Sound Off! What's the Hardest Part About Getting Back in Shape?

Michael Simon/Startraks

So we asked, and you told us, how you got your bodies back after having babies. But we want to know more! What was the hardest part about getting back in shape? Kicking your chocolate cravings? Cutting back on dinners out? Jumping back on the treadmill? Mom Tori Spelling admitted that losing her baby weight was hard, but convinced herself to stay on track by cooking healthy meals and playing outdoors with her children. Have you done the same?

So here’s your chance to Sound Off! Tell us about the hardest part of losing your baby weight!

Comments

Alex on January 13th, 2009

Seeing other people do it faster and better with less effort.

klover on January 13th, 2009

I’m still trying to lose those last five pounds after giving birth in September, and by far the hardest part has been finding the time and energy to get out and exercise, especially now in the dead of winter. Breastfeeding and a healthy diet has allowed me to lose most of the weight, but I have a feeling those few extra pounds are going to stick around until the sidewalks aren’t sheets of ice.

Danielle on January 13th, 2009

For me the hardest part about getting back to shape is sticking to a regimen when you’re exhausted and drained. It’s so much easier to order a pizza and not go to the gym, but that’s not going to help me get rid of those pounds.

CC on January 13th, 2009

For me it’s not so much the weight, but the extra skin that’s hanging around my abdomen. Yuck.

jill on January 13th, 2009

I had my 4th child 7 weeks ago. I have no problem committing to working out and am lucky to have the time to devote to it EVERYday. Thus, my tummy is somewhat flat. But I find…(and I’m hoping someone else will attest?) that you can get back flat quick but it takes awhile for the width to get back ie: the hips to slide back in. Also, for me, I find my body wants to hold onto the last 7-8 lbs till done it’s nursing. It feels it needs to keep it to sustain the baby. Does anyone else have this? So, the hardest part FOR ME would be the width issue…

Lea on January 13th, 2009

The hardest for me is being ona schedule. My baby’s schedule is so inconsistant, it’s difficult to eat at the same time everyday, let alone try to fit in working out. AND I live in Torornto, so it’s cold and snowy out here, so going for walks is not an option!

denise on January 13th, 2009

I adore Tori’s dress in the second photo.
Still, I guess there’s a huge difference in shedding post-babyweight between being a normal Mom or a celebrity Mom with nannies, cooks and a huge amount of money to buy whatever diet is suggested.

Andrea on January 13th, 2009

Breastfeeding! For most moms, this is a great weight-loss method. But for me, it makes me so voraciously hungry, that I gain weight. My son is nearly 6 months old and still exclusively breastfeeding, and I never feel full. As soon as he is eating solids, I am going on a diet!

ella on January 13th, 2009

uh, that i don’t have a staff of people hired to help me. no personal trainer, cook, nanny, assistant. just lots of pressure from the media focused on famous women who do have all these things!

mom of 3 boys on January 13th, 2009

personally I think it’s much easier to lose the weight when you have a ‘nanny’ helping out. I have no clue who does and does not have a nanny (in Hollywood), but no matter who you are, it takes time and patience to get to the weight you want. Sometimes you may be at your desired weight, but your body shifts and there is nothing you can do about it. It seems that eating healthy is more expensive than not eating healthy – and not all of us can afford those diet plans out there.

Michelle on January 13th, 2009

Trying everything, and losing nothing! I haven’t lost a pound since 2 weeks PP. I’m jealous of all the breastfeeding moms who lost all the weight… I couldn’t breastfeed due to Thyroid Issues…

babyboopie on January 13th, 2009

It’s the actually HAVING the motivation to get up in the mornings, and go for a run, get back, shower in a speed record of 1 minute, feed your baby, feed yourself, wash up, dress your baby, spend all day doing god knows what and only surviving on a few hours of sleep! I was too exhausted in the first 9 months to do anything, but when my son was 10 months old, he was getting so much easier, and I decided ” Right, I’ve got to lose this weight to make myself feel more confident as a woman and to be much more healthier for my son’s sake.”
And I did it. I think my son was about 14 months old when I got back to my pre-pregnancy figure of a size 8 and I was so happy.
I’m still the same and I feel as if I’ve never had a baby!
It’s not easy, it’s very demanding, but if I can do it, you can do it!

Mariel on January 13th, 2009

I CANNOT LOSE MY BABY WEIGHT beetwen my work, my house, and my baby who is ONE- YEAR- OLD i dont have any time to do anything else than cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes or something else. i mean, its easy for celebrity mamas lose her weight because they have as many nannies as they want and also have nutricians and instructors REAL MAMAS ARE US GIRLS!!thats for sure…

alabama on January 13th, 2009

Baby #2 turned one year last week, and I am just a few pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight (which was the skinniest I had been since before my first pregnancy), so I am okay weight-wise, and in fact my work pants are a little looser around the hips and bum than when I bought them in August. However, I can not get rid of the belly, and I am paranoid that I look pregnant. Why, why, why won’t it go away? (Especially when my sister has 4 kids (17, 16, 14, 7) and has the flattest of tummies). But there is no point in worrying about it when we are thinking of trying for #3 in the fall. I’d rather have three happy kids than a flat tum.

amanda on January 13th, 2009

I had the width issue as well, I told my husband pretty soon I won’t be able to fit thru the door! It took almost a full 2 years with baby #3 for them to go down. I don’t think I will ever be back to ” normal” though! I think we all just need to be a little more forgiving of ourselves, after all, we did sacrifice our bodies to the baby god! I like to refer to it as “B.C.” ( before children)!!!

N.S on January 13th, 2009

For me – I lost next to no weight for the first 6 months postpartum, I was eating constantly to keep my energy levels up because my daughter exclusively nursed for those 6 months.

That whole period was really hard for me because I would go though stages of feeling very self concious – seeing women, both people I knew and obviously famous women also – losing their baby weight so quickly.

But when my daughter started eating solid foods at 6 months her need for my milk was not quite as never ending as it had been and I was able to go back to eating my normal portions and not feel hungry all the time.

My daughter is now 15 months – still nursing, and I have not only lost all my baby weight but more!

It took some time, but when I put it together, breastfeeding + healthy diet and never using a stroller (we have always used slings and carriers for our daughter when out) = best way to get back in shape.

Des on January 13th, 2009

After my first baby I was a cow. I blamed it on everything, nursing, stopping nursing, having a baby, not having a nanny but I was kidding myself.

After baby #2 I wanted it bad enough, worked my butt off and lost 120 pounds (size 20 down to a size 4.) I have kept it off for 3 years now. Cutting calories and exercise are what worked for me. I dont need a chef to tell me that chocolate cake is bad, ykwim? I dont need a nanny to hop on the treadmill during nap time or even at night when my DH is home to watch them….

Yes it might be easier, but its not be all end all to being fit. I did weight watchers for free at home too (just googled the “rules” and got free info.) You dont have to be rich by any means. It’s the motivation to change your life and do something about it.

jessica on January 13th, 2009

I found the hardest part was motivation! I was so exhausted from being up all night breastfeeding etc that I didn’t want to leave the house. If I did have time I spent it cleaning, checking emails, or deciding if I should nap or shower. When I gave birth I immediately lost about 12 lbs, over the next 6 weeks my tummy slowly went back down and I lost a few more here and there because of breastfeeding. I don’t know about anybody else but nursing made me have quite an appetite so it was hard to eat healthy at that time. 7 months after my daughter was born I stopped nursing and the rest of the weight came off, it also got warmer outside and i started taking her walks around the neighborhood and swimming. My tummy is still not as firm as it once was, and my bottom seems to sit a bit lower than it did before:) but somehow I actually weigh less now. I credit my very active 15 month old! I’d say to new moms just hang in there and wait til you’re chasing a baby through the house, or everytime you sit down to eat they’re at at your feet needing something, or wanting a bite of your food. I swear my daughter usually ends up eating half the food off my plate, that’s a great way to diet I suppose haha. I really did feel so much better after I got out of the house and got a little active, being cooped up inside feeling bad about your baby weight is depressing. You have to motivate yourself a little bit everyday, but it’s worth it.

Jade on January 14th, 2009

I dont envy celebrities when it comes to weight loss.Their job depends a lot on their image and they have a crazy amount of pressure to fit in very strict beauty standards. Even if they have help I’m happy I can relax about my looks and take my time if I want to lose weight.

Bree on January 14th, 2009

I find that once you get used to exercising the motivation comes too. I really don’t like going to the gym, but I love how I feel afterwards. My kids go to the child care at the gym and they love it. They ask me to go all of the time so I have no reason not to go. When you are exercising, you don’t want to eat badly because you don’t want to undermine all of the work that you have just done. I also find that it is easiest for me to just get up and go. I drop my oldest off at school and head straight to the gym. We are already in the car, I don’t care about not being showered and it is before the baby’s nap. If you really want to do it, you will find the time. Time used to be my biggest excuse, but if I can spend time reading CBB, I can also use that time to take a walk or work out.

Ich on January 14th, 2009

Hi,
i gave birth in september and since then i haven’t tried to lose the weight (but i also haven’t gained much either during the pregnancy). I’ve lost it somehow, and need to lose 7 pounds, but that does not bother me. What really bothers me is the size of my hips! Are they ever going back to where they used to be? Or do they stay like this forever?

Meg on January 14th, 2009

Get active – and it doesn’t have to be in the gym. Breastfeeding helps a lot, but the benefits didn’t really show up until weaning. Once my son was weaned, my body drew right back up to my pre-pregnancy weight, and I didn’t make a conscious effort towards it. My shape is slightly different, but I think that’s all part of it. Being active is the key, though, I think, and just enjoy being a mom. We can never be celebrities, who have access to personal trainers and nannies. Keep your expectations realistic

B Dorleen on January 14th, 2009

I found that the hardest part was finding a balance between exercise and breast feeding. I wanted to do more that I should and it hurt my milk supply. I is hard to know how hard to push it while still being able to provide the required amount of fat and calories to the baby.

I also am not so good at eating healthy. I usually just ate what I wanted and then ran or worked out in order to burn up the garbage that I put into my body. This didn’t work out so well when I was pregnant and nursing.

Jax on January 17th, 2009

DES_ Can I strike up a friendship with you when I get pregnate? lol

Jenny on January 19th, 2009

The hardesdt part for me wasn’t losing the lbs. on the scale…it was toning EVERYthing up (i.e., the rear and thighs). I’m still working on tightening everything up. I lost the weight quickly, but then I was left a little loose and saggy.