Im not Pregnant, I am fat

asra425
asra425 Posts: 14
in Motivation and Support
I gave birth to my lovely little bundle of joy four and half months ago. My brother just got engaged and his wedding will be in the Spring. This has motivated me to get moving on losing that baby weight! I have about 20 pounds more to go (although I would be pretty happy with just losing 15) and need some tips and motivation. I lost about 15 pounds after the baby was born, but no more has come off in the last three months. I just sort of yoyo with the same four pounds on the scale. Any one who has any help with this is very much appreciated!

Replies

  • BakedGoodsLover
    BakedGoodsLover Posts: 12 Member
    Yes...someone...please help! I'm in the same boat!

    The feedback I keep getting is the need to be extremely disciplined with diet for the weight to come off, along with some moderate exercise. With that - the weight is supposed to come off slowly. However, when it moves too slow, I tend to get frustrated and think to myself - well, it's not coming off so I might as well have that piece of cake!

    The other thing I keep reading and hearing is that it took 9 months to put it on so it will take 9 months to get it off. Really? How is it possible that some women get back to their pre-pregnancy weight within 12 weeks?? I don't want to enjoy my pre-pregnant body for just a few months until we're ready for kiddo #2... I want to be able to have that body sooner and enjoy it longer!!

    Okay, I'm done whining.

    Thanks for kicking off this discussion, Roo. :)
  • Slove009
    Slove009 Posts: 364 Member
    What is your current workout routine and daily calorie goal? I would start trying to plan out your meals for the day in advance. I've been doing this for the past week or so (not including weekends) and it really helps to see all of your calories that are already spoken for and what you will have left. It also helps to set a reasonable calories burned/minutes worked out goal for the week. a weekly goal is better than daily IMO since you can skip a day and make that up on another day.
  • laurenw1992
    laurenw1992 Posts: 62
    The other thing I keep reading and hearing is that it took 9 months to put it on so it will take 9 months to get it off. Really? How is it possible that some women get back to their pre-pregnancy weight within 12 weeks?? I don't want to enjoy my pre-pregnant body for just a few months until we're ready for kiddo #2... I want to be able to have that body sooner and enjoy it longer!!

    Because those women either have an insane metabolism or have the time to train for like 4 hours a day!!!

    Definately agree with cooking things in advance! Have a cooking day once a week, make loads of healthy food and freeze it. Very helpful for busy mums! Good luck both of you.
  • BakedGoodsLover
    BakedGoodsLover Posts: 12 Member
    I love the cooking-in-advance and pre-planning meals advice. And I agree it is easier to meet a weekly goal than a daily one...the daily goal seems so strict that inherent in it (for me at least) is failure since I like a little flexibility in my life. I like having the option to eat lunch with friends/co-workers one day, and then scaling my meals back the next day in order to remain within my goal.

    Very helpful advice...thank you. :)
  • asra425
    asra425 Posts: 14
    So when I put in my weightloss goals into this site, it told me to eat about 1200 calories a day. That doesnt seem healthy to me, especially since i am part time nursing my daughter. There is no way to note on MFP that I am nursing, so I am just adding 500 calories to what it said my allotment is to allow for that... does that seem right?
  • amyk4598
    amyk4598 Posts: 6 Member
    Since ur lil one is already four months the suggestion i have might not help..but breast feeding can help alot to take off the extra weight i breast fed with my 4th child and lost a good ammount of the baby fat i acquired quickly..when i stopped after 3 months the weight stayed and i cant shake it..so i guess for future reference if u plan on more children consider it good luck and congrats on ur baby :)
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
    Nursing helps some mothers to lose weight, but it's not universal.

    asra- What goals did you set? Did you tell MFP you want to lose 2 lbs per week? If so, it will always tell you 1200 calories because it can't go lower. Set your goal at 1 lb per week to get an actual realistic idea of what your calorie needs are.
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
    So when I put in my weightloss goals into this site, it told me to eat about 1200 calories a day. That doesnt seem healthy to me, especially since i am part time nursing my daughter. There is no way to note on MFP that I am nursing, so I am just adding 500 calories to what it said my allotment is to allow for that... does that seem right?

    Search "breast feeding" in foods and there are options there. It will add calories to your day based on how often you nurse. hth
  • tabbykat6802
    tabbykat6802 Posts: 233 Member
    nursing calories: depending on how often you are nursing increase your calories to between 1500-1800/day.

    A good nursing site is: kellymom.com.

    My advice is to watch your supply. too little food intake and too much exercising will cause a drop in your supply.
  • asra425
    asra425 Posts: 14
    I set my goal to lose a pound a week. My husband says that I should aim for a pound a MONTH, but that progress is too slow for me to feel like its actually doing anything and then I end up in the same boat as Bakedgoodslover where I just say heck with it and eat the cookies and cake and whatnot. I have a real sweet tooth problem. :(

    So I can add nursing as a "food" to my day to increase calories?
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    I have seen folks track breastfeeding under exercise - that will add to the amount of calories you can eat. I would definitely aim to lose no more than 1 lb per week - that is a lot if you are nursing - you don't want to compromise your supply.

    My trouble when I nursed was always being hungry - and being tired from having a baby - I always wanted sweets to keep my energy up.

    Try and drink lots of water to stay well hydrated and eat filling foods - lots of fruits and veggies, almonds, oatmeal, and lean protein. I cannot believe the difference in my sweet cravings are since upping my protein intake! I can actually turn things down and I don't automatically reach for that stuff. (Even better is to just not have it around you at all).

    Take nice walks with baby in a carrier or strollee, do an exercise video while baby naps, etc. But most of all enjoy baby - the weight will come off eventually, but baby won't stay little forever!

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