Will I ever get my pre-pregancy body back?

You are a size 10.

Now that may feel big to you if you used to be a size 6 but you are substantially smaller than the majority of the UK population.

You are 8 months post partum. Don't restrict your diet that's not healthy. Relax.

I found after my first once I quit breastfeeding completely (she was 1) the weight fell off over about 4 months I was almost back to pre pregnancy weight after a 2or more stone weight gain. I stayed between 8/9 stone until I had my second which fingers crossed the same will happen although I'm 10 years older than I was then 😂.

Oh please be kind to yourself. I always felt like a whale when I was breastfeeding as my boobs were enormous!!

I held onto a load of excess weight until I stopped and then my boobs went back to normal and I felt SO much better about myself.

OP, it sounds like you are no stranger to the race photo. They can be utterly AWFUL!
I race a lot. Honestly, some of the pics make me want to hide under my bed until the end of my days! I am in good shape, yet in some photos my thighs look enormous (they are not), and I'm pulling a face that wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. Because you're not happy with your shape at the moment I imagine you are being super critical of yourself.

Some women don't lose the last bit of weight until they stop breastfeeding. It's likely your breasts won't be so large. I bet the baggy t.shirt wasn't the most flattering. If it was caught in the wind it likely ballooned around you.

8 months is still really early on to be back to true race form.

FWIW, I was stronger and faster in my 40s after 2 kids (which I had at 28 and 38). I was fortunate in that I didn't cling on to extra weight, but everyone's experience and bodies are different. Many of my running club friends who've had children really struggled (physically and emotionally) to get back to where they were. But it does come - you just need to be patient and don't be too hard on yourself. Your body will be prioritising nourishing your baby.

50 mins is a great time BTW, well done. You said you enjoyed it, and that really is the main thing.

Yes you can get your body back but yes, you probably will need to do some kind of calorie counting. Probably not 1200 because with breast feeding that’s kind of insane. Your boobs will not get smaller until you’re done breast feeding. I am currently about 10lbs less than I was pre DC and in great shape. Like you, I’ve always been slim and athletic. It took a couple rounds of calorie counting but once I was there, maintaining wasn’t hard. I do weigh myself pretty regularly though because I am into the perimenopause danger zone and fuck me if I’m just going to accept going squidgy!!

loads of people said to me that breastfeeding made them loose the weight, but it didn’t happen that way for me, I seemed to have random fat pockets all over when I was bf!! it wasn’t until after DC1 weaned that the weight fell off me despite me not changing my diet much at that time. Tbh I did get my size 8 pre pregnancy body back more or less after DC1, hips a bit wider and boobs a bit bigger but other than that I was happy. We won’t talk about what DC 2 has done to my body since then!!

Aside from what everyone else is saying, you know race photos are notoriously terrible, right? You've just run for miles and miles, your body is stressed to the max, your face is sweaty and red, and you're mid-motion... Hardly glam!

This is a side of being a mum I’ve found difficult too at times. Your body changes, and I think while breastfeeding, there can be a limit to how much you can do about it.

One thing I wonder is whether you need to take more rest days and stop calorie restriction. I think (based on my experience and nothing scientific) that sometimes my body panics a bit when I’m doing a lot of exercise and holds onto weight. I then find if I take a few days off exercise I lose a bit of weight.

You sound super fit and healthy and that’s the main thing. Your body will continue to change a lot over the next year or so.

I lost tons when breastfeeding, was slimmer 4months pp than before I got pregnant. But my body wasn't the same. My boobs didn't really go back to normal until 1 year after I finished breastfeeding and they're definitely not quite the same as before.
My ribs/ waist/ hips stayed wider when though I weighed less.
At only 8 months post partum I'd be nice to yourself and relax your diet completely. It's a massive life change you don't need the stress of worrying about your body too. I bet you're not getting half as much sleep/ downtime as you did pre baby and that can really effect weight/ appetite.

I got close-ish within six weeks, but the remainder clung to me until I significantly reduced breastfeeding at 18 months to one feed a day. Then the weight fell off without me changing much at all.

Lots of women react differently to breastfeeding. I can't lose weight myself when bf. It isn't going to happen til baby is after 1 til I look a tad normal.

I recently lost 8lb from doing nothing but having my son turn 18mo and dropping a feed. I've lost more on an all inclusive holiday than I have from dieting and exercising when I've breastfed.

If you think about it, your body wants to hold onto fat to sustain your milk supply. Your fat metabolism is altered and if we lived in poverty our baby's would thrive but unforuntaly we live in he land of excess and end up looking like female wrestlers. Lots of women do lose weight whilst bf but everyone is different.

I could never lose weight when breastfeeding but breastfeeding is really important so take your time.
it did take me 2 years and more effort to feel better and although my figure is different I’m happy with it. You’ll get there in the end.

my advice I’d choose a flatting outfit and wear it, do your hair and make up, even if you’re just going out for a baby class or a coffee. you’ll probably feel a lot better!

You sound like me in my first year postpartum... in my case as soon as I stopped breastfeeding the last of the weight came off. My boobs went from an H back down to a D and all the extra weight from around my arms and face went at the same time.

And my times over all distances are now also quicker than they were pre-kids, including running good for age qualifiers for the first time.

Hang in there OP, 8 months is no time and you're doing brilliantly.

I felt exactly the same after my second baby! My first the weight came off in weeks and I was back into a size six. My second I stopped breastfeeding at 15 months and six weeks on my boobs are back to a 30c from being huge and all the new clothes I bought are getting loose. The constant food cravings have disappeared and I’m not eating every hour of the day. Just give it time, chances are when you wean you will change shape again.

My children are now 12, 10 and 8 and although I am the same weight as I was before I am a completely different shape. And the reality is that I always will be.

I was a size 10 pre baby and I could not get back into my old bras til I stopped breast feeding- the week after I stopped my boobs shrank back to normal. Bodies are funny things! You sound fit, healthy and strong I give yourself one time.

I agree with this

Oh lovey in that case I think you should reach out to someone in real life - can you talk to your partner about this ?

Also if you feel you can share this with a health professional (GP or health visitor) please do -it’s good you recognise that you are vulnerable to falling into the old thoughts and behaviours.

I really don’t think you should calorie restrict if you’re still your babies main source of food. It will be bad for your body in all kinds of ways, bone health etc. your body will take the nutrients that baby needs and leave you deficient.

I think you’re expecting too much too soon. It took me a good two years to get back to a place where my body really felt normal again - and even then that has involved making peace with some irrevocable changes!

I also think it can be incredibly hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. I know some women find breastfeeding helps the weight fall off but that wasn’t my experience at all. I was so hungry that even though I was eating healthily I was also eating a lot, to satiate that hunger. I didn’t start losing my pregnancy weight to any reliable degree until after I stopped breastfeeding when my son was around 16 months. It was much easier then.

It sounds like you’re super fit and taking care of your health really well. That’s amazing and will set you in good stead in time. For now, it might just be the case that it’s not the season for your body to return to how it was.