Body After Baby
Ok, so after the 20th person asked me how I came back to shape so fast after kids... I have to tell. Here's the thing, gals, it's not gonna be that everyone finds this works for them; I can only say what works for me, the research I found, the things others told me, and the evidence but the rest is all relative. What can I preach is that it's a combination of things that seems to make a woman beautiful to others but a very different set of things for a woman to feel beautiful about herself...and feeling beautiful is the part that really makes the recovery, back to shape after baby, easier.
Here we go. First, the After-baby number 1 body verses second, the After-baby number 2 body. There is what happened to me (because yes, those hormones and baby takes over your ability to control any diet, bulge, roundness no matter how hard you try), and then there is what I CHOSE TO DO ABOUT IT (that's where you actually feel in control or somewhat able to cope and make do). So, This is what happened to me...
My first pregnancy with Elia:
- started at 112lbs, size 1 USA (Nobody better feel "bad" about themselves rating this - heck I'm half Japanese which automatically makes you smaller in body from the get go - just wait till you see how much weight I gained)
- began at age 23 ( week before my 24th birthday)
- birthed at 164lbs (yes, you read that right, a whole fifty pounds heavier!)
- lost 15 lbs in the first week and half of baby afterbirth (baby was 7lbs and 2oz)
- lost all but ten pounds by 6 months
- lost the last 8/9 pounds from 6 months to bout 10 months, although the breasts stayed a cup larger and my hips still swelled a bit tight in my jeans, my face still held some round cheeks UNTIL THE HORMONES FROM BREASTFEEDING SUBSIDED (of which only lasted a couple weeks as I was already pregnant again)
- came back to the original 112 lbs, size 1 USA, and breast back to 32c original cup at 14 months after birth (when stopped breastfeeding completely and not yet showing effects of second pregnancy)
My Second Pregnancy with Kanai (almost the same):
- starts at 112 pounds, size1-2 USA
- began at age 25, birthed at age 26
- birthed at 174lbs (holy moly ten pounds more! I was never so miserable in my life ***And no stretch marks due to that oil I blogged of earlier! Don't miss out on the oil!!)
- lost 20lbs in the first two weeks afterbirth (baby was 8lbs and 2oz - and early)
- lost another 20 pounds gradually until around 7 months and boom everything started going fast
- got down to 110lbs (under my norm) by 12 months but my boobs still held onto more than normal size (double dds)
- when I finally stopped nursing at 16 months, the couple pounds came back, although my boobs dropped back to normal cup C size, but look smaller now, less plump (dang).
- Today, 2 months after ending breastfeeding, I am size 1/2 USA, 113lbs, 32C cup.
50 and 60 pounds over my norm from pregnancy! Yes. It was terrifying! Especially since I had no pregnancy diabetes, or any high blood pressure or anything abnormal on test and was doing light exercise until the end! How is that possible? We all respond to hormones and pregnancy differently - so all you women freaking out at the Baby Books saying "25-35lbs of pregnant weight is normal", I get it. Don't listen to the norm. Most people don't even know how much they normally were beforehand or just have a different pregnancy than you! First time, I was so insecure at the weight I had gained. Second time, I knew I was fine. I was so scared the end of the sexy spell was over (which was really scary for me considering I was in modeling and entertainment and used to a high romance with my love) And then I decided I was going to do what I could to get myself as back to norm as I could - You can too!
First thing - Do not do anything against what your doctor says for your recovery! Those 6-8 weeks are crucial for resting, eating, mentally preparing, emotionally bonding, and you are loosing tons of liquids as it is! I DIDN'T START ATTEMPTING TO SHED WEIGHT UNTIL 3 MONTHS AFTER PREGNANCY. What?! Yes! I INSTEAD TRIED TO GENTLY TONE MUSCLE AND BUILD UP ENERGY DURING THOSE FIRST FEW MONTHS. I know some women who started working out to lose the weight by 6 weeks and have no problems and some women who starting working out around the same time and had pains, strained muscles or even long term injuries. So, I took things slow, did what ever felt right for the time. If I got very tired, I stopped. I never dieted until after I was done breastfeeding (over one year afterbirth).
Diet matters, however, that topic needs a post dedicated to it alone. A few things (you can research and I will post on each topic in the weeks to come) that were the Greatest factors for my weight loss, in addition to nutrition choice:
1. Breastfeeding. Studies prove you loose hundreds of calories a day from nothing but breastfeeding alone. In fact, being that the baby literally eats your fat, that after the initial weight is "eaten" (few weeks in) you become very hungry and tired immediately afterward as your body has literally "worked out" burning calories within minuets!
“As far as a caloric burn, it is true that breast-feeding moms do burn 300-500 calories a day,” Zuckerbrot says.
(More on the quoted info at: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/breast-feeding-lose-weight)
2. Hydration. Drinking lots and lots of water and no sodas or high-concentrated drinks! A lot of weight held in body is from toxins, bloating, or build up of excess that simply needs to be flushed out. Water gives the body the hydration necessary to eliminate the bad, keeping the good. Toxins are the main "blockers" of the filtration system. More water in, more toxins being taken out with it. From the day after birth, I drank (from just pure thirst alone, especially from the thirst after breastfeeding) over half a 24pk of 16.9oz water bottles every single day. I know because I would be refilling the water bottles by my bed (and make my hubby continuously buy more water to store next to me since you are not supposed to walk around much to recover better). Read about how many "problems" and "illnesses" of the body are healed simply from adding more water into the diet.
3. Stretching. Like Yoga. Like Meditative Positions. Like Dance Warmups. Like Sports Warm ups. Yes. It doesn't feel like much, but I always noticed I lost the bloating, used the bathroom more often, or actually lost a pound by the next morning if I deeply stretched and relaxed my mind while doing so. Ha! Many people think it doesn't count as exercise - and yes, it doesn't feel like it...but it helps to eliminate toxins, move blood circulation (which moves the nutrition to all body parts, and moves out the excess junk from the trapped areas of body), and most importantly relax you - eliminating stress even if just for five min. Why does that matter? STRESS OR NEGATIVE FEELING IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR IN BODY MALFUNCTIONS, POOR RECOVERY, AND AGING. POSITIVE, HAPPY FEELINGS ARE PROVEN TO BE THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO HEALTH, CELL REVITALIZING, METABOLISM, AND YOUNGER APPEARANCE. Rest and relaxation are essential to sleep:
"Yes, it can be hard to tear yourself away from the internet at bedtime, but it’s worth it. “When you’re sleep-deprived, your body can produce more cortisol [a stress hormone], which interferes with your blood sugar control,” says Talbott. A lack of sleep can also mess with your levels of the hormone ghrelin, which promotes hunger, and the hormone leptin, which reduces it, according to Harvard Health Publications. So, how much should you get? The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours per night. If that sounds practically impossible, check out these 10 commandments for better sleep."
(More at: http://www.self.com/food/2016/06/metabolism-and-weight-loss/)
4. Calisthenics. What is that? This is the stuff you can do at home to build muscle, stamina, and body alliance those first few months until you can hit the gym and hard endurance sports later. Its the little series of pushups, leg lifts, planks holds, squats, and crunches that tone body and build endurance, little by little. Most people think you need weights and a gym for this - yes, I totally used the weights and machines to amplify these type of moves when I really wanted to shape my body back to normal. However, in the beginning, I did only ten crunches, five push ups, twenty squats on a daily basis. It wasn't till 6 months that I took it to the gym with weights and a trainer (the trainer tips are in upcoming listing, thank you Kirsten). This takes patience & discipline - the dedication to doing just the 10-20 reps a few times a week will make a difference in time.
(More at: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw2.htm)
5. Cardio. The heart rate. The sweat. The mind control. This is usually what people have the hardest time maintaining because it requires a lot more movement, full body use, and a will power to keep going when you are tired and breathing hard. THE HARDEST PART ABOUT DOING CARDIO WORKOUT FOR A MOM - IS THE FACT YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THE BABY TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM IT. The other stuff mentioned above can be done at home with your child around and can be stopped and returned to. However, cardio cannot often be done at home unless you have a treadmill, stair machine, or large area of space to run freely in. With one child, I was able to jog around the neighborhood and local parks using a JOGGING STROLLER. However, it is a heavy ordeal ladies! Much heavier to run with than without one, and its very large in comparison to a regular stroller which takes space on jog paths, car trunk, and storage. It takes some getting used to but it was the biggest factor in allowing me to do cardio with my baby until I could access a gym with a daycare system, which doesn't happen till 6months (most gyms only takes children in the onsite daycare, from 6months up and for 1-2 hours at most). I "run", which really is a jog/small spurts of walking in between, about 2-3 times a week and only about 1-2 miles each time. Sometimes, that means a 20 min use of the treadmill at the gym (gym workout routine coming up in future posts for those of you who are the gym bugs), but the way I can make it a pleasure and not a chore, is running outside around trees and greenery. The hardest part about cardio is getting the kick to start. Once you are a few minuets in, its just a matter of not thinking about it and keep going till you hit that goal. Every time I have finished a run, I feel 100% better than before - my body aches subside, my posture is taller, my stress is gone for an hour, my focus on tasks is clear and without time constraints, and I look leaner the next day...watch what happens by a couple weeks.
(More at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/522212-a-list-of-the-benefits-of-cardiovascular-endurance/)
All in all, getting back to shape took COMMITMENT: DECIDING TO DO IT, SCHEDULING OUT TIME TO DO, AND FORCING YOURSELF TO DO IT EVERY WEEK, FOR MONTHS...The patience is the toll and the perseverance is where you find out what you are made of. Yes, it takes a strong mind, good eating to accommodate the workout and baby demands, an initial investment into good shoes, or comfortable clothes to move in, perhaps the purchase of that jogging stroller or gym membership (which I'll talk about in the posts to come) and BELIEF THAT YOU WILL SUCEED. The changes are not going to happen all at once - as my trainer (I had her for the comeback of the first child from 6- 11 months post pardem) told me, "It took you 9 months to get this big, you gotta give yourself at least that long to get it off."
If you need some evidence to believe in...
Maybe some of you are the ones who say, I just can't come back to prebaby - I understand! THIS IS HARD! AND SOME BODIES ARE NOT GOING TO BE THE SAME AS PREBABY BUT WHAT WILL CHANGE IS HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR AFTERBIRTH BABY...TRYING AND GIVING IT A COMMITTED TRY IS WHAT WILL MAKE YOU LOOK BETTER AND FEEL LIKE YOU'VE DONE ALL YOU CAN - WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.