and complained (just to myself) how much I hate my body.....now I still do that but after a workout I can at least tell myself I'm trying to do something about it. I can't wait until Jan 1st for my next weigh in.....I actually don't care that much about weight....it's just a number....I would be happy being 140 if my body looked the way I wanted it to, or looked good in clothes......I've been doing Beach body and Walk Away the Pounds videos. Anyone have any experience in those? Thanks for the support.....I'm glad I'm not alone.

[mama_in_PA]

As we age our bodies change regardless of whether or not we have children. I think having children exacerbates the change but at 30 my body doesn't look quite like it did at 20 - especially after two kids. I'm one of those fortunate types who have a high metabolism and could always eat whatever I wanted without having to worry about my weight. However, as I'm growing older I'm realizing I have to be more conscious about what I eat and what I do - not just because of how I look but also because of how I feel. In my early 20's I could have a coke and a cigarette for breakfast, eat as much junk as I wanted and then drink myself into an oblivion every night without having to worry about my health. Not the story now. If I consume foods or beverages that are not good for me I feel it for days; if I am inactive I start to develop love-handles. I'm much healthier now than I was in my early 20's but I weigh about 30 lbs more and have a belly. I made the choice to change my lifestyle in an effort to live healthier and longer. I knew this meant that I would probably gain some weight and not have a swim-suit model body anymore but it was a sacrifice I was happy to make for the sake of my children and my own health.

[Gilby]

I think our bodies are almost always going to be different. They can still be great! but hey are different!

[LionTigerBear]

You will never get your body back to exactly the same way, because there will always be a little extra skin on the tummy and your hips may stay ever so slightly wider than pre-babies. But yes, you can lose all of the weight. It's not normal (not nature's plan, that is) to maintain the extra weight forever.

I have a three-year-old and a thirteen-month-old and I just hit my old pre-baby weight again (105). Now, when I was pregnant with my second son, I was fairly slender (about a size 5, then a size 7 at the very end) adn I felt great about how I looked. After I had my DS2 I gained more and more weight until I was quite plump. I was about 35 pounds overweight, which is about a third more of what my normal weight is, so that's a lot of extra weight for me.

I also had some other symptoms-- tooth discoloration, joint pain, back pain, head aches, trouble sleeping, restless leg syndrome, constant fatigue, depression and anxiety, and always very hungry. My bowel movements weren't completely normal either. Turns out these are all signs of gluten-intolerance, which can be triggered by pregnancy. In other words, you could have never had a symptom before in your life, but after pregnancy you can start to have problems with it.

I tried going gluten-free and it helped at first, and then not any more and my symptoms were getting worse. So then I started the SCD diet.

In just a few months I lost all of the extra weight, and I feel so much better. The SCD is hard, but it is worth it if you have the symptoms. Gluten-intolerance is not a life-long sentence, people who follow the SCD can cure themselves of gluten intolerance after a few years on the diet. But gluten intolerance, now a days, is extremely common. Besides the symptoms I listed above, other signs are little raised red bumps (which can be itchy) on the back of the arms, or on the thighs, or cheeks (or all, or other places, too.) Another sign is getting blotchy reddish cheeks, especially after consuming gluten.

Look into it. A lot of the "official" gluten intolerance symptom lists will say it is a wasting disease, but in real life, I know a lot of people who are gluten intolerant or develop gluten intolerance gain weight initially-- probably the body's defensive mechanism. I know it made me gain weight.

Anyway, good luck, hope that helps.

P.S. I never did any exercise when I started losing weight. I mean, when I was gaining weight, I was walkign a lot until I just didn't have the energy anymore, but then I stopped walking (no energy, symptoms were getting worse) and I lost weight anyway. So I don't really believe in relying on exercise for weight loss. Exercise is good for heart health and muscle tone and so on, but not so much for weight loss.

[PPK]

I'm going to be the odd (wo)man out and say Yes you can get your old body back...or very close to it. I notice I put on weight easier now around my navel area, but I do have my old body back (...OK have 4 lbs. to go). I'm 4 mo. pp and had gained a total of 45 lbs w/ds.

I've worked in gyms and with literally 100's of moms who look amazing (true, I don't know every detail of their bodies prepg and post partum). It just takes time, patience, and persistence.


To the OP, make sure you are eating enough..I stopped losing for a while and realized I wasn't eating enough, but I'm still bf,

Also, I didn't find bf to help shed weight all that easily...I've had to work my butt off, literally.

Maybe there will be slight differences that (probably) only you will notice ie, I notice I gain in different areas now than before. And I have some crinkly skin around my belly button, so in that regard, yes my body might always look slightly different.

So don't get disheartened mama, especially having twins, just keep up and give yourself positive feedback, this helped me tremendously!
Don't feel its 'all for nothing' either just because you want to have another child, if it makes you feel healthier and better, go for it!

[Baby_Vol]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

Typically it takes 6-8 weeks to see results from training. Hang in there.

Thank you for posting that! I typically give up after 2-3 weeks. Knowing that it takes longer, I'll be more likely to stick with it after this baby is born (I'm pregnant now).

I think you can get very, very close to your old body back. It may not be exactly the same, but close. My Mom had two babies ...one a section ...the docs told her she wouldn't get her body back, but she did -- flat tummy and all. It's not impossible.