POST-PARTUM PACK - October 24

carolina_r

OCTOBER 24


THIS WEEK’S TASK: LINK UP!

- Do you like it when you get feedback from others on your accomplishments?

- Do you need motivation to keep logging in?

- Do you want to help someone else succeed?

Perhaps you need an MFP partner! What do I mean? Well, the idea is to partner with one of your MFP friends and make a commitment to be extra vigilant in monitoring their activity, commenting on each of their achievements, and even sending her/him messages with specific encouragement / support. The hope is that you will get the daily encouragement you need, and be able to provide that same encouragement to someone else!


THIS WEEK’S POLL: DOES YOUR FAMILY HELP YOU OR HINDER YOU?

Making a lifestyle change is a big commitment – and inevitably, it will impact those around you.

Do you feel that your partner (husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend) or other family members are supportive of your efforts? How do they support you? Have they joined in with your healthy habits? Or do they enable your less healthful choices? How can you get them on board?

MY RESPONSE: Ladies...I'm going to leave my response for tomorrow! Just finished the 30DS workout, and now I need to get to bed so that I can get up early and do it all over again...zzzzzzzz:yawn:



IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING US, HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

- Add “The POST-PARTUM PACK – It took us 9 months to pack on the pounds…Watch us take them off!” to your signature, so that we can recognize fellow PPP members.

- Respond to this post and introduce yourself to the group.

- I will post a new thread at the start of each week…find the link to the new thread at the end of the one from the week before!

- Have fun! The idea is not to add stress to your already busy life, or that you participate in every challenge or poll. It is just another way to connect with other moms, without ending up with hundreds of friends…

- Although this group was originally envisioned for mothers of children 3 and under, all moms are welcome to join!

carolina_r

I don't have any family that lives in town, but my mother and sister are both supportive. My mother also wants to lose a little weight - she is moving in with us in a few months (to care for the baby when I return to work) and she has committed to exercising with me. She doesn't seem inclined to count her calories, but she is supportive of my doing so. My sister lives very far away, but she has just recently joined MFP (and is also doing the 30DS She lost some of her baby weight by counting calories, though she did it all on paper! She has decided to monitor her calories again to lose a few pounds, and so far has enjoyed the ease of MFP. It is nice to be able to talk to them both about my successes and frustrations, though I wish they were closer.

My husband is also quite supportive. He listens to me, and watches the baby as I enter in new recipes, update my food, etc. He even tried the 30DS workout once with me, just to see what it was all about. He has also been good about complimenting me as the weight has been dropping, and he helped me take some semi-before pics (taken at around 160 lbs...) so that I have something to compare to.

However, he can sometimes be an enabler. When things get busy at work, he will at times bring home some crappy fast food - and I find it impossible to resist once it is right there (so much easier than making something else to eat!). He used to treat me with sweets (i.e. DQ blizzards...mmmmmm). He has tried to stop enabling - i.e. yesterday, he felt like a burger, but left the house and ate it out there rather than bringing it home.

He is a salt craver (rather than craving sweets like me) but when he is overwhelmed with work, he will often bring home coca-cola and use it to help him stay awake / focused. Coke and other types of pop (or soda, for some of you out there!) is something that I find I can completely cut out (unlike chocolate...), but if I have some, I find I start to crave more. I have been working really hard to stay away from the coke that he brings home, and so far it has been fine - I haven't touched it, and I don't miss it! Perhaps I could ask him to only bring coke zero in the house (it doesn't taste as good to me, and if I cave and have one, it is at least calorie free!).

McCallsmommy

I would really love a partner, but I don't know how to find one. What do I need to do?

I'll answer the other question later! Baby just woke up!

carolina_r

I would really love a partner, but I don't know how to find one. What do I need to do?

I'll answer the other question later! Baby just woke up!

This isn't something official on MFP - just an idea I had!! Basically, the idea would be to ask one of your MFP "friends" to be your "fitness buddy" - except, rather than go to the gym together 3 x a week (like you might do with a friend in your town) you would try to connect on MFP and comment / support their every move (and they would do the same for you). That way - you would:

a) have a reason other than yourself to log in each day
b) have some feedback / encouragement on every status update, to keep you motivated!!

Some of you may have lots of "friends", but you may not know them personally, and they have no personal stake in your success, so you may have updates that go unnoticed. I myself have a friend who I personally know, and I can always rely on her to comment on my updates and even check my food diary Knowing that she will look at it makes me think twice about some of my choices. Likewise, though I try to comment on all of my MFP friends at some point or another, I make a concerted effort to find her updates and make sure to offer her feedback and support. This wasn't a concious "lets be buddies" thing - it just evolved from the fact that we know eachother, but it made me think that this could be a useful approach for some of you!

Hope this explanation makes sense

feydruss

bumping for later!

NiennaMarie

I haven't been on a lot because my laptop broke, but I've got a new one and I'm back!.

I wouldn't say my partner is neither supportive or unsupportive. He'd never join in with healthy eating, but he never moans if I put something healthy on the table. He'll eat it, enjoy it, but have a sausage roll later. The only thing he demands at meal time is meat, but I can live with that.

He does get bored when I want to exercise and he's got nothing to do and he will moan occasionally which doesn't help that much. But saying that, he will always do a workout with me if I do need an extra push He generally doesn't say anything supportive, he doesn't say anything unsupportive, basically, he just accepts that it's something I need to do and lets me get on with it.

McCallsmummy - I'll pair up with you if you like?? I don't really have anyone who I could pair up with

lovecola06

THIS WEEK’S POLL: DOES YOUR FAMILY HELP YOU OR HINDER YOU?

Making a lifestyle change is a big commitment – and inevitably, it will impact those around you.

Do you feel that your partner (husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend) or other family members are supportive of your efforts? How do they support you? Have they joined in with your healthy habits? Or do they enable your less healthful choices? How can you get them on board?

My husband is very supportive. My two little ones aren't old enough to understand anything other than mommy is working out on the elliptical while they want to be held. It was a real adjustment for me to be able to workout over the cries of protest:ohwell: After my first son, my husband continued to eat junk food & do his "own thing" while I tried to lose weight. This time, he completely changed his lifestyle(eating, exercising) so that we are both doing the "healthy lifestyle thing" forever. On the weekends, we both have "free meals" and probably enable each other by encouraging an extra glass of wine or cake since we both did so well all week long.. Overall, I know that the reason I have been so successful with losing the weight this time is b/c of my husband's support and commitment to do it with me..

Lisak22

Does anyone know how to log breastfeeding as an exercise? Ive been trying to find it but i cant..thanks!

stritte14

OCTOBER 24


THIS WEEK’S TASK: LINK UP!

- Do you like it when you get feedback from others on your accomplishments?

- Do you need motivation to keep logging in?

- Do you want to help someone else succeed?

THIS WEEK’S POLL: DOES YOUR FAMILY HELP YOU OR HINDER YOU?

livehappe

Hi Ladies,

Carolina- love that your husband went out to eat his burger. I was imagining him sitting down the street getting his burger on, and I started to laugh! You guys are a great team; you excel in parenthood, your careers, and this too, as a result of that.

MFP works for me because there are people here who expect me to lose weight, workout, and try my best. I feel accountable to these folks, and when they give me a compliment or pat on the back, that accountability level just keeps going up. I do really well in situations where I feel needed, and I also love helping others and celebrating others.I have convinced a few real-life friends to join, and it is truly amazing to watch them adopt more healthy lifestyles and shed pounds. I am lucky to have so much support, and try my best to pay it forward.

My husband is in the army, and is very fit. He works out every morning with his troops for an hour or more. While he is athletic, he is not a healthy eater. He loves pepsi and drinks it by the gallon, and he loves ice cream and chocolate. We keep all 3 in the house all the time. Luckily, I can do without all 3. My pitfalls are salt and baked goods.

My husband is an enabler when we have company, and when we travel. He always encourages me to enjoy myself at a restaurant, and well- I don't need encouragement We both buy really unhealthy snacks when company arrives, and I am at my worst, with his mom. We both like to binge.

Now, fortunately, his mom has just started to diet again, and his sister has been on mfp for awhile kicking butt. So, I'm hoping that future link ups can be more healthy-minded. And, my husband intends to get serious about mfp this week- so we'll see. Unfortunately, my husband has no colon (as a result of a parasite he picked up while on tour in Afghanistan), so when he diets it is A LOT of work for me to find foods that work for him, and he is picky to boot :P We usually end up with 2 different meals most nights.

My husband is very supportive of my exercise crusade. He has taught me boot camp routines. He watches the kids on the weekends when I want to do long runs or races. He looks for events for me online, and researches training plans. He has run a few races with me this summer.

So, we have our challenges, but overall, I'd say family influence is positive.

stritte14

I'm not sure if i am replying properly....anyways here it goes!

I find it helpful to get assistance from others in the form of feedback. I generally do not have an easy time acknowledging my own accomplishments, so it helps me take a step back and say "hey, I did do something good!".

I am really struggling because I do not find my husband supportive. We lost weight and changed our lifestyle when we got married 6 years ago. We were on the same page, used the same approach and were very supportive of each other. Our meal choices etc when downhill when we went through a stressful time period that lasted a couple years. We came out of it with a minimal weight gain though. Then after my first baby was born he started PreService Fire Fighting and has been in school for that every since. We both joined the gym, but this time he is attempting to bulk up, where I need to ensure I am eating healthy. We are totally not on the same page in terms of meal choice and I usually have to come up with some sort of alternate to eat at supper in terms of side dishes. I find it frustrating and unsupportive. I also think that he is misguided in terms of how he is bulking up and could be experiencing better success if he would educate himself a bit more. He is doing well though, so I think it is hard for him to see he could do better.

I plan on asking a fellow mat leave buddy if she wants to join MFP and be my buddy, maybe that will help.

nickynik

lisak22 - you log breastfeeding under a meal. You can choose which description fits you best. Although I am exclusively breastfeeding my 15 week old, I only allow myself 300 extra daily calories instead of the 500 it says you can have so that I can make sure the pounds come off and the milk stays up!

my husband doesn't help nor hinder me. He is supportive and eats whatever I buy and/or make us with no complaints. However, he will be the first person to tell me its no big deal if I want to order a cheese steak or pizza for dinner! He doesn't exercise or care to lose any weight even though he could stand to tone up too! I am fairly goal oriented and right now my focus is fitting into my work pants when I return in 5 weeks! Lost 2 last week so I am on track to have the last 10 lbs of baby weight off when I go back! Then on to losing the other 10-15 I gained after I got married. It is nice to hear other people's success stories and so far I love MFP!

CourtneyLeigh83

I find my husband and family are generally supportive. I don't find I really need someone watching over my shoulder or complimenting me to keep me going. I am doing this for myslef and find that I have more self motivation than I thought.

While my family is supportive, they are also a bit clueless at times. My grandmother bakes almost daily. I am very good about staying away from the cookies and sweets but as is my grandmother's habit she always asks if I want some without thinking. I sometimes think she doesn't realize these sweets are unhealthy. We also have dinner at my grandparent's a couple of times a week and my grandmother is a very old fashioned cook. Saturday is spaghetti, Sunday is roast beef with mashed potatoes and vegetables smothered in butter, Monday is burgers, etc. I have been bringing my own food with me lately. I think it offends her a bit but I with take a little bit of the healthier options from the table so I'm not completely offending her.

livehappe

Courtney- I am amazed at your strength. If my Grandma was baking things and offering them to me, I would be eating them up like a kid in a candy store. I think it's great that you bring your own food to dinner. Family members should see that as a strength, and not take offense. That's very admirable. Reading your post reminded me of how important it is to start saying no more, and staying the course, no matter what environment I'm in.

carolina_r

So far, it looks like a number of us have a great support system! (Or at least a situation that doesn’t completely derail our progress)

NiennaMarie – Welcome back! That is actually a good idea – if you don’t know someone personally, then perhaps you could partner with someone from the PPP – at least you know that they will have some things in common with you.

lovecola06 – I like how you and your hubby have committed to a “healthy lifestyle thing” forever! The success evident in your ticker says it all…with the right kind of support, it is definitely possible!

robincsmall – When you put it that way, Robin, it makes me laugh too!! Isn’t it interesting how salt and sweet seem drawn together? I’m the sweet craver in my relationship, and the hubby is the salt…

stritte14 – It must be a challenge when you each have such different goals. What a great idea to get a friend to join and provide you with support. Let us know if she joins!

nickynik – 5 weeks and you are back at work!! Are you excited to get back into the “real world”? Or are you dreading it?

CourtneyLeigh83 – I agree with what Robin said! I find it very hard to resist when friends / family offer food…Good for you!

feydruss

I'm glad that most have pretty supportive people around them! I haven't made my current weight loss journey public knowledge with my family, unless they mention that they've noticed a difference. Then I usually just shrug and say "I'm working on it!"

Some of the people around me are both sensitive and INsensitive to weight issues with me, because I have a history of eating disorders. So they're probably watching me more carefully than I think they are. Some people (like my MIL) have been critical of my being overweight in the past, and are careful NOT to mention anything weight-related to me now.

My DH keeps complaining that he needs to lose some weight himself (which he does) but he doesn't have the time (energy/desire?) to work out and eat right. He works long hours and travels often, which doesn't help.

goodntentions

- Do you like it when you get feedback from others on your accomplishments?

It's always nice to get feedback especially when I've been working so hard. My husband compliments daily which is nice.

- Do you need motivation to keep logging in?

I find it pretty easy to stay motivated to log into MFP.

- Do you want to help someone else succeed?

I would love to be a motivating friend to someone else and in return have them motivate me. It helps to be held accountable and know someone else is "watching" too haha. Unfortunately, I don't have any family or friends where I live ....Hubby is pretty supportive and usually isn't an enabler, but it's easy for him to stay fit and healthy (years of the army life etc I guess). He just got out of the Army last year and is now going to school. He's still in the Reserves and is in ROTC so he still does the PT 3 days a week, plus he usually works out on his own other days. He doesn't watch what he eats, but he doesn't eat unhealthy either. He has a sweet every once in awhile. I wish I could do that. I got into a routine of eating ice cream every night after dinner. This past week I've been working out faithfully, but my eating habits fell by the wayside. I'm trying to get back on track this week. It's been really hard to find a balance because I'm scared of overeating, but I'm also afraid of not eating enough (and in return start gaining weight). I'm just unsure of how many calories a day I should be eating and I don't completely trust what MFP says I should eat. I just don't know if 1200 calories a day is a healthy amount so I upped it to 1310 calories a day.

I don't know anyone who could be my partner. My sister is on MFP, but she's not faithful to making it an every day thing. It is suprising because she is pretty competitive with me about weight which is ridiculous because she is tiny. She weighs about 110lbs at the most and is freaking out because I'm usually atleast 20lbs heavier than her. Now that there are only a few lbs difference between us, she is taking to not eating enough. She won't listen to me. She binge eats on some days then doesn't eat enough on others. Anyways on another note, I think I may try and talk my mom into joining and holding her accountable to what she eats and working out. We don't live near one another so it will be difficult to get her motivated, but I'm hoping anyway. She really wants to lose weight she's gained. She's not used to being this heavy since she's been slim most of her life. I told her it's because she is not that active anymore. My stepfather is leaving for Afghanistan end of next month so she's pretty motivated to lose it while he's gone since she will be alone in the house.

carolina_r

goodntentions - Thank you for sharing so candidly. It can be tough not having family close by. I hope you are able to convince your mom to join - what a great way for you two to support eachother and connect given the distance. If she won't join, then perhaps you could partner up with someone from this group. It isn't quite the same as partnering with someone you know, but I think it can still have a beneficial impact! Having your diary open to friends and having that person commit to checking/ commenting on your diary might be enough to at least make you think twice about food choices? I know it is helping me

feydruss - I can understand how your husband feels. When I was teaching full-time (pre-baby) the job had a way of taking over - many evenings and weekends were spent either working or thinking about/avoiding working...I found I was always too tired/too busy to think about taking care of myself - sometimes making dinner was just too much of a time investment (hence bad eating habits and the gradual increase of weight over the years). Perhaps as he sees your success continue to unfold, he may be motivated to find the time - it really does seem to be about priorities. Sure, I was really busy back then, but I see now that I was putting the job as the priority, rather than my health. (During my pregnancy, I was a lot more balanced in my approach to work!)

On a different topic - I have been noticing (with some of the people I am "friends" with on MFP - people who I don't actually know, keep in mind) that when I glance at their food diaries, some are consistently under calorie goal, but their food choices are shockingly devoid of vegetables (or even fruit)! Most of the calories seem to be coming from some starchy foods and protein sources, with a bunch of low cal treats. It worries me when people use the almighty calorie as the only judge for having a successful day...Do you guys notice the same thing? Obviously, it is not my place to mention this (I don't know them) but it worries me nonetheless...

bluestarlight19

THIS WEEK’S POLL: DOES YOUR FAMILY HELP YOU OR HINDER YOU?


I don't really need motivation to log in, I usually do it first thing in the morning because I always arrive early at work. Its only the weekends that I get busy but I make a note to keep track of what i am eating and to enter it on monday. I've been getting better at it.

As for family...well....not helping I would say. My mom, she needs to lose weight and she talks about it and feels depressed about it but she doesn't do anything. I understand why, she has a lot on her plate right now and just can't focus. I have always done things my own way and am not sure how to get her going, we are very similar. She also has massive knee problems so exercising would be a must but it would be slow going. She is trying, but she is a food pusher too sometimes.

My husband...he loves me the way I am, tells me so everyday and tells me not to do this for him but to do it for myself. However...he still wants the junk food in the house for him, I have asked him to watch the baby a few times so I can exercise but he has complained because he is tired from being at work all day (I am too!!). He is getting better though at supporting me

My daughter... I feel guilty sometimes taking the time to exercise which takes time from her. He takes care of her in the morning and gets her to day care, the only time I get with her is an hour and a half at night when she is tired and wants to sleep, so I don't want to miss that time since its the only time I get with her during the week. I will have to work it out I guess.

I am having an off week, not sure how much I will get done exercise wise...pulled leg muscle, got a cold and now little girl has the cold too and hubby is getting the man cold , though I get the man cold too, I turn into a whimpering mess that wants to be cuddled when sick, lol!

kerimcdonald

At this point I would say my husband helps me but he's also my weakest link. The good news is he knows that and tries not to be. I have an 8 week old son and a 6year old daughter and we keep her very active. So when we have a busy week and friday is supposed to be leftover night and instead he wants to get takeout, its hard to say no as long as I dont have to cook. Or even weeknights when we are particularly busy and he orders pizza and soda. But at the same time, he'll be the first to toss me my blackberry and headphones and tell me to go run on the treadmill when I've had a stressful day and need the workout.

We made the decision for me to stay home since we both worked in towns 40 minutes away from our house in opposite directions and the daycare situation would have been really difficult to find one convenient for both of us. Obviously being a nursing new mom again, I am really tired which does not help my eating. I find myself wanting to snack while I clean the house just for the energy!

I had lost 50lbs with mfp before we got pregnant and am so ready to lose it again. There was some nerve damage with the c-section so I get this horrible burning in the incision area when I use my stomach muscles for anything. I've got to just put on the big girl pants and get it done so I can put on the smaller size big girl pants later lol!

I'm excited for this thread! Even if I don't have a buddy yet, there are a lot of people that seen to be in the same boat which makes me want to check up every day and see how everyones doing and give encouragement where I can!

britesideoflife

Hello!

There are some great answers on here - I am reading them and thinking: Yup..Yup..That is me too!

- Do you like it when you get feedback from others on your accomplishments?
Yes, very much so but I find it hard to know how to reply and often act like it is no big deal (While inside i am jumping up and down saying YEAH!)

THIS WEEK’S POLL: DOES YOUR FAMILY HELP YOU OR HINDER YOU?

Hmmmm...good question. My Husband is a chef (Great for me, I know) so he is always happy to give me advice on low-calorie options or healthy recipes. However, when he cooks he hates taking short-cuts and changing 'Classics' so tends to add lots of butter or cream to things where I would have added low-cal alternatives. He also tends to dish up HUGE portions, and once the food is in front of me, I have zero will-power and end up eating the entire thing!

But he is very quick to praise me on my progress and has even admitted to liking some of the heathlier meals I have cooked and requested that I make them again - So I think he is trying to hijack my change in lifestyle for his own weightloss :laugh:

I find that my friends are the biggest challenge...I have quite an active social life during the week - meeting up with other mommy-friends for playdates etc and they always pass around the biscuits / chocolates etc and urge you to have one or two or three...then give me a lecture on how I shouldn't worry about my weight because it: 'Took me 9 months to put it on so it is ok if it takes the same time to get rid of it...' and I find myself caving in and indulging to keep them happy (And me unhappy). I would love anyone's advice on dealing with that!!!

I love the idea of an MFP buddy (Like some of you have said, I get great motivation from my friends on here.)