Haven't lost baby weight keep trying or accept new body?

[Skymama90]

I'm a mom to a DS almost 2 years old and I haven't lost the baby weight (completely) I'm finding it quite depressing to continue this mindset that I'm going to lose it or keep thinking of my body as in transition. I've had a complete change of lifestyle I worked as a Primary School teacher I was ill a lot catching things of the kids tummy and chest bugs and very stressed now a SAHM. I walk everyday and go swimming at least once a week. Has anyone not lost the weight and had to accept their body the way it is. My BMI is healthy but I'm about 6lb away from being overweight.

You need to stop viewing it as “baby weight”

it’s well and truly not baby weight anymore

if your BMI is healthy why do you think your overweight? Or are you saying compared with the weight pre baby?

but no… I wouldn’t “give up”, surely you are close? And what would you be “giving up”?

Our bodies change after having children and as we age. I was 8 stone when I got pregnant (I didn’t diet or exercise apart from horse related stuff) and 11 stone by the end of it! I’ve never been back to that 8 stone and I don’t eat that much at all! I also don’t drink. If I ate how I do now when I was in my 20s, I’d have been about 6 stone.

I have accepted my body mostly but I hate having bigger boobs. I’m just not prepared to sacrifice the food I do enjoy.

Just cut out the refined carbs, sugar and any ultra processed foods and you'll be grand.

I have a 3 year old, the youngest of 3. I have another post somewhere on aibu about how I had am image overhaul and a big part of that was a calorie deficit. I realised that I hadn't been honest with myself (or that I was deluded) about what what I ate. There are different ways to go around it, but ultimately you need to be in a caloried deficit for a prolonged get period of time. It doesn't have to be a starvation kind of thing, but you do need to be expending more than you're consuming.

I bought myself a cheap smartwatch and aim for AT LEAST 10k steps a day. I try to find lots of micro ways to move during the day (look up NEAT). I do some weight training: not much but it's it's a consistent 15 mins 4 times a week, which I'm building on.

But the big issue happened when I just stopped snacking, cut out sugar, reduced portion sizes and was just very mindful about what I ate. I'd blamed hormones, sleeplessness, cortisol, you name it but at the end of the day...I was eating too much. I decided that I was going to have to feel a little hungry at certain times, I was going to have to say no to things which gave me a dopamine hit, I was going to have to resist cravings and do you know what? I got used to it!

As I lost the weight, I started researching fashion I used to be able to wear but couldn't with weight on and saving images of styles I wanted to start wearing again. I got a new hairstyle and colour (while I was waiting to slim down). I started looking after my skin, fake tanning a bit, overhauled my makeup and started doing my nails. I just really gave myself full glam every day and stopped saving nice things for best. I started buying nice underwear and just basically updating my entire psyche away from 'sleep deprived mum'. I got my nose pierced and began looking at fashion that I'd never even considered.

Don't settle for less than you really want. There is only one person who can lose the weight for you and its you. A lot of people say that it's eating disorder advice but I really do think that nothing tastes as nice as being slim feels. Don't get me wrong, I like a choclately treat from time to time, but my real treat is zipping up a size 8 dress and knowing there are no bulges, of having a wardrobe of clothes that I love having fun with and feeling good about.

It's really up to you and how important it is to you to be slimmer. For me, being slim comes with a whole host of things that make me happy, and being over my ideal weight brings nothing good with it, except for me being a slave to food.

It did take me a few months to realise that just because I hadn’t eaten the weight on, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t need to diet it off. Just eating how I always had was just maintaining the new higher weight. On the bright side, if it really is baby weight (rather than consistently eating more/different things to before) you should be able to lose it then maintain without extraordinary effort.

I never lost the "baby weight" from my 2nd, I put on 4 stone with each pregnancy despite being super healthy with my 2nd. After my 1st baby it all went easily, back to a size ten in 9 mths, with my 2nd it really didn't. She's 7 now, I've lost 2 stone of it recently, but most importantly I'm so much fitter than I was. I do pilates twice a week, work out with a pt twice a week doing hiit or weights and walk a lot with the dog. I'm not a size ten anymore, I don't actually want to be now, I've done enough, my body is amazing. It has birthed 2 amazing kids, it can carry weights, lift heavy things, swim with them, run after them. They are 9 and 7 now. The reality is, as someone above says, I'd need to be in a sustained calorie deficit to lose more fat and I don't want to. I love grabbing an ice cream with them after school, I love family roasts, I love puddings and I love wine on a hot day. Of course I could technically do healthy versions and faff about achieving all that but I really don't want to. It's not for me, I won't look how I did in my twenties and I don't mind.
I think only you really know how much it matters to you, and what level of effort/sacrifice/change you want to make. For me, I knew being healthy enough to keep alive and keep up with my children and future grandchildren was important, fitting into size 8 jeans wasn't. So I built health and fitness goals around that. There's no judgement, just decide how you feel and what life goals matter to you, it's totally OK not to be your pre baby weight though, if that works for you. Equally it's totally OK to slim down and as someone above says, they get a lot of joy from being slim- totally valuable point. It's just about knowing and being confident in yourself and understanding what brings you happiness.

It is your choice,you need to decide if you want to do it. If you do you need to look at your diet and cut calories. It is easier to do if you follow an eating plan and if you have some accountability.
At the same time review your exercise. Swimming once a week is nice for relaxation but is unlikely to help with weight loss or with overall fitness. A more focussed swimming training plan will be better.
Walking is good minimum exercise but you should also be doing more targeted exercise. Are you doing any resisted exercise or cardio? There are lots of training plans that are easy to do at home even when you have children. If you can get to a gym and use a trainer to kick start you better still.

I started loosing the baby weight whem my youngest DS turned 4yo. I couldn’t do it before. No mental or physical capacity. And I’ve so far lost 12kg in 5 months all with intermittent fasting and reduced portions and cutting out processed foods completely.

I hit my heaviest weight in December with my son turning 3 in February. I finally had enough. I was heavier than when I was pregnant with him! I started Monjauro in January and have lost 3 stone now. I'm back into my exercise etc etc and I'm so glad I did it. 3 years of being miserable and trying and failing.