Okay let's separate delusion from reality here. Please vote and weigh-in (har har).
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@JoJoGirl: moved this to Your Health... that ok for now?
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@mrbee: Yes, thank you
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Oh hellz no. I have so much belly fat still left. UGH!
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No. My weight is what it was pre-baby, but my ass, hips and thighs have spread, and I'm still sort of doughy in the middle. Bleh.
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Ummm, not there yet, but hopeful. I don't think my stomach will ever be quite the same, but I think once I actually put in the effort, I could get close. It's taken me 10 months to see the light at the end if the tunnel, though. It took months for my body to start tightening back up. I looked pregnant still for months.
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I was confident in a two piece the summer after I had LO (which was a year later) but things were diff than before. I was still nursing her so my boobs were quite a bit bigger than they were pre-LO so that helped a lot with the boob to gut ratio since the belly is a little different. I ran a lot so that helped a lot too but I wasn't quite as muscular as I was pre-LO.
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nope, i lost all the weight but my stomach is still bigger then what it was pre pregnancy and i got stretch marks
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Sigh. That is all.
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@JoJoGirl: haha don't be discouraged. I know it can happen. One of my girlfriends is in the best shape of her life after 2 kids. (and she was in really good shape before her kids so, I feel like that says something).
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@.twist.: How did she do it?
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@JoJoGirl: She is very active. She runs and works out on a very regular basis and their whole family make a point to go outside and do something every day. So, it's very much a lifestyle thing.
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@.twist.: Well that's encouraging (vs. the answer being say "lots of surgery LOL!") hehe.
ETA: I actually also have a friend who is in better shape. I saw her yesterday at my barre class which might be why I'm thinking about this. She went 90% paleo recently and only started working out again this week. She's 9 months pp and said she weighs like 10 lbs less than she did (and she was a beanstalk before). She says the same things about her butt being wider and whatnot but you'd never know from looking at her.
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I'm definitely bigger now (by about 10 pounds), but if I'm being honest, I have done very little to rectify the situation. I'm pretty confident that if I just got myself back to the gym and you know, put some effort in, I would get back to normal. It's hard, but it's not impossible! Don't feel too discouraged.
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@JoJoGirl: hahaha nope. she's not into surgery!
A lot of dedication and you can do it. -
I did after my second. I lost my weight quickly, but it took time and a lot of work for my hips to move back in and abs to get back to normal. I was in the best shape of my adult life when my second was a toddler.
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I voted "sort of" b/c I'm a few lbs away from pre-preg, but my bum and tummy are bigger and I used to have toned abs. Not so much anymore. I wouldn't say I'm "happy" wtih the current state of things, but I also am not unhappy, either.
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Well, I'm back below my pre-pregnancy weight but that is nothing to be happy about. I'm on a fitness regime right now that will hopefully bring me back to my pre-husband state (my goal weight).
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I guess the middle option being "I'm happy" was just wishful thinking?
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I'm a few pounds below my pre-preg. weight and can fit some pants that I haven't been able to fit in ages. I was already trying to lose 10-15 lbs. before I got pregnant, so I've got some poundage left to lose. I've got stretch marks so even though I may eventually have a flat belly it will never look the same again.
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I worked out my whole pregnancy & gained 30lbs. I lost 20 w/delivery, and the last 10 stuck around. I thought bc I was BFing that it would just fall right off...By 5 weeks PP I was sick of it, so,I went paleo and did 30DS about 4x a week. I was back in my prepreg size 3 weeks later. So 8 weeks PP I hit my goal and it felt awesome!!! My tummy is just a tiny bit less flat than it was before, but I've lost that postpartum pouchiness that drove me nuts. I haven't been doing 30DS for the past couple of weeks due to traveling, but I'm going to start it again and try to lose a few more lbs to be a little leaner than I was prepreg. For frame of reference, I was a size 2 prepreg and that's what I am again. I am pretty excited that I'll return to work next week and I'll be in my prepreg work clothes...
I was so worried about this and not to be contraversial, but when I'd post questions or comments about it, I saw a lot of "I didn't lose the baby weight/my body is still not the same/childbirth destroys your body..." And then it would be followed a lot of times with the admission " but I haven't done anything about it, ie, work out/diet..." I think both are absolutely necessary and if you are committed to them, you can and will get back to your old self. The more committed you are, the faster you will get there. I am no different than anyone else. I don't have magic genes or anything. I just made a decision that I refused to accept feeling frumpy or disappointed with how I look. So I did a lot about it and I'm proud of myself! It's hard to push yourself to do something for yourself when you also are consumed with a new baby...My husband works offshore and it was super tough bc I was alone and didn't have him around to help if she got fussy halfway through my workout, or if she was on nap strike. But if you don't do anything about it, then unfortunately, usually nothing is going to change unless you're one of those people with the magic genes!
ETA: I firmly believe that even if one is at their prepreg weight but not happy with where things have "landed," for example, I despised that pouchy saggy tummy skin which I still had a little of when I hit prepreg weight, that working out/lifting weights etc CAN change and improve those areas. I have been working out for 12 years consistently. And I always got results. Times where I slacked, I noticed things sliding and not being as tight. So if someone is not happy with areas of the body, but are ok with the number on the scale, I would just maybe scrutinize "What is my level of commitment to fitness/exercise right now? Am I working out? How much? Could I work harder at it?" I have had to ask myself these questions many times and in general, if I was being honest with myself, I simply wasn't as committed as I could have been or was previously. Maybe I'd only worked out a couple of times a week the past several weeks. Or had been traveling and not able to stick to a healthy diet. But once I straightened up and put the work in, I swear it always fixed itself!
The model, Gisele, who I know is sometimes annoying with her "high and mighty" attitude, actually said something that I really feel is correct...She said, "You get back what you put in." And I believe it!
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@PrincessBaby: Exactly! Just like losing weight at any other time of your life, it does take effort. But it can be done. I will keep telling myself that as I start my gym regime again
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I think it's totally possible to get back to your pre pregnancy weight, etc. But I do think that there are certain things that will not be 100% the same as before, but I don't think that's a huge deal. I mean, is your body the same as it was when you were younger? Our body changes as we get older and I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
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I wonder if people are harder on themselves (because they know--intimately--the ways their bodies have changed) than they are on their sisters/friends/coworkers.
I ask because, from looking at my sister, some of my friends, and some coworkers--a lot of them "bounced back".
I mean, in clothes, they look exactly the same, and several even look thinner. Some work out, some don't. But of course, I don't see them naked and I don't know how they would answer this poll. But to ME, it seems like they bounced back.
So maybe a lot of us lades are just really hard on ourselves?
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I'm mostly back. I was below pre-preg weight by 6-8 weeks, and I look fine in all of my clothes. I'm pretty neutral about my stomach, but some crunches could help that. I would love to get my butt back though (not that I had a great one before). I didn't expect that to completely deflate.
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Hell yeah, I did!
@PrincessBaby: we've come together on this before and I totally agree. It's something that's important to me. I didn't want to be someone that just felt bad or complained forever. It took time. But 60lbs on and then 60lbs off, I'm damn proud!
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I am back down to pre-preg weight, but my body looks totally different. I am frumpy, my stomach is torn up with stretch marks and is saggy. My upper thighs have a weird unattractive bulge in them.
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i didn't vote because i am not by any means happy with my body right now or close to my old self... but i haven't given up! i am 3 months pp and i wasn;t really motivated to get moving until about a month ago. i also let myself go at the end of my pregnancy and i gained 40 lbs total. i lost 20 with delivery, then in a month i gained back 10!! yes, i gained 10 pounds while breastfeeding! i finally had enough and knew it was time to do something. i am not being overly strict or making myself suffer, but i am seeing slow changes over time. i've already lost 6 pounds again and feel my clothes fitting differently....i still have 30-35 pounds i would like to lose, but i am confident i will get there!
Eta. I voted other. Just noticed it was an option
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I'm on my way and optimistic . . . even if I don't get all the way there, I will go down swingin'!
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@PrincessBaby: You are my post-preg inspiration!
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Shadow here!
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@PrincessBaby: "But if you don't do anything about it, then unfortunately, usually nothing is going to change unless you're one of those people with the magic genes!"
Totally agree! I have a hard time with my “new body” because I have always been skinny without really having to try; and now, well, I’m not! But, I also haven’t really cracked the whip and forced myself to work out too much either, so I can’t really be surprised. I gained over 40 pounds; they are not coming off on their own.
I think I could (no, I WILL) definitely get back to my pre-pregnancy weight; but my hips used to be very narrow and they are definitely wider now which I don’t think will go away, even if I lose weight. So, I think my body has changed in that way.
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I did not work out at all during pregnancy and gained 48 lbs. I am now 1 lb below my pre preg weight at 14 weeks postpartum. I lost most of the weight by breastfeeding and those last few lbs seemed to want to stick around. I changed my diet a bit and started doing ab work and cardio and it finally went away. My tummy is not as flat as it was pre preg but it is flat enough and I fit into my size 0/2! Oh yeah!
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@PrincessBaby: Very helpful, thank you
Thanks to EVERONE for your feedback!
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@MarieJ: wow, you sound so much like me right now! I have a feeling my pregnancy will go the way yours went. If you don't mind, how do you find your arms? I'm really worried about flabby arms afterwards and my routine sounds a lot like what yours is/was. I'm currently 16 weeks pregnant.
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I did, and I'm going to get people who hate me for saying this, but I think it was mostly genetics and keeping myself healthy during my pregnancy. I put on 25 pounds with the pregnancy, but tried to stay as healthy as possible since I had GD. Once he arrived, I started breastfeeding and couldn't keep up with the calorie intake and was at my pre-pregnancy weight 2 weeks postpartum.
Now, my body was definitely not the same then, and I'm not sure if it still is, but I'm in all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. The shirts fit a bit differently, but I do feel as if I'm healthier now than pre-pregnancy. I run 2x per week and am trying to get back into racing form, but I'm pretty darn proud of taking the weight off and keeping it off after I stopped breastfeeding.
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@meredithNYC: good luck!!! I'm sure you'll do great since you are "ready" now!!!
@rachiecakes: You should be proud! You're pretty amazeballs!!!
@.twist.: you'll do it! You just have to be like,"I refuse to stay this way and will not accept it."
@yoursilverlining: We are opposites bc I have always had to work really hard to stay slim! My body is DYING to be fat, lol. I gain weight really easily and I was scared I was going to just pack on the lbs while pregnant, and that made me more diligent about working out. I was the fat girl in HS. I got into working out and eating right in college and it changed my life! I swore I'd never go back! I was always so jealous of naturally skinny peeps:). You will get back there again!!!
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@rachiecakes: I think someone mentioned in a different thread you also have/had diastasis? This is part of what makes me nervous - I was a VERY diligent exerciser pre-preg and in my first 2 trimesters (crossfit, etc - ran a 10K at 8 weeks) and was just told a few days ago I basically have to stop working out for the rest of my pregnancy, everything except walking, elliptical, etc. I'm crushed I can't use weights so much or do any core work. And it looks like I won't be allowed to go back to it for a while post-partum either until it heals. What was your experience like with this?
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@JoJoGirl: honestly, I didn't work out much when I was pregnant. In the beginning I did, until I got dizzy/nauseous while exercising. I probably stopped going to the gym at 3/4 months? I live a pretty active lifestyle, I was going to hockey games and concerts every single week (DH is a promoter) until 37 weeks. I started to develop pre-e and was hospitalized at 37 weeks. I was told I literally couldn't do anything but bathroom breaks and doctor appts until delivery.
I didn't feel anything during pregnancy as far as abs separating. I always had tight abdominals and it took a long time to "pop" but I was never uncomfortable in that regard.
Afterwards however, it hurt to sit up. I could clearly feel the giant space above and below my belly button where the muscle had separated. It took a long time to be able to do ab exercises. I felt so weak. With that and the breastfeeding and the swelling (I had some hormone-related blood pressure issues after giving birth) and being a new mom, I just felt like crap and so depressed.
I didn't go back to "me" until almost a year.
I'm still a cup size bigger but I'm back at my regular weight and size everything else. I finally feel really great.I don't know if you have access to a pool but that's one of those exercises they usually okay during pregnancy no matter what. I thought about joining the Y at one point just for the pool but never did.
Don't stress though. I couldn't really do much about my situation and I still went back to a size 2. I just made other healthy choices, reminded myself to be patient, until I could work out again. It wasn't easy. I blew up with pre-e. I went from just below 120 to almost 180 - half my body weight! I could press dents into my skin from the swelling. I was not a cute pregnant lady. Oh well.. haha -
@rachiecakes: Thanks for this
A year is intimidating but yes I know I'll have to be patient. It's taken me a super long time to pop as well (I think i just did at 26 weeks) and lord knows how long I've had this, I've noticed a bulge during planks for a long time. I'm so happy to hear you could correct it without surgery though. Unfortunately I am a TERRIBLE swimmer, but plan to just keep doing cardio if nothing else until the end and then inspect the damage.
A lot of dedication and you can do it. 
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