beauty

After having twins, Susie Burrell's flat stomach is "long gone". And she's OK with it.

 

Prior to having my twins in January this year, I was pretty obsessed with exercise.

I would exercise most days and often more than once, fitting in as much walking, gym workouts and PT sessions as I could in between working.

I even trained right up until the twins were born with slow, heavy walks filling my last few days, despite my enormous belly.

Susie Burrell prior to having her twins. Image: Supplied

If you had asked me what my exercise plans were after the birth, I would have answered you with an air of arrogance that only naivety can permit – I would return to this amount of exercise and be back to my pre-pregnancy shape within weeks.

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How silly I was.

Susie Burrell four months after her pregnancy. Image: provided.

As you can see, there is still plenty of baby belly left almost four months after I had the twins.

Despite even my own dad pointing that out just this morning — which is really no surprise giving the quantity of cakes and high-fat breastfeeding cookies I have been demolishing for the past three months — I really have little interest in doing much about it right now.

And I definitely have no interest in getting back into full-blown training for several hours each week, like I used to.

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Watch: Women share the one thing no-one told them about pregnancy. (Post continues after video.)

Suddenly, the whole idea of spending time in a gym when I could be with my little bundles is a no-brainer. The only thing I am even remotely interested in doing is walking with them, however slowly I need to go to show them the ocean, the dogs and the world around.

Even thinking about the obsession I used to have with what I looked like, whether my bum was bigger, how much weight I wanted to lose seems pointless, superficial, boring and self-absorbed.

I have much more important things to think about and spend my time doing, and this could continue for the rest of the year or the next 18. Time will tell.

#mumofboys thx @lizziedenneywilson for the pic @burrellsmithtwins #babygus #babyharry #3monthsthisweek

A photo posted by Susie Burrell (@susiediet) on Apr 13, 2016 at 4:13am PDT

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I have also lost interest in the many social media posts highlighting people's bodies; instead, my feeds are filled with ideas for dinner, lots of babies and ideas for twins.

Don’t get me wrong — I love the gym and I love working out, along with the huge rush of endorphins that comes from it. And, of course, I know only too well the benefits of keeping fit and healthy and being a good role model for kids.

I just don’t think this translates into countless hours spent training and taking selfies instead of being out there, living. (Post continues after gallery.) 

So instead of the original three-month 'get back to before' training plan I had set for myself, I have removed all timeframes for getting rid of my belly.

It will come off when it’s ready. And I promise you I won’t post a selfie of it... even if, and when, I ever get it even close to looking flat again.

How did your feeling about your body change after pregnancy?

This article was first published on Shape Me, the website of leading dietitian Susie Burrell. You can also follow Susie on her Facebook pageTwitter and Instagram

Featured image: Susie Burrell/Instagram