Drastic postpartum weight loss advice!

[Mela155]

I have DC2 who is 4 months old and DC1 who is 17 months. I've always been slim/fit and eaten healthy. After DC1 I just enjoyed the moment, ate crap and got fat. Now after having my second I am hating my body. My body sags and I don't feel strong anymore. I believe in good nutrition and being strong. This pregnancy, I didn't go wild at all and ate healthy whilst maintaing some level of fitness.

I weigh 12 st 4 and my aim is to be 9st 8 eventually which is a good weight for my height.

I want to start getting fit ASAP. I have already started as I feel so sluggish and fat it isn't good at all. So far my plan is:

• 2 meals a day (dinner to be nutritious and breakfast to be oatabix and fruit)
• strength training daily - abs, bum,thighs,arms back ect
• 10 min HITT workout daily, would like to get to X2 a day at some point.

Does anyone have any advice on how they got fit after having a baby? If you have a programme you followed that would be helpful. I want to get back to normal FAST.

I would recommend a postpartum core program to rebuild your core strength. If you think you may have diastasis recti then go see a woman's physio or get a Mummy MOT and they will recommend exercises to close the gap.

Choose a workout routine you will stick to! There are plenty of good instructors on YouTube, or I use the Peloton app (they also have postpartum core programs).

If you're currently not really exercising then your plan sounds like too much of a jump and you're setting yourself up to fail. You need rest days from strength training or you'll be prone to injury.

Do you take the kids out for a walk every day? Walking is really good for you and you'll be helping your kids have healthy lifestyles.

You don't need to eat just two meals a day, but more protein and fewer carbs will help you lose weight and build muscle without feeling hungry. The breakfast is not a great choice for everyday.

@WeAreTheHeroes Yes I agree, I'm not a fan of the breakfast tbh but oats helps keep my milk supply up and I don't like porridge. I'll probably add some healthy snacks and smoothies between those two meals.

I am the type of person to fully commit and will take rest days when needed. I walk almost everyday with the kids but walking doesn't feel like enough. I regularly go on long hikes and did to the end of my pregnancies so stamina wise I am somehow quite good.

I'm on day 3 of this regimen and it's going well. I already feel better but it is only day 3. I am 100percent committed though.

Avoid calorie restriction whilst breast feeding - you’ll find that the hungrier you are the more tired you get and you will inevitably snack. Carbohydrates will fill you up the most but protein fills you up for the longest period of time so perhaps have something high in protein for lunch or maybe a protein shake with fruits etc. With the exercise you need to start slowly and increase gradually depending on how you feel. I’m currently 6 weeks PP and re started my spinning and running at 2 weeks PP but I had maintained my level of activity until the day I delivered. I did the same thing with my first child too. Remember to drink lots of water - I found when I was super thirsty during BFing or expressing, and sometimes confused it with hunger. And like the PP said, it’s a marathon not a sprint. Good luck!

I could have written this op!!!
Hate my body so much after having DS… for me actually that was the hardest part. I was huge. I went from 9.5st to over 12. I am 5”6 so it’s a huge leap. Used to run 15-20km a week!!!! Now I do dog walks but finding time for any exercise is so hard. I’m slowly losing it and have lost about 2st now, in about 18m. My advice would be to just eat really healthily, and don’t pile pressure on yourself as you will find it hard to meet high targets. Small habits, no sugar, no crap. Xxx

Thanks everyone. As you all have predicted, I have overdone it. I have lost 6lb which I didn't expect but I also basically starved myself and exercised so what else did I expect. I felt a lot of pressure because it's my sister's wedding coming up and mil was asking if I was trying to lose weight and said I'd never go back to normal. That really got to me so I went a bit extreme.

I'm going to try to aim for 1-2lb a week instead. I can't even exercise atm with these two and it is just getting me frustrated so I'll wait til I can leave ds2 with dh and go to the gym for some me time.

For now I'll just eat nutritious and exercise appropriately.

Your mil is an asshole, ignore her.

Don’t forget to have protein with every meal. This will keep you fuller for longer. Have the breakfast you mentioned but add a boiled egg. My top tips for losing weight in the healthiest way possible are drink 2 litres of water a day, cut down on carbs and increase protein with every meal. I tend to do the strength training when I’ve reached my desired weight as I see it more as a maintenance plan. For burning fat I would be walking 15-20 000 steps per day.