Post Pregnancy Workout Lifestyle Thread

[Burk]

Hey there everyone! I have had absolutely NO time to workout the past week. We are moving next Friday and my husband has had business trips so packing, lining up carpet cleaning, moving company, ect has taken up all my time......and then there''s the 2 kids!

On the food front, though, I''ve had to change my diet again because K has reacted horribly to me adding the corn and dairy back in (even though I did it slowly and didn''t even add the "big" ones like milk). The doctor thinks he may be intolerant to something other than those two so I am trying to cut out soy as well. So, no fast food really because I can''t count on there being no corn syrup or soy. I''ve been eating even more fruit than usual which is good. Such a PITA.

Sounds like so many of you are doing so well. I am hoping I''ll be able to get back to working out regularly soon!

 

[Mara]

steph yay for a 5k!! slow is better than not at all hehee.
burk girl you are superwoman moving with 2 kids... that is prob a workout all in itself! and boo for the allergy issues still persisiting. one of my friends'' has a litle girl who is allergic to soy and it''s in everything! ugh.

so i can''t remember if i posted about this but i got a tankini at target...super cute but i feel like a trussed chicken lol. oh well.

and my eating has been better but not perfect, which is ok. baby steps, i did spend a year doing what i want, of course it will take a bit to get back into the groove of healthier eating. i am eating healthier 75% of the time, good enough for me for now.

and maybe its just me but i feel like my milk production is actually higher when i am eating more healthy. fact or fiction who knows. but i like the idea.

hope everyone is off doing excercising with their LO''s in their bjorns/carriers hehee.

 

[Burk]

How is everyone doing? This thread has been dead....does that mean we''re all too busy exercising?

 

[puffy]

just wanted to come in and tell all of you that you guys can do it!!

i gained less than 20 lbs with N and was back at the gym at week 2 and by 3 weeks all the weight had come off and by week 4, i lost my ''love handles.'' and since then i have lost a ton of weight where i had to purchase all new clothes twice. so i weigh less than i did when i got preggo with B, my first. i still work out just about every day with 50 min of pretty intense cardio and 45 min-1 hour of yoga. and every other day i do free weights. and this is on top of chasing around my 2 year old toddler and keeping up with N who rolls every where.

my hips have gone back to normal, but i am also almost 5 month PP. i am still BFing, but i admit my weakness is sweets. i HAVE to have them. so i kinda eat whatever i want but i don''t really stress to much about it since i know i''ve worked out pretty hard for the day.

i''m pretty happy with my body right now. before N, i was in size 27, i''m 5''7 and now i''m in between 25 and 26 depending on the brand.

so ladies...it can be done. everything can look as it did before and it will!!

 

[steph72276]

Well, I have been doing well with exercising. I''m still training for the 5k which is in 2 weeks (yikes!). I know I will be slow and probably last in my age group, but Andrew keeps me motivated since he said running is "my sport". I think it''s cool that he thinks of me as athletic. He''s also running in the kid''s fun run after the race, so he''s excited about that. FOOD, on the other hand has not been that great. I do well most of the time, but I''ve been baking a lot again. And when you put in the effort to make things, it''s hard to resist enjoying them. So the past 2 weeks, I''ve made homemade bread, blackberry cobbler, and chocolate chip cookies. Also, it was Adam''s birthday so I had cake.

So, it should come as no surprise that I haven''t lost a single pound in about a month. I am at my pre-preg. weight, but I still have more to go to get into my old clothes. I really am going to have to get focused on eating right or else I''m never gonna lose it all. I think I''m going to have to start tracking my calories again.

Puffy, that is inspiring. Good job girl!

 

[phoenixgirl]

OK, here I am! I didn''t know this thread existed. It''s too hard to keep up with the WWT and the newborn thread.

I have been working out, off and on, since 5 weeks after my C/S. I''ve been steadily losing about 2 pounds a month, and it doesn''t seem to be impacted much by the working out (although I feel better -- stronger, more flexible, etc.). But the frustrating thing is that I gained 48 pounds with my pregnancy, so I still have 20 to go at 6.5 months.

April sucked for working out. Trying to juggle everything after going back to work was just too much, so exercise took a hit. I worked out or ran only 3 times in the whole month. May has been better -- 7 workouts/runs and we''re on day 14. I just did a workout after taking an unscheduled break since Monday -- my allergies hit me hard, and I only just figured out today that I''m not actually sick. I wish I could take some allergy medicine, but I have worked so hard to keep BFing while working, and I just don''t want to take the risk.

My stomach is my most annoying body part to me right now. I still look about 4 months pregnant to myself. I know I don''t to other people, but I never had a belly before, even when I weighed more than I do now.

So right now I''m a size 6. I was a 0 or 2P when I got pregnant, so my old clothes definitely don''t fit, but I know I''m not huge, either. Right after having Claire, I was in size 10, so there is definite improvement.

I''m just glad the style right now is longer and more billowy tops. At least I have an excuse for a new warddrobe.

Puffy, congrats! I am so impressed that you find so much time to work out! I''m hoping that once I become "Summer All Year PG," working out can be more of a priority. These days I just do the "express" version of my workout DVDs (20-35 minutes instead of 50-60) and go for a 20 or 25 minute run. If I were working out for the better part of an hour, I bet I''d lose a bit faster, but it''s just a victory to squeeze it in on top of everything else.

Steph, so cute that Andrew thinks his mom is sporty! That''s awesome. I really want Claire to see how DH and I like being active -- not just exercising regularly, but going for walks, talking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Counting calories is not my thing. But what would probably help is to return to my pre-pregnancy eating habits. I''ve let things slip a little with more processed foods and red meats and less good stuff. As long as I''m eating good food, I''ve never found that I need to watch how much I eat. I think I don''t have the time or inclination to overeat. And BFing, I want to listen to my body and make sure I''m eating as much as I need.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Got in my (short and HOT!!!) run for the day . . . anybody else exercising today?

 

[puffy]

good work pg!! i take my oldest to the gym with me and luckily for me, my mom is pretty close by so she watches my younger one. and i do my yoga at home when the kids are in bed. i have 2 great sleepers so i have all the time i need from about 830 until i go to bed. keep up the good work mama!

steph i hear ya on baking. i''ve been making cookies and brownies like crazy and have been eating them all day long. good luck on the 5K..you''ll do great!

 

[Mara]

hi ladies! glad to see the thread is somewhat revived from the dead hehee.

before maui i was walking almost every day and i managed to get the scale to budge 3 lbs.

now it is pretty much stuck again but at least i haven''t gained the 3 lbs back.

i still really feel like a lot of it is the bf''ing and my body trying to hang onto the fat. i don''t EAT enough, and i know it. i have a hard time getting 3 meals a day in, forget snacking all day long like i probably should. i just am too busy with J. but i go back to work in 2.5 weeks (wfh starting this week but back in the office in june)--so i think i will have more time to have a structured eating routine then. my friend who lost all her weight and then some says she eats all day long, but small healthy things.

BODY wise though, not scale, things are def ''retracting''. i haven''t tried old jeans on yet but i can see visually that my hips are getting smaller, thank god, i was totally worried. they still have a ways to go though. and ditto PG on having a little belly. mine is not that big, looks like i ate a big meal pretty much all the time, but i am just used to having a flat tummy, sooooo that needs some work. and it''s not so much the muscles but i can see it''s just the loose SKIN that needs to go..so that''s fat burning.

i am walking about every other day with J but once i go back to work i will hopefully hit the gym at lunchtime.

PG yay for a good short run!
steph you go girl on the 5k, that is great!! still liking the bumble?
puffy congrats on getting back into shape but girrrlll i remember your BPF''s and you were always tiny!! so jealous.
burk i bet with moving and all the work with the baby is burning some fat??!

hope everyone else is still out there doing something...

 

[steph72276]

Hey girls. So I''ve had a mental breakthrough this week I think with my weight loss and I hope the motivation continues. I just finally was like, I''ve gotta really work at this if I''m going to ever lose it all. So this week, I have gone on an hour walk/jog with E everyday. I am going to do a faster run only workout tomorrow before A leaves for work. My 5k in a little over a week. I don''t feel that great about it (speed wise), but hopefully these last few weeks of running with E in the stroller will make it easier when I''m not having to push 30+ pounds. As far as food goes, I have pretty much cut out all refined sugar and am just having fruit if the sweet cravings start. It was difficult the first few days, but now the fruit satisfies and I don''t even want the Oreos Andrew has in the pantry (well, not too much anyway

). I''m now 2 lbs below pre-preg. weight with A LOT still left to go, but it''s progress! Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Burk]

Hello ladies!! Good to see some activity on here! I have yet to get back to working out like I''d like but I''m making progress with my weight finally. I am finally fitting better into some of my pre-preggo stuff. I was pretty frustrated there for a while because when I went back to work with T I was in all pre-peggo stuff and was pre-preggo weight (minus the toning). Well, this time around was NOT the same. I was up 15lb still and wearing mostly size 10''s when I''m usually a 6/8. Booo. I''m going to get back to doing the 30 day shred at least a couple times a week and then DH and I are joining a new gym that''s near our new house. YAY!

Steph~You''re doing awesome!! My sister tried to convince me to run a 10K with her and I laughed in her face.

So cute that A said running is your sport.

PG~Yay for being off to a better month of working out! I HATE my stomach too. My hips have finally narrowed back out so my belly is really the only remaining part that needs to go back to where it came from!!

puffy~Yum to cookies and brownies!!

mara~I have the skin issue with my belly too. Boo. I''m so jealous of people who can workout during their lunch time! I think all that I have going on really is helping me because I have worn pre-preggo pants the past two days that I was unable to fit into a couple weeks ago. Yay!!

 

[Mara]

gooo steph and burk!!!

steph... i noticed you''ve been doing something every morning, good for you!! i think if i did something daily it would make all the diff. i am more like once every other day if i am lucky right now.

burk... i bet with all the moving and also returning to work it''s prob changing things up a bit for your body too.

i love walking with J but it''s been kind of gloomy here and chances of rain so i hate going out and potentially getting caught with him so i just don''t go. but i have been doing kind of ''in home'' workouts, nothing structured just lifting arm weights and doing squats and situps while J is sleeping...also doing like jumping jacks and some run in place kind of stuff. just SOMETHING.

and i have never really been a workout at lunch kinda person but it will be my only time to really do anything as i am going to want to come right home after leaving work.

the scale is kind of moving back and forth but i may be on the verge of losing one more lb. it''s kind of funny though.

 

[Burk]

So yesterday I kind of got back into the swing of things!

Started 30 day shred in the morning but didn''t finish due to kiddos not cooperating! Did some extra abs and then a 45 minute walk yesterday evening pushing both kids in the stroller. It''s a start, right?

School is out next week so I can focus on which gym to join then!

 

[puffy]

steph go go go!! you are doing so well!! don''t know how you can cut out the sugars, there is no way that i can, sad i know.

burk sounds like you''ll be back to your old self real soon.

mara you''re in the bay area? what''s with the weather?!?! kinda crazy!! at least you are doing something!

keep up the good work mamas!!

 

[phoenixgirl]

burk, yay for the start of the shred and the end of school! I have 13 more days (counting Saturday, boo) and then SCHOOL'S OUT . . . FOR . . . EVER!


So May was a good month. I averaged a workout or run every other day . . . not the 4-6 times a week I'd like to aim for, but not bad considering the adjustment to mommyhood. I just did a new Firm workout -- Power Half Hour -- and it kicked my butt. It's a lot more intense than most 40 or 50 minute Firm workouts, so I believe I actually may have burned more calories than in a longer, more relaxed workout. I also ran 32 minutes on Sunday, which is a new record since my return to work. And it was hilly because I was visiting my mom, so that means it was even harder than usual (although probably less humid -- it was still a hot day, though).

The advent of bathing suit season is a bit of a bummer. A year ago I was all cute and pregnant. Two years ago I was a size 0 with great abs. Sigh. Now I'm a 6 with a flabby stomach (like, seriously, I was always a pear with a big butt and thighs but no belly, and now I have this belly that squishes out over my pants and flops beside me in bed. Ew.).

But these are just my secret going-to-be-deleted-with-PS 2.0 thoughts. Rationally I am happy to be a 6, happy to be able to run for 30 minutes, happy to be able to lift weights almost to my former level. Happy to have a healthy daughter and husband and self. Just slightly unhappy to have bathing suit season upon me because, well, it's one thing to be kind of squidgy in your bathing suit because you don't work out (which I was 4 years ago), but it's another thing to work out and run and not have more to show for it. OK, except for my heart, the world's most adorable baby, Claire!

 

[Burk]

Mara~been meaning to tell you I found myself a tankini at Target. Yay for tummy coverage!

puffy~I can''t wait to be my old self again!

pg~Last day with students today!!

Must be even more exciting for you since you''ll be done indefinitely! Great job with your May workouts! I wish I worked out HALF that amt...so not good. Going to get back into the swing of things permanently come next week. And, I HATE that it''s swimsuit season. I hate my post baby body. Most people would be happy with my "now" body but it''s not my old body (I''m 5''10" so I hide weight well and am a 8-10 post baby and a 4-8 pre-baby). But, I know I need to do more if I want my old body back so bring on the hard work starting next week!!

 

[Mara]

burk yay for a tankini! i don't LOVE them, i miss my bikini but a lot of the tankinis are pretty cute now.

pg i hear ya on the squidgy belly. it's like a little roll of fat...yuck! don't feel bad for saying you are not keen on that.. i think it's horrible that our darling kids leave such a mark on our bodies hehe. not fair esp after all the work we did hehe--personally i think after pregnancy and birth women should come out with abs of steel!

puff yep in the bay area and the weather was horrible before this week. of course this week it decided to just be SUMMER, where did spring go??

now that i'm back at work i am working out in our gym...i went yesterday and i plan to go 3x a week hopefully...at LEAST 2 and then hopefully i can get a walk in another day. just to do 25min of something.

i am 9 lbs away from pre-preggo weight... people tell me i look good and some 'areas' of my body are shaping up nicely (arms for one, holding the 14lber and lifting him up and down to make him giggle will tone those nicely!) but other areas (aka jello belly) are going to take some additional work. i know i am lucky to have bounced back to close to normal fairly quickly but given what shape i used to be in, there is def some ways to go before i feel like ME again.

hear hear for 'back to normal' for all of us soon!

 

[Burk]

Mara~yea, I''d rather have my bikini body, but that isn''t happening so the tankini will have to do. People tell me that I look good but it''s so hard to not get a little down about not having my body back to "normal." My muffin top is driving me nuts. Yuck. I seriously don''t know how some super models are on the cover of magazines at like 6 wks pp....airbrushing anyone??!?!?

I''m on summer break now so my back in shape plan is beginning today. I originally planned to do 30 day shred while kids napped this afternoon but my grandpa had a stroke (he didn''t know that''s what it was at the time) and was waiting at our house for my mom to take him to the VA hospital 50 miles from here. Wow, that sounds awful reading it! Anyway, my sister and I are going to go for a quick run here in a few minutes when she gets here and then I''ll do some abs and light lifting and call it good for day one.

 

[puffy]

burk sorry to hear about your grandpa!! hope he is ok. hope you get back to your old self soon. you did it so quick with T, i''m sure you''ll be great this time around too.

mara yay for getting to the gym!! weather has been kinda crazy again...so strange for this time of the year.

pg sounds like may was indeed a great month for you. keep up the good work mama!!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Burk, yay for summer break! I hope your grandpa is OK.



The weight hasn''t budged much recently . . . seem to be stuck on 134 (was 117 when I got pregnant). But I can see more definition coming in on my legs, and DH commented (without prompting) that he could see more definition in my arms, so I think I''m still reshaping even if I''m not losing weight at the moment. The 6s I got recently are loosish, so I''m probably a 6P now and will be a 4 some time this summer if the trend continues (please continue, trend!).

I took Claire out in the BOB yesterday for a 25 minute run. I also did a new Firm workout this weekend (Total Body Time Crunch) that kicked my butt. My pecs, hamstrings, and thighs were really sore, which surprised me because I usually only feel that way when I first start working out. So either I didn''t stretch enough or it was just really tough.

 

[Mara]

pg i was going to ask you...are you still BF/pumping? if not, have you seen any weight decrease?

i am still 9 lbs up and i feel like a lot of it is the pumping still. i feel like i don''t eat enough (a lot of times i barely get 3 meals in...i eat way less than before preggo) and so my body might be hanging onto some fat for the milk production.

when i got my period a few weeks ago i lost 3 lbs that weekend, coincidence??

anyway i am sticking with the gym at work, i went on friday and i went on monday. i am going today. i am just trying to get 25-30 min of SOMETHING in...whether it''s fast walking or walk/run combo (owie on the bb''s) or ellpitical. just to burn a few hundred cals. and i am going to start walking with my coworker just 15 min every other day or so (when it''s not super hot).

since after work i just want to go home and be with J i usually go during lunch or between meetings.

my legs and arms are a lot more toned than before but my belly is still grosso. AND the flabby skin has a cellulite look to it with kind of ''wavy'' skin lines if that makes sense. totally not fun. THANKS J!! you better not put me in a home when i am old!

burk sorry to hear about gpa...hope he is doing ok.

keep it up gals!

 

[Burk]

Thanks ladies. My grandpa is doing pretty good. He lost hearing in his right ear permanently but they think that''s really going to be the only long term effect of the stroke thank goodness. He''ll be in the hospital for a while longer but he is in good spirits.

PG~I may need to try a Firm workout...especially since it seems to have really worked for you!!

Mara~yay for lunch workouts!! As a teacher our lunches are only 25-30 minutes so it just isn''t possible. I don''t know what my schedule will be like next year (since I''m PT they either schedule me for mornings or afternoons based on what works best with the classes I teach) but I need to get a work out routine going.

re: holding onto weight while BFing.....I''m almost positive my body is. I quit bfing T at 6 weeks because of her food stuff (we couldn''t figure out what she was intolerant to and she was miserable every time she bfed) and I was pre preggo weight and in pre preggo clothes by 3 months. I didn''t have my "normal" body back then but was def. way further along than I am now...I''m now 4 months out and still a good 8-10 lbs away. Coincidence? Could be a second baby thing, too, but I def. think some of it has to do with the fact that I''m still BFing.

 

[Mara]

just a quick check in!! i walked every day this week but did not make it to the gym ...work was too busy, ugh! but i did get some long walks in and today i did 3m...my legs hurt!

the scale has also not moved AT ALL. AF is back too so i am so bloated. anyway...i am still plugging along. the funny thing is my eating is pretty healthy overall and i am not overeating at all, so i am convinced it still has to be that i am pumping milk for J--i feel like my body wants to hang onto some fat. it will be interesting to see if my body does anything when i stop.

the good thing about eating pretty healthily and not too large portions in general is that hopefully it won''t be too hard to get back to it. i am eating steel cut oatmeal for breakfast, i have some trail mix for snack, lunch is usually something not too bad but not SO good (sometimes it is..if i am busy i might just do a kashi meal at my desk)..and dinners we have been eating pretty well--starting to cook at home more (easy stuff, grilling chicken and making TJ''s fries in the oven)...and i eat hardly any sweets now which is FUNNY given my sweet tooth. i will be interested to see if that changes too. anyway.

hope all the post-partum mommas are doing good!!

 

[Burk]

Thought I''d bring this thread back to life again.

Mara~Saw on the newborn thread that you''ve been doing great at walking! Yay!!

PG~Has it been easier to keep with working out now that you''re not in school?

Last week was rough for working out with my grandpa stuff but today I''m starting to get serious. We have vacation to the beach in a month and I refuse to wear the same darn tankini every day we''re there!

I''ve ate really well so far today and will be going running with my sister after volleyball tonight.

 

[TravelingGal]

I don''t know whether I should join this thread or hang my head in shame. I''m finally losing some post pregger weight... over TWO YEARS down the line!

 

[steph72276]

Date: 6/28/2010 4:12:16 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I don''t know whether I should join this thread or hang my head in shame. I''m finally losing some post pregger weight... over TWO YEARS down the line!

I think you should join and be proud of yourself! It took me 2 1/2 years to lose all mine after Andrew.

 

[steph72276]

Hi, healthy mamas. Just a quick update from me. I had gained a few lbs on my vacation, so when I got home I got really serious about losing again....seeing pictures of yourself not quite looking like yourself will do that to you! So I started doing Jillian Michael''s 30 day shred again. Love that video as it is over in 25 minutes and can do it while E is taking a nap. I also started tracking points with WW. So far just this week, I have lost the vacation weight plus 2lbs, so I am down about 5 pounds! WW seems to really be working well with me. I have been a healthy eater for a while now, but tracking points I realized I was eating too much healthy food. I really think it works well for me b/c I don''t have to give up any food groups.

In some bad news, I think I either fractured or broke my foot yesterday running

. I''m going to give it the rest of the day to see if the swelling and pain goes away, then go in to have it x-rayed if not. Looks like I won''t be able to do much workout wise for a while, so I will have to do really well with eating to keep up my loss.

How''s everyone else doing?

 

[Burk]

Tgal~Of course you should join us!! What are you doing to lose the weight?

Steph~Sorry about your foot? Did you end up getting an X Ray? Yay for losing the vacation weight. I like the 30 day shred for the exact same reason-fast. But even though it''s short you feel like you really accomplished something ya know?

I haven''t eaten as well as I''d like the past couple days. ILs came over tonight and brought pizza...I can''t pass up pizza. And breadsticks. And dessert breadsticks. I suck!

 

[Mara]

hi ladies!!

TG...welcome! and it's never too late to lose weight.
burk..yay for getting serious!!! but girl you look great.
steph...good for you on WW! i haven't really been able to affect my eating too much yet since i still eat a bit more for the milk production, but once that is done i wont have an excuse!

so i have been continuing walking about 8-10 miles per week with my mom, sister, friends, whoever! my legs always lean up really quickly so they look great. the baby gut is slowwwwllyyy shrinking, thank god. but when i sit i can still grab and shake it lol. i really should be doing more hard cardio but i just don't have much time and at least walking is something i can do with J in the stroller so it's not like i am not with him or someone has to watch him.

i also am doing random things at home when i have a spare few minutes like abs, pushups, running (knees up) in place, jumping jacks. previously when i have been in excellent shape, doing little things here and there like this even for 5 min a day totally does make a diff over the long haul.

scale wise it has dropped like 1 more lb. i really think it still has to do with the pumping/bf'ing but that is slowly coming to an end. i almost feel like i lost 1lb because my milk is dropping too. so we'll see when i finally stop if anything happens to the scale. i imagine maybe 1-2 more lbs will drop then the last 5 will be the hardest ones to get off.

visually i look ok and i am sure a lot of people would think i look great. but i know i am off my game and that is what matters...some of my old jeans fit which is great but i am still wearing about one size bigger so there is a lot of stuff that doesn't fit or doesn't fit RIGHT (muffin top is a 'not fitting right'!!)...!!

i think my biggest issue once i stop pumping is going to be portion control. my breakfasts are still pretty normal, and my lunch is mostly normal unless we go somewhere i love. and dinner is fine too BUT sometimes i get so hungry either at lunch or dinner and then i just chow down. i will have to relearn to stop before i am full, a whole year+ of eating whatever and whenever i wanted has def left a mark on me mentally.

let's try to keep each other motivated ladies, i know it's hard!!! hang in there!

 

[TravelingGal]

Um, Burkey, I'm not coming onto this thread if you're going to discuss pizza, breadsticks and dessert!

Mara, it sounds like you're doing great. And since I've seen photos, I know you LOOK great. But you know your body and where you want to be.

I've been pretty motivated. Now 9 weeks into my healthier lifestyle, I'm enjoying exercise (which is no longer a horrific chore) and eating well comes way more naturally. Cravings for "bad" foods are far and few between. I'm 11 pounds down, and still the biggest I've ever been in my life.

However, I must have decent self image, because I'm buying clothes that are more fitted and enjoying losing the weight, even though I'm bigger than I ever was, I'm far less self conscious. Go figure. I'm married and a mother, and I figure I no one's looking at me. So I dress the kid as cute as possible and know eyes, if any, are on her!

All the weight is coming off my boobs/top section first. So it's hard to see the weight loss if you're not looking. But I know it's there and I'm happy to lose the boobs, as strange as that is. There was no need for them anyway...not like they produced milk! Sheesh!

Hope everyone is doing well!