My baby ate my willpower.

KrysKiss87

Now that I have your attention....

I am a new mom of the sweetest most adorable little bundle of snuggles on the planet. He is literally the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has motivated me to not only be a better person, but a healthier one. I want to be able to make an *kitten* of myself by running around with him like a crazy person and keeping up with him. At my current weight, that's almost impossible.

I'm generally pretty healthy but my weight is out of control. I decided that its time to do something about it. I have very little willpower and ever since my kidlet has been born I find myself too exhausted to do much of anything. My question is what kind of exercise suggestions do you have for a busy new mom.

dbmata

That means your baby has power.

Eat his heart and claim that power which is within him.

Exercise? Get one of them rolling battleships known as jogging strollers. I think that would be a good start. Then put some significant miles in.

carolineb234

Congrats on being a new momma! Think of it this way: your baby is adding to your willpower, giving you the strength to get up and put him in the stroller and take him for a walk just so you can start getting moving. Baby steps my dear, just like your baby. Getting up is the hard part, once you do it you're already on your way. I have 3 kids and I use the Run Keeper app to sync to MFP to record all my walks. Every time you want to give in, think of your little guy and all the things you want to do with him as he gets bigger and older. You can do this!!

lewispwest

Get yourself a fitbit or Jawbone and link it to MFP. Gets you doing so much more walking

Holly_Roman_Empire

dbmata wrote: »

That means your baby has power.

Eat his heart and claim that power which is within him.

Exercise? Get one of them rolling battleships known as jogging strollers. I think that would be a good start. Then put some significant miles in.

I gigglesnorted.

OP, that's the best thing you can have as a new mom.

sjp_511

KrystalSherrard wrote: »

Now that I have your attention....

I am a new mom of the sweetest most adorable little bundle of snuggles on the planet. He is literally the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has motivated me to not only be a better person, but a healthier one.

Disagree with the above statement - my 3 month oldis the sweetest, most adorable baby!

Joking aside, it can be hard and exhausting to find time for exercise as a new mom. The 2 things that help me most is being able to workout at home and having a husband that is very supportive of my weightloss/exercise goals.

Weight loss is all about calories, so be sure to log and eat at a deficit.

Is your little one sleeping well? Mine gives me a good 10-11 hours most nights so I workout while my baby is sleeping. He goes down between 7 and 8, and I exercise at home right away. Then I shower, pump, then go to bed and still get about 7 hours of sleep a night.

Before I returned to work, I would just put my baby in his swing or on his play mat and work out with him in the room.

It can be very hard to find time, but it is possible to find a routine. As exercise becomes a habit, you will find that it gives you more energy to do everyday things.

fattofit_fritch26

Breastfeeding can burn an additional 300-500 calories every day...when my aunt had her baby she lost by doing some walking every day, breastfeeding, and just staying at a reasonable calorie level! Congrats on your bundle of joy!

womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/breastfeeding-burns-calories

LKArgh

How old is your baby?

ladymiseryali

Running after a child IS exercise.....just sayin

sjp_511

hollydubs85 wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

That means your baby has power.

Eat his heart and claim that power which is within him.

Exercise? Get one of them rolling battleships known as jogging strollers. I think that would be a good start. Then put some significant miles in.

I gigglesnorted.

OP, that's the best thing you can have as a new mom.

Eh. I am not too sure. My husband and I are both runners and we still have decided against a jogging stroller. A decent jogging stroller can cost a good chunk of money and it can be rather bulky and heavy to use as an everyday stroller. We opted for a decent everyday stroller that can handle walks around the neighborhood and then spent a little more on a treadmill instead of a jogging stroller. The treadmill allows for us to still get in miles when it is too dark to run outside or the weather is too cold/crappy to take out the baby. For our outdoor runs, we just take them at different times so one of us can watch the baby.

dbmata

ok, so it didn't work for you.

Judging by the fertile crescent I live in. You would not be the norm.

Bloomsday is rotten with those things, running old folks over, like chariots of breeding and pain.

blktngldhrt

fattofit_fritch26 wrote: »

Breastfeeding can burn an additional 300-500 calories every day...when my aunt had her baby she lost by doing some walking every day, breastfeeding, and just staying at a reasonable calorie level! Congrats on your bundle of joy!

womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/breastfeeding-burns-calories

I held onto my weight while nursing.

KrystalSherrard wrote: »

Now that I have your attention....

I am a new mom of the sweetest most adorable little bundle of snuggles on the planet. He is literally the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has motivated me to not only be a better person, but a healthier one. I want to be able to make an *kitten* of myself by running around with him like a crazy person and keeping up with him. At my current weight, that's almost impossible.

I'm generally pretty healthy but my weight is out of control. I decided that its time to do something about it. I have very little willpower and ever since my kidlet has been born I find myself too exhausted to do much of anything. My question is what kind of exercise suggestions do you have for a busy new mom.

Look up some weight loss videos (yoga, pilates, 30 day shred) on YouTube and do them whether you're tired or not. Exercising often will help with some of the fatigue..getting used to never sleeping from a new baby will also help.

You can even set baby up beside you so you can talk to him during.

Laoch_Cailin

Congratulations on the new baby!

I just wanted to suggest the 30 day shred. 20mins long so not too much to fit into your day, while baby naps. Might even be able to fit it in twice

leahward34

Congratulations! My baby turned 1 in December. I don't know how old your son is, but that's an important factor, I think. When my daughter was younger than about 6 months, she was a huge grouch if I wasn't holding her. She didn't even like the stroller at that age. That made virtually all exercise impossible and/or unsafe, because really, what can you do while holding a baby? We got a lot of use out of baby carriers (baby k'tan and ergobaby) in those early days, so it made simple exercises like walking quite a bit easier. It was the dead of winter so I wasn't very successful, but when the weather cooperated, walking was about the only thing I could do WITH the baby. If you're lucky enough to have a baby who sleeps (someone, tell me how to do it!!), Amazon Prime, if you are a member, has several options for workouts you can do at home in front of your TV while baby's sleeping. There are a couple of yoga and pilates options that I swear I am going to try one day. If you have help at home, you could always hand off the baby for about half an hour while you squeeze in a short workout.

Good luck! I know it's hard. I haven't figured it out, either. I hope you do, though!

dbmata

wait, isn't there baby yoga? I think I saw this once.

jessiefrancine

Take whatever stroller you have to the mall and do some laps in climate-controlled comfort. Or you could also wear your baby in a carrier while you do this - baby sleeps while nestled up against you, it keeps strangers from touching the baby, and it's a little bit of added weight to make your walking more challenging. After my baby was born, we did lots and lots of walks outside (it was summer), either in the stroller or carrier. I would also strap her into my carrier, then walk up and down stairs at a slow but constant pace (either at home or a nearby playground). I would also hold the baby while I did squats, calf raises, side lunges, etc. When they are super little they don't really care what you do as long as you're holding them.

My biggest problem with post-baby weight loss was my eating. I ate like crazy, and a two mile walk didn't do much to counteract the half bag of Doritos I snacked on. So don't forget to stay aware of what's going into your body, too (I'm guessing you're already doing that since you're here at MFP).

Good luck!

sjp_511

dbmata wrote: »

wait, isn't there baby yoga? I think I saw this once.

I did a handful of Mommy & Baby Yoga classes while on my maternity leave (they conflict with work). It probably really depends on the instructor as to how the class is structured, but I did get in a fair workout and it was fun to get out of the house and interact with other mothers and babies.

danifo0811

jessiefrancine wrote: »

My biggest problem with post-baby weight loss was my eating. I ate like crazy, and a two mile walk didn't do much to counteract the half bag of Doritos I snacked on. So don't forget to stay aware of what's going into your body, too (I'm guessing you're already doing that since you're here at MFP).

Good luck!

Eating is always my problem too.

nursethis

My "baby" is 11 years old. I have NO excuse. She is the youngest of 7. Being a mom is exhausting, and breastfeeding made me want to eat like a starving person at an all you can eat buffet. Nobody said parenthood was easy, but it is worth it...just like weight loss and exercise. Stay motivated. Everyday is a new opportunity to do something good for yourself and for the baby. Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

RedArizona5

I agree with everyone. I don't have kids but i do have perspective. I grew up with only my uncle as a good role model when it comes to this stuff. If it wasn't for him I may very well be obese. Everyone else didn't care or were fat or were skinny fat. Your kid will want to rely on you to make healthy choices so its not just being there physically when he gets older but its you being there for him for when HE wants to give in. Don't let him think thats ok. Don't give him extra snacks when he wants it or sit in front of the tv more than he should. I know you will not and you will do good. But instill right life voices early on and when you practice them yourself, he will connect the dots and the seed will be sewn that a healthy life is the wauy to live not giving up not eating whenever one wants just because one can. Vey important life lessons and role modeling. If someone says one thing but does another its sending mixed signals and then what, who knows. I thank our Father in heaven for my one uncle. He didn't allow sugary cereals in the house or pop or juices and processed frozen food. Nne of THAT was in our home. If i wanted pop i had to get it at school or wait till my other uncle bought us some. We had fresh food and cereal was frosted shredded wheat , raisen bran, plain corn flakes or plain toasted oats rounds (generic ones yes-we weren't rich). But even if we would have been rich it wasn't going into our home. Cookies were always fig newtons-nothing else was bought. And that was that no if ands or butts about it and i am in debt to him and my grandma for instilling proper nutrition even when i didn't want it.
So I hope you will regain some will power to make healthier actions today so your son won't choose poor actions tomorrow. And you both will win because will be around longer for 1 and 2 healthier. He will be all the better for it for himself because he followed your footsteps in life and he will have you around longer. So man parents dying earlier from stroke and heart attacks and its such a sad thing for kids or grandkids that won't have there loved ones longer as they should. Footsteps sweet OP , footsteps Yes you are sweet because you have such concerns that if only the rest of America who aren't doing this would live this way for themselves and for their kids. take care and God luck (not a typo)

RedArizona5

http://challengeworkouts.com/challenge-complexes

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/3-complexes-for-rapid-female-fat-loss

KrysKiss87

aggelikik wrote: »

How old is your baby?

He's three months now. I used to breastfeed and pump but we had issues so I'm not burning as many calories that way anymore. I started gaining weight when I stopped breastfeeding.

squirrlt

Kettlebells worked great for me when my kids were infants (I still use them sometimes, they are fun). They are relatively inexpensive (you only need to buy one, maybe two if you want to get fancy) and you can get a great strength/cardio combo workout in a short amount of time, even if you only have 10 mins to spare. Plus you can stash it behind the couch and whip it out while your baby is napping or otherwise occupied. It was a great way to squeeze in an effective workout. Like I said, they are kind of fun, which helps when you feel like you have no willpower. You could even just do some swings during every TV commercial or something if you are in couch-potato mode after a long day of taking care of your baby. They are not hard to use, you can find how-to's and workouts on line, get a book or DVD, or find an instructor in your area to learn some basics (the best option, but I know it's not always feasable).

clyn27

look up 10 min videos on youtube, do when you have a few mins. I found that even on the days where I really just had no time or energy if I did 10 jumping jacks every time I went to the bathroom, or every time it was time to switch laundry, or every time you feed the baby, those add up and take literally 10 secs to do. By the end of the day you could have 100 calories burned. Its not much but it is better than nothing. Also now that baby is a little bigger and can support his head a little better you can always "bench press" him. They love it and you will work your way up in the amount of weight they more he grows. Do a few squats while holding him too.