Since this is a Mommy/Nutrition/Wellness blog I figured I should chat about my post-baby weight loss.  It’s something that all Moms have to deal with, for some it comes easy and for others it’s a challenge.  With my first pregnancy I gained close to 50lbs and it took me about 6 months to lose the weight. I did a lot of intense exercise and a very restrictive calorie diet. It really affected my overall self-confidence and I told myself I wouldn’t gain the same amount the second time around.  Additionally. all of the dieting and exercising affected my milk supply and therefore I was only able to breastfeed for the first 4 months.

With this pregnancy I gained 40lbs, which is actually the maximum amount I wanted to gain, figuring you’re pregnant for 40 weeks, which is about 1lb/week of weight gain.  I quickly lost the first 20lbs in the first 2 weeks so that meant only 20lbs to go to get back to my pre-pregnant weight.  Once I hit 6 weeks post-partum I started working out again which was really hard at first.  It’s amazing how quickly you can lose your stamina.  The only exercise I did with my first pregnancy was running up until I was about 6 months and then I pretty much lifted weights (but very inconsistently).  With this pregnancy I was very consistent lifting weights at least 5 times/week all the way until I delivered.  I also did a little bit of walking but I carried very low in this pregnancy so the pressure of the baby on my bladder was sometimes too much for me to walk more than a mile and running was completely out of the question.

Anyways, it’s important in maintaining your breast milk supply not to lose weight too quickly because calories are necessary in order to produce milk.  Additionally, breastfeeding alone is said to burn up to 500 Calories/day.  The additional exercise at 6-weeks post-partum helped me to lose the next 5lbs.  Then my birthday came and I kind of fell off the wagon and my weight loss came to a stand still for a few weeks.  I didn’t gain any weight but I was enjoying myself a little too much thanks to wine and desserts.  I decided to start creating a food diary through the app – My Fitness Pal.  This jumped me back into gear and I lost another 5lbs up until today.  Now I’m only 10lbs away from my pre-baby weight and let me tell you that the biggest motivator right now is fitting back into my favorite jeans once this weather turns a little cooler.  I have pretty much been wearing the same 6 outfits all summer long and I’m ready to wear some new clothes but without this weight loss I won’t be able to fit into those clothes.

I guess my biggest take away from this blog post is that there is no magic pill or diet that has helped me get to where I am today.  The hardest part is being patient with each week.  I have read that you do not want to lose more than 1.5lb/week to maintain your breast milk supply so that is what I have set my goal at since my baby is still my #1 priority.  I want to breastfeed for as long as I can while still getting back to my pre-baby shape.  I plan to update on this blog with my weight loss journey after I get to the next 5lb mark and hopefully I will continue to have the same success that I have l already had!