My weight loss Journey Post Pregnancy

- how I lost over 27 kgs and maintained it 16 years later

Frustration & Desperation at Weighing Scale

Third June 2008, I returned home with my 5-day-old daughter, swaddled up and sleeping peacefully in my arms.

Upon ringing the bell, my mum, excited and glowing with the happiness of becoming a grandmother, opened the door and proceeded to do aarti for the well-being of the newborn and its mother.

I handed my bundle of joy to my mum’s waiting arms, rushed to my room’s privacy, shut the door behind me, and checked my weight. Indeed, I would have lost 4/5 kgs — I thought,

I saw the needle swaying left and then to the right as I patiently waited for it to make up its mind. I looked down, my eyes fixed, and then time froze.

“This can’t be true,” my mind shrieked. After all the wait — 9 months, to be precise.

I rechecked, and unfortunately, I got the same result !!

After all the wait, my weight was not supposed to be what the damn machine displayed — 80 Kgs — barely 2 kg less than what it was when I had last checked it — just a few days before delivering my daughter.

The despair was drowned by the immediate need to feed my new baby.

The next few weeks blurred — settling with the new baby is no easy task. I was exhausted.

Besides caring for my angel, I was drained just thinking of shedding all my pregnancy weight.

Looking back, I should have been kinder and more compassionate towards myself. You can refer to this guide to help you kickstart your fitness journey.

Mom and Expert Help

Knowing me in and out, my mum took me shopping for new clothes to cheer me up. Catastrophe — it brought even more despair.

But along with it also came a resolve to do something.

The words of my prenatal and postnatal care provider and Lamhaze expert — Dr. Rita Shah — resounded in my ears. “While every expectant mum who signs up with me diligently completes prenatal sessions, very few come back for postnatal classes. Later, they suffer health problems and/ or serious injuries trying to lose weight. How will you take care of your family if you are not healthy? Worst, what example would you be setting for your kids.”

Miraculously, and thanks to my mum (who pulled in all resources to support me), I found time to visit Dr Shah for my postnatal sessions. She taught me a few basic exercises to tone up and shared some invaluable food tips. With that, I started my journey of losing weight and gaining health.

More than 16 years on, I feel stronger, happier and more energetic with each passing year.

But before I delve into what worked for me — caution !! Please be patient with yourself. Give your body some time to heal — after all, you gave birth to a new life — and you will be the primary caregiver to your bundle of joy. Allow yourself to be pampered,

Finally, seek your doctor’s clearance before embarking on any fitness routine. With that, here are a few things which helped me fit into my “pre-baby” clothes very quickly.

What Worked For Me

1. Start slow — give your body and mind time to understand that you are getting back into some routine
2. Breastfeed — potent weapon that comes with an expiry — Let’s start with the easiest tip that works. Breastfeed your baby for as long as possible. You actually burn so many calories while feeding your baby. You can also use this time to relax and catch up on your reading/ music/ whatever you enjoy. Enjoy this time with your little one — while all they need is a “no fuss, ready to consume” meal. You don’t have to worry if your little one is getting enough nutrition. It will be soon that you must cater to their taste bud. If you need any more convincing, research also shows that breastfed babies have more robust immune systems and are less prone to gaining weight when they grow up. Bonus, they also might be smarter. So why not give them a headstart in life.
3. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. You don’t need much — the mat and your body weight are enough to help you start shopping for smaller sizes. 30–40 minutes of floor exercises should do the trick (provided you maintain a healthy relationship with food). You can even split it into 2 sessions of 20 minutes each if it is difficult to do in one go. That is what I did.I didn’t hire any personal trainer (allocating a set day and time was not an option) or nutritionist. Still, I religiously followed simple exercises taught to me by Dr Shah. Some of the exercises that worked for me are :

• Various forms of crunches — knee bent, diamond, leg straight
• Reverse crunches
• Sit-ups
• Planks
• Cycling — one leg, both legs- reverse cycling
• Basic yoga asanas — bhujang aasana, dhanur aasana etc

4. Get Some Fresh air — My baby daughter loved being outdoors, so I would put her in a carrier most evenings and strap it on my waist. This acted like walking with weights. It was the best time of the day for both of us. The moment she saw the carrier, her face lit up. By the way, she still loves being outdoors and constantly looks for play companions.

Baby talks accompanied by long walks. Seeing me chat (monologue is better) with my daughter during walks amused many cowalkers and never failed to bring smiles to their faces.

It was again an exceptional mother-and-daughter time. I would never know if my daughter understood a single word of my babbling. However, during those 45 to 60 minutes that I walked and talked (lasts only for a short period; role reverses to kids talking and you listening ), she seemed to listen to me without as much as batting her eyelids.

We would both then come back home — she ready to crash, and I look forward to some “me” time (till the next feeding call)

5. Don’t underestimate the power of play — As your baby grows older, have fun playing with her. A perfect way to have fun, be in touch with the child within you, bond with your child and shape up — all at the same time.

6. Diet — Pay attention to what you are putting in your mouth. If you haven’t done it so far, you have enough motivation to adopt healthy eating habits for your child. After all, which mum would want to see her child snacking on chips, lurkers, etc.For me, consuming a large serving of fruits (2 to 3 times a day) worked wonders for how my tummy felt. The additional benefit of consuming fruits is that you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen (either sweating yourself or breaking your head, explaining to your staff how to prepare your way); grab and consume — minus any guilt.

Want additional guidance to kickstart your fitness journey ? You can refer to this guide.

Conclusion

Consistent small steps make a big difference. As I took baby steps to incorporate the above into my routine — my weight started coming down, my mood started lifting, and my inches started to vanish.

Within 12 months, I achieved a healthy weight of 52/53kgs. More than that, I developed a love and passion for healthy food and an active life that continued with me and grew each year.

This was the gist of my weight loss and health gain journey without any “personal trainer” or “nutritionist” but with much determination and perseverance.

This journey started 16 years ago and continues — with every passing year, I feel stronger and healthier.

I remain at my optimal weight and health — thanks to simple and sustainable healthier life choices.