According to new research by the University of Chicago, most women will not lose the baby weight, especially if she started out overweight before conceiving. The better shape the mom-to-be was pre-conception, the better chance she has of bouncing back to her pre-pregnancy weight. I have one thing to say to this research: DUH!
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Sure, celeb moms may make it look easy because they have nannies, chefs, trainers and can afford to have their jaw weird shut if absolutely necessary. Most of us don't have that luxury. We also don't have weight loss programs begging us to be their spokesperson as they provide all the food and personal training we need, free of charge. Losing all that baby weight is not easy, especially for the average mom, even if you did start off thin. Of course it helps if you weren't overweight to begin with.
Researchers from the University of Chicago followed 774 women with an average body mass index in the "overweight" range. Not surprisingly, research found that 75 percent or more of those women weighed more one year after giving birth than they did pre-pregnancy. Any woman who ever gave birth could have told you this.
For women who had a normal weight before pregnancy, half still had 10 extra pounds to lose an entire year later and a quarter had 20 or more pounds to lose still. Proving once again that breastfeeding and chasing babies around the house trying to save them from danger is not a substitution for a workout program.
Extra weight ups your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancers, so obviously we should all try to get in better shape. But as a mom who started out overweight after recovering from eight years of eating disorders (just in case you were thinking of filing me under lazy), I can tell you that I don't eat a lot but I also don't move a lot these days. The girls are in school now but I work from home, on the computer.
Losing weight is hard, especially the older you get and the less time you have to focus solely on yourself and let's be honest, no one who has a child is ever able to focus just on themselves ever again. Am I saying that once you have kids you give up and just accept mediocrity and being unhealthy? NO! But I'm also saying holding yourself in comparison to the body you had before you grew and gave birth to a human being is crazy.
When you have a baby, you change, your body changes, your eating, sleeping and working out habits change. You have more obligations, worry, and stress and a lot less free time and money. Basically, everything changes so don't beat yourself up because your body didn't bounce back like Beyonce's. She's got a lot of help and Photoshop. Love your babies, love your body and try to eat healthy and move so that you can live to play with your grandkids but don't waste your life beating yourself up for not having a flat stomach. Next time you are missing your six pack, look down into the eyes of the little creature who "ruined" your body and think how much more satisfying life is with him/her in it.
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