Still fit and fabulous after baby--December 2011 (Cont from

AmyMooreOrLess

Hi Ladies,

Oh Heather - sounds like a truly wonderful birthday. That's two of your posts that've made me teary now! Love the gift from Al. What a very thoughtful Hubby you have. Sorry to hear Al is gone until Thursday. It's a scary thought, thinking of his help not being there when you need it. You and Charlee will be just fine. You'll figure it out, you always do! When Tyler would leave for nights at the Fire Hall I found I began to look forward to my nights and I really got into quite a routine on my own (when Tyler is home he kind of messes with my system...hahaha!).

So thrilled your Slim Down arrive (holy, fast!) and you're thinking it's all doable. It totally is! The fb group "Operation Get Your Body Back" has a few women starting Monday. Oh yeah, LB's site told me I should be 135. Never! I'm barely comfortable getting down to 145 (not to mention it's difficult to maintain!). 147-150 is perfect by me (at 5'7"). Maybe I'll think otherwise when I finally get there again.

smilegirl

Good Evening Ladies,

Okay, don't know who I was kidding about trying to run six miles Friday morning! I had a 10a appointment and Ellie doesn't wake up until around 7a and usually nurses for a good 40-45 minutes so when I started thinking about it there was no way I could do a longer run, get a shower in and still make it out the door on time. We settled for a quick three miles, but did five and a half today. :-) We had a gorgeous sunny day!

Heather, your birthday sounds like it was perfect! I had to chuckle when you said you went to dinner at 4p, that sounds like my life too!! I have found that our evenings are so much more pleasant if bath time is around 6p and Ellie is in bed by 7p. Too bad we don't live in the same city so we could be early bird diners together :-)

Amy, I had to chuckle about Tyler messing with your routine, I feel the same way about Nathan! It's funny how we get settled into our own groove and can get annoyed when they don't follow along. I certainly get a lot more accomplished in the evenings when Nathan is working! I'm with both you ladies on the weight thing - I've gotten to 139 a few times over the past couple of years, but look super skinny at that weight and have never been able to maintain it without feeling deprived. At 5'7 my body tends to be happiest at 148-150 and although I am quite happy at that weight, I like my body best around 143-144.

Danielle, don't be too hard on yourself girl! You were on exercise restrictions for most of your pregnancy so just have fun getting back to the good sweaty workouts. Hopefully keeping your calories a little higher will give you the energy you need while also keeping your milk supply ample.

Hugs to all the adorable babies and hot mamas!

blessdmomof4

Good morning ladies!

So glad to hear your birthday was great Heather. Glad to here that Charlee traveled well for you too! We had to travel 1.5hrs to my mom's house and back 3 times in a week when Amelia was between 2 and 3 weeks old. Thanksgiving, funeral and Christmas party for my bigger kids. I was so nervous that she would scream the whole way but she did great. Hoping it goes as smoothly on Christmas eve lol! Praying everything goes smoothly while the hub is away!

I give you ladies credit who have night working/ and or traveling men. My husband has commitments 2-3 nights a week at our church (he's the assistant pastor) and I am usually counting the minutes until he gets home!

The rash is back :frown: I am pretty sure that it is detergent now. Some ladies on FB helped me out a bit and it seems my HE washer may not be rinsing the detergent all the way out b/c it uses so little water. The bummer is we were just given the HE washer before Amelia was born and I was so excited b/c I figured it would clean the cloth diapers so much better than our old top loader would have. Apparently the opposite is true. We'll figure it out though. Other than the rash she is doing amazing!!! She has slept 7-8 hours 3 of the last 4 nights! She is growing so fast. I put her in a little sleeper yesterday that she had worn a day or 2 after she got home and she was busting out of it. She's a little butterball lol.

Workout update: none :blushing:
Any tips for a good video workout that doesn't take much room. Our living room is microscopic. Weather has been too cold for walks/runs w/ baby and its too dark by the time hubby gets home and there is nooo way I can make it to the gym between 5 and 7am right now. Tips? Ideas?

Have a blessed day everyone!
Melissa

heathercrist1

Good morning ladies!

Charlee slept great last night and only woke up once at 230a to nurse and then we both got up at 7a...so needless to say I feel like a million bucks! lol It is amazing how getting some sleep can make you feel like a different (better) person! I changed a few things different last night that I think were key to her sleeping so good....like I nursed her at 10p instead of 9ish and then I swaddled her tight with her hands inside the blanket (I had been letting her arms out of the swaddle blanket cause she seemed to HATE it), and I didn't have the ceiling fan on. I'm going to do our routine again tonight and see if those things were indeed what did it.

Holly and Amy I do have some of that "annoyance with the hubby" thing going on too... My husband is awesome and caring and loving and I'm not throwing him under the bus...but sometimes the man has a hard time remembering he is NOT the only one in this house! His big thing is that we are used to sleeping with the ceiling fan on before Charlee was born...well we have the heat in the house set at 70 which keeps our room comfortable but when you turn the fan on it moves the cool air around and Charlee gets cold. He sweats without it on so he says he HAS to have it on at least medium.... Well after she slept so good last night without it on I'm gonna tell him he can either go sleep in the spare room or get a fan to put on his bedside table to blow on him. And he also thinks we all need to be in bed when he is ready for bed... Charlee and I did our thing last night and she nursed at 10p last night as opposed to 9ish and she did so much better so he is just gonna have to realize that he might just have to go to bed on his own. It is an adjustment for us all.

Holly your job prospects sound pretty awesome! I really hope that it all works out for you. I can't imagine going back to work at this point, but if I had to I'd hope it were somewhere that I enjoyed being! I'm glad that for your own happiness you decided not to go back to the "toxic environment" of your old job...I'm sure it was a hard decision to make, but I'm sure it will all work out for the best! And I would love having an "early bird" dinner with you! lol And way to go on still getting in your run even though you had planned for a longer run and were short on time!

Amy I think I'm going to go ahead and start it on the 26th so I don't mess up any progress by the 2 days of Christmas eating (more like grazing) that I truly enjoy with my family every year. I figure that Monday will be an awesome day to start it up! I'm pretty excited about it. Oh I meant to ask you...did you follow her eating plan or just do your own? I know how to eat healthy already so I don't plan on following her plan and just doing what I normally would do (sans daily dessert like I'm doing now lol).

Well my family is coming over for dinner and birthday cake tonight. It does get pretty quiet and a little lonely in the evenings after being just Charlee and I all day so I'm looking forward to some company.

There was a helicopter crash at Ft. Lewis in WA (Holly you might have heard about this). My good friend that I workout with was good friends with one of the pilots and their family. He went to flight school with her husband. They had just adopted a special needs baby and they have four children. This hit close to home since my husband is a helicopter pilot in the Army as well. It made it real that this could possibly happen to us at any moment. The reality of this was sobering. I just pray for the family during this holiday season. I could not imagine Charlee and I having to be left without Al in our lives... I always knew that when he is deployed overseas that he would be in danger, but to have this happen on a normal day during a training exercise made it real that their job is very dangerous no matter where he is. With this happening recently it made him leaving and flying cross country a little bit harder than it normally would.

Well I hope you ladies are having a wonderful weekend!

My plan for the upcoming week is to get in at least 4 workouts.

dmcohee

Happy Monday! I am so glad the next few weeks are short weeks, I really rather be home with my kids! It's definitely a nice thing to love the people you work with though.

Heather - Sounds like you had a great birthday and glad Charlee have you a peaceful night I have found that it's easier to follow Tyson's schedule rather than try to put him on mine. For the first month he really wouldn't sleep unless it was with me, but now he sleeps on his own most of the night. He's been waking up between 5-6am to feed then falls back to sleep with me. I really do look forward to our cuddle time.

Melissa - I also have a tiny living room and have been using Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. 30 Day Shred is broken down into 3 20 minute workouts which are great if you're short on time (which I definitely have been these days).

Hubby and I recently bought the X Box Kinect which has been our entertainment lately. We've really enjoyed it and it definitely beats sitting on the couch. My kids all love the Just Dance Game and over the weekend I tried out the UFC Trainer, which was actually a decent workout.

heathercrist1

Hi ladies! Hope you all are having an awesome week! It has been rainy and dreary and cold here so we've just been camping out inside by the fire staying dry and warm

I am "test driving" Lindsay Brinn's 60 day slimdown this week and starting officially on December 26th (next Monday). I like it so far because it is not a long workout, which works great when you have a baby that is bound to wake in the next hour! I'm used to working out for 2 hours a day (before Charlee was born of course) so I'm a little skeptical getting good results from 30-60 mins a day...but lots of people get results so I'm willing to give it a try! I will probably still do Tracy Anderson arm routine on the days where I do just cardio on the program. I LOVE her arm routine and think I have great arms because of it! I'm a little sore today from yesterday's workout...so that is good

Danielle every time there is a dance game on a commercial for the xbox kinect I so wanna get it just to dance! lol

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

heathercrist1

Looks like everyone is super busy with Christmas just around the corner! Hope you are all doing great!

I did Lindsay Brin's 60 day slimdown workout today and it felt pretty challenging. I'm hoping that the interval training will have the results I'm looking for. I'd like to think I can jump right back into my intense 2 hour workouts...but A. I don't have 2 hours to do it and B. my fitness ability is not quite what it used to be prepreg and C. I really don't have a lot of options at this point to do those kind of workouts cause I can't take classes at the gym...no good classes and no daycare (not that I would leave Charlee if that option was available...I'm weird like that). So I'm excited to see what kind of results I can get. I'm thinking after the 60 days I'd like to do the Turbo Fire workout. The only one I found was on Amazon for almost $300! That is kinda ridiculous... Also, doing the workout I realized my biggest pain/obstacle at this point are my larger than life, ridiculously big, need their own zip code boobs! I have to hold onto them when I'm doing any kind of jumping (which in Lindsay Brin's workouts is almost the entire time)...I feel like I have two gallon jugs of milk strapped to my chest! It is physically uncomfortable. I'm wondering if ANY of you have this issue and if you do/don't what bra you'd recommend? I'm thinking I'm at least a DD right now if not bigger. I was a large C/small D prepreg so I'm used to big boobs...but they are just too "Dolly Parton" for me these days.... Missing my "normal sized" lady friends...lol

blessdmomof4

Hello Ladies,

Danielle- I will have to give those JM videos a try. I think I did one awhile back, got it from the library and liked it a lot. I think it was the banish fat boost metabolism one. I like the idea of 20 min. workouts lol. Good to ease me back into things.

Heather- I can relate to the large "ladies" :laugh: Too much jumping always causes let down for me and it is rather annoying in the middle of a workout lol. I had to wear 2 sports bras even before I was pregnant if I was running. I have seen nursing sports bras at Target. Idk if they are extra supportive or just have the fold down clips. I used to have one years ago but have since passed it on. I remember it not being very comfortable b/c (like the nursing tanks) the part on the inside that goes around the breast rides up and sticks out the top. Just feels awkward. Maybe I didn't have the right size.

Amelia's rash has continued to improve. I think it is definitely issues with my detergent and washing machine. We're figuring it out though and we've been primarily using cloth every day. I use disposables at night b/c its easier. We'll be traveling for Christmas and I debated using cloth over the weekend but decided that I didn't need to lug a sack of dirty diapers home in addition to all the gifts my kids will be getting lol.

I went Christmas shopping w/ Amelia and the other 3 kids yesterday morning. It went well!!! I was really thinking it was going to be awful but had no other time to go w/o everyone. Amelia isn't very good in stores b/c she doesn't love her car seat. She does so much better if I wear her. So, wear her I did and it all went great! 1 nursing session in the car and we were back in the stores. I forgot how challenging it can be to do things w/ a baby! In all honesty though, I love every minute of it b/c it just goes sooooo quickly!

I had my 6 week check up yesterday and my dr. was asking all of the postpartum questions to screen for depression and I was like "Are you kidding me? I'm in heaven right now." This baby oozes w/ feel good vibes. I just feel so blessed and peaceful when she is in my arms. Her little smile brings such joy to all of us. We are such a happy family and so grateful

Lots of wrapping to do in the next few days!! I hope you all have a blessed Christmas with your little bundles of love if I don't get back on before we travel on Friday.

Melissa

Kalee34

Hey guys!! Sorry I've been MIA. I have no extra time to sit down at the computer, keeping up with 5 kids under the age of 7 is so time consuming not to mention completely exhausting! And I have not started schooling my to oldest since Kallon got here, I plan to start right after the first of the year, we'll see how it goes.
I am going to be completely honest with you guys. I really want to lose my extra weight, but I am so busy I just really don't want to even think about it right now. I barely get on the computer to check my emails once a day, much less try to keep up with my calories several times a day. I just have so many other things on my mind right now that I don't want to bother with my food.
I did start trying to do pilates again last week. I did 20 min of beginners pilates, and it completely wiped me out. I have no abs left at all, no buns or thighs either. After the first time I was shaking like a baby. LOL!! I did pilates 3 days last week. But I've only done 10 min, 1 time this week:frown: .
I applaud all of you Breastfeeding, way to go!! I did it with my first 3, but it has been better for my family not to do it with the last two. I'm sorry that I can't keep up very well, I will try to do better.
I took Kallon for his 1 month checkup last week, he was 5 1/2 wks just over a month, he weighed 12 lbs. and 6 oz. He has gained 3 lbs and 4 oz since birth. He is sleeping in 3-5 hour stretches at night. I am definately doing better now that he is sleeping more!! I will probably have to put him in 3-6 month clothes after the first of the year. He is getting too long for the 0-3 month clothes. It is so sad, he is growing so fast.

smilegirl

Hi fit, fabulous mamas!

Five hour drive, one mountain pass and we are safely at my parent's house. No run for me today :-( but I should be able to go tomorrow. Lots of help with Ellie for the next week!

Heather, my larger than life breasts (husband lovingly refers to the "jug juice") are manageable with two good sports bras. They aren't cheap, but Title Nine has some fabulous options. Working out is definitely different these days isn't it? The great thing is that we are still moving and sweating and it does start to get a little easier as they get older. Ellie likes to laugh at me as I am sweating- I can only hope that we are being great role models for our girls. Keep up the great work!

Kalee, you are one super busy gal! Do your best, even if you aren't logging, try to make healthy nutrition choices. It will be great fuel for your crazy life chasing all your little ones. I wish you luck.

Melissa, I love wearing Ellie too and she seems to enjoy it. Great to hear that the rash is clearing. I have all my wrapping to do too as I had all our packages shipped to my parents' house. Still have a little shopping left to do, yikes!

Wishing everyone a great week. I am planing to get three more runs in before Sunday.

Cheers!

dmcohee

:laugh: Heather I've been doing the same as some of the other ladies and wearing 2 bras (sometimes it's a regular underwire bra under a sports bra). Jumping is definitely uncomfortable. At least I don't pee myself anymore :laugh:

Holly this may sound like a silly question, but do you plan to run with the baby even when it's cold out? I want to start jogging again on weekends but my husband's a bit protective and worries about it being too cold (although we've had very mild weather lately). Also, should I keep the jogger reclined so he's laying all the way back? I didn't do much running when my other ones were this little.

Tyson is not a fan of his carseat either, I wear him too. Although after walking around the mall for a while my neck starts to get really stiff. Is it maybe the carrier I have? He's a whopping 15 lbs already! I do feel that carrying him around the mall while chasing the twins should count as a little exercise! The twins are pretty good, they just like to touch EVERYTHING and Jayden found a new joy in freaking me out by hiding in clothes racks, so I usually leave there sweaty!

I agree that finding time and energy for yourself with the little ones is definitely tough! I will definitely get more serious after the holidays, right now I don't want to stress myself out over it...although I could definitely eat less cookies! I'm just going to enjoy my family for now.

Happy Holidays!

rosannabarbaroflores

Heather, happy belated birthday! It sounds like it was amazing! And seriously, Holly isn't the only one tearing up. Too many hormonal ladies on here for the types of posts. J/K. Keep them coming. Love hearing about all of it.

Melissa, bummer that the rash is back, but glad it is getting better again. Reading what you ladies are going through, and how much diet influences baby's systems is really helpful, and I am going to try to be super aware when my little one is here. Also, I have an HE washer, so knowing that I have to be careful of getting items rinsed properly is a huge help. Mine has an extra rinse option, does yours? Or have you been running a quick wash cycle without any detergents to get an extra rinse in?

Holly good luck with the job hunt! Glad you are transitioning so well and really happy to hear that you are taking actions to de-stress your life (leaving the rotten job)! I could only hope to have the strength to make a difficult decision like that if ever in the position.

Kalee you need to remember that you're not superwoman. There are only so many hours in a day. And no matter how fit we all want to be, our family comes first. A run down but fit momma is no good to anyone, especially yourself. You don't want to make yourself sick. You will eventually find balance. Try to make the right dietary choices for now, and instead of parking closest to the store entrance make yourself walk across the parking lot. Focus on the little things you can do to get activity into your day that won't add additional stress to your life. I have a feeling that with all that you have currently going on, making yourself fit a 'real' workout into your days will probably just stress you more because you will feel that you are neglecting something else, or you'll be up that much longer to get it all done. It probably wouldn't be worth it. Love to hear that baby is doing so wonderfully though!

Rosanna
Lurking
37 weeks, 3 days

smilegirl

Danielle, I have been running in colder temperatures. Can't remember where you are in the country, so your idea of cold might be different than mine! I'm in Seattle and we've had some 28 -35 degree mornings and I have taken Ellie with me on my runs. I bought her a great, really warm fleece full body suit from REI. I put that on over her pj's, use a hat and the jacket hood, and bundle her in two blankets (one lighter weight and one heavy, warm one.) She is always nice and toasty when we get home. :-) Remind me how old Tyson is now.....Ellie is 15 weeks now, how is that possible?? and I am still putting her in her car seat and using the infant adapter to have her in the jogging stroller. She will have her four month appointment in a couple weeks and I plan to ask our pediatrician at what age she is comfortable with her in the stroller without the car seat. Ellie is around 16 pounds now and growing like a weed!! She is so tall that she is outgrowing the length of some six month outfits already!

Rosanna, oh my! You are full term now! You'll be joining us here so soon. Thanks for the nice words. I actually gave my resignation on Monday. It felt great! The hardest part about my old job is that the new doctor was a lot more aggressive in his treatment planning and was over-treating patients in my opinion. I tend to lean more on the conservative side with my patients and like them to know ALL their options when they need treatment. The doctor that had purchased the practice would often tell patients that their only choice was an aggressive and expensive treatment. Just not something I can support. The happy news to report is that I was offered (and accepted!) the Wednesday job, so I was only unemployed for 2.5 days. I have several other options going so I think I'll find the other day and a half before the month of January is over. I am very lucky to have lots of experience and work in a needed field. Feeling blessed!

I am thrilled that we have officially past the shortest day of the year! Back to gaining daylight, yay!

AmyMooreOrLess

I'm so happy for you, Holly! Congrats on accepting the Wednesday job. I'm glad there are options for your other day and a half, too! When I return to work I plan on doing the same - only doing half my regular stint (two 12 hour days) and job sharing with an part-timers. Glad you're at your parents with lots of help over the holidays, too. That's always appreciated (that I know very well)!

Busy, busy over here. Christmas Eve celebrations at my house with husband's family. Then Christmas Day at husband's sister/s house. Then Boxing Day at my sisters with my family. Not concerned about Annie, just the potentially nap-lass (cranky!) toddler. Oh well, it's family. Bring on the meltdowns. Ha!

Wishing you all Happy Holidays! Firsts for our babes! A very special time of year to enjoy with our families.

Well, it's 11pm and Annie is ready to be fed before we hit the hay! Gotta run.

~ Amy

heathercrist1

Hello ladies! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

I have to admit I ate WAY too much and was happy to get back to my normal food/exercise schedule today. We had a great Christmas and it was nice to just stay home and spend time with family. Al had Friday off as well as today and tomorrow. He took Charlee after I fed her at 7 and let me sleep until a little after 9 this morning...it was so great!

I started Lindsay Brin's 60 day Slimdown today. I did my measurements and took "before" pics (which was incentive enough to workout and get my butt in gear to lose the rest of the weight!).

Holly congrats on getting the job! I don't blame you about the whole getting frustrated with your money hungry old boss (cause that sounds like what it was all about for him). I really hope you like your new job! I can't wait for Charlee to be a bit more alert and enjoy watching mommy act silly as I workout. It is definitely different, but a healthy mommy is a happy mommy and I agree that I think we will be healthy role models for our little girls!

Rosanna looking forward to you joining us!

Amy you did so awesome on your results after the 60 day slimdown! I hope my results are similar!

An old friend of mine (who is more like a sister that I can argue with than a friend) told me that because I'm breast feeding I probably won't lose anymore weight...I've heard this happening with some women, but for the most part it doesn't seem like any of you have had any problems. What do you think about this?

I look forward to hearing how you all are doing! Take care of yourself and those beautiful babies!

dmcohee

Thanks Holly. We're in Baltimore and it's actually been pretty warm for this time of year. Tyson is 10 weeks old today and is already 15 lbs. I will plan on running with him this weekend :-) I did my first 2 mile run over the weekend. I've never been much of a runner, but I'd like to be. It does feel great afterwards!

Heather I had never heard of not being able to lose weight while breastfeeding. I'm actually scared of what will happen when I stop breastfeeding. I've been locked in at 165 for a while now, but I've been eating very poorly (too many holiday parties and baking with the kids). I need to get back to clean eating after the holidays for sure!

AmyMooreOrLess

Good Day Ladies,

Urg! Heather, I admit it, too. I'm DONE with the festive treats. Managed to workout 13 days in a row and just take yesterday off (and feeling disgusting for it and the fact my 20 month old "baby" was throwing up). The disgusting feeling sure snowballed into some poor eating habits yesterday. Wow. Oh well, back at the logging and workouts today. Weigh in tomorrow. Eeek!

As for your question Heather about not losing weight while nursing: I did experience this after baby #1. I wasn't eating enough at first. My net calories were too low and my body clung to every pound. Once I started eating the 500 for nursing AND the workout calories I dropped another 7 pounds. I didn't go below 156 after #1. I did atribute this to clinging to the last 10 for nursing reserves, but who knows. I was excited to see to see the scale budge after I stopped nursing when #1 was 8 months old but never got to as #2 was already growing. :-) That said, I've seen my weight go to 153 this time around so I know ANYTHING is possible - sometimes it's just trial and error with your calories in vs. out while nursing.

Time to hit the showers while the naps are still in progress in this house.

~ Amy

blessdmomof4

Hello ladies,

The holiday celebrations just keep coming! I have another one to go to tomorrow night. I've been terrible about what I've been eating. Waaaayyy to many sweets. Really need to get back to some clean eating. The limited nursing diet has been challenging. I ate dairy over Christmas and noticed two things 1. Baby was fussy. 2. My milk supply was much better. I'm trying to get as much protein as I can but it just doesn't feel like enough. I haven't started logging again yet though. I know that will help me to balance everything else a little better. I got up and did some crunches, squats and push ups yesterday. Ashamed at how sore I am today lol. I really want to get out and start walking and jogging again but I don't have a jogger to take the baby and it is so hard to find time to do anything w/o all the kids. In better weather I go to the track and they just play around the field or something but that really isn't an option right now. Must figure something out. Saw some Jillian DVDs on sale. I should probably scoop one up and get going... I'm sure I can think of 1000 excuses and they may all be legit but they aren't going to help w/ this flab lol.

Rosanna- My wash routine for diapers varies. I'm still trying to figure it out. My washer does have a prewash and 2nd rinse option but they don't seem to be enough so the last two loads I did a full 2nd wash w/o detergent. That seems to be working. I am also looking into different detergents that leave no residue.

Heather- I have never had a problem losing weight while nursing. I got to pre pregnancy weight while nursing them all. With my 2nd I was below pre preg weight w/ in 4 months.

I can't believe how big Amelia is getting! Smiles and coos abound and I'm just loving every minute of having a baby again!
She was worth the wait and the weight

kristy_estes21

Just reading up on the tips you mama's have....Glad to see you're all doing so well.

Raynamama

Hey all you lovely momma's!! I'll be joining you hopefully in 8 weeks!
Just wondering what you lovely ladies would say are the Top 10 things to pack in your hospital bag?
I found lists online etc...but figure since you ladies have actually been through it who better to ask! And are there any items that you didn't bring that you wish you would have?

Would love to hear your thoughts! :flowerforyou:

Rayna
32 Weeks