After having a baby, how much weight comes off without trying?

[used2bthin]

DD2 is four weeks old. I know this is still early but I don't think any weight has come off since the initial few days. I bought a skirt when she was about two weeks and definately none has come off since then.

A child thought I was pregnant again yesterday. Getting down about it as I thought some would come off naturally-I knew it'd take work for a lot of it but surely SOME should just go?!

4 weeks is very early

Your body is still healing and recovering

However, I didn't really loose any till after I cut down breast feeding at 10 months (then I got PG again )

Enjoy the precious time with your new little one, eat sensible and you'll be ok :)

With ds1 it took freaking forever. I was given the old adage of 'it took 40 weeks to put on the weight so it will take that long to lose it.' More in my case, but I had put on about 4 stone

With ds2 I had a craving for apples and salad, kept much fitter and was back in my regular jeans within 2 weeks.

Thank you, I think my problem is partly I am not eating sensibly.

I wish I wanted apples and salad! Two weeks!All I want is sweet sugary stuff and my portion size for meals is too big I am sure. Having said that I still think I am eating less than I did when pregnant.

My stomach really does still look pg, it just hangs there. My size 12 maternity jeans that were too big till the last month of pregnancy are still tight on me now.

I guess it depends on how much weight you put on in the pregnancy. If you put on a lot more than just baby it will take time to drop off.

With DD I was back in normal clothes at 3 months pp. With DS I put less on (running around after DD) and was back in normal clothes after 4 weeks and weighed less than I had before pg, but a very funny shape.

I was also breastfeeding with both and didn't have much appetite with DS. I then put loads back on after I stopped feeding DS and forgot to stop eating the cake and biscuits

I put on 3 and a half stone with both. With DD1 though I am sure more had come off by now, naturally without any effort. I then didn't fully lose the last ten pounds despite lots of effort, till after I stopped breast feeding.

This time nothing is moving at all, I still look like I did three weeks ago.

Weighed myself a week after giving birth and I was about 11lbs over my pre-pg weight. 3lbs came off without effort (despite much, much choc and cake), and then I stuck. I was/am bf. This would not have been so bad if my pre-pg weight hadn't been 2 stone overweight . I then tried Eat More To Weigh Less, then moved on to low-carbing after reading Briffa's Escape The Diet Trap and I've lost another 13bs, yay! Am now 18 weeks post-partum. Still got another stone and a half to go, sadly.

TurtleDoves, how are you finding bfing and low-carbing? has it affected your supply at all?

DD2 is only 2wks old atm but I'm dying to get going with some kind of healthy eating plan to shift this 1.5 stone that has crept up over the last 9mths :(

am reading conflicting advice about low-carbing and bfing - some say it's fine, even good for your milk due to extra fats - others say ketones in bm could be bad for baby - and some say it can affect supply too. so am interested to know how you've got on.

oop sorry -just saw your post on the other thread about milk supply. answers my question beautifully

I think its different for different people - I have had to diet each time to lose any weight, whereas my sister in law just loses it without any effort at all.

But then I ate cake and ice creams when breastfeeding, sister in law ate healthily and small portions.

if you eat big portions and lots of carbs you'll probably gain weight after the birth like I did....

Thanks for replies. I have definately been on the cake and ice cream diet. No worse than I was last time but I guess six years older probably doesn't help!

I am starting to do a bit of walking when I am not catching up on sleep and with dd1 off for summer hols will end up being more active so fingers crossed. Sick of having nothing to wear, think I will have to get some cheap and very stretchy jeans. Had decided to wear leggings and dresses but finding they are rubbish with feeding and also make me still look pg. My denim skirt makes me look really bulgey too.

I seem to recall feeling that at 6 weeks I was an enormous flabby mess, and then by 12/13 weeks thinking I was doing really well and being able to wear jeans again. Having the baby is a real shock to the system and you don't really want to be thinking about looking wonderful on top of everything else in the early weeks - forget all those celebrity pics - utter rubbish.

I was back in pre-preg trousers at 4 weeks but I hugely caveat it with they were the ONLY one I was back in and I remember being delighted! They were always opn the big size. My boobs for ages would only fit size 14 stuff when I was an 8 before. When the weight really came off for me was at the 6 month point when dD started weaning and I ate with her at 1700. I discovered that eating before 6 was the key!