just had my son, help please!

I just had my son on Feb 26th, and need to lose 70lbs. any advice would be MUCH appreciated. thank you! (:
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Replies

  • BrennLinn
    BrennLinn Posts: 178 Member
    Eat healthy, exercise at your own pace, and stay dedicated. Congrats!
  • bcrofts001
    bcrofts001 Posts: 18 Member
    Hey, I've got two young boys of my own, and I know how you feel. I'm just getting started on my journey so I can't be much help yet, but it can be done. I wish you all the best and congrats on your new son.
  • drewkc
    drewkc Posts: 9
    Thank you guys! i'll definitely try my hardest, it's tough having all this extra weight, but it was for an amazing thing.
  • yurika975
    yurika975 Posts: 71 Member
    I sent you a friend request. Congrats on your little one new mommy :) I will say that that you can make mini goals so that you can meet your big goal. You can do it.
  • shytrevoak
    shytrevoak Posts: 95 Member
    Had my son 6 months ago. Still losing. Add me if you like! Getting support, motivation and open diaries helps a lot.
  • freddykid
    freddykid Posts: 265 Member
    Enjoy your son and eat healthy. congrats!
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    ^Enjoy your son, totally agree.

    My daughter is now 15 months, I started working out when she was 3 months old. Make healthier choices and keep active. The little one should keep you on your toes. =)
  • Eat well and Exercise. You can do it!!!
  • A friend once told me 9 months up, 9 months down! Congratulations, Mama!
  • Crawkins
    Crawkins Posts: 32
    Breastfeeding burns massive amounts of calories.

    NOT getting into the breast/bottle debate, the fact is: You can lose weight quickly and end up with "fried egg" boobs, or bottle feed, exercise on your own, and keep the girls looking nice.
  • 24redwine
    24redwine Posts: 43
    Rest is so important or you will lose your mind in those early days. Use that stroller I am sure you have and walk -- good for you and baby (bundle up). Don't expect too much too soon. Caring for baby is most important in early weeks and weight loss is secondary (But eat healthy). I have two sons, now age 11 and 20, so I know what's it's like! It's also wonderful. Everyone wants to tell you how hard it will be, but they fail to tell you how amaing it will be -- you will feel love and joy and pride like you've never experienced. Take care.
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    congrats! Let's see, start a few stroller walks (be sure to take a light blanket for UV protection for baby), a canopy that switches sides on your stroller is nice, nurse if you can (probably too late for that advice), and give your body time to recover. A lot of things are out of whack, loose, and used to carrying your weight differently. Go slow and steady, you have to heal. Having a friend walk with you is nice at first, just because you have a lot on your plate. I walked in a circle around block my house so that I was never far from home in case of a need for a stop. Oh, and "spanks" help get your stomach muscles used to where they are supposed to be again...not feeling like they are falling out! Highly recommend those or a support similar.
  • Suffer4beauty
    Suffer4beauty Posts: 44 Member
    My best advice is, if you can afford it, see a nutritionist. My insurance covered it - I just had to ask my doctor for a referral. Diets are different for nursing mammas than "regular" people - so see if your insurance will cover a visit, or see how much it will cost to visit a nutritionist once and then during that visit ask for both a nursing program and a non-nursing program (so that you know how to eat after baby stops eating). I can tell you that my diet was:
    Breakfast: 2 oz. protein and one serving starch (15 grams of carbs)
    Snack: 1 serving fruit, 1 oz. protein (can be cheese, cottage cheese, peanuts or meat)
    Lunch: 2 to 3 oz. protein, 2 servings veggies, 1 serving dairy (can be milk, yogurt or cheese), and 2 servings of starch
    Snack: Same as first snack
    Dinner: Same as lunch
    Snack: 1 serving of starch and 1 serving of dairy (I usually had a bowl of cereal - but check the carbs on the box - you may only be able to have 1/4 or 1/2 cup of cereal to stay in the carb guidelines).
    Overall, in a day, about 10 oz of protein items and about 5 to 6 servings of starch - remember that beans, corn, potatoes, greenbeans and peas are also starches in addition to "regular" carbs. When eating the servings of starch - do not count the carbs/starches in veggies towards your servings. One serving of starch is 12 grams - but you can round up to 15 grams. Eat as much veggies if you like. If really hungry, have a protein snack and/or more veggies. No items could have more than 10 grams of sugar (so I mostly ate plain Greek Fage yogurt - that was the only plain yogurt I could stand - hated it at first, now love it!).

    Remember - that was MY meal plan and that did not include exercise - if you exercise will change many factors - so see a nutritionist if you can. I don't know your weight - and that changes how many carbs and other things and I would't want you to get poor nutrition while caring for your little guy. I can say that I was 160 at the time and I lost 20 pounds just following this diet and nursing (but no official exercise) in about 6 months. I did NOT count calories - just focused on proper balance of food. I am not against counting calories - but if you follow a diet by a nutritionist, it probably won't be necessary.
  • drewkc
    drewkc Posts: 9
    Thank you all for the kind words and advice, i will be taking them all and get started! i am nursing my son, and am planning to start walking with him in his stroller around our apartment for a mile a day, i am not yet released to start working out yet, so i have to make sure i don't do anything insane or too hard. again, thank you for your support and advice!
  • Momf3boys
    Momf3boys Posts: 1,637 Member
    My baby just turned 10 months and I'm on the journey too. I also gained 70 pounds...it's a struggle and now that I'm older (my other boys are 10 and 12) it's even more difficult. Feel free to add me...the more support, the better :)
  • faely
    faely Posts: 144 Member
    Congratz!!

    My advice - don't be in a hurry, just be healthy. Walk, do moderate exercise until you can handle more, eat healthy - all the things we're supposed to do naturally :) The weight will stay off if you commit to the healthy lifestyle rather than a "quick" diet fix.
  • Nadine624
    Nadine624 Posts: 22 Member
    It's definitely about finding a healthy lifestyle that you can live with! Oh and don't forget that you'll soon be setting an example for your little one and it'll be so much easier for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight if they have that background growing up! :smile:

    Just concentrate on one day at a time and do the best you can and you are sure to be successful!
  • Showmm
    Showmm Posts: 406 Member
    February 26 was not long ago. Most people say to wait until 6 weeks after birth to start a full exercise program. That's not saying you can't go out for gentle walks with your son, but really, take it easy. Something MAJOR has happened to your body, you've given birth, give it a chance to recover from that. Eat sensibly (you can add 300 calories off per day for breast feeding) and start planning your fitness regime for April.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    let yourself recover from the pregnancy and birth before worrying about this too much... also, don't go by how many weeks post delivery to say whether it's safe to exercise yet... get the "rec check" done to see if your abs have gone back together again... this can still be an issue for some women even months after delivery, for others it's not even an issue at all. If you have a c-section it's more likely to be an issue as they actually physically separate these muscles to get the baby out (in most women they naturally separate towards the end of pregnancy)

    this blog page explains the issue and also has exercise suggestions for how to get the abs back together again if they're not already, although IMO you should get advice from a doc/midwife/physio and get exercise advice from them (physio would be best). http://jacquelinehooton.co.uk/tag/the-rec-check/
  • oliviabog
    oliviabog Posts: 101
    I had two kids very close together and my son is just over a year old now. Initially i lost a fair bit through eating healthily and breast feeding. When i got to 3 months post partum i threw myself into exercise, and continued to eat well (not withholding treats etc). I tried running even though it was really hard carrying 70 lbs extra. I settled into using a stepper and getting in 1 hour cardio a day. So far in 46 lbs down but I'm not actively trying atm. I do a hell of a lot of walking and have just started running 7 k every other day. So in a couple of months i expect some more to drop off. Just trying to live healthily and not worry too much about the weight as i know if I've got a healthy life style itll sort itself out.

    best of luck.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    9 months up, 9 months down. Don't feel like you need to do this overnight.

    Eat your calories, allow for breast feeding, take care of your baby and yourself. Friend other new mums and build a support network for yourself. Take care.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Breastfeeding burns massive amounts of calories.

    NOT getting into the breast/bottle debate, the fact is: You can lose weight quickly and end up with "fried egg" boobs, or bottle feed, exercise on your own, and keep the girls looking nice.

    I breastfed my first baby for 2 years and my second for 2 and a half years, and didn't end up with "fried egg" boobs.

    the idea that breastfeeding generally leads to saggy boobs is a myth... it's also not always the case that breastfeeding leads to easier weight loss, a lot of breastfeeding mums find they get a lot more hungry while breastfeeding, and so don't lose the weight without calorie counting. Other mums the weight comes off easily while breastfeeding without calorie counting. Some mums, without calorie counting, don't lose weight while breastfeeding, but it comes off easily after they stop. Other breastfeeding mums struggle to lose weight during and after breastfeeding. It's very individual. On balance, if you are breastfeeding, you will have significantly more calories going out, so on average it will be easier to lose weight, especially if you count calories, as your baby's basically sucking a lot of carbs, fat, protein and calories out of your boobs every day, but it's not inevitable due to increased hunger to compensate and possibly hormonal issues that lead to more fat storage around the hips etc.

    When the topic of saggy boobs has come up on parenting forums I've been on in the past, more formula feeding mums said that they had saggy boobs than breastfeeding mums. (okay not scientific, but clearly there are a lot of breastfeeding mums out there who never got saggy boobs from it, and a lot of formula feeding mums who did get saggy boobs). Also, individual differences/genetics would play a role too, i.e. some women are going to get saggy boobs no matter how they feed their child, others will not, no matter how they feed their child. But I would hate to think that mothers are put off from breastfeeding for fear that it'll make her boobs saggy, when that's often not the case. A good quality, properly fitted nursing bra would go a long way to preventing sagging. Maybe the only difference between the mothers on the parenting forum is the breastfeeding mums wore nursing bras which offered more support as their boobs went back to their pre-pregnancy size?
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
    Breastfeeding burns massive amounts of calories.

    NOT getting into the breast/bottle debate, the fact is: You can lose weight quickly and end up with "fried egg" boobs, or bottle feed, exercise on your own, and keep the girls looking nice.

    Breastfed both my babies for 6 months and given the fact that I was 34 and 36 when I had my kids, my 'girls' are still pretty good for their age, haha!!
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Breastfeeding burns massive amounts of calories.

    NOT getting into the breast/bottle debate, the fact is: You can lose weight quickly and end up with "fried egg" boobs, or bottle feed, exercise on your own, and keep the girls looking nice.

    I have breastfed 2 children for a total of 2 years, and am getting ready to breastfeed a third - no fried egg boobs here. Mine look just fine thanks...
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
    I agree with all the other posters, it's not that long since you had your baby so you need time to adjust to being a mammy and to give your body a chance to recover from all its been through. If you eat healthily and walk with the pushchair, most of the weight will come off all by itself.

    The most important thing tho is to enjoy this tiny little bundle of joy that has arrived in your life, because all too soon that innocent little creature that relies on you for everything will be shouting, stamping his feet and throwing tantrums and will be to big to give his mammy those delicious cuddles (mine is almost 6 and we're at THAT stage, lol!!)

    Congratulations btw x
  • Jessimaaka
    Jessimaaka Posts: 127 Member
    Make sure you add 500 calories a day for breastfeeding - especially if its exclusively and you want to maintain your supply. I gained 50lbs, and I'm down 56lbs 7 months out. I did not start exercising until about 4 months postpartum. Don't push yourself too hard too fast, or it will be counterproductive. Congrats and good luck mama!
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Is he your first child? Congrats! I've got a son who's 4 in June and a daughter who'll be 2 in May, so I know how hard it is!

    I lost all my baby weight after my son, only to get pregnant again when he was 14 months old, and I put sooo much weight on with her.

    Anyway, I was back at the gym when my daughter was 7 weeks old, and that was 20 months ago, and i've lost 60lbs, but also toned up loads and built up some pretty good muscles! I'd like to lose another 10lbs.

    I mix fed both of mine as my son lost 30% of his birth weight so I couldn't exclusively breastfeed him, and then my daughter was feeding 24/7 and I had my son, then 22 months old, to look after, so I couldn't maintain that past 4 weeks when I no longer had my husband at home to help! Anyway, my boobs look fine considering the hours I spent breastfeeding and pumping!

    Definitely take advantage of just having the one child because you can go for lots of nice, long walks with a baby fast asleep! I really missed that once I had 2!

    Feel free to add me.
  • cathymarie75
    cathymarie75 Posts: 222 Member
    I have two boys one is 3 and one is 14 months still trying to lose but have come along way. Just watch what you eat and start slowly when you can. Are you working out already?

    Feel free to add me!
  • Yes! As a mom to six, if your breastfeeding make sure to take in enough calories to breast feed........Also, realize that after having a baby your body needs time to recover so workout and eat healthfully taking in enough calories. I have seen alot of websites that having exercising with baby which may be good for you if you don't have time set aside for a workout.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    Breastfeeding melts the weight off, if you stick with it for awhile!
    I wouldn't stress too much this early on, as it takes a little while for things
    to shrink down. Eat healthy and eat enough and drink lots of water!