New to MFP & Desperate to Lose Weight Quick!

You should probably mention whether you're breast feeding or not while asking to "lose weight quick"?

Don't sweat not being able to workout yet and don't worry about losing quickly... Do your best to eat right and move more... Walking and breast feeding/pumping still burns a lot of calories everyday... Focus on getting and being a healthier you for life so that your little one will develop great eating habits and when you have another you will hopefully avoid health related issues during the pregnancy... I'm Lew. Married, dad of two soon to be three... Anyone is welcome to add me.

After having our first baby a week ago I've put on 4 stone and devastated that after giving birth just over a week ago my weights hardly changed! Feeling really down and been told I'm not allowed to exercise for another 6 weeks due to a difficult birth.

Welcome to my world. Your name's not Bridgette by any chance?

Nothing's going to happen fast now. With a baby you're in first gear. You will slowly over a month or so lose all the fluids and may drop five kilos or more from the fluids leaving. I was quite full of water so I lost something like 10. yeah, I think it was 10 or 12. Slowly, over a month.

If I were you, knowing what I do now, I would go on a relatively low fat, healthy eating plan and just stay with it. Instead I ate like a pig while I was breastfeeding, and then after that there was me being so tired... and after that there was me having so much to do... and what with all my pack of idiotic excuses I never got that 25kg off that would have made a huge difference to my life!

haha so don't be me. Now after 20 yrs I've just got more to lose and I think I've lost the same 10kg fifty times but it must've put a locator beacon in my handbag or something cos it keeps finding me.

Remember: with the bf it's just reliable, slow weight loss. Work out what the machine says you need to eat every day and just go something like 200cals below it. that's my advice, looking back. That's the advice I wish I had been given, and taken.

Editing having read your 2nd post: Don't kill yourself over breast feeding. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out and that's just life. People bang on about 'breast is best' and sure, it is - but ultimately having a live, sane mother is better and pumping, apart from taking hours of the day that you really don't have, utterly sucks! So you just take care of yourself. Baby is strong. Baby will do fine either way.

A week ago? It took nine months to gain that weight, remember? Cut yourself some slack. ; )

Most of my friends took a year to get to a stable, healthy consistent weight in a HEALTHY manner. To echo the person above me: slow and steady wins the race.

If you are breastfeeding, it may come off pretty fast. At least it did for me. I gained 38-40 lbs during my pregnancy; I was back to pre-pregnancy weight by five months, then a few lbs less by 7 months, which I stayed at for over a year. Since I nursed for 14 months I was extra careful to eat nourishing, healthy foods; that combined with breastfeeding and daily walks helped a lot.

Two years later and I am back at pre-pregnancy. That's definitely not to say it won't come off if you are supplementing or exclusively formula feeding; it all depends on your lifestyle and numerous other factors.

Yes, you should take it easy for 6 - 8 weeks before starting any sort of exercise program (and ideally get the ok from your doctor before you do). Don't be tempted to push yourself before you are ready, you will only set yourself back.

For now - eat well, get some rest whenever you can. Caring for a newborn is a fulltime job (and you may be burning more calories doing so than you realize!) and you need to take good care of yourself too.

I haven't had any experience with postpartum depression, but it is very common and may be worth looking into as a reason why you are feeling down. Talk to your doctor and partner about what you are going through - just in case.

This really is a special time, try and enjoy every moment because it goes by all too fast. Congratulations on your beautiful new baby!

Quick? BAD IDEA.

Listen to the doctors. I've learned that. I do not have kids, but after a re-occuring illness, and trying to do too much at once (volunteering, over working, working out too quickly), I went back out on disability AGAIN, and one more time again after for not listening to the medical people.

Now I learned my lesson. Enjoy the time with your little bundle of joy and slow and steady wins the race!

There is a woman who just had a baby and blogs about her health and fitness post-baby. Her little girl is five or six months old now, and she has tracked her weight and taken pictures of her body over the last several months.

You should read his post, as it puts a lot of what you are saying into perspective.

http://nataliehodson.com/blog/what-does-your-stomach-look-like-after-pregnancy/

Heal first, establish your milk supply then lose weight. I'd also talk to your doctor about wearing a belly band or something like that. I used one after my first two children, but not after my third and really noticed a difference.

Weight loss for me is like getting out of debt. I want to do it fast, see results, make my resources work for me, and avoid slogging along for years.

I suggest getting a post natal dietician if you can afford one or live where they are provided for free. A good diet will help you boost you milk supply, avoid depression, and keep you looking and feeling fabulous. Then exercise will provide the calorie burn you need to slim, tone, and reshape your body. There are also two kinds of reactions to breastfeeding, either your body will burn every calorie it has to make milk, or it will stubbornly hang on to 5-10 lbs until you are done breastfeeding.

What I am saying is if you find there are 5- 10 lbs that won't budge, especially if they seem to be sitting on your back and belly don't panic. Keep up a healthy diet and lifestyle and they will disappear after you stop breastfeeding.

Slow and steady wins the race, no need to rush :flowerforyou: