This past Friday my son turned a year old. When he was 6 months old I was back to my prepregnancy weight. I have been consistent with my workouts and I eat well most of the time. Here is my question: Is it normal to be back to your prepregnancy weight, but your clothes fit differently around the midsection now? Isn't your body back to normal internally now? I've tried uping my ab work, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Thanks in advance.
? for Moms out there
- Thread starter kristi
- Start date
What do you mean? Your clothes is tighter around your middle? I would think that it is normal.
I had my baby when I was 17..thats 7 yrs ago.My mid section never went back to normal b/c I have stretch marks.Although it has been flatter in the past then what it is right now;(
I would think that what you see is what you get right now, but why not try adding some different ab moves in there? Do some pilates, or maybe you think you are eating well but really you could be doing better.Try starting a food journal.I just picked up the Oxygen magazine and it has some awesome ab moves in there I am going to try.Hopefully that will solve my problem, along with taping my mouth shut!
Lori
I had my baby when I was 17..thats 7 yrs ago.My mid section never went back to normal b/c I have stretch marks.Although it has been flatter in the past then what it is right now;(
I would think that what you see is what you get right now, but why not try adding some different ab moves in there? Do some pilates, or maybe you think you are eating well but really you could be doing better.Try starting a food journal.I just picked up the Oxygen magazine and it has some awesome ab moves in there I am going to try.Hopefully that will solve my problem, along with taping my mouth shut!
Lori
Debbie5363
Cathlete
Hi, my son is 14 mos. now and I think it is normal for your body to be different now. You might be at the same pre-preg. weight, but you might have more fat and less muscle in certain areas - like the stomach. I am at my prepreg weight now, but I have a lot more muscle than I used too. I think I am in better shape than I was before I got pregnant - but I still have a little bit extra on my hips that I never had before. Plus, I notice that my stomach is getting defined pretty nicely, but when I bend over I can see extra skin, and it drives me nuts!
Dani53
Cathlete
I only speak for myself, because there are always those stories out there of miracle women who have tiny pregnancies, easy labor, and three weeks after look like they were never pregnant. I am not that person. I was big as a house! I nursed my kids so the weight came off without trying. I was actually smaller in some ways than before I had kids. I will say though, that the hips spread and the body changes. My shoe size went up, and I hear that is fairly common. My doctor told me that it actually takes a full five years for the body to go back to the way it was before you ever pregnant. That is in terms of your inside organs etc. Yikes! Hang in there, the bonus to all of it is that sweet, sweet son you have.
I would not know from my personal experience. I am pregnant with my 4th - I had my first 6 years ago and never made it back to my prebaby weight each time I got prenant but I am hoping with lots of hard work after this baby I will get back.
BUT I have friends who are actually in better shape than before they had their kids. I also have 2 friends who complain and complain about their bellys but excercise is a foreign word to them.
I think it depends on genetics and also how hard you work and diet. Some women can get back but some don't.
In any case, your little boy is your lifelong prize
Marci
BUT I have friends who are actually in better shape than before they had their kids. I also have 2 friends who complain and complain about their bellys but excercise is a foreign word to them.
I think it depends on genetics and also how hard you work and diet. Some women can get back but some don't.
In any case, your little boy is your lifelong prize
Marci
susanz
Cathlete
I had my 2nd child 3 years ago. I am still fighting to get to the same "size". I have noticed that my mid-section has stayed wider(waist) than it was after my first. I read somewhere over the weekend that getting back into pre-baby form can take years. I am not giving up!! I don't know your age (I am 35) but sometimes, unfortunatly, that can make it a lil' bit tougher to shake your system. Don't give up hope! Just watch your food(quality) intake and portion sizes,exercise regularly and it will come back to you! ;-) Susan
Thanks for all of your support and encouragement. It just seemed really odd to me that my body was not back to normal even though I had lost the baby weight and a year has already went by. I guess the body takes a while to go back to normal. Oh, to look like Cathe (sigh). I feel like I've been the exercise queen ever since my son's arrival and I think I am in better shape now than before I got pregnant. In any case, I will not give up hope. I guess I will need to shake up my routine again and implement some new ab moves to target the muscles in a different way. Thanks again to everyone. This forum and its members are truly the best.
tricia
Cathlete
Hello Kristi!
My daughter is 8 1/2 months old and I am also down to within 3 pounds of my Pre-Baby weight. I am also having a hard time with some of my pants fitting my "girth". (Hey, there's no other word I can think of to describe it, but doesn't that word sound awful!). Anyway, I have just recently committed myself to a rotation(Cathe's June Rotation as a matter of fact)- and I am already feeling a difference, and I'm just in my first week of the rotation. I can't SEE anything yet,but I feel it. I'm 30 and also nursing, just to give you the factors. I lost the weight (38 pounds) right away after delivering, but my abs and thighs are all out of proportion.
I know I didn't answer your question. I guess I'm just saying, you're not alone and we're all here to let you know (or to hear from others ourselves) that what is happening is normal and it can take time. Keep up the good work with your eating & working out, and let us know how you're doing.
My daughter is 8 1/2 months old and I am also down to within 3 pounds of my Pre-Baby weight. I am also having a hard time with some of my pants fitting my "girth". (Hey, there's no other word I can think of to describe it, but doesn't that word sound awful!). Anyway, I have just recently committed myself to a rotation(Cathe's June Rotation as a matter of fact)- and I am already feeling a difference, and I'm just in my first week of the rotation. I can't SEE anything yet,but I feel it. I'm 30 and also nursing, just to give you the factors. I lost the weight (38 pounds) right away after delivering, but my abs and thighs are all out of proportion.
I know I didn't answer your question. I guess I'm just saying, you're not alone and we're all here to let you know (or to hear from others ourselves) that what is happening is normal and it can take time. Keep up the good work with your eating & working out, and let us know how you're doing.
Do you remember when Scarlet O'Hara comments on her waist after Bonnie is born and Mammie tells her she is never going to have a 19" waist again? (or something like that) I think most people get thicker. I did. I had a doctor tell me it pretty much happened to everyone. He had a name for it but I can't remember. I think it is the area where the two sides of the abs come together right in the middle that gets stretched out permanently. -joy
THat sounds about right to me. Bottom line is that pregnancy changes your body and it will never be the same: abs split, hips widen, feet get bigger (had to throw out lots of fancy pairs of shoes and even my favourite worn-in hiking boots), chest gets flatter (in my lucky little case, not!!!) and yes, there is thickening at the waist (bye bye 24 inches!).
I have managed to get definition in my core region and strength through working out with Cathe but as slim as I am, I will have loose skin there forever since I am not a nip and tuck fan and I have an athletic build, not a curvy one that indents a lot at the waist for definition, ah well.
So, yes, the body will never be the same again, but the question is do you really want it to be? Personally, I don't want to be a nubile 20 year old, body on display, read by all as a sex object...I don't identify with Shakira or Brittany, and I will take this body with its looser abdominal skin because it is way stronger than the one I had in my twenties, it gave me two fabulously healthy and fun-filled girls who have totally changed my life around for the better, and I am finally getting a sense that this body has its own unique shape and I need to give up the idea of making into something it will never be because that is akin to torture.
Get strong, build the best shape you can in a reasonable, not obsessed way, give yourself at least 6 months of consistent ab and core work both traditional (try MIS) and pilates orientated (see Cardio & weights and the PUB) and that's all you need to ask of yourself, right!?!?!
Cheers,
Clare
I have managed to get definition in my core region and strength through working out with Cathe but as slim as I am, I will have loose skin there forever since I am not a nip and tuck fan and I have an athletic build, not a curvy one that indents a lot at the waist for definition, ah well.
So, yes, the body will never be the same again, but the question is do you really want it to be? Personally, I don't want to be a nubile 20 year old, body on display, read by all as a sex object...I don't identify with Shakira or Brittany, and I will take this body with its looser abdominal skin because it is way stronger than the one I had in my twenties, it gave me two fabulously healthy and fun-filled girls who have totally changed my life around for the better, and I am finally getting a sense that this body has its own unique shape and I need to give up the idea of making into something it will never be because that is akin to torture.
Get strong, build the best shape you can in a reasonable, not obsessed way, give yourself at least 6 months of consistent ab and core work both traditional (try MIS) and pilates orientated (see Cardio & weights and the PUB) and that's all you need to ask of yourself, right!?!?!
Cheers,
Clare
are you nursing? I have read numerous times that a nursing body will hold onto body fat. It is the bodies way of making sure that you don't starve yourself since your body needs fat to produce milk. I nursed all 4 of mine and this held true with me. I have also noticed that the more ab work I do, the thicker I get. It doesn't make any sense, but it holds true for me. I have backed off of the ab work, not totally, but not anywhere near what some of these incredible women do, and have noticed a difference in my "girth". A year really isn't a sufficient amount of time after having a baby to have gotten back into prepregnancy shape. Give it time. It will happen...may not, but as my husband says...after having 4 babies, you have earned that body. I don't think it is natural for a mom to have a "Brittany" body after having a baby. Sorry if I offended anyone with that comment...not meant to. There should be some evidence of a child being carried.....it doesn't need to be excessive though. Genetics plays a big role also. Give it time...it will come together. I have just started seeing my body get to where I want it too. My youngest is 2 1/2, but in my case, this is because when the baby turned a year old, I was pregnant shortly after. I never gave my body a long enough time between pregnancies to get back to normal, but since I am done having children, I can finally let it happen. Be patient.
Kim
Kim