Don't worry, fupas are still in.
Let me start off by saying that losing weight postpartum does not happen as quickly for some as it does for others. The "bouncing back" phenomenon is not an expectation that any mama should have postpartum. Your birth experience and body's rate of healing is a huge determining factor on how quickly you are able to lose weight and girl, it is NOT a race.
In my experience, losing weight did not happen quickly. I had my first daughter in 2020 and then had my second at the beginning of 2022, so I was holding on to a lot of weight during, between & after my pregnancies. As I said, your experience in pregnancy plays a huge role in how quickly you are able to lose weight; and both of my pregnancies were extremely difficult.
With my firstborn, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and was induced at 37 weeks. Although I had an epidural, it didn't matter because my girl was sunny-side up. If you've experienced this, then you know how extremely painful the process is. I labored for 2 days and pushed for three hours and it was the most traumatic experience I have ever endured.
With my second pregnancy, the birth itself was a breeze; but, I had a centimeter size kidney stone from 8 months pregnant to one month postpartum. I had to carry around a nephrostomy tube that had to be inserted TWICE while I was under anesthesia and had lithotripsy performed (which is a scary story for another time). Needless to say, I was induced at 37 weeks again with my second.
My body couldn't catch a break.
When I came out on the other side of it all, I was determined to feel like myself in my own skin. I went from 160 pounds pre-pregnancy to 235 pounds during pregnancy. Since giving birth to my second in January of 2022, I'm down to 185 pounds with doing minimal exercise. I never thought I would feel even remotely hot again after having kids, but I'm here to tell you that it is possible even if it doesn't feel like it!
Engage Your Core!
This is advice that my cheerleading coach used to preach to us during every weight training session we had. She would tell us to "engage your core when you're sitting, standing or even driving your car", and now I know why. Engaging your core is almost like sucking in your belly, but you're just activating the muscles inside of your abdomen. Doing this post-partum will help to heal the spaces between your abdominal muscles that may have separated after being pregnant. Although I am no medical professional, if I've learned anything, it's that diastasis recti does not get better with crunches or sit-ups,. You can engage your core by contracting your muscles on your hands and knees; either holding it for a few seconds or doing reps. I normally never have much time between managing a household, work, and taking care of both of my kids, so I am usually just practicing in my car or any time I get up to walk. Sooner or later, you'll do it enough to where it becomes second nature and you won't even have to remind yourself to do it!
Don't run, walk!
I used to love running and would use it as a way to clear my head, but as I got older, it became less appealing. Now, I love to go on walks. It's a fun activity to do with my kids and it gets the blood/ oxygen circulating. I would never recommend running to anyone I care about, period. There's just too much jiggle and junk in my trunk nowadays. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I tried to get outside and walk twice a day. I would walk around the neighborhood twice and it would add up to a mile every day. Now, with my busy schedule as a working mom, it's much more difficult to do with dinner, bath time, and bedtime. Ideally, after dinner would be the best time to take a family walk since it helps with digestion and can relieve your kids of some energy before settling down for bed. The pink, cotton candy sky isn't a horrible view either.
Drink All of The Water!
I don't think I can stress it enough, but caffeine is not going to help wash away all of the toxins in your body. This is such difficult advice to give because I live for my morning coffee. If I don't get it into my body as fast as I can after opening my eyes in the morning, I am setting myself up for a horrible headache later. One thing that I kept reading about as I was constantly googling ways to lose weight, was starting off the day by drinking a glass of water. Before you eat or ingest anything, DRINK WATER. You've got to remember that when you're sleeping, you're not hydrating. So, not only does it help with the dehydration your body experiences after a few hours of sleep, but it also sets the tone for the morning. This may sound funny, but just one glass in the AM will lead you to make healthier choices regarding what you eat/ drink throughout the day.
Don't Cut Back on Eating
Okay, this may sound contradictory to this common knowledge that if you stop eating, you'll lose weight; but, hear me out. Not eating, is not good for your body and the weight you might lose from starving yourself is not sustainable. What worked for me was eating more, in smaller portions, and being mindful of what I was putting into my body. There are mixed notions about this theory that switching up how many meals you consume during the day can have some effect on your metabolism. I'll be honest, I have no idea if it's true or not, and doing these tricks may not work for your body, but this is what I found that gave me results. As I practiced mindfulness around food, I had to make the decision to cut some of my favorite things out of my diet like bagels and sweets. Not saying that I don't indulge in these things from time to time, but I definitely don't consume these types of things as frequently.
Take Your Time
This is a marathon you guys, and results are certainly not going to happen without patience. You will be discouraged at times and feel like the scale isn't moving, but quite frankly, the scale is not an accurate measurement of your progress. That being said, take pictures every few weeks. You may be able to spot the differences in your body over time.. not overnight. Set weekly goals for yourself to stay accountable and don't cut out things cold turkey. Making so many changes at once may feel overwhelming and could cause you to stress eat, like me. You're more likely to stick to your objectives when you're realistic about what's doable during that specific time in your life.
Waiting to find the motivation to make a change didn't work for me, and it probably won't work for you. What will work, is determination. It's okay to take a break sometimes, but don't give up. You will be better off both physically and mentally if you push through being uncomfortable because although the results won't be instantaneous, they will be worth it.
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