Postpartum weight loss: 39-year-old Kolkata mom shares how she lost 12 kg in 2 years and overcame depression

Anindita Ray, 39, a communications professional from Kolkata and mother of a toddler, lost 12 kg over two years—but her story is much more than shedding the extra weight she gained during pregnancy. Weighing 70 kg, she was always exhausted, emotionally drained and silently struggling with body image after childbirth and postpartum depression.

After having the baby, Anindita said she struggled in ways she had not expected. Though she still handled campaigns, deadlines and meetings effectively, internally she felt anxious, irritable and disconnected. The pressure to “bounce back” physically made her emotional pain worse. Motherhood had made her life beautiful, but it was also changing her body, hormones, sleep cycle and mental equilibrium.

It wasn’t only about appearances with the weight gain. It meant fatigue, disrupted sleep, hurried meals (often unhealthy) and no time for herself. Exercising felt impossible in those early months. She kept telling herself this, too, would pass. But months transformed into a year, and she remained heavy — in body and spirit. With the extra kilos, she also gained guilt for not enjoying herself all the time and anxiety about whether she could ever get control of her body again.

"I didn’t go on a 12-week diet and exercise programme. It was a two-year process done slowly and intentionally, based on three pillars: meditation, weight training, and balanced meal planning,” she told LiveMint.

The first switch she made was meditation. She began with ten minutes a day, creating a small space of stillness in an otherwise chaotic routine. At first, sitting in silence felt a little uncomfortable. It pushed her to face self-doubt, comparison, fatigue and the emotional turbulence she had been hiding. But slowly, meditation became her reset button for difficult emotions. It helped her better regulate mood swings, cope with anxiety and react to stress with more calm. Those ten-minute sessions grew her mental resilience over time and diminished the severity of her postpartum blues.

Weight training became the second pillar. She committed to strength training three times per week. At first, her body was weak and alien. It took time, and patience didn’t come naturally. But lifting weights was starting to restore her physical confidence. Strength training also had benefits for her metabolism, posture and stamina. More importantly, it changed her perspective. She felt more capable every time she lifted heavier than the last. The interest shifted from just focusing on losing weight to gaining strength.

Nutrition was the third pillar of her recovery. Instead of crash diets or ineffective strategies, she chose nourishment. She paid attention to eating balanced meals, getting sufficient protein, fibre and healthy fats and staying well hydrated. She knew postpartum recovery required fuel, not punishment: regular nutrition, stable energy balance, less cravings and better workouts.

“There were challenges over the two years — missed workouts, days that felt heavy with emotion, plateaus on the scale. But I chose consistency instead of perfection. I began to stop chasing the quick fixes and instead focused on practices that would lead me towards sustainable habits. Little by little, the pounds began to come off. In time, I lost 12 kilos,” Anindita said.

But the most drastic changes were on the inside. The mental fog lifted. Anxiety became manageable. Sleep improved. She tried to be more present with her child and was more confident in her work life.

For Anindita, this process was never about returning to her “old body.” It was about creating a different, more grounded version of herself. Meditation helped her heal emotionally. Weight training restored her muscle. Nourishing food restored her energy. Collectively, these habits worked together to address her post-pregnancy weight gain and postpartum depression — restoring not just her body, but also her clarity, confidence and emotional strength.

(The author, Nivedita, is a freelance writer. She writes on health and travel.)