I bounced back pretty quickly with my three kids, but I do think age played a factor - I was 34 when my last kid was born. It was easier to lose the baby weight than it is now, approaching mid 40s and in a pandemic where I've been more housebound. I usually take barre and pilates classes, run when the weather is nice - finding the motivation in a pandemic winter to keep in shape at home was much harder. Also my body doesn't shave off the alcohol and sugar the way it did in my 20s and 30s. I'm at a healthy weight and toned, can pull off a two piece bathing suit -but it takes more work now than it did back then even post pregnancy.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - wow this thread blew up and I haven't been paying attention.

Yes I could definitely eat better and drink less wine. Its been a year (for all of us). Anyway I am a former Varsity athlete and played throughout college. Took up running after college and have done that since then. I think my lowest I was 125 and I looked emaciated. Generally I hover around 135ish give or take a few pounds when I am not pregnant. My twin sister is the same, runs literally EVERY day and is gluten free (allergic). Its just our build. I don't think we could easily (without starving ourselves) get down below 130. When I was 125 I was starving and couldn't eat (stressed).

So lose the last 10 lbs of your baby weight. Going from 145 to 135 where you normally are, will make a huge difference.

OP here - wow this thread blew up and I haven't been paying attention.

Yes I could definitely eat better and drink less wine. Its been a year (for all of us). Anyway I am a former Varsity athlete and played throughout college. Took up running after college and have done that since then. I think my lowest I was 125 and I looked emaciated. Generally I hover around 135ish give or take a few pounds when I am not pregnant. My twin sister is the same, runs literally EVERY day and is gluten free (allergic). Its just our build. I don't think we could easily (without starving ourselves) get down below 130. When I was 125 I was starving and couldn't eat (stressed).

Anonymous wrote:I am 1 year postpartum and I cannot for the life of me get rid of my stomach/pouch. I peloton or run 5ish days a week and eat pretty healthy but my stomach persists. I am 5'7" and around 145lbs. Pre-kids I was 135. I have had 3 9+lb kids. Should I just accept that this is the way I look now? If you have been able to get back into good shape after having kids what did you do?

Haven't read the other comments but I just wanted to encourage you to continue working out and eating healthy and loving yourself.

My kids are older now, but after my second child I had a noticeable pooch that I couldn't seem to get rid of. I have a small frame so it was pretty noticeable on me. I believe I had diastis recti and I started doing exercises to correct it.

My tummy is definitely not as flat as it was before I had children but there is no pooch and I feel great. My youngest will be 7 next month, for reference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but you won't like the answer!

Cut out dairy, gluten and sugar.

Ditto. It was really the sugar that did it for me. I also happened to cut out dairy and gluten for ibs. I didn’t them at different times and saw that the sugar was the biggest factor.

Its the calories-not the sugar, gluten or dairy. You can eat 1800 calories of pure crap a day (which is not much food) or you can eat 1800 calories or low cal/high protein and still lose weight. The key to losing weight is being in a calorie deficit. Period. Add in heavy weight training to reshape your body and you are done.

NP. Lol. This has been so disproven it’s not even funny.

Disproven by whom?

+1 please show me the studies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but you won't like the answer!

Cut out dairy, gluten and sugar.

Ditto. It was really the sugar that did it for me. I also happened to cut out dairy and gluten for ibs. I didn’t them at different times and saw that the sugar was the biggest factor.

Its the calories-not the sugar, gluten or dairy. You can eat 1800 calories of pure crap a day (which is not much food) or you can eat 1800 calories or low cal/high protein and still lose weight. The key to losing weight is being in a calorie deficit. Period. Add in heavy weight training to reshape your body and you are done.

NP. Lol. This has been so disproven it’s not even funny.

Disproven by whom?

Np. Genetics. Your genes determine where you store extra fat. You can control having a surplus of energy/calories, but if you do have a surplus and are going to store fat, you can't control where it goes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but you won't like the answer!

Cut out dairy, gluten and sugar.

Ditto. It was really the sugar that did it for me. I also happened to cut out dairy and gluten for ibs. I didn’t them at different times and saw that the sugar was the biggest factor.

Its the calories-not the sugar, gluten or dairy. You can eat 1800 calories of pure crap a day (which is not much food) or you can eat 1800 calories or low cal/high protein and still lose weight. The key to losing weight is being in a calorie deficit. Period. Add in heavy weight training to reshape your body and you are done.

NP. Lol. This has been so disproven it’s not even funny.

Disproven by whom?

Too many factors we can’t know or answer around for you.
How old are you? The older you are the harder it will be. Did you have a solid muscle base beforehand? If not, it will be harder. We don’t know what a “pretty healthy” diet looks like but it’s safe to say if you’re not dropping weight it either isn’t actually healthy or you’re eating way more than you think and are in maintenance or surplus vs a deficit. We don’t know how hard you go on your peloton. My husband would tell you he rides 3-4 times a week but his ride is sitting and looking on his phone will aimlessly paddling at a very casual pace. You should be weight lifting to build muscle which will help you not only with physical appearance but with burning fat even after your workouts. Most likely you need 4 days a week of heavy lifting, 1-2 days of cardio , more protein, less food, more sleep . Your babies being 9 lbs has nothing to do with any of it.

I have three kids and what I think is a pretty great body. Flat stomach, narrow waist, toned legs and rear.

It took me about 9 months after each pregnant to lose the 35 lbs I gained with each- so it didn’t just fall off. But with consistency of eating heathy and staying active, the weight loss was slow and study. I didn’t even exercise for those 9 yrs of having babies and getting them all off to school- at least not formally. My youngest started preschool last yr and I got a gym membership at last. I started lifting weights, doing hiit, and being stricter with my diet and lost 10 lbs more from my pre-pregnancy weight (135 to 125). You may never have the exact same body you did before children, and that is ok. But you can definitely get to a place where you look great and are healthy. But it does take effort and discipline.

I am 43, one kid and I can wear clothes I bought when I was in college. I am 5.2. 108 pounds. It took my 3 months to loose baby weight. I work out every day and eat whatever I want, but mostly healthy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but you won't like the answer!

Cut out dairy, gluten and sugar.

Disagree.

Peloton is not a great workout, sorry to tell you. You need to move your whole body-engage all your muscles. Do hiit classes, run, weight train with heavy weights (not power lift, but as heavy as you can manage to get a few sets of 12 in) strength and tone with Pilates (great for core).

Cut calories to lose those last 10 lbs. You can’t control where fat will deposit or where it will lose by not eating dairy, gluten sugar- plus this sets you up for gaining more weight because you feel deprived. Eat healthy and balanced from a variety of food groups and use moderation.

And be realistic. Pregnancy stretches the skin, the underlying layers of fat, and the muscles. Even when the weight is lost it may not look exactly like pre-kids, but with the 10 lbs gone and more well rounded workout routine, I think you will make a lot of improvement toward what you want.

For some reason sugar leads to belly fat. I don’t think scientists totally understand but I’ve read a lot of articles suggesting this. I haven’t totally cut out sugar (I eat a lot of fruit) but I cut back on my diet soda consumption and saw results.

Yes. I am your height but 25 lbs lighter.

That’s how you get rid of belly fat. You have to be skinnier than you were.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but you won't like the answer!

Cut out dairy, gluten and sugar.

Ditto. It was really the sugar that did it for me. I also happened to cut out dairy and gluten for ibs. I didn’t them at different times and saw that the sugar was the biggest factor.

Its the calories-not the sugar, gluten or dairy. You can eat 1800 calories of pure crap a day (which is not much food) or you can eat 1800 calories or low cal/high protein and still lose weight. The key to losing weight is being in a calorie deficit. Period. Add in heavy weight training to reshape your body and you are done.

NP. Lol. This has been so disproven it’s not even funny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ ps I’m 39 & the youngest of my 3 kids is 6 now. The middle one weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and was 22.5 inches and basically I don’t think my stomach is ever going to recover from that lol. I was 5’5, 110 before kids. 135 before I started exercising & now 128 with only the exercise I said above but no diet.

So sad to hear your story because I fear the same thing has happened to me. My last child was also 9 lbs 6 oz and really did a number on my abdominal muscles. I was 5’4, 108 before kids, now 113 with COVID weight, and although I’d like to not be packing this round gut I just can’t get motivated to diet. 42 and feeling hormonal changes already. Hoping the thought of beach this summer might be a little motivating.

How are you 5'4 and 113 (BMI on the border of underweight) and "packing a round gut"? How is this physically even possible? Are your arms amputated or something?

Well, I can’t post a picture. But no I have my arms and I definitely don’t have a flat tummy. I think it is the diastasis rectii.

You can definitely have diastasis at any size, and it can be pronounced. But then dieting isn't going to fix it. I didn't do PT until years after my kids were born and it still really helped, and now I don't need to worry that I'm exacerbating it when I sit up normally or lift stuff.

What were your PT exercises?

They had me do variations of pulling those muscles together while in different positions, like sitting, standing, and then holding them together while doing other things, like lifts. The most helpful part was teaching me how to control those muscles and pull them together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ ps I’m 39 & the youngest of my 3 kids is 6 now. The middle one weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and was 22.5 inches and basically I don’t think my stomach is ever going to recover from that lol. I was 5’5, 110 before kids. 135 before I started exercising & now 128 with only the exercise I said above but no diet.

So sad to hear your story because I fear the same thing has happened to me. My last child was also 9 lbs 6 oz and really did a number on my abdominal muscles. I was 5’4, 108 before kids, now 113 with COVID weight, and although I’d like to not be packing this round gut I just can’t get motivated to diet. 42 and feeling hormonal changes already. Hoping the thought of beach this summer might be a little motivating.

How are you 5'4 and 113 (BMI on the border of underweight) and "packing a round gut"? How is this physically even possible? Are your arms amputated or something?

Well, I can’t post a picture. But no I have my arms and I definitely don’t have a flat tummy. I think it is the diastasis rectii.

You can definitely have diastasis at any size, and it can be pronounced. But then dieting isn't going to fix it. I didn't do PT until years after my kids were born and it still really helped, and now I don't need to worry that I'm exacerbating it when I sit up normally or lift stuff.

What were your PT exercises?