Will I ever get my pre-pregancy body back?

OP if you have the same doctor again, you could frame it as you’re struggling with hormonal life event based body changes and the last time this happened I.e. puberty you had thought patterns that led to disordered eating, and you can sense those thoughts starting again. There’s no judgement in saying that, you are asking for help and being self aware.

Well done on the race. It’s not about the end photo, we know that for months you were disciplined trained and managed the other parts of your life and commitments to a tee to get it done, especially as a single mum to a under 1yo! That’s amazing.

My advice would be not to stress about it at this point, it’s still early days! Wish I hadn’t spent so much thought on it. Sounds like you know and are practicing healthy eating and you’re doing exercise consistently so that’s the hardest part to get going. I found that it took the best part of 2 years for my body to feel like mine again. I initially lost quite a bit of weight though breast feeding but in the end, it was when I stopped breastfeeding (around 18 months) that the last of the weight just naturally evened out. That also tied in getting a bit more consistent sleep as well (had a terrible sleeper). Can’t underestimate the impact of hormones and sleep. In all honesty, my body shape has changed - wider hips
and ribs etc. but I am back in pre pregnancy clothes/size, just needed to figure how to dress to my new body shape. I enjoy exercise even more now and focus has changed from aesthetics to an appreciation of what my body can do. You’ll get there, it just takes time

Breastfeeding for me has made the weight cling to me. I lost weight calorie counting but I was still eating 2000 calories and losing 1 to 2lbs a week. I found a website that works out how many calories you should be eating when breastfeeding and that really helped. You need to keep your calories up when breastfeeding and exercising.
My little one is 16 months now (and still a boob monster), I’m back in a size 8 (I was a size 6 before) but I still feel huge. I do CrossFit 3/4 times a week and am lifting a lot, loads of cardio and walk 15000 steps and it’s still not falling off but coming off slowly, too slowly for my liking. Like other people have said though, my shape is different. The gym do videos quite often and I try not to look but I scrutinise them and look at how big my arms look, my stomach, my face and just feel horrific afterwards.
I also have two 6 year olds (twins and struggled to breastfeed so ended up on formula) and the weight came off so easily in comparison.
I just wanted to reply for support, I get it. It’s hard but keep the calories up for your little one whilst breastfeeding!

Sorry, I see now that you do do weights x

Give it another 4 months so you're at least a year post partum. It sounds like you're doing amazingly well. Breastfeeding makes such a difference to how many calories you need. One the baby is really properly settled into weaning I bet your figure will come back. Do you do strength training as well?

So impressed with your running times! Good luck and be kind to yourself x

If your boobs are all over the place you need a much better sports bra - they should be held in place solid as a rock for running.

Your boobs are bigger because they're working, things will change when you stop (not necessarily back to pre-baby, but different to now).

You're a single Mum, you have an 8 month old, you're breastfeeding and you're able to run a 10k race, that's pretty awesome! Practise some self love 🙂 Nobody looks good on some random photos snapped by a photographer at weird angles after running for 50mins. If you were dangerously underweight in your early 20s then you probably have a tendency to struggle to see your body the way other people do. Size 6 is really very slim and may not be sustainable in the long-term, because as we get older, fat clings to us more, and that's ok. Also you're breastfeeding, your body needs more calories right now. I have two kids and they're 7 and 9, I weigh 6kgs more than before I had kids and I don't really care, I'm very physically active and eat well and it's been 10 years after all... enjoy your running and work on loving your body.

Well done on running the 10k! 💪💪💪
8 months is still very early days and it's likely also due to the breastfeeding. I found my body held on to extra weight but once I stopped the weight came off and I wasn't doing anything different.

OP, no one looks good after a 10k race, even olympic athletes. You are doing great, and are feeding your child. Please don't worry.

If you can run 10k there is absolutely no need to talk about yourself like this. Please treat yourself with kindness. You have got a bit older, your body has been thru childbirth.. of course it's not going to look exactly the same as it used to. But if you are fit and healthy.. which it very much sounds like you are.. then this is not something to waste your time thinking about. A size 10 is NNOTa 'heffalump' please stop. Appreciate the wonderful things your body can do.. it sounds like you've put in so much hard work.. be proud of yourself. There aren't many people out there who do 20k steps a day and can run 10k. That's considered very active. Well above average. You should be proud of yourself.
And I bet you actually look amazing too.. perhaps you just aren't as thin as you used to be. But being extremely thin isn't the true marker of health or even beauty

I lost 12 lbs IN A WEEK when I stopped BF. and I was only feeding him x2 a day at 10 months. My body clings to fat when BF and drops it when I stop. Happened x3 now and will happen with this baby too I bet

I'm just the other side of menopause now. I haven't had weight gain, but lots of joint shit, sleep issues, general aches and crap in the last few years.
I sometimes felt like I think people who don't enjoy running must feel - heavy legged, drained and soooo much effort.

The old me is returning now - still got some joint issues, but I feel more bouncy and buzzy.

It's tough being a woman!

I was so frustrated with the weight as I was also eating well, exercising well etc but it was the breastfeeding and lack of sleep for me. About 10 months another BF was dropped, I started to sometimes get a full night of sleep and suddenly everything just toned back up and I was actually stronger and faster that pre baby. Sadly didn't last and now struggling with perimenopausal weight but think that is also linked with poor sleep. I guess in summary maybe not totally the same body but definitely can get body back

Check your pelvic tilt!

You can find videos on YouTube. If it’s out it changes everything. I looked 6 months pregnant but was whittling away at the wrists (ie. It wasn’t fat!). It was all my internal organs rolling round like being in a shopping bag and bloating as my transverse abdominis sleeve was not engaged anymore. It’s a huge set of internal muscles running all the way from the pelvic floor to the diaphragm and pretty much holds all your organs together. When your pelvic tilt shifts in pregnancy your back muscles tighten and this disengages the whole system. It literally affects everything. How you stand, how you walk, what muscles are engaging, how you are using energy in your body, how your breathing, pissing, digesting. Incredible.

It’s super easily corrected as well. Takes about 6 weeks to fix and 3 months - 6 months to stabilise from slipping back.

Goodluck

I hated how I looked post the birth of my second baby in May and was incredibly depressed with how much weight I put on. Six months on I've shifted it by upping my exercise and religiously sticking to a 1200 calorie diet.

BUT

I'm not breastfeeding. I think you need to go a bit easier on yourself as you're literally sustaining a small human!

...

Is it possible to get back to a size six? I don't know. I hope so. I'm happier now but I still don't feel like 'me' so I understand what you're saying.

It wasn’t until a few months after stopping breastfeeding (at 15 months) and sleeping more that I got my normal shape back. I was a size 8 before and went back to that without too much stress. You sound like an active person and you’ll get back to where you want to be x

OP you sound very similar to me. I was a size 6-8 before I had children. Now I'm closer to a 10 with 32 G boobs and I'm very into fitness but my excess skin is still there 3 years on. I will say 8 months is not a long time and it did taken me nearly three years to get back to where I am now.

I think it depends on what pregnancy has done to your body tbh!

I'm never going to be a size 6-8 like I was pre kids because my hips are wider and my rib cage moved out both pregnancies and only went partway back!
I'm the same weight I was pre 2 kids but my body shape is completely different so I wear a size 10-12 (shop depending as we all know no 2 shops sizes are the same!)

I would say something that's helped me feel more me is wearing the shapewear vest top body suits so hey shape or similar. I absolutely love the figure it gives me and now wear them under most clothes. I feel much more confident.

Find that thing which gives you a confidence boost and I'm sure you look amazing in a cross wrap dress!

I held onto about 10ib when I was breast feeding and it wouldn't budge until I stopped.

I've have 3 kids now. My body is completely different after csections, breast feeding etc. saggy boobs, c section scar/pouch but I'm the smallest I've ever been now.

Just give it time it's early days and i imagine if you are anything like me, those final few pounds will fall off once you've stopped breast feeding.

Sorry op but given your update I do think you're in the danger zone for relapsing into an ED..please for god's sake don't calorie count. No one should be weighing cherry tomatoes, least of all a woman whose running 10ks whilst basically exclusively breastfeeding! That's just ridiculous. You are no where near overweight and no where near having to worry about your weight. I hope at some point you can find peace with your amazing body and care about it's health foremost. There really is more to life. I don't think anyone is going to be lying on their deathbed wishing they'd been a bit thinner.

OP I'm still traumatised by a photo my DP recently took of me on holiday and I'm nearly 2 years post partum 😭 still breastfeeding though so hopefully all my excess weight magically melts away when I stop and I look gorgeous again because right now I feel and look horrible!

Give yourself time (it took me three years). And lift some bloody weights!

I lost shitloads of weight whilst breastfeeding. I just sat around eating chocolate all day and lost two stone in about two months. However, my boobs have always been much bigger since pregnancy.

Give yourself time, but if you feel you are slipping towards disordered eating of exercise, please do speak to your GP.💐

Honestly, yes and no. Some aspects of your body will be changed permanently by pregnancy, breast feeding and age, but there's nothing stopping you from getting back a healthy, fit body.

8 months postpartum and breastfeeding? Be patient.

50 mins is an awesome time for a 10k. 💪