What Actually Helped My Post-Baby Weight Loss
- Dani
- Jan 5
- 3 min read
Post-baby weight loss looks different for everyone. Between sleepless nights, busy schedules, and learning how to care for a whole new human, it can feel overwhelming to even think about prioritizing yourself again. This is what actually helped me in that season.
And honestly? A lot of the stuff I thought would help… didn’t.
Here’s what actually made the difference for me — and what didn’t.
What Didn’t Help (Even Though I Thought It Would)
Let’s start here, because this surprised me.
❌ Extreme dieting
Cutting calories too low made me tired, irritable, and weirdly obsessed with food. It also tanked my energy which is the last thing you need when you’re chasing kids and functioning on broken sleep.
❌ Waiting for the “perfect time”
There is no perfect time after having a baby. You’ll always be tired. Your schedule will always be unpredictable. Waiting until life felt calm just kept pushing my goals further away.
❌ Trying to look like my pre-baby self
This one was big. My body had changed and fighting that reality only made things harder mentally. Progress didn’t start until I stopped comparing my current body to an old version of me.
What Actually Helped (The Real Stuff)
This is the part that mattered.
1. Consistency over intensity
I stopped trying to go all-in for two weeks and instead focused on what I could do most days.
That looked like:
Shorter workouts
Walking when I didn’t feel like lifting
Showing up even when it wasn’t perfect
Consistency beats motivation every single time.
2. Strength training (even when it was basic)
I didn’t need fancy programs or long gym sessions. Strength training helped me:
Feel strong again
Improve my posture after pregnancy
Rebuild confidence in my body
Even 20–30 minutes mattered.
On days when I didn't know what to workout or had zero plan, I utilized the 1st Phorm App.
*Especially if you're a beginner, I can't recommend this enough. It will program workouts for you, help you track your food, and be a one stop shop for anything you need along the way.
3. Eating enough food
This was a mindset shift.
Fueling my body properly helped:
Reduce cravings
Improve workouts
Stabilize my mood
I stopped seeing food as something to “control” and started seeing it as support.
4. Tracking (loosely, not obsessively)
I didn’t track every single day — and that was intentional. I eat majority the same thing every day, so in the beginning I will track my chosen meals so I can make sure I'm hitting everything I need to. Then it's plug and play for me.
I use tracking as a learning tool, not a rulebook. It helped me understand:
Portion sizes
Protein intake
Why some days felt harder than others
Progress came from awareness, not perfection.
5. Early mornings
Getting up early wasn’t about discipline it was about protecting time for myself.
Those quiet morning workouts became:
Mental clarity
A confidence boost
A reminder that I was still a priority
Was it hard? Yes.
Was it worth it? Also yes.
6. Letting progress be slow
This might be the most important one.
Post-baby weight loss wasn’t fast and it didn’t need to be.
Slow progress meant:
Less burnout
Better habits
Results that actually lasted
I stopped asking “How fast can I lose this?” and started asking “How can I live this way long-term?”
The Biggest Lesson I Learned
Weight loss wasn’t the real win.
The real win was:
Feeling confident in my clothes
Having energy for my kids
Trusting my body again
Not hating myself into “change”
Your body doesn’t need punishment.
It needs patience, consistency, and grace.
If You’re in This Season Too…
If you’re newly postpartum, years postpartum, or somewhere in between — you’re not behind.
You don’t need to do everything.
You don’t need to do it perfectly.
You just need to start where you are.
Reach out to me if you need help on where to start. I'd love to point you in the right direction!
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