Losing weight as a mum

maryjaquiss

I put on a load of weight when pregnant and have continued to overeat and not exercise up until about 5 days ago when I decided enough was enough (my little boy will be two in October )! I don't really do weighing myself as I find I get too obsessed with the scales, but my goal is to fit into my post baby clothes - so going from a tight UK size 14 (US 10) to a comfortable UK size 10 (US 6).

I have done the weight loss thing before so I know I can do it by getting off my backside and eating less, but I have never been slim as a mum. I'd love to hear from MFPers what their experiences have been - is it harder? How different will my body look when I get to my goal? And I'd also love to see your progress pics to motivate me if you'd like to share them

StealthHealth

OK, I'm not a mum, but when my youngest daughter was born I was the primary "stay at home parent" for her first year so I'm going to chime in anyway.

I'm not going to lie - it did feel pretty hard with young children. Apart from the limited time, additional tidying up and household jobs, school runs (we had an older daughter just starting school at that time and our own business to run!!!) I was generally more tired.

As our daughter's sleeping got better and the night time feed dropped off things go better but it's harder once the kids get onto solid foods because you seem to be constantly preparing food - and snaking on the extras/leftover is very tempting.

There were some things that I was able to do which helped:

• I pre-logged my food.
• I attempted to use nap times as exercise time (not always successfully) and focused on body weight strength exercise that I could do in the living room - I highly recommend mark Lauren's you are Your Own Gym book (I think there is a female version called Body By You).
• I was continually on the go - I rarely sat down during the day.
• I batch prepped evening meals (and we had some help from grandparents on this front).
• I rarely used the car and always walked the school run.
• I planned snacks to coincide with the children's meals to reduce the chances of me polishing off a few chicken nuggets!!
• I've got to say - housework often had to take a back seat - sure the washing got done but vacuuming and dusting were done much less frequently than ideal - I don't regret this at all. LOL.

Having said all that, it was a great time and I loved it, it was a privileged to be so close to the girls during their early years - my kids now see me as a healthy and strong dad who exercises (sometimes with them) so the positive message about your food and activities is a win.

maryjaquiss

Thank you StealthHealth! I am also working full-time so don't have the luxury of naptime exercising sadly - but my little boy wakes up so early that I may as well get up and go for a run while he has some iPad time in bed with his dad! I have the Body By You book so I'll dig it out again

With you on the housework - plus little one's scared of the vacuum, so what can you do

orviske

I have a 7 month old who rises with the sun.....and I rise with him. We typically go on walks or hikes that early because I work full time too! I have never been slim even when I wasn't a mom. I think the most important thing is to feed your body good food and move your body. The weight will come off eventually.

Megansmith112712

My son is 14 months old. I'm down 8 pounds from the beginning of June. I log most days and I weigh and measure everything I do log. I exercise occasionally (I work 10.5 hour days, 4 days a week, so I'm exhausted 90% of the time). I use veggies to bulk up my meals, and stick with lean proteins.

hellomynameisanna

I'm 33 and mom to a 1 and 3 year old (and done!)
Like some of you, I was always a bit overweight before but after the 2nd pregnancy I have a belly that looks like a bump :-O

I want to comit to logging bc I eat healthy enough but then spoil it with bad choices (snacks, drinks...)

I have added all of you as friends, anyone who can relate, feel free to add me. Let's see if this social accountability thing works!