Losing weight after pregnancy is HARD. Sure, there are the select few who somehow look better after they’ve popped out a little one (not fair!), but those ladies are few and far between. For the great majority, the old rule of, “Nine months to gain, nine months to take it off,” holds true and even then it might take a little longer. But what happens when you give weight loss your best efforts and you just aren’t seeing the results you’d like? Here are four reasons why your weight loss efforts could be stalled and how to fix them! Don’t forget to check out these fit track scale reviews where you can choose the right one for you to keep motivated and lose weight.
Weight Loss Stalled? What Gives??
You aren’t working out enough.
You make it to the gym when you can, which often equates to twice a week. Aim for at least four days of moderate to strenuous exercise – five days would be optimal. If you’re short on time, you can try TABATA training or HIIT, two wonderful training methods that burn a great deal of calories in a short amount of time. Try to leave the gym with some sweat on your brow!
You live at the gym!
Working out has become your daily escape (and for some, a way to be able to eat whatever you want). If you’re spending hours a day working out and not seeing results, you could be exercising TOO MUCH (read here for signs that you might be overexercising). When we don’t allow our bodies time to rest and recover, we can actually damage our metabolism which makes it really hard to lose weight. Make sure you aren’t overdoing it by incorporating at least one, if not two, rest days per week.
You’re snacking too much!
A post workout smoothie, nibbles of our toddler’s mac and cheese and a daily bedtime snack of ice cream – innocent enough on their own but when made into daily habits, these 200-300 calorie snacks can be the underlying culprit. If you’re looking to lose one pound of fat per week, you’ll need too end the week with a 3,500 calorie DEFICIT, or a 500-calorie per day deficit. One of the best weight loss tips? KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL and write down every single thing that goes into your mouth. Not only will provide insight into exactly how many calories you’re consuming, but you’ll also be more apt to forgo those spoonful’s of Junior’s mac and cheese!
You aren’t eating ENOUGH.
Just as one can eat too much, it’s also easy to overly restrict calories, especially when we’re hoping to lose weight quickly. Please beware: If you fall under 1,200 calories per day, you could send your body into “starvation mode”, decreasing your metabolism and telling the body to hold on to whatever you feed it.
For an active 150-pound woman, you’ll need to aim for at least 1,500-1,800 calories per day. If you’re nursing, you’ll want to aim for 1,800 to 2,200 calories per day! Dropping below your daily caloric requirements might actually be leading you to GAIN weight! Try focusing on whole foods (think vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and healthy fats) and steer clear of processed, prepackaged foods.
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I’m currently sitting about 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I only know that because of this Advocare Challenge (I don’t normally weigh myself). In the end, I think it’s really important to stress SELF LOVE when it comes to postpartum weightloss. Your body isn’t SUPPOSED to look like it did before. It’s just done the most magnificent and complex work that it will ever do!! So say thank you, nourish it with healthy foods and daily movement and focus on the NEW, IMPROVED you! Stretch marks, belly pooch, mom jeans and all.
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QUESTION: Any HEALTHY tips that you’d like to add that other mamas might need to hear??
splendid…lindsay
Is it okay to still love yourself even if you do look “better than before”?
I’m 7 months out now and still in maternity clothes :( I definitely did not think Id be here, especially as a 12 time half marathoner. I pretty much get 0 exercise – it’d be lovely to even get out for walks but it’s over 100 degrees out now so that’s out. I spend my lunches visiting baby at daycare instead of hitting the basement gym. But this week I’m starting to make changes I went to Costco and stocked up on healthy lunches and snacks and I’m doing squats with any free moment I have. I also plan to start weaning from my lunchtime visits from my boy to get some me time. As hard as it will be to go 10.5 hours without seeing my boy, I know his seperation anxiety will kick in eventually and he won’t like me coming and going anyways. So my plan is to start making some small changes and hopefully my pre-mama motivation will start to kick in.
I know I eat like crud when I don’t sleep well (going on 8 months now) and I wish there was a fix for that! But really grateful I can nurse my little one because without that…ohhhwee, don’t know where all those calories would be going. But I love that you said your body shouldn’t look like it did before because, well, it doesn’t and I’m super grateful for that too. I prayed for these babes of mine for so long…I’m glad my changed body is the proof that I got to carry them.
Awesome points! I agree with above comments–sleep & the stress of being a new mom have definitely played a role for me as well! When I sleeping better I eat better, period. :)
This is a great post! I agree 100% with everything you said. One of the things I struggle with the most is drinking water! Sometimes our bodies are actually thirsty and we confuse it for hunger. I’m 6 months postpartum with twins and gained way too much weight but it’s coming off steadily.
I agree with Sarah on sleep!! When I’m sleep deprived I cannot stop eating- I keep reaching for snacks for energy, so I definitely fall into that snacking too much category. I also justify it because I’m nervous to lose my milk supply. With both my pregnancies I lost most of the weight quickly but then gained about 5 more in the first few months of sleep deprivation and breast feeding! But I know eventually things will even out and I’ll be back to ‘normal’. Great post!
I’m so excited for a baby in a few years, but am not excited with the extra body stress. I don’t have a baby and am not where I want to be weight wise. I can’t image trying to handle that on top of having a baby!
For me, after Susanna, the snacking was the culprit. Most of the weight was gone in 5 days, but BF hunger taught me something else.
I also felt like my body wanted to hang on to a few pounds after she was weaned (18 mos) as we were preg with her sister.
I’m prepping far better snacks for this postpartum period in November. As she’ll be our last child, I also anticipate my body saying, “I’m done…let it go” with the weight. Those plus better work out options/facilities will hopefully result in overall better health and weight loss.
I will admit I am quite nervous about losing weight after I have baby M. I have really slacked the past couple months of my pregnancy with workouts (sometimes by force = bed rest) so I know it’s going to be like starting at square one which is scary!
I like that you mentioned that the process of growing a life/giving birth is a beautiful one and that women aren’t supposed to look the same as before – this is so important! It’s so frustrating that women are expected to look a certain way when they just have gone through an amazing journey…
Stress and sleep – two huge things that I know play a huge role in new mom’s lives – I struggle with these both but am striving for balance with them since they are definitely directly tied to health and weight too. GREAT tips!