Motherhood comes with a slew of unexpected lessons. One of the biggest surprises? The reality of the “mom bod.” After bringing little ones into the world, many women find themselves sporting curves they never anticipated — think hips and dips, bumps and valleys, along with some not-so-fun spider veins. Yet, with all these changes, there’s also a newfound confidence that comes from having brought a human into existence.
But dressing this new body can feel like trying to outfit a beach ball; shirts may ride up, pants sometimes slip down, and you’re left wondering, what do I do with these new hips? Between chasing kids, maintaining a household, and juggling jobs, it’s no wonder that dieting feels like a full-time job in itself, especially with the constant distractions and temptations surrounding moms.
So why even think about dieting? I completely understand the desire to feel sexy again — or at least a version of the pre-baby self. Unfortunately, dieting as a parent is downright difficult, and here’s why:
- Kids snack all day long, and it’s hard to resist joining them.
- Eventually, you can only eat so many bananas and apples, even if they are the perfect on-the-go food.
- Stress eating can become a coping mechanism for moms trying to keep their sanity.
- Evening cocktails don’t help the diet either!
- Diets often falter around mid-afternoon, coinciding with the kids getting off the school bus and the start of the witching hour.
- When your kids ask for chicken nuggets for dinner, only to refuse them, you might find yourself finishing their leftovers. Wasting food just feels wrong.
- Let’s be real: salad doesn’t quite satisfy like carbs do.
- No matter how often you hear that kale smoothies are delightful, your taste buds disagree.
- When faced with the choice between fast food or home-cooked meals, muffin tops start to seem pretty harmless.
- It’s so easy to convince yourself that tomorrow is the day to be “good” — especially when you’re eyeing that brownie.
- Maxi dresses exist for a reason, right?
- Jillian Michaels workout DVDs may be effective, but they come with the added challenge of kids yelling in the background.
- Running? Haha, yeah right.
- Cauliflower cheese sauce? Sounds like a punishment!
- Counting calories feels like math, and after dealing with your kids’ homework, math is just the worst.
- Let’s face it, you can’t be a MILF without a mom bod (hello, 18-hour curves!).
- Mom hips turn out to be handy storage for carrying toddlers around. Why mess with that?
- At some point, every mom thinks, “I’d rather be a little chubby than eat this bland diet food.”
- “Science” changes its mind regularly about what’s healthy or not — one week red wine is bad, the next it’s a weight loss miracle!
- In reality, many moms don’t care about dieting and are perfectly content with their bodies. Go figure.
For some moms, dieting may come easy, and I truly admire them! But for others, battling loose skin and low self-esteem amid the pressures of an already busy life can be overwhelming. It’s time to let go of that stress. Who cares about muffin tops or saggy bottoms? We have more important things to focus on! So, I’m putting down the diet app and grabbing a donut. Join me, if you feel like it!
For more insightful parenting tips, check out this post on our blog here. Also, if you’re interested in home insemination, CryoBaby is a great resource, and for more information on pregnancy, visit UCSF’s Center.