Episode 82 How to Get Your Body Back After a Baby: Four Post-Partum Dos and Don'ts

In this episode, Jo and Lauren discuss strategies and insights for regaining strength and fitness after pregnancy. They address common challenges women face with body changes postpartum and suggest four dos and don'ts for getting your body back after baby.  

00:00 Introduction and Overview
01:03 Jo's Post-Pregnancy Journey
03:09 Lauren's Post-Pregnancy Journey
08:11 Understanding Postpartum Metabolism
09:27 Do's and Don'ts for Postpartum Fitness
11:18 Avoid Cutting Calories Postpartum
12:07 The Importance of Protein and Good Nutrition
14:04 Strength Training vs. Cardio
17:38 Setting Realistic Expectations
23:10 Recap and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

0:43

Hello, everyone. It's Joe and Lauren today on the podcast. So today, Lauren and I are going to dive into how to get your body back after having a baby, or maybe even building a better body than you had before pregnancy. So we hear so many women say that their bodies, they feel like their bodies have changed post pregnancy. And feel super discouraged. Like they're never going to get their pre baby body back, but with the right strategies, you can definitely rebuild your strength gain muscle and, keep your metabolism. speedy and preserved in the process. So in today's podcast, we're going to cover some do's and don'ts and what to do and what to avoid in order to build strength, build muscle, boost your metabolism, and feel your best after you've had your baby. Okay, so I think maybe the first place to start is what not to do and never Lauren and I both are probably good examples of that. I'll share my story 1st. It's my oldest is 18 years old. I was the kind of person when I. Got pregnant. I was going to work out every day. I was going to eat super healthy. And then I had the most horrible morning sickness. I couldn't even imagine being that nauseous. And there was no working out. I was doing well just to get out of bed every day and have some semblance of functionality. I lost weight my first trimester, but then gained weight the second and third trimester and really lost a lot of strength during that pregnancy because I wasn't able to work out. So after that baby, I decided I was going to get back in shape by running and calorie tracking. I had done Weight Watchers. So I tried to go back to Weight Watchers calories that would last. For about 2 days, I was so sore from running. I would throw the towel in on that and then ignore my diet as well. So I didn't really get in back in shape at all between baby number 1 and baby number 2. And then baby number 2 after I had him, it was. Not quite as bad the morning sickness as baby number one, but pretty much the same. I think I gained, I think I gained probably 60 pounds with both of my kids. I gained a bit of weight with both of them. And then with him, I did lift weights and. Did some calorie tracking with him and actually I had great results, but for some reason I stopped that after about two months and then about a year or two years after that, I started running two or three times a week with a friend. Nothing, no high mileage. I would say between six and nine miles a week, paid zero attention to my diet and of course, just have a pudgy physique. That's what I did to get my body back after having two babies. once I started working with a strength training coach and got into bodybuilding, that's when my body really changed. And I would say I built a better body than I had before I ever got pregnant. So that's my story. Lauren, how did it go for you? I'm also an exemplar of what not to do. And both of my pregnancies were a little different. I first should probably say that right before my first pregnancy, so my kids are nine and six right before my first pregnancy, I did a fitness competition. So I was very thin as I was at low body fat going into that pregnancy. And of course, same, like I was going to, cause I had just come off a fitness competition. So like I was doing the macro counting, I was doing the protein, I was lifting, I was doing all of the things that, we say to do. And of course I wanted to keep that up during my pregnancy. I was very very focused on only gaining 25 pounds during my pregnancy. that was silly. That was unrealistic. I didn't gain much more than that. I gained I think, 30, 32 pounds during I think each of the pregnancies. But I was very, just very obsessed with this. arbitrary 25 pound number. So I did actually work out most of my first pregnancy. My eating habits were terrible. I did not want protein. I did not want meat. it was gross. I just, I couldn't. And so I lived on baked potatoes. I did work out most and then just like joe, to get the weight off. probably the biggest mistake is I was so focused on it. And so it stressed me out. Because for whatever reason, again, arbitrary goal, like I want it to be at my, or close to my pre baby weight before I went back to work in 12 weeks. So I was aiming to lose, 25 pounds. in a very short amount of time while having a new baby. I think I did lose almost all of it. Before in that 12 weeks like we said, all the wrong ways and then the rest of it came off. And so then I had about two years in between my first and second pregnancy during that time. That's really when I would say I started to have an issue with under eating. So if anybody has listened to me or knows me I had to reverse. Just a lot of our clients do when when actually Couture started, Alison was my coach. But I would say the under eating habits really started after that pregnancy, which is, I think interesting because you would think they would start more like when I was doing a fitness competition. But that's not what happened. So anyway, fast forward two years pregnant again. And again, I thought I was gonna, work out, eat good the whole pregnancy I had gotten back to my pre pregnancy weight. The baby had different ideas. my son sat very low in my belly. And literally hit every nerve, like sciatic, all of that starting, I would say around four or five months. So it was really difficult for me to work out, to lift. To do a lot just because he was so low and it was painful. I will say I probably ate better during that pregnancy. Again, still had this idea. I'm going to gain only 25 pounds. And ended up again, gaining like 30 ish pounds with him. And then after I did the exact same bad thing, I cut my calories more. so much cardio, so much running. I got the Bob strollers. I guess I had them both pregnancies. But after the second pregnancy like everybody in my neighborhood were like, Oh, you're the one, you're the girl who like runs with the stroller all the time. Literally, it was every day. And the weight it did come off. probably in a little bit less time than after my first pregnancy. But I would say not even a year or two after that is when my body really started going against me like it didn't. It didn't like the low calories. I was gaining body fat. I was do not doing anything different, but I was like severely under eating. And that's that under eating again, started like after pregnancy, both pregnancies and like really happened through 2021. We're talking like 2015. I had my first 2018. I had my second. And then 2021 is when I finally reversed. So I was under eating for a decent amount of time. But yeah, so don't all the things you're not supposed to do. I did. Yeah. So I think the key takeaway here is that everyone's pregnancy is different. How we feel during pregnancy, how much we're able to work out. And so then, that kind of dictates how you roll into that postpartum body. That can look different from person to person as well, but we do have some tips for you for things that you can do to, start getting your body back in a healthy way that makes you feel good and look good as well. First, let's talk about your postpartum metabolism, what that looks like. So actually when you're pregnant, your metabolism. Is very high because you are supporting the growth of a baby. You're burning a lot of calories, just supporting that baby growth and cell development and all of that. And then postpartum after you've had the baby, it remains high. I think we get at the beginning for everyone, but especially if you breastfeed that usually requires an additional 400 to 500 calories a day, just to. support the production of breast milk. So this is great news because after you have had a baby, your body's metabolism is probably primed for muscle building and fat loss. one thing that can happen, during pregnancy, I feel like it definitely happened for me is you can lose some muscle if you're not working out at all. Again, I definitely lost strength because I went from working out every day to doing nothing because I felt so terrible. But generally speaking, your body's just burning a lot of calories on its own. So your metabolism is actually in a great spot after you've had a baby. You don't want to wreck it from there by doing the wrong things. So Lauren, you've got four do's and don'ts for getting your body back. Do you want to talk about the first do? Sure. So I feel like this is going to be counterintuitive to a lot of moms and I might get like the middle finger when I say this. But the first thing is you really need to prioritize your sleep. I know it's really difficult with a newborn and you might not even have control over this. if your baby is colicky or just is not sleeping. I understand that you don't totally control this. But sleep is key for. recovery for your body's recovery after pregnancy. And it's also key for weight loss. So again, I understand like there's lots of factors here, but I definitely would say don't sacrifice like sleep for workouts. don't get up at 5 a. m. because the baby gets up at 6 a. m. to get your workout in, or if the baby's taking a nap and you haven't slept in, 24 hours, don't be like, Oh, take the baby's taking a nap. So I'm going to get a workout in. Don't do that. At least, prioritize. Sleep over working out because a lack of sleep really can stall your progress. Yeah. So I, yeah like you said, Lauren, I know it can be really difficult to think that you can prioritize sleep, but your body also needs sleep to recover from the process of having a baby. And so you're just going to end up in a tailspin if you are skimping out on the sleep that you can get just to get a workout in. But once you have your sleep regulated, if you do feel like you're getting good sleep, go ahead and work out, but you don't want to like exactly what you said, Lauren, skip out on sleep to work out because it's not going to go well and it's going to further stress out your body. Okay. So do make sleep a priority. Don't sacrifice sleep for workouts. Okay. What's your second do and don't. Okay. So number two is eat enough calories and protein. I think a lot of women have, like I talked about, like your natural instinct is to cut your calories back to lose the weight fast. But you do not want to do this, especially, in that postpartum because your body needs protein, your body needs calories, your body needs nourishment, your body needs fuel. So aim for at least a hundred grams of protein per day or as much as your goal body weight in grams of protein. Don't splash calories. Like I just said your metabolism, as Joe was talking about, is really high during this time period. Cutting calories too much can really backfire. you almost want to make it a goal to maintain the metabolism that you have during your postpartum months. And to do this, you need to be eating adequately. Now, on the flip side, I think most women know that you burn a lot of calories breastfeeding. this is a great time for your metabolism, but it's not a free for all. You still want to maintain good habits. You don't want to be eating cookies and chips and all the things because your body is in such a good metabolic place. It is really important To increase your calories with good food with protein with, all of the things that are going to actually nourish you. So don't think oh, I have a 500, 000 extra calories a day. I'm going to go get like a. I don't know, ice cream, Sonic, like I, Sonic ice cream is, I always think is that is like the most like fattening thing, or like the most like caloric thing, so you don't want to go get like a large Sonic like blast or something of course everything now and then is okay, but yeah, you just want to stick to those good eating habits. Yeah, so you're exactly right. And I think your story illustrates well, how under eating can ultimately backfire on you. If you're breastfeeding, you can definitely cut into your milk supply if you under eat too much. And then over time, if you starve your body during this time period, where it really needs to repair itself your metabolism is just going to take a hit after a while may not be immediate, but like you after a year or two, it's going to be in a pretty bad place. But you're exactly right. This is not a free for all. And so maybe it's like a handful of chips here, cookies here, or however you can get the food in, really do try to focus on getting some quality nutrition and protein is really going to tighten up your body and help you repair your body after childbirth. And then also like lots of good fruits and vegetables. I know easier said than done when you've just had a baby, but that's a good place to focus your energies during this time period. Okay. What's your third do and don't. The third do is do strength training early. And don't do cardio, but obviously don't do cardio. So you do want to start and continue lifting weights. As soon as you're cleared to work out, this is going to help boost and preserve your metabolism. Like we just talked about your metabolisms in a great spot, postpartum, and also build back any muscle that you lost during pregnancy. And how hard you hit the weights really depends on how conditioned you are, or like what you were doing before and during pregnancy. So if you were lifting before and during pregnancy you probably should be able to get back into it really quickly or pretty quickly because of muscle memory. But if you weren't able to lift during pregnancy or you're new to strength training, take it slow. What this could look like is more like a circuit training. Circuit training, he's like gym machines, so not so much dumbbells and free weights or even like band work you just want to make sure that you don't injure yourself. That's really the most important thing. But I would say however, you're lifting from, free weights to, to bands aim to do two to three full body strength training workouts per week. You might want to do a little cardio, but do not do what I did and become like the neighborhood everybody knows me because I have my stroller jogging all the time. Do not become a cardio bunny. Activity is good, but high intensity cardio exercise will probably backfire. And on top of it, your body really isn't ready for it. And it's going to be stressful to your body. And that's not a good thing to induce more stress on your body when you're trying to recover from pregnancy. So even if, you are so inclined to do a bunch of cardio, try to resist. I think a good thing to replace the cardio with is just walking steps like you can still be active. Sure, put your baby in the stroller, but walk. Do not go down the cardio route. It's very tempting to do because cardio gives you that quicker result on the scale, but it's not sustainable. So really try to think about the longterm. Yeah, I and my experience is a good example of why you shouldn't start running as soon as you can after having a baby. running is a pretty strenuous activity on your body. And my body just was not ready to be running, even after 6 months or 8 months postpartum. I had a pretty difficult labor with my first child. And so what would happen is I would run, I would be so sore from running. I could barely run around the block. I was so deconditioned. and so I couldn't run the next day. So it was just like this never ending cycle of, Trying to start running, but it just wasn't strong enough to do it. So if I had just spent. Honestly, when I could start working out 20 minutes, three times a week, doing some strength training, doing lots of walking, I would have progressed so much faster than how I tried to lose the weight, which was slash calories and run. So this was really a mindset thing for me, because in my mind, nothing was going to work as well as running. Everyone knows that running is how you lose weight. And. That was just dumb. It was wrong. And I really wasted a lot of time and I never progressed because I just wasn't strong enough really to start a running program. So learn from us. Don't do the stupid things that we did. Okay. Lauren, what's your fourth do and don't? Speaking of stupid things. So as I said, I set very unreasonable expectations for myself. It is important to set reasonable expectations when you're, trying to lose the baby weight or trying to get your body back per se, give yourself time. You were pregnant for nine months. So at least give your body that much time to recover and get back to where it was. But I would say really like that year mark. Is really where you're going to start to see progress. So just be patient. I know it's hard to again, like I paid for it on the back end. Like I might've quickly lost the baby weight, but I wrecked my metabolism in the process. And then, did that for two, three years trying to build that back up. Also, this is like a great time to focus on building healthy habits. you can eat more, but make sure you're being intentional about where you're eating. Make sure you're building good habits around getting your protein in and eating healthy foods. Same thing with strength training. you might not be at your max, lifting during this time, but if you at least get the habit down that's huge. So you can definitely work on that during this time. And don't set hard deadlines or rush this process. It can lead to injury burnout. Giving up all together, you just heard Joe and I the results of us trying to rush the process. And we paid for it on the back end like I said, just no arbitrary deadlines. No, I have to, fit in some dress by three months after I have my baby. Just don't do it. It also adds stress that you don't need. And honestly, like looking back to my pregnancies is you want to be in the moment, postpartum, like with your baby, you don't want to be worried about getting the baby weight off. It's just an added stress. So maybe that's more of a mindset thing, but definitely set reasonable expectations for yourself. I really think it's a mindset thing, but I had the same expectation of myself that I was going to lose all the baby weight by the time I finished my maternity leave. So that when I went back to work, I would be the same as before I became pregnant, I don't know where I got that expectation, but that was definitely what I was aiming for. My body did totally change and so that's the other thing about strength training. Now I was not doing any sort of strength training, but, I might have been the same weight or nearing the same weight at some point after this postpartum journey, but my waist was much bigger. My clothes did not fit the same at all. And that's where the weight training is really going to help you. And, even, disregard the scale, even if you get all the weight off by not eating very much and doing a bunch of running, your body will have likely shifted. So you might do all that work and just not. Like how you end up looking, so this is a hard thing for everyone to wrap their mind around. But like strength training is really what's going to, give your body that nice shape. And it's just a long journey building muscle getting strong. It's, it doesn't happen in 12 weeks. You can make progress in 12 weeks, but there's no reason to put that pressure on yourself. Why do you think you had that deadline of losing all the weight before in your 12 weeks of maternity leave? Because I'm a perfectionist, I don't know honestly, it probably reflecting on it. Because I was doing fitness competitions before and because I was working out, it became part of my identity to myself, but also to others. And if I'm being really honest, it's, it was probably to keep up that persona, not like it is a persona because I do, work out a lot and I do, enjoy this lifestyle. Like it just went with everything else, right? Oh, she did a fitness competition and then she had a baby and then she was back in 12 weeks, like very silly, very stupid. And looking back, just saying it out loud is awful. But I think that's where it came from. And I think the other reason or the other place that probably came from is. Like I had a real fear of not getting the baby weight off or of like looking worse or gaining even more weight than I had ever been. I was so scared of that. So I think, it was like the impatience to make sure that those things didn't happen. Yeah, probably same for me. I wasn't going to be one of those women that let themselves go after they had the baby. but strangely enough, the way that I went about it, I would abandon my plan every other week because I just was such an unreasonable plan. And frankly, it wouldn't have worked anyway. So I think a good mindset hack here is, probably mostly women listening to this podcast. And if you've had a baby, then you know what that process is like, but think about what you might tell your daughter as she goes through this process and the advice you might give her about, a reasonable expectation for getting her body back after a baby. And do that for yourself, give yourself that break and that grace, because it just life is too short. Like you said, you want to be present with your baby, not preoccupied with whether you've lost a pound in two days or something. That's, it's just a miserable way. And you will regret it. When they're older and you look back at that time, you will not want to have fixated on your weight and getting, all the baby weight off in some arbitrary number of weeks. Okay, so those are our do's and don'ts. I will recap them very quickly. Number one, do prioritize sleep, don't sacrifice sleep for workouts. Number two do eat enough calories and protein, don't slash calories. Number three, do start strength training early. As soon as you are cleared to start working out, do not become a cardio bunny to get the postpartum weight off. And then number four, set reasonable expectations for yourself and don't set hard deadlines or rush the process. And really, I think the best thing to remember here is that it's not about bouncing back as quickly as you can, but really rebuilding your strength and a healthy body over time. So that's what we have for you. If you are someone that's listening to this and maybe you've had a baby recently Or maybe the baby is two or three years old now and you're still trying to get your fitness level back. Definitely consider scheduling a call with us. We can probably help you. And we'd just love to talk to you and see how we might be able to help. So a link to that will be in the show notes, but that's what we have for you today. Have a great day. Thank you.