Why am I not loosing weight??

[AlmondFrangipani]

I had a baby 4 months a go. I put on about 3 stone in pregnancy and have 1.5 stone to loose now. For the past 6 weeks I've been exercising. This has included 2-3 gym sessions (with a PT friend),1 Pilates class and walking my dog 5 times a week. I used to be really fit and my body used to react well to exercise but despite all this effort I have not lost a single lb!!! It's so disheartening. I'm eating reasonably well but my DS wakes up 6 times a night so in my sleep deprived state I sometimes opt for easy meals like pasta (but always brown options). What do I need to do to shift this baby weight??!!

Have you lost inches? How do your clothes feel? Are you happy with how you look?

Sometimes it's best not to measure change by numbers on a scale.

Also, you must be exhausted! Are you looking after yourself? I have a five week old and am shattered just reading about your routine!

I don't know if I've lost inches as I didn't measure before I started. My tummy is definitely a bit flatter but none of my pre pregnancy clothes fit! I can't even get some jeans past my thighs ! I know what your saying but surely the scales should move a bit too? I'm not expecting miracles but a few pounds would encourage me!

I am exhausted but feel worse if I do nothing! It's an emotional battle for me! How are you doing with your LO?

Give yourself time, your hormones will still be all over the place. The myth that we should all snap back into shape is perpetuated by the media and mega-skinny "celebrities" and is not realistic for most women.

Live healthily and enjoy this time with your baby rather than fretting over your weight

All good here - but looking forward to getting the all clear at my postnatal check and start toning my wobbly yummy back in!

I'm not a big believer in scales to be honest. For me they're not an accurate measure of progress.

There are theories that lack of sleep causes your hormones to "hang on" to fat making weight loss more difficult. I suspect your regime could be adding to your tiredness and compounding the problem. Maybe you could talk to your PT? They should be able to advise.

I agree with PP that it's still early days though.

Almond, I could have written your exact post! Baby also nearly 4 months, 1.5 stone still to lose, doing loads of walking plus the Shred 4-5 times a week but the weight isn't shifting. Are you breastfeeding? Wondering if that's why the fat is hanging in there.

i think it is a matter of time you need. IME the excess weight stays on till about 8 mths post-natal especially once LO is more active. As others have said do try to get adequate rest. All the best.

I was shattered due to non sleeping ds and as I bf was on night feed constantly
I walked a lot everyday trying to sooth ds but also ate tons of cake/ coffee, however I found my weight went in stages, loads none loads none etc
Suddenly after 9mo I tried on some older clothes and they were way too big, and I'd lost more than I'd realised
Drinking loads of water helps too
You'll get there but defo slow down a bit

Maybe you could try counting your calories for a couple of weeks? Keep a food diary and write down everything you eat. Weigh it properly first because in my experience, estimates can be quite off until you get used to portion sizes.

It might seem tedious but it will give you an idea of how many calories you're actually eating. You can make further decisions based on that. If you're not eating too many then you know the problem is elsewhere but you may find that you're surprised at how many calories you're actually consuming.

After I had DS I was eating reasonably healthy, but my portions were huge and I was constantly snacking - generally healthy snacks but the volume I was consuming was hindering my weight loss. Could that be your problem?

I feel your pain. I exercise every day - proper, full on cardio - and the scales rarely budge. So - are you a normal weight? I am bang on in the middle of the normal BMI range - 22 - so I tell myself that this is why my weight rarely changes.

If you have weight to lose then I'd recommend looking at your calorie and carb intake

Thanks for all the messages. I'm not BF and I do think that's part of the problem for me. All my friends who are have snapped back into shape!!

Having given my food intake some serious thought I agree with what some of you have said on portion sizes and volume of snacks. I'm still eating tonnes! So, decided to give up biscuits, chocolate, crisps, cake and wheat until Xmas and watch my portion sizes. I'm hoping that will kick start my body!!