Ugh. My post-baby weight loss is not going so well. I’ll be honest– I gained 40 pounds this pregnancy. I was doing great, weight wise, until we lived in Hershey for a month. Living in a hotel, eating on the run, and being in a town built on chocolate did not bode well for my waistline!
At least it was better than my pregnancy with Noodle. That was a 50 pound weight gain and it took exactly one year (to the day) to lose it. A month later I was pregnant again. Oh, the humanity!
Just like my first pregnancy, I only lost about 17 pounds in the hospital. Now I am left to lose the other 23 on my own. I did lose 3 pounds by paying attention to what I was eating and not indulging, but even careful eating has not caused the scale to budge. Losing the weight this time around will be quite a challenge, and while I’m up for it I’m also scared about how I’m going to do this with two little ones to care for. Not much time to go for a run, you know?
I’ve set five rules for myself. I figured that if I post them on here, I’ll HAVE to stick with them! In fact, I’ve stuck to them (except for the exercising due to the heat) for three weeks now. Still not much progress, but it’s bound to work… right???
1. Cut out the sugar. No more candy. I’m in sugar detox mode.
2. Don’t eat anything my great-grandmother would not recognize. In other words, skip the processed crap with empty calories and eat only real food. Instead of strawberry sugar-free jello, eat a strawberry!
3. Eat from the perimeter of the grocery store– produce, protein, fish, chicken… again, limit processed foods.
4. Exercise. Try to run 3 times a week or do the 30 Day Shred video. Finding time will be very hard (especially exercising in the excessive temps this summer) but I can’t lose weight any other way.
5. Count each and every point. I did Weight Watchers to lose the weight last time, so I know how it works. Use those strategies to count the points in all the foods I eat. I’ve been logging all my points onto the iWatchr app on my iPhone.
6. Don’t drink calories, unless it’s a healthy and filling smoothie. No juice, soda, or anything with calories unless I can account for it, points-wise. Not even diet soda, since it’s bloating and really has no nutritional value whatsoever. I was addicted to diet soda before I got pregnant, but haven’t had it in ten months so this one isn’t too hard any more!
Any other ideas? I think these are all nutritionally sound and do-able, but honestly I haven’t had the scale budge in three weeks since starting. Like I said, I’ve followed all the rules except for #4 due to the heat and time constraints. I fell all alone, in a sea of skinny people. I’m just a larger-than-life version of myself. Double Ugh.
I could never lose my “baby weight” until a year after I’d given birth to my kids. That crap about not being able to lose it if you haven’t lost it 6 months after having your baby is a total lie. I did it! Lol!
Sounds like you are on the right track as far as eating goes, just be sure to keep exercising, especially weight training. That helps a lot!
Good luck! 😀
Right there with you! I’m using My fitness pal. Love it and it’s free.
Though, I’m sticking with my diet soda. It gets me through the day. One thing at a time….
Rose, so true… I didn’t start losing baby weight with my first pregnancy until about 8 months after she was born. By one year it was gone, but “whew” it was hard. But not impossible!
Natalie, trust me, if I hadn’t had to give up soda during my pregnancy I’d SO be hooked on Diet Coke right about now!
Carrie, you are WAY too hard on yourself! Ben isn’t even 2 months old yet!! I’m sure you look fabulous. It took a year for me with both pregnancies and I will always have that baby “pooch” or “twin skin”! You’re beautiful! The key at the beginning is just doing workout videos at home b/c some (most!) days it is just impossible to get OUT of the house!! 🙂
Good luck with those! Easier said than done, though, I KNOW!
I have no idea if this is something at all easier than finding time for serious cardio workouts, but maybe you’ll find it is because it’s a child-in-a-stroller-friendly activity: walking.
It’s not glamorous or hardcore and it’s kind of boring (and of course very hot right now), but I am “forced” to walk two miles between work/sitter/home every day and I swear it has been the key to losing/keeping off baby weight (along with all those other strategies you mentioned). It’s that whole aggregate/constant amount of calories burned, I think. The sheer consistency of it is something the calories can’t withstand over time! (And if I happen to fit in even one “serious” workout in a week, that is just gravy.)
But in any case, I’m sorry it’s so frustrating right now. There is just nothing worse than feeling crappy about how you look while trying to deal with everything else life requires. (And also, I find that while the husbands try so hard to be sympathetic, they just do not understand why the whole thing is so demoralizing for us.)
I love the tips you’ve come up with so far. Is there any room in your busy, baby-filled schedule for a one morning a week hike? We’ve been hiking lately and *whew!* it can be quite a fun/challenging workout!
Good luck to you 🙂
I’m a big advocate of tracking everything you eat! It is so much better than a crash diet! I am cheap so I used sparkpeople — but I think the Weight Watchers stuff is so great! They really have everything together.
good luck! i gained 40 lbs with my pregnancy and poof when i was breastfeeding i lost it all and then some, when i stopped i seemed to gain like 3-5. I skipped the snacks, tried really hard to stay away from sugar and junks and I walk with my son everyday…. I still have that extra 3-5 lbs! 🙁 but i decided i have mommy body now
ditto the walking — it’s a baby step compared to the daunting task of running 3x a week! Try to go for a walk with the kiddos every day (the mall counts in my book!), and it will make a difference! And I think 10 lbs hang around as long as you’re breastfeeding 🙁