I had my second child four weeks ago via c section. My body changed a lot this pregnancy, and I’m anxious to lose the baby weight. I know my doctor told me not to diet/exercise until I’ve been cleared at my six weeks check-up, but I’m trying to make a game plan for when that happens. I’ve never dieted before, so I don’t know what works or how to start. Google searches have mostly confused me. And I know you can’t do certain exercises after having had a c section. I expect it to be difficult. With a two-year-old and a newborn and almost no help, I rarely have time to myself; I’m hoping to find something real. What did y’all do/not do to get at least somewhat back into shape after baby? And I know not to expect to look exactly like I did before
Weight watchers did it for
Me
Keto did it for me and MY husband!
Breast feeding helps the weight fall off and the obvious don’t eat bad foods, then slowly get into walking or some kind of exercise
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables because they have very little calorie and can fill you up while keeping your calorie intake low. I eat a regular breakfast and the rest of the day is just fruits and veggies. Also, if you take supplements such as vitamins and fiber, I prefer powder over gummy bears and pills because the water you need to mix with the powder does a great job of filling you up, which will help keep your calorie count low. If you’re hungry, eat a fruit or vegetable or drink lots of water. Never allow your body to go hungry because it will think you’re food deprived and store more calories from the little food you do eat. This is why crash diets only work short term.
I lost 30 lbs doing that. Albeit, I’ve never been pregnant so you’ll have to account for that difference.
I did 1,500 calories or less a day until I got where I wanted to be.
Whole 30 was the most effective thing I’ve done. It is quite a bit of prep and fresh food is more expensive than processed food but yuh can do it. Shop Aldis and fruit stands for as much as possible. And if you’re breastfeeding make sure you are eating enough calories. Start walking with the kids if you can. Also check YouTube for postpartum yoga. But definitely wait until you are cleared for exercise…your body has gone through a lot and needs to heal properly. Good luck!
I would say start slowly, maybe begin with walking and then jogging.
Breastfeed if you can & speed walking pushing the stroller , both of mine were csections. Recovery isn’t easy but just don’t over do it with lifting and bending
After section 4/84, 5/85. I walked alot, eat healthy and don’t skip breakfast! Back in shape for bikini season 7/85.
Look into the keto diet. Cutting out carbs and sugar helps the extra weight fall off fast. It worked well for me!
Don’t be fooled into thinking a temporary diet is going to get you where you want to be. If you want a long term solution, you’re going to have to adopt some long term habits. I think the biggest things that helped me were trying to eliminate as much processed food as possible, preparing most of my meals at home, and not drinking my calories (unless it was alcohol lol) Ditch anything that isnt water, coffee or tea and you will drop the pounds without any effort on your part. Try not to view the changes you make as you going without or giving up something. It’ll just make you feel deprived and you’ll over compensate later. Finding healthy foods and recipes that you truly enjoy is key. There is no miracle “diet” that will solve all your problems. Diets like keto are only sustainable for the short term…once you ever start eating carbs again you’ll pack on the pounds like mad…and you will have done like so many other folks do and have dieted yourself to a higher weight than what you started at.
Exercise is good too, obviously…pushing 2 kids for an hour in a stroller burns 500 calories or more …(but pushing 2 kids for that long is easier said than done lol) Do what you can, when you can. When my newborn is napping, I exercise with dumbbells while watching Sesame Street with my 2 year old.
Buy a scale and weigh yourself once a week, on the same day.
Learn to eat slowly and to stop when you’re full. I find myself eating because my nerves are frazzled and I want to calm down a lot 
Little changes make such a huge difference over time. Idk, I could say more but I dont want to sound like a douchebag so I’ll stop there 
Snacking instead of full on meals 3x a day works wonders. If you like things like bread, pasta rice or potatoes just make it the size of your fist. Protein will be your best friend. *** IF YOU LIKE CELERY EAT IT…IT WILL KEEP YOU HYDRATED AND HAS 3X THE AMOUNT OF POTASSIUM THAN BANANAS OR EAT CUCUMBER…IT HAS MANY BENEFITS. BUT BOTH OF THESE ARE GREAT FOR GETTING RID OF WATER WEIGHT AND FLUSHING YOUR SYSTEM. Drink a lot of water…a big water bottle helped me 
. I would fill it up at least 4x a day. Exercises like yoga is great for new mom’s…(when cleared). It’s peaceful, easy for beginners (it’s done in stages) and it’s a huge fat burner!!! It can also help with relaxation.
If your breastfeeding then look up diets that are safe. You don’t want to cut out things the baby needs.
But if your wanting to start now. Cut out sugars and processed food.
Yse myfitnesspal app, and they will tell you how many calories, and include your exercise and hold you accountable. If you worked out before baby, you can ease back into whatever that was (maybe not heavy weightlifting). I ran through my pregnancy, and after my csec, I started with biking, then walk/jog, then running. You can start 4 weeks after, but if it hurts - STOP. Listen to your body. Good luck.
Protein and lots of veggies and fruit. Start w eating small portions 6x daily eat less more frequent. The veggies and fruit will help you recover fast. The protein is also to help heal your c-section. BTW I’ve had 2.
Once you have clearance 21 day fix! The work outs and meal planning is awesome
Walking and clean eating. It wont be fast but it’ll be stable weight loss and healthy.
I didn’t have a c section but I did have some issues after birth. After I healed up I used my kids to help lose weight. It was fun for them and me. I would hold my oldest under her arms (she was almost 2) and stand up. Then I would lower her down and half way up then give her a kiss then go up as high as I could then back down half way then give her another kiss. Repeat. After my 2nd was about 2 months I would hold him like I would if I was going to feed him and squat down then back up and kissed him each time too, repeat. Even now they are 6 and 7 years old and I lay flat on the ground and put my legs up and they lay on my feet and I go up and down with my legs. They act like an airplane while I’m getting exercise. I also walked a lot, I had a double stroller for them and would walk up and down the road. I did diet but I was not breastfeeding. I cut out bread potatoes and soda which I cut my soda intake while pregnant.
Eat healthy, portioned foods, lots of water, and make it a routine to walk at LEAST once a day for 30-40 minutes, until you’re CLEARED by your doctor! 
those changes in it self will help significantly.
Check out ultimate portion fix online. Game changer
Are you breastfeeding? If so, you need to worry about eating the right amount and eating proper food for the baby. If you aren’t breastfeeding you still need to look at what you are eating. The food that you eat and how much and etc. are huge factors. You can lose weight but by your diet. I suggest getting an app so that you can track your food intake, which will break down your carbs, protein and fat intake.
Download My Fitness Pal, enter your goal and count calories. It’s that simple. Don’t do a fad diet like keto that you’ll just gain all the weight back as soon as you stop. It’s a lifestyle change, not a diet. I lost my baby weight lifting weights then taking a spin class. If you can’t or don’t want to join a gym, then push those babies in a stroller or do home workouts from YouTube.
I had my C section 10 years ago. I’m still trying to lose the pre-teen weight
Wait, dont diet/eat healthy until cleared by the dr? I just had my 3rd csection in Oct and when I was at the hospital (post partdum) they fed me healthy food. I kept those habbits when I got home with baby. She is 8 weeks old today and I have lost 30lbs (10lb more than my pre-pregnancy weight) and working on tightning back up. Everyone’s body is different but start drinking lots of water and making healthy choices. Still not sure why you would have to be cleared by the doctor prior to having a healthy eating habit.
I went back to indoor beach volleyball 5 weeks after my csection… If you feel ready for things do it… Don’t diet… Just eat healthy… Don’t go out of your way to do strenuous exercise… Just do what you can when you can… Newborns are hard work so just focus on that… After my csection I just ate when I could and made good food choices, walked with the pram, drank lots of water… I didn’t breast feed long so I didn’t have that to help with weight loss but I wasn’t too focused on losing weight until my son was almost 8 months old… And then when I tried I lost 8 kgs pretty easily through just food choices and my normal exercise… I think there is too much pressure on new mums to “bounce back”… You literally JUST had a baby… It took 9 months for you body to change to where it is now… Don’t expect it to go straight back just because the baby is no longer in there… Muscles have to move back… Ligaments that have stretched need to go back… The weight that was there was to help nourish the baby… When your body sees you don’t need it anymore it will go… Just be patient and enjoy the time with your new baby
Start of slow maybe a lil walking or fast walking working into jogging eat plenty of protein eggs peanutbutter is good lean meats fish veggies n fruits …dont go too hard right at clearing its been 9 months ur body will tell u when its ready to go harder or faster lots of water itll help withthe soreness in muscles
Wait…it will happen
Just FYI a lot of diet things are not recommended while breastfeeding. (That is of you are breastfeeding)
Your body also won’t be back to normal in a instant. It takes about a year until your body gets back to its normal (your gut and all that to get back down to where they should be).
Use myfitnesspal. Start by going for walks and easy exercises 5 days a week.
Breastfeeding will definitely help burn more calories on a daily basis. I also got a family membership at the Y. They have a nursery that you can drop the kiddos off for up to 2 hours. You’ll get alone time AND you’ll get to work out! Plus, it’ll helps the kids get out and be around other kiddos too. I wouldn’t necessarily “diet” especially if you’re breastfeeding. Just try to eat well rounded meals, healthy snack and LOTS of water.
High protein diet, walking, lots of water. Also a waist trainer worked while I had it. Not the corset kind, but Wal-Mart has a velcro one that goes around the waist for like $5.
Walking hun best exercise, you get fresh air, it clears your and you can pop the kids in the pram, I was 75 kg after my last bub who has just turned 2 I’m down to 63 and all I do is the school runs for my 6 yr old
Walk and start tracking your macros. Idk exactly how to do it yet, but there’s a bunch of groups on Facebook that you can join that will teach you. Google it. You can still pretty much eat whatever you want but when you track them it tells you how much you’re allowed of each thing. People are losing tons of weight since they started, and it’s not a fad diet. It’s literally just tracking what you eat, and eating the right portions.
Keep in mind that birth control can make you gain weight which will make it really difficult to lose it. I know bc at my 6 week check up, I had lost 25 lbs and still dropping. But I got on birth control and a month later when I went for my check up, I had gained 8 lbs:sob:
. I haven’t been able to lose weight since and hes almost a year old
I just had my girl 4 weeks ago and I invested in dumbbells, resistance bands and a yoga mat. Diets only work if you stay active. Otherwise your gonna gain all the weight you lose back.
I’m smaller now than I’ve been before my kids. I dont eat a lot of breads pastas potatoes…I dont drink a lot of sodas…I mainly drink tea and coffee. Not good at all but I’ve went from 220 to 174. I also dont eat past 6-7 at night and I walk alot and take the kids outside to play when weather permits. Mine are 3,2, and 8 months.
Don’t diet please ?. It’s all about portion control and lost of water .
Eat as healthy as possible. Lots of veggies and water. About half your plate should be veg. Eat complex carbs instead of simple ones. The weight loss will come .
Download My Plate app and track your calories for a week and see if it matches your goal (which you can calculate on the app as well). It will give you a recommended daily calorie goal. Then check in on the app every now and then to track your progress and check to make sure you’re staying on track with your calorie intake.
Get a YMCA membership (free childcare provided and sliding scale available) or something online that will keep you accountable for working out. 50/50 cardio and weight lifting starting out and slowly decrease cardio and increase weights. After a few months, try a program or a new routine to switch things up (so you will continue to rapidly lose weight).
Be patient. The first 2 weeks will be HARD. But you will have so so much energy and get much better sleep and be in a better mood after that! Promise.
Follow @thebellemethod @getmomstrong @the.postpartum.pt on Instagram for workout recommendations that are safe for post c-section women.
1200 calories a day. And 30 mins exercise 5 days a week. I lost 80 lbs doing that
I got back down to my baby weight in no time. I ate as usual even with breastfeeding. I figured if I could walk around the house, I could walk while hubs was home and baby was taking a nap. Even if only 15 minutes. My elderly neighbors were more than happy to watch him for a short time or anytime for that matter. they would sit in his room and read their bible or another book or some needle work. Walking is good for the abdominal muscles and helps build energy without being a strain. You also need the fresh air which helps in breathing.
I’ve had 4 c-sections and eating healthy and walking have helped honestly even after 6 week U are not fully healed so be very careful U also need to make sure your stomach muscles have gone back together a doc or a physio can do this as there’s alot of excersises U can’t do if they haven’t like push ups
Breastfeeding should help and watch your carb intake!
Cut gluten and increase the h2o
Walk…I haven’t met a kid/baby yet that didn’t enjoy a stroll. Stay away from abdominal exercises for a while.
Diets don’t work long term. If you change your eating, it needs to be a life change, if you get too rigid with yourself, you crave more, I drink two litres of water a day,
I’m just curious as to why you think you can’t do certain exercises after a c-section? Do you mean like right away or eventually? With in 6 weeks of my c-section I felt completely back to normal and could do everything I could before, I lost a ton of weight right away, but stupid me ended up with a super sick baby and was so exhausted from the no sleep I let myself go again, and I’m finding it hard now to get into eating healthy eating certain foods etc… but nothing with my c-section has held me back.
I would let my body heal completely first…walking is usually fine after a c section. Start with the food changes before starting vigorous exercise after major surgery.
I’m no help- I already know I’m gonna be too tired to even think about working out that soon after a second c section, If I have to wear stretchy pants then so be it 
Id heal first, you could risk opening your scar 
My sister used house cleaning to workout. Like lungs during vacuuming and squats doing dishes…stuff like that until she felt stronger. Seemed to really help her get moving around again.
Download the sweat app. You can do the post pregnancy workout made by Kayla itsines. It’s designed for C-section and difficult births and starts very slow. Mostly light stretching and movements till you can progress to something more difficult
Most trained post partum exercise specialists will only clear you for exercise 12 weeks post csection. If you want to seriously get into exercise after this I would highly recommend finding a trainer who specialises in post partum. I would begin with taking walks and healing from the inside 
If you are breastfeeding I would also recommend taking this into consideration if approaching dieting as it can affect your milk supply. Good luck mama, just remember your body nurtured and grew two babies so be proud of it!
Losing weight is 80% diet and 20% working out. But let your body heal. I am 18 months post baby #2 and I wasn’t ready until now and I’m glad I took the time because I feel more like myself again. Extend yourself some grace. You have created 2 wonderful creatures that will be grown up before you know it. Enjoy the little moments. The body will come back. Albeit not the same but it does get better!
I waited until I was 1 year post partum. Then see how you look and how you feel about your body because you will change drastically in that one year. I have 2 kids both csection. 2.5 years pp. My body has mostly went back. Don’t stress! Be there for your baby and toddler. Let yourself heal. Healthy eating habits is the biggest thing and then exercise.
I was fat and ugly before I got pregnant, now I’m a fat ugly mom, oh well, I’m single so no one cares what I look like. If you see me out in a store or public and don’t like what I look like? Oh well, don’t look, go down a different aisle. My daughter doesn’t care what I look like and she’s the only one who sees me and the only one whose opinion matters.
“Dieting” doesn’t work. Just move more than you eat. When given the all clear, start off with walking. Please remember this super important fact: making breast milk takes as much as 30% of your energy. Don’t diet, just eat healthy and become stronger.
If your breastfeeding the weight will come off by its self but if not just start walking I had a double stroller it was awesome way to get the kids out side and clear my head 2 children are a challenge but you will be fine try to do easy dinners nap when the babies nap and enjoy your children I had 4 C-sections God bless
First of STOP expecting your body to go back to pre baby. It can happened but realistically w no “help” and 2 kids you need to start with tour mental health. Then after the 6 week check up start with losing weight by dieting and just walking w your babies. Once your body get used to that add something else. But be easy on yourself. It took 10 months for a baby you can’t get it back in 4m. Unless you got kardashian money.
Use your chores as as exercise. I have a great video showing how you can.
can take 2 months to even heal from a c section. I think you have more important things to worry about than body image
Don’t focus on weight loss until you have toned your muscles affected by c section. Your body needs those calories to heal. If you focus on tone, in time, you will see the balance you are looking for.
I’ve had both my pregnancies as c sections. The first one I went back to work after 4 weeks (restaurant industry) and I regret it every day. I’m 4 weeks postpartum now and breastfeeding but I don’t work. I eat for the most part chicken, white rice, veggies, nuts, fruits, yogurts, protein bars, cold plain oats with milk. I keep my meals small and frequent. I wake up to get my oldest ready for school and drink a hot black coffee, eat oatmeal or eggs or a yogurt with granola and fruit. I come back home, sleep and eat a second breakfast after I wake up. Lunch is usually a chicken breast with rice. And for dinner I’ll have chicken veggies. Sometimes I’ll have pork chops. Or red meats. Not always. I snack throughout the day nuts or fruit. I drink lots of water but I also have a soda or juice daily.
Both pregnancies I’ve worn some type of support. First one I wore a workout waist belt. Helped me sweat and wearing it tight also helped with the pain on my incision.
This second time around I wear one as well AND I’ll alternate and wear a c section recovery corset. I wear them too bed and when I’m home. I started off doing house work (chores) around 2 weeks after baby but now I have lots of pain because of it so I’ve reduced it to light housework. No vacuuming or laundry since it pulls too much on the muscles that are healing. But dishes, sweeping, dusting, organizing. Wiping things down. Bathrooms. I only use unscented cleaning products too for my well being as well as my partner who has issues with scents. Take it easy and do t over do yourself. It’s hard but possible.
breastfeeding does the trick .
Dieting and such is not necessary at all. It’s good for your health to stay active and such though.
It’s all about how many calories you eat vs how many calories your body burns up in energy throughout the day.
If you are at a calorie deficit you will lose weight.
Focus on a routine. Weigh and measure your food portions and add it all up and see how you are doing.
For me I’m doing keto and lost 20kgs so far.
Having a wee break over Christmas then getting stuck back in.
Will be adding weights for lean muscle and skin tone and walking for heart health
Honestly… after having a csec, ur body wont be the same. Esp ur stomach, bc they cut ur lower stomach muscles, and u wont get them back.
As far as losing weight. “Diets” dont work. You hv to change ur eating habits and lifestyle.
I lost 20lbs in 1 month JUST by switching to water! And another time by not eating past 7pm.
Its hard at first but once ur like 2 weeks in, it gets easy. But one slip up and u go back to ur old ways.
Use the 2 year old as weights. Put them on your leg, and do lifts. Then put them in the air. Include them. They think mommy is playing, and you are getting a work out. Other than that, I’m an overweight mom, and my baby is 5! So I have no advice .
I also have a 2 year old and new born! There has not been any exercise that I CANNOT do even with being a 2X c section.
I do an in home workout program called Sweat Inspire Sisterhood! The workouts are sent to you daily, there is a meal plan you get included in the membership, as well as recipes! 
and you get to do the workouts in the comfort of your own home!! There’s an accountability group you become apart of to help keep you motivated, and accountable! I do not work for this company am just a firm believer in it! Feel free to message me if you have more questions! I’d love to see all the new mommy’s become a part of our sisterhood!
I had 2 cesors in a row a year apart… the tummy is the hardest to loose… i was huge pregnant but I did loose some weight breastfeeding, wearing a waistband helps flatten the tummy and drinking alot of water… Dont worry too much about weight as the more i stress i actually put on weight… u just gave birth nobody expects u to be thin actually and once ur baby starts crawling and walking he will give you on ur feet… enjoy your baby…
Walking and tracking food with myfitnesspal.
The most important thing is to allow your body to heal. You have to remember you just had your stomach CUT OPEN AND A CHILD REMOVED FROM IT. Those muscles need time to heal! As far as the dieting goes…just eat healthy. Try and stay away from processed sugars as much as possible.