Anonymous wrote:You don't need to go into a calorie deficit in order to reduce your stomach size. Get rid of all refined carbs as well as pasta, rice, bread. Eat more protein and fat.

You do. That's exactly what you do.

You don't need to go into a calorie deficit in order to reduce your stomach size. Get rid of all refined carbs as well as pasta, rice, bread. Eat more protein and fat.

Baby making is hard on the body. It really takes a while to get back in shape.
Question: Did your ab muscles separate during pregnancy? (Diastasis recti) that can make it harder to get back to where you were before.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22346-diastasis-recti#:~:text=Diastasis%20recti%20is%20a%20common,bulge%20months%20or%20years%20postpartum.

Be gentle with yourself - you just had a baby!

Also, I definitely relate. After my second, my mum tum was really pronounced and I had a hard time accepting it. About two years after my second was born I started doing the exercise described in this article pretty passively (sitting on the couch, waiting in line, etc) and it really works. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/08/07/541204499/flattening-the-mummy-tummy-with-1-exercise-10-minutes-a-day

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It took you 9 months to make a baby, it will take that time + to get back in shape.

This is not really true, it's just a nice gentle thing we tell ourselves. But OP it's not your fault, you probably have a condition called diastasis recti. We all get it during pregnancy to some extent but some women don't heal afterwards without treatment. See a pelvic floor physical therapist.

I think it’s safe to say - and accurate - that postpartum looks different for everyone. Different women lose weight and get in shape at different rates.

Anonymous wrote:It took you 9 months to make a baby, it will take that time + to get back in shape.

This is not really true, it's just a nice gentle thing we tell ourselves. But OP it's not your fault, you probably have a condition called diastasis recti. We all get it during pregnancy to some extent but some women don't heal afterwards without treatment. See a pelvic floor physical therapist.

It might just take some time. Also, your body does often change permanently after you give birth - my waist is just … larger now. Just permanently larger after 2 kids + age, even though I weigh 5, maybe 10 lbs more than I did in my late 20s before kids (and I’m 5’9” so that’s very negligible weight gain on my height!) I wouldn’t do any cosmetic surgeries or anything until you’re done having kids. Until then - shapewear is your friend and will help you get through the awkward “too small for maternity but too big for my old clothes” stage.

It's called a tummy tuck.

Just keep doing what you are doing and it will progressively get better. The pooch is not really about weight, it's about your body rebounding from the stretching and rearranging it did during pregnancy. It can take a year or longer. I am 5 years postpartum, in great shape, and I still have slight roundness in my belly that I didn't have pre-kids. But I haven't had the kind of prominent pooch you are talking about (that might make me feel self-conscious in a two piece or made me avoid wearing leggings without a long shirt/sweater over them) since my youngest was about 18 months. I takes longer after subsequent kids and also bodies are different and some bounce back faster or slower.

Give it time and try to give yourself grace.

Nurse

Could it be Diastasis Recti?

It's too soon, OP.

I am 7 YEARS postpartum and just now feel like I am good shape, with good enough abs to wear a bikini. There is no silver bullet - it's very hard work, a clean diet and lots of hot cardio yoga.

Anonymous wrote:It took you 9 months to make a baby, it will take that time + to get back in shape.

+1

It took you 9 months to make a baby, it will take that time + to get back in shape.

I'm almost 5 months postpartum and still look 4 months pregnant. I walk and do 20 minute workouts (pilates and weights) almost daily but don't want to restrict my calories too much since I'm still breastfeeding. It is clear that this pooch isn't going anywhere. Has anyone like me with a genetic disposition to the pooch found a silver bullet for getting rid of it? I'm deeply grateful that my body could produce my adorable baby, but I feel so unattractive now.