This really F-ing sucks

[redsquirrel]

Now, not only am I not pregnant anymore- I obviously have gained a little bit of weight. The weird thing is- the scale only indicated I gained about 10 lbs....yet my clothes tell a different story. My belly and ass just totally gross me out.

My boobs STILL need their own zip code. I am patiently waiting for them to go back to their normal size (I WAS a 36C, now I am a healthy 36DD!!!). Now, I know it's only been 2 weeks since I gave birth, and I need to be patient because I've read my hormones are really whacked out right now....BUT SHIT!!! This is so awful!!

Obviously, my pregnancy clothes look on the borderline of stupid, yet I can barely squeeze into the clothes I was wearing when I was just a month pregnant. I don't get it...But I did manage to jump off the roof to get into a pair of those jeans yesterday, and they didn't fit last week.

I started back to the gym last week...Cleaned up the diet and I went 3 days and did weights and 20 min of cardio each day...This week I will be going 4-5 days and doing 30-40 min of cardio.

I know I need to be patient, but this sucks a bag of dicks!! I guess because I didnt' carry for 9 months that I assumed the weight would come off much faster and my body would go back to normal sooner also. NOT SO MUCH. But I feel like I'm getting fatter by the second!

[fog_hat1981]

Hang in there sweetie - you know how to "fix" your bodies appearance better than the rest of us so just do what you do best. Check in with us often so we can help you along with encouragement.

[Shibby]

Dont' stress about it too much. You know it's more hormonal than anything. You just went through a tuff time, so don't give yourself uneeded stress.

[ROCKILLER]

I'm trying to be helpful here but if I'm wrong just disregard this. Maybe you shouldnt try to lose ALL the weight and get your bodyfat so low. It might be helpful if youre going to try to get pregnant again to not be as lean as you want to be. Just so your body isnt worried about having enough food to support a baby. Whatever you decide, good luck.

[bad14u]

Originally Posted by FitnessBrat

Awww, keep your head up RS. You know it will come off, its just going to take a little time. I think now that you're back to the gym and eating clean, it'll be off in no time. Don't rush it, I'm sure you look beautiful.

:bravonew: Like FB said, keep your head up. You will have the wait off in no time. You didn't build the body you had in 2 weeks, so don't expect to build it back in 2 weeks. Give it time, keep your head up and remember we all love ya and are pulling for you and Sonis!

[dreamgirl]

Originally Posted by ROCKILLER

I'm trying to be helpful here but if I'm wrong just disregard this. Maybe you shouldnt try to lose ALL the weight and get your bodyfat so low. It might be helpful if youre going to try to get pregnant again to not be as lean as you want to be. Just so your body isnt worried about having enough food to support a baby. Whatever you decide, good luck.

I would agree too. If you do want to try for another baby, you should keep your bf in the 20's. You may have a much easier time getting pregnant.

I've also not been able to loose the weight this time and my son is almost 2. And I'm sure you know that I am not sitting on my ass eating potato chips watching tv.

I think you are a little younger than me (I'm 30) so it should come off pretty easy. It did for me when I was 25. It does take time - it also took you a long time to get as muscular and lean like in your pictures. I've really learned that it takes a long time to change your body (unless your 150 pounds overweight) but the 10 pound loss or the 5% bf we all want to loose doesn't come off easy at all.

[meat12]

before you know it rs you'll be back to normal. good luck

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by ROCKILLER

I'm trying to be helpful here but if I'm wrong just disregard this. Maybe you shouldnt try to lose ALL the weight and get your bodyfat so low. It might be helpful if youre going to try to get pregnant again to not be as lean as you want to be. Just so your body isnt worried about having enough food to support a baby. Whatever you decide, good luck.

Thanks everyone...

And RK- you are correct- I don't want to get really low BF...something in the upper teens would be nice..LOL . In fact youa re right- I've actually read that once women put on a little more BF they were able to get pregnant. Right now I'm a freakin size 10!! I've never worn a 10 in my life! I looked at some of the clothes I wore last summer...all the while thinking I was fat then!! I'd like to just be able to wear most of those clothes.

I tell you all this much- after 8 weeks of being out of the gym- I am SORE and WEAK!! Now I know why people would look at me crooked when I would lift much heavier weight!!! I did shoulders and hams yesterday, and ran a little, and I am having a hard time walking..let alone puttin on a jacket! Sonis asked me "You just did all machines, right? Started back easy?"....YEAH RIGHT!! Who does he think he's talking to! LOL. But, I'm hoping that after sittin on my ass for 8 weeks the first 5-8 lbs will come off pretty easy...Sort of body shock. Although there isn't anything we can do about the hormonal changes...

I'll keep checkin in though.

[dreamgirl]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

Thanks everyone...

And RK- you are correct- I don't want to get really low BF...something in the upper teens would be nice..LOL . In fact youa re right- I've actually read that once women put on a little more BF they were able to get pregnant.

RS - I am hoping for this to pay off and you not have to go through months of not being able to conceive. I've seen a lot of our friends go through that and they have such a hard time dealing with it. Before both pregnancies, I got myself up to 130 before we started trying and I did get pregnant right away, maybe that helped, who knows though... good luck girlie

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by dreamgirl

RS - I am hoping for this to pay off and you not have to go through months of not being able to conceive. I've seen a lot of our friends go through that and they have such a hard time dealing with it. Before both pregnancies, I got myself up to 130 before we started trying and I did get pregnant right away, maybe that helped, who knows though... good luck girlie

Well, trust me- I've benn over the 130 mark for quite sometime...LOL. But, anyway, I've read that once a woman does actually get pregnant, it's much easier the next time around. My doctor even said "Well, we got over the first hurdle which was for you to actually get pregnant". So, I'm hoping that will be the case.

[redsquirrel]

A little update...

Well, Aunt Flow came- sooner than I was expecting. I don't know if that's good or bad. I was at the Dr earlier this week, and she said it usually takes about 406 weeks to get back to semi normal, and 3 months to completely get back to normal. She summed it up perfectly: It's even harder for me because here I've gained some baby weight, yet have no baby...

Anyway, I'm in my 4th week of getting back to the gym and yet I haven't lost any weight. In fact, the last 2 weeks, the stupid scale says I've gained 3 lbs. I don't have any f-ing idea what my body is doing. Here I thought since i'd been sedentary for 8 weeks, the weight would come off easily at first. Not so much. I'm really down in the dumps about this, so if anyone has any insight about the hormones and how that's effecting my weight and BF, I'd appreciate it.

[xxxkazxxx]

RS. I don't think that there is any specific thing anyone can tell you right now. Every womens body is different. Some women gain weight with pregnancy, some gain only the baby weight. Some get *aunt flow* a few weeks after, and some dont get it untill 12 months later. Some take forever to lose the extra few pounds & some are just complete freaks & lose it all in weeks and dont even get one single stretch mark on any part of their body. Your body obviously went through alot of shock & could even be somewhat confused as to where its at & what it is supposed to be doing. And remember your body was set for a long mission that was horribly cut short. Your body would surely need to deal with that & get back on track in it's own time. You know, iv'e read so many things where you say *JUST STICK TO IT & YOU WILL SEE*. I think you tell US to have faith & be patient with a routine, yet you expect to much from yourself in such a short amount of time. And I bet you look bloody great anyway. Your eyes probably have way too much critisism for the beauty it beholds.

[dreamgirl]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

A little update...

Well, Aunt Flow came- sooner than I was expecting. I don't know if that's good or bad. I was at the Dr earlier this week, and she said it usually takes about 406 weeks to get back to semi normal, and 3 months to completely get back to normal. She summed it up perfectly: It's even harder for me because here I've gained some baby weight, yet have no baby...

Anyway, I'm in my 4th week of getting back to the gym and yet I haven't lost any weight. In fact, the last 2 weeks, the stupid scale says I've gained 3 lbs. I don't have any f-ing idea what my body is doing. Here I thought since i'd been sedentary for 8 weeks, the weight would come off easily at first. Not so much. I'm really down in the dumps about this, so if anyone has any insight about the hormones and how that's effecting my weight and BF, I'd appreciate it.

I really feel for you with the weight loss. I've been struggling for 2 years now. I'm in the low 130's but my "normal" weight is low 120's. My weight is finally after 2 years, getting to where I want to be. This time, my body wouldn't let go of my weight no matter if I did unbelievable amts of cardio, if I ate perfectly, if I starved myself, - nothing seemed to do ANYTHING.

I know that sounds wierd esp. on this board where members can loose or gain really fast... no matter what I did, it didn't have any effect on me. I really believe now that esp after babies, your body has a mind of it's own... I know that's not what you want to hear, believe me, a year ago, I wouldn't have believed that, but keep up what your doing and eventually when your body is ready to let you take control of what it looks like, then it will.

[dreamgirl]

Also, if you don't feel better in general - you may have post partum depression... I got it about 8 weeks after. I couldn't stop crying and I was upset and down all the time. It's not normal to feel that way and the only reason I knew was because the first time wasn't like that for me - I had something to compare it to.

PM me if you need someone to talk to! I'll listen.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by xxxkazxxx

RS. I don't think that there is any specific thing anyone can tell you right now. Every womens body is different. Some women gain weight with pregnancy, some gain only the baby weight. Some get *aunt flow* a few weeks after, and some dont get it untill 12 months later. Some take forever to lose the extra few pounds & some are just complete freaks & lose it all in weeks and dont even get one single stretch mark on any part of their body. Your body obviously went through alot of shock & could even be somewhat confused as to where its at & what it is supposed to be doing. And remember your body was set for a long mission that was horribly cut short. Your body would surely need to deal with that & get back on track in it's own time. You know, iv'e read so many things where you say *JUST STICK TO IT & YOU WILL SEE*. I think you tell US to have faith & be patient with a routine, yet you expect to much from yourself in such a short amount of time. And I bet you look bloody great anyway. Your eyes probably have way too much critisism for the beauty it beholds.

I hear what you all are saying. And, I am sticking to it. In fact, I'm pushing harder than I was 2 weeks ago. But, when I would diet before I would lose a lb or two each week. True, I'm not contest dieting,but my body IMHO- of course- should be losing something.

When my Dr said 4-6 weeks for your body to almost return to normal, does that mean it should be returning to it's normal hormonal levels? Meaning, should I really not expect to see results. And furthermore, what would be happening to my body if I wasn't working so hard? What I'm getting at is partly is- am I doing this all for nothing until my body is right again?

I mean, I've changed my cardio AND my weight training. I started out doing sets of 8 and 20 min of cardio 3-4 times a week...Now I'm doing supersets and 20 min of cardio twice a day....

It's not that I want to give up, or don't think that what I'm doing will pay off. I just simply do not understand why I can't seem to lose a lb.

[xxxkazxxx]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

I hear what you all are saying. And, I am sticking to it. In fact, I'm pushing harder than I was 2 weeks ago. But, when I would diet before I would lose a lb or two each week. True, I'm not contest dieting,but my body IMHO- of course- should be losing something.

When my Dr said 4-6 weeks for your body to almost return to normal, does that mean it should be returning to it's normal hormonal levels? Meaning, should I really not expect to see results. And furthermore, what would be happening to my body if I wasn't working so hard? What I'm getting at is partly is- am I doing this all for nothing until my body is right again?

I mean, I've changed my cardio AND my weight training. I started out doing sets of 8 and 20 min of cardio 3-4 times a week...Now I'm doing supersets and 20 min of cardio twice a day....

It's not that I want to give up, or don't think that what I'm doing will pay off. I just simply do not understand why I can't seem to lose a lb.

Maybe your body is holding onto the weight for life & death because it feels that's what it need's to do for someone who should at the present time, be breast feeding. So the DR could be right about all your hormones having to return to some kind of normality. Females bodys are so complicated. And once a baby has been added to the life cycle, it all becomes even more complicated. I know after I had my daughter at age 22, weight just went on twice as fast, & became twice as hard to lose. I only gained 7kg in actual non baby body weight, but before pregnancy, it would take me 6 weeks of lazing around to put on a kilo. After giving birth, it's just been a battle. I can put on 1kg in a week if I sit on my lazy butt long enough. Now ofcourse add age into it & I'm gonna have to start sleeping on the treadmill.

I think if you are doing what YOU KNOW has always worked for you, then it simply could be the hormones and your body in baby mode. Which is just going to take time. But your definately not doing it for nothing. Because like you said, imagine what would happen if you wernt doing all this hard work. Fair to say, you would probably pile the pounds on. How many women do we see have great bodies before pregnancy, then they have a baby and explode to larger proportions. I think that covers pretty much 9/10 mothers i know. A mothers body is not what it was before pregnancy. Whole new ball game. Most women dont adapt themselves for that & hence end up tossing out the crappy line *Ive had children, thats why im fat*. And then my silent voice says, "NO!!! Your fat because you watch soapies all day and shovel biscuits in your mouth like they are about to run out of production"

Stick with it RS. You might just have to believe that it's out of your control for just a few more weeks until your body settles back to normal. But don't stop untill then. Youll only put weight on.

[redsquirrel]

OMG- All I have to say is- I'm so glad you are here!!!! That was such great insight, Kaz!!!

But, on a lighter note....maybe I overreacted- it seems as though my BF went down a whole % since last week when sonis pulled my pinches.

And get this: I went to my trainer last night (and yes, I know- but let's face it; I want to lose muscle AND fat- get that long lean, look ,so Shush!) He pretty much tild me that if I started training again that I would be wastingmy sessions. So_ I can TOTALLY appreciate that!! he really gave me great insight as to what my body is going thru

And SHIBBY- I'm mad that you didn't give me any insight about how your girl handled it all.

[xxxkazxxx]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

OMG- All I have to say is- I'm so glad you are here!!!! That was such great insight, Kaz!!!

But, on a lighter note....maybe I overreacted- it seems as though my BF went down a whole % since last week when sonis pulled my pinches.

And get this: I went to my trainer last night (and yes, I know- but let's face it; I want to lose muscle AND fat- get that long lean, look ,so Shush!) He pretty much tild me that if I started training again that I would be wastingmy sessions. So_ I can TOTALLY appreciate that!! he really gave me great insight as to what my body is going thru

And SHIBBY- I'm mad that you didn't give me any insight about how your girl handled it all.

Hehe, so easy to over react, especially when its our OWN bodies we are talking about.

Do you monitor your progress day to day? week to week? or longer? Ive decided to stay away from the scales and BF% for the next month so I don't drive myself crazy. Or maybe I should make it two weeks? In otherwords, how long should you give a set diet & routine time to show progress before you decide to change something that dosnt seem to be working?

And congrats on the BF% loss. You lost it & I think I found it! haha.

[dreamgirl]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

When my Dr said 4-6 weeks for your body to almost return to normal, does that mean it should be returning to it's normal hormonal levels? Meaning, should I really not expect to see results. And furthermore, what would be happening to my body if I wasn't working so hard? What I'm getting at is partly is- am I doing this all for nothing until my body is right again?

RS I've had many discussions the past 2 years with my OB/GYN about just this. It usually takes 4-6 weeks from the moment you stop breastfeeding to hormonally get back to normal. My doc said that loosing weight and lifting can take easily a year... a lot has to do with age, younger women are quicker to getting back into a more normal state than older... and I can completely agree with that (seeing that I was 24 the first time and 29 this past)!

I've spent the last year beating myself up mentally, at the gym, and even with my eating. About 4-5 months ago I was even thinking, maybe it's just not in my cards to EVER loose this weight. I seriously tried accepted being 5'2" and 144lbs (a size 12). and I was hardly on this site because I got so depressed that nothing was working for me. For me it's been in the last 3 months that my body has finally started changing for the better, that puts me at 21 months post baby.

It totally has sucked all that I have done and getting the no results for soooo long, but I know you are younger, so it should happen sooner for you. hang in there.

[xxxkazxxx]

I agree Dreamgirl. I think age has alot to do with it. Ive noticed a few of my friends, who havnt even had children and have had perfect, non fat, non cellulite bodies since we were teeneagers & they have been slowly putting on some fat for the past few years. Add a pregnancy in there & they are going to have to start doing what they have always laughed they have gotton away with NOT doing for 15 years. Exercising & eating properly.

RS, another reason i think its harder to lose weight after pregnancy is because i think once you have one baby, your body trys to hold onto that environment for the next one. As horrible as it is to say & hear, even for myself, the whole purpose of the female body is to reproduce, be a housing case for 9 months & then be a source of food for as long as possible. I still had spots of milk 5 years later. Thats nature & once that seed has been planted, you have given your body the control as to why it exists. On the UP side of it all. And I don't know this for sure at all, but maybe you might find you fall pregnant alot easier this time round.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by xxxkazxxx

Do you monitor your progress day to day? week to week? or longer? Ive decided to stay away from the scales and BF% for the next month so I don't drive myself crazy. Or maybe I should make it two weeks? In otherwords, how long should you give a set diet & routine time to show progress before you decide to change something that dosnt seem to be working?

And congrats on the BF% loss. You lost it & I think I found it! haha.

I usually monitor my progress once a week. Each week on the same day I will weigh and have my husband pull my BF pinches. When I start a new routine, I usually give my body about 3-4 weeks before I start to see results.

And DG- I'm as old as you are. However, I have heard that losing weight after the second baby is ten times harder than the first.

[xxxkazxxx]

How's it going RS? Things settled into place yet?