...to hate the phrase "9 months on, 9 months off"?

[SpooMoo]

My baby is 8mo and while I have lost some weight (all the pram pushing and breastfeeding) I am still overweight and nowhere near back in shape. But I don't have the time or energy to focus on that right now! I just feel like a failure that I'm nearing 9 months postpartum and that's when I "should" be back to normal, according to this phrase! AIBU?

The phrase is complete and utter bollocks

Some people take 3 or 4 days to go back to exactly the same weight they were before pregnancy...and others take months/years.

It depends on so many different things.

Fairly sure that phrase was probably coined by a man,who had no children.

Yanbu.

I think the phrase is meant to reassure people who feel like they need to be back to pre-baby shape within three weeks!

Don't worry - concentrate on your lovely baby.

I get annoyed when people say they can't 'focus' on their weight loss/diet etc

Why does it need such focus?

HeySoulSister - do you have a baby?

I've never heard that phrase in my life.

After my last child it's been 9 months on, 20 years still not off.

Never heard the phrase to be honest but now I do it's bollocks.

Pre-baby I ate fewer snacks and I went to the gym 3-4 times a week. I still cannot find time/headspace to join a gym, it gets me down to be honest.

Can you not do exercise videos, join classes, speed up your walking with buggy or walk further distances etc? Ditch the snacks and you will be back to normal pretty quickly.

Never heard of that phase before tbh. Everyone's body is different.

It needs focus because healthy eating requires planning, usually more than each night deciding what meal takes the least effort. I never had time to make healthy lunches, instead made a quick cheese sandwich that easy. And snacked because you've had so little sleep and tiredness makes you hungry.

More like 9 months on, 4 years off for me.

If you snack less you will want less snacks. Eat healthy snacks like grapes, strawberries etc, but the most important thing is upping your exercise which is even easier if your not working. Dont get down hearted but just get motivated if you want results.

And you can't honestly blame a random (and stupid) phrase for making you feel like a failure.

You are making you feel that way, not the phrase.

So perhaps it's time to either lighten up on yourself, or make plans to change things.

What Usual said.

A baby?? I'm a lone parent to 5!

I'd never heard that phase. After DS1 I was back to pre-baby weight within a week. After DS2 (now 18) I still have a stone to shift

Never even heard it. Is it a local thing?

Our local park has pram running groups. The gym doesn't have to feature in your regime. Power pramming looks fun!

its a load of tosh. DD was 2 before I was back to my original weight, can't say the same about my shape though.

Are you still breast feeding? I didn't lose much weight until I stopped feeding.....

Another one saying dont stress it OP, and even if you do exercise like a mofo which I did before and after.
(I mean proper stuff like marathons) you might have to accept your body will never be the same again. And why should it? You created a human being FFS! YOUR BODY IS AMAZING. Give it - and yourself - a break.

And yeah YANBU that phrase is a load of shit!

I've never heard of it.

ignore it... I look more pregnant now than I ever did while actually pregnant (Ds1 is 20)

i am still trying to shift my baby weight

DD2 is...........................................21............................years