BMI of 26. Overweight and horrified.

[MonsterMunchh]

Just found out my BMI is 26 which is in the overweight range. I am
6 months postpartum and never been overweight in my life and certainly wasn’t after my first baby.

I eat regularly but don’t binge.

I knew I had weight to lose but thought it was more a case of toning up and exercising! I’m horrified!

You are barely in the overweight category and your body is still recovering from having a baby! I don’t think there’s any need to be horrified!

BMI is quite a blunt instrument and you’re not far out of the healthy range anyway. You should allow yourself 9 months at least postpartum before worrying about weight!

Being horrified that you're only slightly overweight six months after having your second child seems like an overreaction. What's your relationship with food like?

I'm not saying you shouldn't address your weight gain, download a calorie calculator and make sensible changes to reduce your intake, but I certainly wouldn't be too worried about it

That’s not much above a healthy weight, so it should be easy to lose.

5 months ago, but weighed more than I weighed when 9 months pregnant and my BMI was 29. Now that was horrifying.

Hi, is this horrified as in you’re just a bit startled because you assumed it was lower, or horrified as in you’re feeling shame or self criticism?

If it’s the former, I’d not worry. You’re still recovering and the difference between 26 and the ‘healthy’ (dreadful word in this context) is indeed just a bit of toning up. I think I was the same at that point and it all just went back to (my) normal in time particularly once baby was sleeping.

If it’s the latter, I know we live in a society that’s both obesogenic and massively critical of women’s bodies unless we are rail thin, and even then will find something else to criticise for. Hugs.