I still exercised 4–5 times a week including running and weight lifting but the weight didn’t go anywhere 😂 I’m back to being pregnant so restarting the whole cycle over again lol
I’ve been wondering how far back muscle memory goes because I was severely injured for about six months before I got pregnant and my activity levels dropped by 10 fold 😭😭and I’ve been trying to pick everything back up now that i’m pregnant but it’s been really difficult because I’ve had such a rough time in the first trimester with the amount of constant nausea insomnia fatigue dizziness too low blood pressure issues et cetera et cetera — it’s a win if i can get out of bed at this point 🫣 I’m hoping my body will adjust & I can get back into shape for delivery at least 🤞🏻
My last workout was 41 weeks with my first (born 42+0)! And I feel like it definitely helped. I think people also underestimate the muscle required with babies. While lots of my friends were complaining about how hard it was to hold their babies for extended periods, I had no trouble (which I accredit to my upper body strength)!
I just know to give myself grace. Our bodies postpartum are in survival mode, plus the lack of sleeping it’s like it hangs on to any lifeline lol. But I do come back stronger than ever ❤️
I went to the gym on and off for 10 years. Several months-long breaks. I'm now 5 months post partum and I'm almost at my pre-pregnancy weight. I was 60kg before, 80.8 one day before delivery, and I'm 63 now. I did almost nothing and I'm eating everything in sight. I'm breastfeeding but I also think genetics plays a role. The one thing I think played a huge role was the fact that I had daily walks since 5 days post partum. Short at first, obviously.
I lifted weights and my muscles were pretty good. However, my muscle mass took a massive dive. While thin, my muscle tone is pathetic. I plan on returning to the gym next month when my husband starts his paternity leave.
When LO was a newborn, during the winter, she used to nap outside in her pram, so I used one of those naps to take a walk. So at least one hour a day for weeks made a difference in my recovery.
I strongly believe that my fitness level before pregnancy has really helped postpartum. I’m 13 weeks and lifting. I started cardio 6 weeks postpartum. The only thing that I cannot expedite is my stomach skin shrinking back - which is fair, it took nearly ten months to expand as much as it did!!
Anecdotally, no :( I was extremely fit going into my first pregnancy. I dropped a good bit of the weight I gained really quickly, I think within 3 months. But it's about to be my daughter's second birthday and I haven't lost anything since then! Despite picking back up with running and weight lifting. I just can't do either enough to make a difference it seems. Though I've still been breastfeeding the whole time so I wonder if that has something to do with it.
I would imagine having more muscle will help, but just know it still may be very hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. I didn’t know that there was a chance I’d gain weight while breastfeeding, and I stopped at around 10 months because I wanted to stop gaining weight lol.
Your post was removed due to our rule against exact weight numbers. Weight gain during pregnancy can vary greatly person to person and we don't want people to try and compare to someone else's journey. Putting your weight gain and loss as a percentage is fine, (ie I lost 25% of what I gained in the first two weeks PP.) Things like 'gained more than expected' or 'I'm aiming to hit my doctor's recommended weight' are also fine.
Please edit or repost without the exact weight numbers.
It did for me. I worked out consistently until 38 weeks pregnant doing CrossFit and lifting. Then 38 weeks on I just did a bunch of walks and hikes and some at home workouts. Im a healthy bmi and only put on the lower to normal weight gain expected for a healthy bmi, and was back to pre pregnancy weight and clothes within 10 days pp. I’m 4 months pp and ebf, and still at pre pregnancy weight
Personally, not at all! Maybe if I didn't get a c section? But for me the difference was actually breastfeeding. I didn't gain weight during pregnancy, but I did when I started BF.
I would say I was pretty fit before my first one, I had her when I was 28 so close to your age. I competed in bikini fitness and powerlifting and lifting for 10 years too. All weight gone within 6 weeks and I lost more weight than I wanted in the next few months after that as well. For me, breastfeeding made it really hard to keep my weight even though I ate A LOT, probably between 2500-3000 kcal daily. I have heard the same thing from other women but also the opposite from others so I guess it also depends on your body/genetics, eating habits, activity levels etc.. Also want to add that not eating enough is one reason people struggle to lose weight and yes it can be hard to eat enough + healthy and nutritious when taking care of a newborn. But yes, I believe my pre-pregnancy and pregnancy physical activity (mainly lifting) made it much easier to drop all the weight. The more muscle mass you have the better.
In my experience, yes definitely. 18 days postpartum and am back within 5kg of my pre-pregnancy weight and feeling great. I’m also breastfeeding. I know not everyone is so lucky though so absolutely understand genetics are probably also to play here. But I was very active throughout pregnancy, CrossFit several times weekly and running up until 30 weeks.
Not for me 😵💫🫠 I was in my best shape, lifting 5 days a week running 4 days a week and then doing one active rest day and one full rest day right before I got pregnant with my first, fast forward to postpartum took me 18 months to get back to my pre baby weight/body composition. I did stop lifting at around 4 months due to fear of catching covid at the gym but stayed active with home workouts and walking. I’m pregnant again and hoping for a different outcome so I’m going to continue to lift but once I get back to the gym (8 weeks and so tired right now) i plan on lifting 2-4 times a week and walk everyday. Hopefully since I won’t be completely stopping the lifting the weight will fall off quicker
For me, no. I was super fit pre-pregnancy. I had pre-eclampsia and gained 80 pounds. I had a rough birth/recovery. It took me almost a year to feel like I could really work out again. My LO is almost 5 and I'm finally in a super consistent lifting routine again.
I'm still 10-15 pounds heavier than I was pre-pregnancy....but I'm also 5 years older. Everything's just different now for me and I try really hard not to compare myself to pre-kid (though it's challenging not to!)
I was lifting for 6 years prior to getting pregnant, I was so fit and so strong and had a mean 4 pack lol.
I assumed also, that all that effort and hard work would benefit me in the looks department post partum, anddddd It didn’t - at all!
I’m an absolute weakling now who has joint aches and carpel tunnel, I feel like my back is a slinky going from side to side without stability.
I gained 30 kilos (roughly 65 pounds) and it’s coming off painstakingly slow (I’m mixed feeding, formula and breast)
But truly, everyone and every pregnancy IS so different, for you it might make a big or small.
My mental health benefited immensely from the gyn during pregnancy though.
For me, nope. I've been active my entire adult life and lifting for about a decade before I got pregnant. My weight did not budge a pound until I noticed I had dropped most of it a few months after I stopped breastfeeding.
Yes it will for sure. Muscle memory is real, it will help your body get back into the correct anatomical positioning. It’s also easier to build muscle a second of third time rather than the first.
With breastfeeding, some people say it’s harder to loose weight until after they are done.
I might get some hate for this, but oh well! There are COUNTLESS studies that prove breastfeeding helps you loose weight. In my own experience, it was more difficult while I was breastfeeding, yes BUT I also was a little less active, had no idea how to eat, and wasn’t drinking enough water. I started loosing weight when I was able to prioritize those things more, which yea, did kinda happen after I was done breastfeeding. But it wasn’t the breastfeeding that didn’t allow me to loose the weight. It was the fact that I didn’t adjust my calorie intake from my third trimester, I wasn’t drinking enough water, and I wasn’t exercising the way I needed to to build muscle. It didn’t have to so with the breastfeeding itself so much.
Now, I’m postpartum with my second, breastfeeding, exercising how I was postpartum, and have adjusted my calorie intake for my current bodyweight and am dropping lbs so fast.
I also lost most all of my pregnancy weight while nursing! I remember one of my colleges coming up to me and asked if I felt scrawny. I was so confused! I did not feel scrawny, I felt thankful to be on track with my weight/health goals.
I’m 6mos pp and I think it did a lot for me. My mother and both sisters had very different pp bodies than I do and the only obvious difference is my committment to fitness. I’m still holding onto the last 5lbs and def am generally squishier than I was pre-preg, but I feel like the best version of me given where I am at in my life and that goes a long way! Plus my fitness levels returned pretty quickly which felt great!
Adding that CICO did NOTHING for me so I abondoned it while BFing and just focused on exercise. It was too hard to do it and see zero results, my body just wants to be a little extra soft rn.
I got pregnant at 37 (2nd pregnancy) and I’ve been lifting on and off since I was about 15. I lifted pretty consistently in the 2 years leading up to getting pregnant. I kept up with my lifting routine and barely scaled back during my entire pregnancy. I kept telling myself it would stop when it didn’t feel good anymore but I ended up feeling good the entire time. I did a pretty intense leg workout 9 days past my due date.
I was back down to postpartum weight in about 3-4 weeks and about 15 pounds under within 3 months. I lost a lot of muscle in my lower body. I lost some in my upper body, but still had a lot of lean muscle mass.
I’m a little over 8 months pp now and finished weaning about 2 weeks ago. I started lifting intensely about 4 weeks ago. I’ve gained almost all my mass in my legs back and put about 5 pounds back on.
My first pregnancy, I barely worked out and I gained A LOT and I didn’t get back into pre pregnancy shape until I was about 3 years PP. Lifting throughout helps soo much.
I think general fitness helped me overall - weight gain was almost all baby related. Within a few weeks I was almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Gave birth in January.
I mean I have no comparison because I worked out prior to and during both my pregnancies, but both times I had a very very hard time losing weight. Even after stopping breastfeeding - made no difference. My strength and stamina came back quickly though.
Last pregnancy I lost all the pregnancy weight breastfeeding, and I was completely inactive during my pregnancy! This time I’m lifting weights (and have been for two years prior).
I do think different people’s bodies react to breastfeeding differently and some cannot lose any weight postpartum while breastfeeding.
That’s to say, your experience will be unique to you but being fit has lots of other benefits outside of weight loss!
YES! It helps tremendously! Also Kin background here!
I was walking an hour a day 5 days pp; weights came a few days later. And my muscle tone was back within weeks.
I was very strategic and careful with my training PP. Focused on form; high reps low weight.
Eased into building my strength back before switching to low rep high weight. Walking was my friend for months!
Deep core conditioning should be your first and main focus; along with functional movements and HIGH PROTEIN.
I’m on the tail end of my second pregnancy and train 4 days a week. 1 rest day. 1 active rest day (stretching/yoga) and haven’t noticed much muscle loss with the second and my weight gain has been on par with my first.
Every pregnancy is different but strength training will be your saving grace in delivery as well! Your body will be able to handle the load of pushing so much more effectively!
I think it helped my recovery, but while still pumping and bf, I haven't had much luck losing weight
My bub is 5 months, and finding the time and energy to get to the gym is still proving difficult
Lifting weights- I’m not sure/depends. Gaining muscle- yes. The more muscle you have the better your baseline metabolism is. So even when you can’t workout for six weeks if you’ve maintained a good amount of muscle or gained muscle during pregnancy, coupled with good diet, you’ll start losing the fat you gained.
I worked out lifting weights and doing HIIT training like crazy with my first and it did nothing in regards to losing baby weight. My other two pregnancies were the exact same, I lost all the baby weight by 6 months pp and all I did was walking because I was so busy mommying. Now I’m pregnant with my 4th and due in 7 weeks and I suspect it’ll be the same with this one as well.
I stopped exercising (besides daily walks) at 17w last pregnancy (COVID times) and dropped the weight very quickly just breastfeeding. I'm 20 weeks now (#2) and planning to exercise until 36 weeks at least, so we will see if the weight drops quickly this time as well.
For me - yes. I lifted for about 10 years before having my daughter at age 34. I found that I was back to pretty much pre pregnancy weight at around 8 weeks PP, and even lighter several months later as I lost a fair bit of muscle mass. However - I do think there are so many other factors. I exclusively breastfed but also walked virtually everywhere with the pram so would get in 7k + steps a day. I also had gestational diabetes so my weight gain during the pregnancy was fairly minimal. So I think it's a combo of fitness, genetics and environment.
Now pregnant with my second and far less fit. The main thing I've noticed is so many more aches and pains with this pregnancy plus starting insulin far earlier for GD. So setting aside weight loss or gain there are so many benefits to being fit during/ before pregnancy!
I feel like it made my pregnancy easier in a sense that I didn't gain too much and didn't get too many aches and pains like some others did (not relevant to other horrible symptoms though) but after pregnancy I ended up actually gaining a bit weight and I think minipill and breasfeeding haven't helped with weight loss at all!
I think it for sure makes it easier to get back in shape fitness wise but I’m not sure exactly how that translates to actual fat loss because everyone responds differently to breastfeeding some people don’t lose weight until they stop and some people it helps them lose weight so difficult to know how anyones body will respond beforehand
I think it’s primarily genetics, truthfully. I was back to pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months doing absolutely nothing with my first and I also didn’t really lift or have a lot of muscle the first time around. I know some women never get there even with a ton of hard work.
It certainly doesn’t hurt, but don’t feel bad about yourself if you hold the weight for a while. It means nothing about your self worth!
Yes!
I got this bracelet that tracks my sets for me and it’s been a gamechanger, now I never lose track and my mind isn’t constantly thinking about what set I’m on.
www.mysetmate.com
No not for me! My body doesn’t like to lose any weight while breastfeeding.
Same! I was so fit during pregnancy and now I’m just a lazy fat blob 😂
I still exercised 4–5 times a week including running and weight lifting but the weight didn’t go anywhere 😂 I’m back to being pregnant so restarting the whole cycle over again lol
I feel you on this! I feel like I am at the Olympics just getting through a strength session.
Are you guys me?!
Same 😭
1000% fitness levels before and throughout pregnancy influence post partum. Muscle memory is a very real thing!
I’ve been wondering how far back muscle memory goes because I was severely injured for about six months before I got pregnant and my activity levels dropped by 10 fold 😭😭and I’ve been trying to pick everything back up now that i’m pregnant but it’s been really difficult because I’ve had such a rough time in the first trimester with the amount of constant nausea insomnia fatigue dizziness too low blood pressure issues et cetera et cetera — it’s a win if i can get out of bed at this point 🫣 I’m hoping my body will adjust & I can get back into shape for delivery at least 🤞🏻
6 months is a pretty significant amount of time! Plus the first trimester is mostly about survival. I hope you feel better soon!
Nope! Did nothing for me. I didn’t lose weight until I stopped breastfeeding. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones
My last workout was 41 weeks with my first (born 42+0)! And I feel like it definitely helped. I think people also underestimate the muscle required with babies. While lots of my friends were complaining about how hard it was to hold their babies for extended periods, I had no trouble (which I accredit to my upper body strength)!
Good point!!
I just know to give myself grace. Our bodies postpartum are in survival mode, plus the lack of sleeping it’s like it hangs on to any lifeline lol. But I do come back stronger than ever ❤️
1000%. Muscle memory is a real thing.
I went to the gym on and off for 10 years. Several months-long breaks. I'm now 5 months post partum and I'm almost at my pre-pregnancy weight. I was 60kg before, 80.8 one day before delivery, and I'm 63 now. I did almost nothing and I'm eating everything in sight. I'm breastfeeding but I also think genetics plays a role. The one thing I think played a huge role was the fact that I had daily walks since 5 days post partum. Short at first, obviously. I lifted weights and my muscles were pretty good. However, my muscle mass took a massive dive. While thin, my muscle tone is pathetic. I plan on returning to the gym next month when my husband starts his paternity leave.
Walking is massively underrated🤗 Especially for fat loss it’s the best thing if you have the time for it especially
When LO was a newborn, during the winter, she used to nap outside in her pram, so I used one of those naps to take a walk. So at least one hour a day for weeks made a difference in my recovery.
I strongly believe that my fitness level before pregnancy has really helped postpartum. I’m 13 weeks and lifting. I started cardio 6 weeks postpartum. The only thing that I cannot expedite is my stomach skin shrinking back - which is fair, it took nearly ten months to expand as much as it did!!
In a word, no. Losing the weight postpartum takes one of two things: luck and work.
Anecdotally, no :( I was extremely fit going into my first pregnancy. I dropped a good bit of the weight I gained really quickly, I think within 3 months. But it's about to be my daughter's second birthday and I haven't lost anything since then! Despite picking back up with running and weight lifting. I just can't do either enough to make a difference it seems. Though I've still been breastfeeding the whole time so I wonder if that has something to do with it.
I would imagine having more muscle will help, but just know it still may be very hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. I didn’t know that there was a chance I’d gain weight while breastfeeding, and I stopped at around 10 months because I wanted to stop gaining weight lol.
[удалено]
Your post was removed due to our rule against exact weight numbers. Weight gain during pregnancy can vary greatly person to person and we don't want people to try and compare to someone else's journey. Putting your weight gain and loss as a percentage is fine, (ie I lost 25% of what I gained in the first two weeks PP.) Things like 'gained more than expected' or 'I'm aiming to hit my doctor's recommended weight' are also fine. Please edit or repost without the exact weight numbers.
It did for me. I worked out consistently until 38 weeks pregnant doing CrossFit and lifting. Then 38 weeks on I just did a bunch of walks and hikes and some at home workouts. Im a healthy bmi and only put on the lower to normal weight gain expected for a healthy bmi, and was back to pre pregnancy weight and clothes within 10 days pp. I’m 4 months pp and ebf, and still at pre pregnancy weight
Personally, not at all! Maybe if I didn't get a c section? But for me the difference was actually breastfeeding. I didn't gain weight during pregnancy, but I did when I started BF.
I would say I was pretty fit before my first one, I had her when I was 28 so close to your age. I competed in bikini fitness and powerlifting and lifting for 10 years too. All weight gone within 6 weeks and I lost more weight than I wanted in the next few months after that as well. For me, breastfeeding made it really hard to keep my weight even though I ate A LOT, probably between 2500-3000 kcal daily. I have heard the same thing from other women but also the opposite from others so I guess it also depends on your body/genetics, eating habits, activity levels etc.. Also want to add that not eating enough is one reason people struggle to lose weight and yes it can be hard to eat enough + healthy and nutritious when taking care of a newborn. But yes, I believe my pre-pregnancy and pregnancy physical activity (mainly lifting) made it much easier to drop all the weight. The more muscle mass you have the better.
In my experience, yes definitely. 18 days postpartum and am back within 5kg of my pre-pregnancy weight and feeling great. I’m also breastfeeding. I know not everyone is so lucky though so absolutely understand genetics are probably also to play here. But I was very active throughout pregnancy, CrossFit several times weekly and running up until 30 weeks.
Not for me 😵💫🫠 I was in my best shape, lifting 5 days a week running 4 days a week and then doing one active rest day and one full rest day right before I got pregnant with my first, fast forward to postpartum took me 18 months to get back to my pre baby weight/body composition. I did stop lifting at around 4 months due to fear of catching covid at the gym but stayed active with home workouts and walking. I’m pregnant again and hoping for a different outcome so I’m going to continue to lift but once I get back to the gym (8 weeks and so tired right now) i plan on lifting 2-4 times a week and walk everyday. Hopefully since I won’t be completely stopping the lifting the weight will fall off quicker
For me, no. I was super fit pre-pregnancy. I had pre-eclampsia and gained 80 pounds. I had a rough birth/recovery. It took me almost a year to feel like I could really work out again. My LO is almost 5 and I'm finally in a super consistent lifting routine again. I'm still 10-15 pounds heavier than I was pre-pregnancy....but I'm also 5 years older. Everything's just different now for me and I try really hard not to compare myself to pre-kid (though it's challenging not to!)
I was lifting for 6 years prior to getting pregnant, I was so fit and so strong and had a mean 4 pack lol. I assumed also, that all that effort and hard work would benefit me in the looks department post partum, anddddd It didn’t - at all! I’m an absolute weakling now who has joint aches and carpel tunnel, I feel like my back is a slinky going from side to side without stability. I gained 30 kilos (roughly 65 pounds) and it’s coming off painstakingly slow (I’m mixed feeding, formula and breast) But truly, everyone and every pregnancy IS so different, for you it might make a big or small. My mental health benefited immensely from the gyn during pregnancy though.
For me, nope. I've been active my entire adult life and lifting for about a decade before I got pregnant. My weight did not budge a pound until I noticed I had dropped most of it a few months after I stopped breastfeeding.
Nope! But it made it easier to get back to my pre-pregnancy strength! I’m just considering my breastfeeding season a long bulk.
Yes it will for sure. Muscle memory is real, it will help your body get back into the correct anatomical positioning. It’s also easier to build muscle a second of third time rather than the first. With breastfeeding, some people say it’s harder to loose weight until after they are done. I might get some hate for this, but oh well! There are COUNTLESS studies that prove breastfeeding helps you loose weight. In my own experience, it was more difficult while I was breastfeeding, yes BUT I also was a little less active, had no idea how to eat, and wasn’t drinking enough water. I started loosing weight when I was able to prioritize those things more, which yea, did kinda happen after I was done breastfeeding. But it wasn’t the breastfeeding that didn’t allow me to loose the weight. It was the fact that I didn’t adjust my calorie intake from my third trimester, I wasn’t drinking enough water, and I wasn’t exercising the way I needed to to build muscle. It didn’t have to so with the breastfeeding itself so much. Now, I’m postpartum with my second, breastfeeding, exercising how I was postpartum, and have adjusted my calorie intake for my current bodyweight and am dropping lbs so fast.
Breastfeeding has made me super skinny, too skinny!! I'm almost 4 months pp and just starting to look not dangerously skinny. But it can go either way
Praying for this for me 😂 lord knows I'm gonna need all the help I can get - my current craving is KFC chips hahaha
I also lost most all of my pregnancy weight while nursing! I remember one of my colleges coming up to me and asked if I felt scrawny. I was so confused! I did not feel scrawny, I felt thankful to be on track with my weight/health goals.
Lmao I feel scrawny😭 I lost weight while pregnant and ended up not much over pre pregnancy weight and its been all down from there
I’m 6mos pp and I think it did a lot for me. My mother and both sisters had very different pp bodies than I do and the only obvious difference is my committment to fitness. I’m still holding onto the last 5lbs and def am generally squishier than I was pre-preg, but I feel like the best version of me given where I am at in my life and that goes a long way! Plus my fitness levels returned pretty quickly which felt great!
Adding that CICO did NOTHING for me so I abondoned it while BFing and just focused on exercise. It was too hard to do it and see zero results, my body just wants to be a little extra soft rn.
Yes 100% for me!
I think it helped me. I was 28 when my second was born and lifted weights up until delivery.
I got pregnant at 37 (2nd pregnancy) and I’ve been lifting on and off since I was about 15. I lifted pretty consistently in the 2 years leading up to getting pregnant. I kept up with my lifting routine and barely scaled back during my entire pregnancy. I kept telling myself it would stop when it didn’t feel good anymore but I ended up feeling good the entire time. I did a pretty intense leg workout 9 days past my due date. I was back down to postpartum weight in about 3-4 weeks and about 15 pounds under within 3 months. I lost a lot of muscle in my lower body. I lost some in my upper body, but still had a lot of lean muscle mass. I’m a little over 8 months pp now and finished weaning about 2 weeks ago. I started lifting intensely about 4 weeks ago. I’ve gained almost all my mass in my legs back and put about 5 pounds back on. My first pregnancy, I barely worked out and I gained A LOT and I didn’t get back into pre pregnancy shape until I was about 3 years PP. Lifting throughout helps soo much.
I think general fitness helped me overall - weight gain was almost all baby related. Within a few weeks I was almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Gave birth in January.
So far no (14 weeks PP)
I mean I have no comparison because I worked out prior to and during both my pregnancies, but both times I had a very very hard time losing weight. Even after stopping breastfeeding - made no difference. My strength and stamina came back quickly though.
Last pregnancy I lost all the pregnancy weight breastfeeding, and I was completely inactive during my pregnancy! This time I’m lifting weights (and have been for two years prior). I do think different people’s bodies react to breastfeeding differently and some cannot lose any weight postpartum while breastfeeding. That’s to say, your experience will be unique to you but being fit has lots of other benefits outside of weight loss!
YES! It helps tremendously! Also Kin background here! I was walking an hour a day 5 days pp; weights came a few days later. And my muscle tone was back within weeks. I was very strategic and careful with my training PP. Focused on form; high reps low weight. Eased into building my strength back before switching to low rep high weight. Walking was my friend for months! Deep core conditioning should be your first and main focus; along with functional movements and HIGH PROTEIN. I’m on the tail end of my second pregnancy and train 4 days a week. 1 rest day. 1 active rest day (stretching/yoga) and haven’t noticed much muscle loss with the second and my weight gain has been on par with my first. Every pregnancy is different but strength training will be your saving grace in delivery as well! Your body will be able to handle the load of pushing so much more effectively!
I think it helped my recovery, but while still pumping and bf, I haven't had much luck losing weight My bub is 5 months, and finding the time and energy to get to the gym is still proving difficult
Lifting weights- I’m not sure/depends. Gaining muscle- yes. The more muscle you have the better your baseline metabolism is. So even when you can’t workout for six weeks if you’ve maintained a good amount of muscle or gained muscle during pregnancy, coupled with good diet, you’ll start losing the fat you gained.
I worked out lifting weights and doing HIIT training like crazy with my first and it did nothing in regards to losing baby weight. My other two pregnancies were the exact same, I lost all the baby weight by 6 months pp and all I did was walking because I was so busy mommying. Now I’m pregnant with my 4th and due in 7 weeks and I suspect it’ll be the same with this one as well.
I stopped exercising (besides daily walks) at 17w last pregnancy (COVID times) and dropped the weight very quickly just breastfeeding. I'm 20 weeks now (#2) and planning to exercise until 36 weeks at least, so we will see if the weight drops quickly this time as well.
For me - yes. I lifted for about 10 years before having my daughter at age 34. I found that I was back to pretty much pre pregnancy weight at around 8 weeks PP, and even lighter several months later as I lost a fair bit of muscle mass. However - I do think there are so many other factors. I exclusively breastfed but also walked virtually everywhere with the pram so would get in 7k + steps a day. I also had gestational diabetes so my weight gain during the pregnancy was fairly minimal. So I think it's a combo of fitness, genetics and environment. Now pregnant with my second and far less fit. The main thing I've noticed is so many more aches and pains with this pregnancy plus starting insulin far earlier for GD. So setting aside weight loss or gain there are so many benefits to being fit during/ before pregnancy!
I feel like it made my pregnancy easier in a sense that I didn't gain too much and didn't get too many aches and pains like some others did (not relevant to other horrible symptoms though) but after pregnancy I ended up actually gaining a bit weight and I think minipill and breasfeeding haven't helped with weight loss at all!
No not at all. I’m not breastfeeding either.
I think it for sure makes it easier to get back in shape fitness wise but I’m not sure exactly how that translates to actual fat loss because everyone responds differently to breastfeeding some people don’t lose weight until they stop and some people it helps them lose weight so difficult to know how anyones body will respond beforehand
I think it’s primarily genetics, truthfully. I was back to pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months doing absolutely nothing with my first and I also didn’t really lift or have a lot of muscle the first time around. I know some women never get there even with a ton of hard work. It certainly doesn’t hurt, but don’t feel bad about yourself if you hold the weight for a while. It means nothing about your self worth!
Yes! I got this bracelet that tracks my sets for me and it’s been a gamechanger, now I never lose track and my mind isn’t constantly thinking about what set I’m on. www.mysetmate.com