Why You Can’t Seem to Regain Your Pre-Baby Body & What to Do About it

Have you ever heard a new mom talk about how surprisingly quickly she was able to regain her pre-baby-body? Did you want to strangle her on the spot?

Some new moms are able to quickly lose the weight and go on with their lives. But others are not so lucky. They may struggle for years to regain their pre-pregnancy form. We meet these women in our Toronto tummy tuck clinic every day. They feel like they’re doing all of the right things. They’re using a Yoga app and they’re exercising, but they still can’t seem to reach their goals.

Most new moms start out with lofty goals. In fact, 61% of soon-to-be moms said that they expected to lose their baby weight by their baby’s first birthday. But as you can imagine, the report also revealed that 60% of surveyed moms with 2-year-old kids hadn’t reached their goals yet.

If this sounds all-too-familiar to you, take a deep breath, it’s not your fault. If you feel like the deck is very much stacked against you, know that it most often is. There are a number of internal and external factors that will hurt your chances of losing weight.

Today, we will explore the various reasons you might be struggling, and explore some of the surgical and non-surgical options that our plastic surgeons in Toronto can help you with. And even if you aren’t struggling with a post-baby body, there are many liposuction options for men available from TPS.

Problem #1: Eating Healthy is Harder Than You Expected

There is a saying in the weightlifting community: You can’t out-train a bad diet.

The message here is that your diet is the most important part of reaching weight loss or fitness goals. It’s incredibly easy to undermine all of your hard work and sweat if you’re not eating the right way.

But what does eating right even mean? Should you try keto? Intermittent fasting? Well, right now, you’re actually doing intermittent sleeping. So the best diet for you is the one that fits into your lifestyle.

Something drastic like keto or intermittent fasting may be a little too unforgiving for your already unforgiving lifestyle. Particularly, the keto diet, which does not allow you to have any cheat days or cheat meals. The second you exceed your daily-allotted carbs or sugar, your body is kicked out of ketosis and all your previous work is erased. So, if you’re tired at 1 am and you really want to have a slice of pizza or a glass of red wine, it’s over.

You need a diet that’s forgivable and sustainable. The best strategy is to simply be aware of what you’re eating at all times. Using a calorie counting app (Noom or The Under Armour app for example) can get you to look at what you’re eating. Most of us have no idea how many calories are in things until we start looking carefully. Suddenly you see a chicken sub, Coke, and bag of Sun Chips has only about 100 fewer calories than a Big Mac meal (true!).

If you’re mindful of what you’re eating and empower yourself to make smart choices, you’re going to see better results and not hate the process as much.

Problem #2: Your Body and Your Metabolism Have Changed

Your body has obviously undergone a tremendous amount of stress and a lot of changes, many of which are working against you in your quest to help you rediscover your pre-baby body.

One complication that not enough people talk about is that too many new moms will rush back to working out while their body is still recovering and healing. We know you want to lose the weight ASAP, but patience is key.

If you try to rush back to the gym or running trails too soon, you run the risk of complications such as diastasis recti, pelvic issues, pulled muscles, classic overexertion, and any number of other injuries that can put you on the shelf for weeks or even months. Being injured is not going to help your workouts or your life.

It’s also important to remember that your body’s metabolism slows down as you age. Losing 10 pounds at 25 is often appreciably easier than trying the same at 35. Everyone’s metabolism is different. But there are studies that point to your metabolism slowing down by as much as 2% every year after your 25^th birthday.

You Might Not Be Eating Enough!

It’s fine to try to count calories, or cut calories. But don’t fear calories!

In fact, it’s very common for people trying to lose weight to cut too far back on their caloric intake. This can actually slow your metabolism down and cause your body to store fat.

This is called adaptive thermogenesis, or it’s more commonly called starvation mode. Your body actually thinks you’re starving, so it lowers your metabolism and your energy levels to keep it from burning off too many calories. As a result, you don’t lose any weight and you feel terrible while you do it.

Problem #3: Your Lifestyle Has COMPLETELY Changed

This problem extends well beyond not having time to go to the gym anymore. Right now, you might not feel like you have time for much of anything.

Work out? Sounds great, but you don’t have time. Drink more water? You’d love to, and you’ll try to fit it in where you can. Start doing food prep for the week? It probably helps, maybe next week. Get 8 hours of sleep? Ha, you’re funny.

That last one is particularly important for a number of reasons. You’re tired all of the time now. Of course, you’re too tired to hit the Peloton. You only want to hit the sack. It’s also very hard to make healthy nutritional choices when you’re tired. First of all, you couldn’t be bothered with the time and effort it takes to make something healthy. Second of all, your body literally craves calorie-dense food when you’re tired. The reward centre in your brain is triggered, and your body feels that the bad food will be more rewarding.

Solution #1: The Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

Now that we’ve explored some of the problems, let’s discuss some of the most popular and effective solutions.

A number of our clients look to the classic tummy tuck. It can help you address the extra skin and fat that no amount of cardio or diet can seem to touch.

The first step is to talk with your body contouring expert to discuss your various options, which could include determining whether you want a mini or full tummy tuck.

There are a few differences between the two procedures.

Full Tummy Tuck:

•   Will remove unwanted skin/ fat and tighten the abdominal muscles, both above and below the navel
•   The incision runs hip to hip
•   Your belly button could be repositioned so it’s still in a natural spot after your lax skin has been tightened
•   Most patients return to work or moderate activity in 10 days

The Mini Tummy Tuck:

•   Will remove unwanted skin/ fat on the lower abdomen only
•   The incision will be likely shorter, depending on your goals and needs
•   Less skin is removed and you most likely won’t have to move your belly button
•   Patients usually return to work or moderate activity in a week

You might also opt for the extended abdominoplasty if your unwanted fat and skin extends from your stomach towards your back and flanks area. This can address the so-called love handles or muffin top on the sides of the hips.

If you have any questions about the tummy tuck process or which procedure would show you the best results, click the Schedule a Consultation button at the top of the screen. If you’re a man interested in this procedure, Toronto Plastic Surgeons offers male tummy tuck options.

Solution #2: Liposuction

If you’re just looking to lose fat, and loose skin is less of a concern of yours, you might be a better fit for a liposuction procedure.

Liposuction removes the fat from unwanted areas of your body. Today’s energy-assisted liposuction devices also give you a skin tightening treatment. But there is no actual skin removal, like you would get from a tummy tuck. So, if extra skin is a major problem for you, you would most likely want to get a tummy tuck.

But if you are just looking to remove fat, now is the perfect time to get a liposuction procedure. Today’s advanced techniques and technology are leading to the best liposuction before and after pictures, we have ever seen, with less downtime and bruising.

The other benefit of opting for liposuction is that its application is not limited to just your stomach area. You can use a liposuction procedure to trim unwanted fat on your arms, legs, back, and face too!

Our clinic uses the most advanced energy-assisted liposuction devices on the market today. We currently offer 3 different options:

•   SmartLipo™
•   BodyTite™
•   VASERLipo™

Which one will work best for you? That depends on your specific goals and needs. Your surgeons will carefully explore all of your options with you and come up with a customized plan to ensure the best possible outcome.

Our team has one of Canada’s foremost experts on liposuction. Dr. Bell is a pioneer in this area, and is in high demand with clients from all over Canada, and all over the world.

Solution #3: The Mommy Makeover

There is no finite list of procedures that are included in the Mommy Makeover. It’s more of a bespoke combination of procedures that will be customized for each patient’s unique needs and goals.

Your Mommy Makeover could include things like a breast augmentation surgery (breast implants, and/or breast lift), a tummy tuck procedure, and liposuction treatments.

These packages are aimed at moms that are looking to address multiple parts of their body, and a single procedure won’t really help them achieve their goals.

Once again, the key here is to work with a plastic surgeon that understands the need for individual attention and customized solutions. They should be able to take a look at your body and your goals, then show you exactly what is achievable.

Solution #4: Non-Surgical Body Contouring

If you’re very close to your weight loss goals, but still can’t seem to get over the hump through diet and exercise, you might consider non-surgical body contouring procedures.

These are ideal for people who don’t need a full-blown surgery, and just need a little bit of body contouring/ skin tightening help. These procedures are also wildly popular because they are safe, fast, and painless with almost no bruising or downtime.

Our clinic currently offers popular choices such as:

•   CoolSculpting
•   SculpSure
•   Evolve
•   Vanquish
•   EMSculpt
•   BodyFX
•   Venus Freeze
•   VelaShape

Which one is right for you? You may have heard that EMSculpt gives you the equivalent of 20 years worth of sit-ups in 30 minutes. Or that Victoria’s Secret models will often get Velashape III treatments leading up to their major runway shows. All of these things sound amazing, but they don’t actually predict how these treatments will work for you.

The secret to unlocking the best body contouring results is not relying on a single solution or treatment. Dr. Bell is renowned for his expertise in this area, and has the ability to recommend the perfect combination of treatments that will help patients achieve their body goals.

You Can End the Frustration Right Now!

Getting your pre-baby body back can be much more attainable than you think. Our staff is ready to show you all of your options, and the best strategies to help you meet your goals.

You can call us right now at 647-723-3739, or click the Schedule a Consultation button at the top of the screen.