Why It’s Hard to Lose Weight After Birth (And How Understanding Your Body Can Make It Easier)

After having a baby, there’s often this unspoken pressure to “get your body back”—but the truth is, postpartum weight loss is complex. It’s not as simple as eating less and moving more. Your body has been through an enormous transformation, and there are real physiological reasons why losing weight can feel harder than you expected.

Hormones Are Shifting

In the postpartum period, your hormones are recalibrating. Hormones like progesterone and estrogen fluctuate, while cortisol, your stress hormone, often stays elevated—especially if you’re sleep-deprived and juggling the demands of a newborn.

These hormonal shifts can affect metabolism, fat storage, and how your body holds onto weight—particularly around your middle. It's not a sign you're doing anything wrong. It's your body working to find balance again.

Hunger Signals Can Get Skewed

Hormones like ghrelin (which increases hunger) and leptin (which tells you you’re full) often become dysregulated postpartum. If you’re breastfeeding, your calorie needs increase, but even beyond that, hunger cues can feel unpredictable.

You might find yourself ravenous at odd hours or craving quick, high-energy foods. That’s your body asking for fuel—but if those signals are out of sync, it can make intuitive eating feel confusing.

Sleep (or Lack of It) Plays a Big Role

Research shows that sleep deprivation has a direct impact on the hormones that regulate hunger and fat storage. When we’re not getting enough rest, ghrelin levels rise, increasing appetite, and leptin levels drop, making it harder to feel full. Chronic lack of sleep also raises cortisol, your stress hormone, which encourages fat storage—especially around the belly.

But with a newborn, broken sleep is part of the package. That’s why we focus on what we can control, like supporting your body through nourishing foods, balanced blood sugar, hydration, and stress management techniques—even when rest is hard to come by.

The Demands of a Newborn Shift Your Priorities (And That’s Okay)

When you’re deep in newborn life, your needs often fall to the bottom of the list. Time for yourself—whether it’s for eating, moving, or even resting—feels limited. And the exhaustion that comes with broken sleep and constant caregiving means exercise might be the last thing on your mind.

That’s why we start slow.
It’s not about jumping into an intense fitness routine. It’s about adding manageable, few-minute chunks of movement here and there—a gentle stretch, a short walk, some breathwork. Small, consistent actions that build over time, supporting your recovery without adding more pressure.

It’s Not Just About Losing Weight—It’s About Feeling Good in Your Body Again

The goal is not about ‘bouncing back’ or losing weight overnight. It’s about nourishing your body, supporting your health, and feeling good in your skin.

By understanding how your body is working right now—hormonally, metabolically, emotionally—we can create a sustainable, manageable plan that works with your life. It’s about small, consistent steps that honour where you are right now, not where you think you should be.

There’s no rush. No pressure. Your body deserves time, care, and compassion as you heal. And when we give it the right support, weight loss becomes less of a battle and more of a natural part of restoring balance.

Final Thought:

If you’re curious about how to approach postpartum recovery and weight loss in a way that’s realistic, supportive, and sustainable, I’d love to help. Book a consultation and we’ll create a plan that’s right for you.