Has anyone managed to get their pre-pregnancy figure back after letting themselves go for about.......10 years?

[MrsFogi]

That's it really. I was a size 8 before dcs and now am now only just squeezing into size 12s. I've been putting on about a kilo a year since having the dcs and and totally unfit. I'd really like to go back to how I used to be (and fit in all those lovely pre-children clothes I have). I eat a rubbish diet and do no exercise but have way less time than I had before dcs (ft job etc).
Has anyone (with very little willpower) managed to bite the bullet and find the willpower to shed the weight, get toned and stay that way? Is it indeed possible to have the same shape as pre-children (particularly after letting it go for a while)?
Any words of wisdom or inspiration very gratefully received.

Are you me? Watching with interest... I was tiny before!

7 years here post old me. Actually, more than that thanks to hormonal contraceptives for problem periods so probably about 10 years.

My 40th was to be my motivation. Yeah...

If you find the secret, do let me know!

Not quite yet there yet, but I’m hopeful. Three pregnancies here and three lots of extended breastfeeding, followed by 9 months on f Cerazette. Result: I was four stone heavier and four sizes bigger by the end of it.

As the first step, dropped the nasty hormonal contraception and switched to Natural Cycles. After a few months, some of the weight went.

Then I joined the gym and six months on, I am 2 stone lighter and 2 sizes smaller. I can fit into the clothes I wore prior to my second pregnancy.

The secret though is not so much what you do, but the attitude. Put yourself first, go to the gym when you want to, rather than sorting through that pile of laundry (and a hundred other tasks which are always there). Love yourself, love your body, don’t feed it junk, rest it well. Treat yourself with care, like you treat everyone else in your family.

Good luck on your journey! Everything’s possible. For me it was also 10 years, and I would not have thought I could have a waist again. I thought I was done for and it was only going to be downhill from there. Well, I was wrong!

Totally possible, in fact I'm fitter and have a better body now at mid 40s than I've been in my entire life, and I was pretty fit and active before DCs and in my 20s.

But..there are no short cuts, miracle cures or secrets! The simple science is that you currently consume more energy than you expend. If the weight gain has been gradual, then its probably an accumulation of smaller lifestyle changes over the years. So start thinking about those. Cut out the between meal biscuits, the extra cups of tea, walk instead of getting the bus or driving. Have a look at your regular go-to weekly family meals, see if you can make them healthier, reduce portion sizes. Find an exercise you love, no point joining a gym if treadmills bore you for example. There are so many active choices, lots you can do as a family too.

Most importantly, stop making excuses (if you already do) that this is beyond your control. Plenty of people have kids, work long hours etc etc and manage to do it. Good luck!

How about 17 years? I put on some weight before I had kids then during pregnancy and BFing had fluctuating weight. I lost weight easily while BFing which got me into bad cake-eating habits. Couple of years after my youngest was born I started exercising again and built that up so I now swim 4 times a week and do yoga 4 times a week. That didn't help me lose weight but it stemmed the increase a bit. About a year ago I started using myfitnesspal on my phone. Having to put in all that cake really helped me see how I was putting on weight. I had pretty good habits (lots of fruit and veg, no sugary drinks) anyway so for me calorie counting was just about reducing the crap, I still eat cake but one small piece instead of 3 big ones. I eat fewer snacks before dinner and brush my teeth after dinner to reduce the temptation to snack in the evening. Tweaked my breakfast a bit to reduce the calories there. But I still eat (healthy) snacks during the day and don't starve myself at celebrations, I accept the hit from the odd meal out etc. I'm now the weight I was in my 20s, have a BMI of 23 and a healthy waist measurement. My exercise means my legs and arms are muscly which is great, I'm 46 and in the best shape I've ever been.

Think MFP is a good thing to try. The noS diet (no snacks, sugar or seconds) also seems sensible. I think it's about finding something that will work permanently for you and that is possibly to do while living a normal life.

I am a work in progress! Lost a stone to get to around the same weight (ish) as I was pre dc but weirdly loads fatter. Previously I would have had no issues getting in a bikini but now I struggle with letting DH see me in my underwear. Weight watchers worked for me, I think I stuck to it as I was being financially penalised. Then signed up to the gym (ditto financially painful) and going three times a week while being conscious of what I eat. Agree there is no easy way to do it, I have very sadly come to the conclusion that it is either keep the weight off or pastries. They cannot exist together 😭

Thanks for all the replies so far, it sounds like there is some hope if I can find some willpower! Any more experiences and suggestions welcome (and it sounds like I may not be the only one who has not regained their pre-dc figure but would quite like to so so).

Try 14 years! Had just about gotten back to pre-preg-with-dc1 weight and fell pregnant with surprise baby. :) He is down 10 months old and I'm working on losing the weight yet again. Hey ho. Intermittent Fasting works very well for me. Lost a stone in 21 days. Still have a ways to go, and want to lose more to get below my pre-pregnancy weight as I wasn't really where I wanted to be.

I don't exercise enough apart.from walking.

My dc are 6 and 14 And I’m considerably gitter than before them and nearly as slim . It hasn’t been easy though but a combination of weight watchers and the gym have helped .

10 years since I was first pregnant. I think I was 61kg before my pregnancy and I'm now 62kg, but more importantly I am getting even fitter now than I was then. I've joined a gym and now my 40th birthday is looming, I'm very aware I need to look after myself now to be in good shape, and to make it easier to be in good health for the rest of my life. I'm not actively trying to lose weight but just getting stronger and fitter, as that will make more difference to me than losing the last kg. I am the last person who I thought would enjoy the gym (not sporty at all!) but it's genuinely been a fab experience.