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November_Fire
November_Fire Posts: 165 Member
in Getting Started
Hi there. This is my first foray into any kind of weight loss or diet control, and I'm still trying to learn all the jargon, science, rules, myths and everything.

I'll try and keep it brief. Age 19 to 25 I was in martial arts training 5 times a week, and mountain biking once or twice a week. I ate healthy, I homecook most things, I stayed in size 8 (US size 4) clothes and around 9 and a half stone (133 lb) and had some decent muscle definition too. Oh, I'm 5 foot 3.

OK, two pregnancies. No major weight gain throughout, lost the baby weight easily, dropped right back down to that comfortable 133lb - although I didn't exactly look the same. A bit rounder, and a baby-belly. Both times, when I stopped breastfeeding, I lost a lot of weight in a short time (had blood tests, no cause found: conclusion, not eating enough) and I'm in the midst of that happening again. I fell from a satisfied 133lb to a rather concerned 121lb (my scales read 55kg). The belly remains, though.

At the moment I'm a bit mixed up. I want to lose fat, but I don't want my overall weight to drop too low and go grey and unhealthy like before. I seem to be able to lose quite easily - I don't drive and do a considerable amount of walking, about 15-20 mins of hula hooping, a couple of Youtube workouts a day. I wouldn't have thought these were amazing calorie burners, though.

I cannot go to a gym (have the baby to look after, none here offer childcare) until next year, so I do what I can at home. Diet-wise, I'm trying to lower carbs, up protein and keep around 1600 (I've set MFP to a straight 1500 and stopped adding exercise to it because it wanted me to eat loads of calories back.) Aside from a couple of bits of cake and a Costa, I've cut the junk, and swapped white carbs for wholemeal. The calorie logs are estimates because I homecook meals and I don't even know where to start logging the calories of a homemade curry, though I keep my portion small (ie: real small, not an enormous portion I'm just deluding myself into thinking is small).

Looking for any advice you can offer. I'm losing just fine - honestly I feel I'm losing too fast - but the fat isn't shifting and I'm wondering how low I'd have to go before that happened. I imagine the answer is "you have to lose even more weight to lose fat" which is fine, just the idea of dropping any lower makes me a bit nervous. I'm already the lightest I've ever been since my teens.

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  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Lowering carbs and upping protein is a good idea. Also lifting. Baby is a good place to start. There are several mommy and me exercises on you-tube and elsewhere that use the baby's weight as your resistance and babies seem to love the time and attention. Don't expect to look like you did before pregnancy. Only the very few lucky genetically inclined can do that. Most of us are stuck with the stretched out skin which hangs at least a little bit by our bellies.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    If you don't want to lose more weight, feel free to increase your calories. You'll just have to play with your intake until you figure out how much you need to eat to maintain your weight. Also, start resistance training. Doing these types of exercises while maintaining your weight will increase muscle tone and decrease your body fat over time.

    For some simple ideas on where to start, check out Tony Horton's YouTube channel. He has lots of short exercise routines that you can do in your home.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/TonyHortonFitnessTV/videos?flow=list&view=0

    Hopefully you find this helpful, and I'd be glad to help any time. Oh, and congrats on the new addition to your family!

    Allan

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