I’m very frustrated with my body right now. We were shopping this weekend, and I did a bit of browsing for new jeans. The jeans I’m wearing now are still my one & only pair of maternity jeans with NO waist but instead a ultra wide band of elastic that goes from beneath my belly button to my bra. VERY comfortable, but not practical with you’re not pregnant. They’re starting to be too big on me and shift continually throughout the day given they have no waist to grip my hips.
I never cared much that I wasn’t model material. That helped when I got pregnant and people were telling me horror stories about what my body would look like AFTERWARD. I was prepared for stretch marks, I was prepared for being fat for awhile, I was even prepared for lopsided breasts. I wasn’t prepared for what has happened though.
First, I’d like to explain how my body USED to look. I’m hourglass shaped, so far as I wear full figure bras, my waist is the smallest point & my hips are wide. I always had a little belly, which sat around my belly button but was evenly distributed so I always thought it was kind of cute 
Despite my little belly, my stomach was smooth. If I didn’t wear tight fitting pants I could wear a snug shirt and I didn’t have any rolls.
Well, now my entire composition has changed. Now, my has disappeared and all I have is a bulge that sits above my belly button and is in my opinion, not cute. It sits above where my pants waistline is, so now there’s always a roll there. No matter how loose my pants are as soon as I sit down the waist sinks deep into my body creating 3 very distinct sections to my body: boobs, belly one & belly two. Where my cute belly used to be is now concave, and the skin is loose and hangs. The stretch marks don’t help – but as I said I was prepared for that. Also, I now have a verifiable fanny pack of flesh that hangs just above my crotch. TMI? I don’t care – I need to vent.
As I said, I never really cared how my body appeared. Now however, I’m really noticing how much I liked my figure. I’m not really sure what to do either. I mean, while I hate to exercise (ab exercises are on the top of my hate list) I would do it if it meant that I would fix what is broken. But – is it going to fix it? Does exercise tighten loose skin, shift bulges and eliminate fanny packs? Or is this just something that’ll fix itself naturally as I heal? It’s been less than four months, perhaps I’m jumping the gun?
On the pregnancy websites all they say is, “It took nine months for your body to get like this – its not going to change back overnight.” What does that mean, exactly? That I’ll be back to my old shape (or there about) in nine months? Is there any point in helping it along?
I’m so clueless.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: apperance, postpartum, pregnancy, weight
I’ve always had a bit of an up and down thing going on with weight.
Like you but due to age and behavior rather than motherhood, my body has changed. Additionally, I’m 20 years older. Twenty pounds is too much (to be healthy) but I think 10 pounds is totally fine, even on my 5′2″ frame! So, setting a goal is important. It sounds like you want to reclaim a more toned you.
You know everything that I do: there’s no such thing as spot reduction (burning fat from a particular spot). Losing weight is accomplished through burning more calories and/ or taking in fewer calories; although, it will give an over-all reduction.
For me, I lose weight in my breasts first and then it works its way down my body, eventually my lower gut, thighs and bum are affected.
Up until age 24 or so, we’re still producing human growth hormones and are able to “recover” pretty well. Toning makes excess fat “drape” over the muscles better than hanging there without them. A lot of the time, some tone will make you look like you’ve done a lot more than people think!
I don’t enjoy exercise but I still try to sneak some in there ;p When I’ve been good about doing it, I’ve always felt better, stronger, etc. Good luck!
I WISH there was a spot reducer, I’ve got an ass the size of Texas
I’ve heard that exercising – when you’re not normally an exerciser – can hinder milk production. I’m going to have to do some research…