Wondering How Long It Takes to Lose the Baby Weight!

9 months to put it on, 9 months to take it off. Yes, seriously, it can take that long. I put on 45 lbs with my first pregnancy and was within about 5 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight at around 7 months postpartum, but I was still a size up from "normal". Lots of time even if your *weight* is the same, your body shape has changed.

My suggestion: cut yourself some slack and go buy a few key pieces of clothing that actually fit you and that you LIKE. You will feel a lot better about yourself when you like the way you look. You may have to look for some different styles that flatter your new body. Chances are you'll have another baby at some point and you'll be glad that you have some larger clothes that flatter you for your first year postpartum.

Also, don't forget that if you're nursing, it's probably your breasts that are keeping your shirts from fitting! One more tip - there's nothing like Pilates for getting your core strength and muscle tone back. I ended up getting a DVD that I could do at home after putting my son to bed (it was too hard to get out of the house).

Hi-

My baby is 18 months old and I am still waiting to get back into my old clothes. I just started about 3 weeks ago - walking 6 days a week on a treadmill about 45 min to 1 hour and I am finally seeing results....also, cutting calories is helping. Best of Luck, S.

Well, it took you 9 months to put it on...so on average you should allow yourself a minimum of 9 months to take it off!

My personal experience:
1st child...wore prepregnancy clothes home from hospital...I only gained 14lbs.
2nd child...gain 65lbs and took about 8yrs of yo-yo dieting to lose it all.
3rd child...pregnant now...probably gonna gain 40-60lbs...and I can honestly say that I can live with that cuz I know I am able to lose it all again!

It is all about you and how hard you are willing to work. Just work as hard as your body will allow and be happy with who you are and the "mommy figure" that you have earned!

Good luck!

It took me about a year.It's different for each mom & each pregnancy. Buy or borrow different clothes in the meantime & set a goal to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily.

My son just made 2 in Feb and I have to look at pre-preg pics to remember what my regular size was! LOL

Since I've accepted that it won't melt off from wishing, I joined SparkPeople, a free online weight-loss community. They've got food, weight and exercise trackers, meal planning resources, and support teams. I'm down 2.5 lbs within 3 weeks of getting active on the site, and I love it so far.

I really hope you find this helpful.

Well, it took 9 months to put on the weight...

And let's face it, I am going to guess that none of us on these boards are wealthy celebrities that can hire a 24-hour baby nurse, personal chef, personal assistant, and maid so we can work out 6 hours a day while we get our bodies back in shape and 'melt' the baby weight away in 6 weeks, like the magazines make us think is normal.

Be patient and watch your nutrition (low fat, avoid processed foods and refined sugar), try to include cardio each day, and the weight will come off eventually!

Lets see,...with my first, I went up 28 lbs, lost some in the first three months while breastfeeding, had to stop so I gained it all back and six months after that when we conceived our second I was at the same weight as the day before my son was born. Luckily, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I was so sick in the first four months of my 2nd pregnancy that I lost 26 lbs, and thats exactly what I gained back. This time Im joining weight watchers. My daughter is now 6 weeks and Ive been given the all clear, and it seems to be the only system that Ive heard works for babyweight. They do have a breastfeeding mothers group as well.

It takes 3-12 months to lose the baby weight, everyone being very different, metabolism, breastfeeding, exercise during pregnancy, etc. Your thyroid takes a while to get back into pre-pregnancy mode, getting your period's back so your hormones get back into place will also effect weight loss. If you are b-feeding, losing more than 1 lb per week can hurt your supply. Slow and steady wins the race.

I am a perinatal fitness trainer, I had my baby in July and still have my last 10lbs to lose, so don't fret, it will come off.

Lifting weights is key to boosting your metabolism and eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day...which I know is difficult!

Bounce Back Into Shape After Baby is a great book for postpartum exercising and including your baby into the routine. You can purchase it on amazon. It is the original and by far better, Lose Your Mummy Tummy...

Feel free to reply if you have more questions.

J. W, MPH
Healthy Moms(R) Fitness

Hi R.,

I gained 45 lbs with my daughter (now 18 months) and lost all but those LAST 10 still. I breastfed which helped a ton. I started Weight Watchers as soon as my doctor gave me the go ahead. This is what helped. It's awesome. I work full time and find it hard to exercise. When I get home all I want to do is play with my baby. Last week I joined Curves. It's pricey, but I can squeeze in 30 minutes on my lunch hour.

It's only been 5 months. It's takes a while (9 months on 9 months off). Not that's it's warmer go for a walk with the baby and squeeze some of those muscles while walking. I walk fast and she loves it. She actually screams & laughs.

Now my problem is...she eats regular food and I don't want to waste what she doean't eat....so I eat it :(

Congratulations R., I have a 5 month old baby girl as well. I finally got so frustrated and hired a personal trainer. I go to the Bally Total Fitness (Schaumburg/Barrington Rd.) in Schaumburg and love it. I feel so full of energy and with summer just around the corner feel ready to get back into my shorts. I don't know what your budget allows, but I would suggest going for a free consultation. If your not a member you can strictly buy only training. I dealt with the Director, Frank Montesanti ###-###-#### he was so great to work with. Give him a call. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.