Losing weight with a little exercise

Aladdinou
Aladdinou Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all,

The title already says it, but I;d like to explain why I want/have to lose weight with little exercise.

I am a 22 year old female with 2 sons. My weiht is 76 KG ( 167 LBS) and my length is 160 cm (5.3 f) My youngest is currently 2 months old. Although I feel well enough to exercise every other day there are some issues that stop me from doing this.

A few weeks after birth I found out I have a pelvic organ prolapse (sounds disgusting, but apparently 50% of the women have it...i didnt even know such horrible thing existed before). Because of this.. I cannot lift anything heavier than 10 KG (22pounds) and I cannot do exercises such as running or any exercises that can damage my pelvic floor muscles even more. All I can do is cycling... I love spinning and I couldn't wait to hit the gym to go spinning a few times a week.. but I can't use much resistance either with this stupid condition...

I already am very depressed as I need to lose a lot of weight (2 stone, but my aim with this pelvic condition is 1 stone for now). I'd love to work out harder but I dont want to make this prolapse even worse than it is...

I think a lot of people now will also say... diet... I eat fairly healthy and I dont eat much either. I also snack throughout the day and dont have huge meals. I'm breastfeeding and because of this I should be careful not to undereat either... Im planning to breastfeed untill my baby wants to stop (no longer than 2 years though..)

I need your help.. really because I want to lose at least 10 kg ( 1 stone ) in a few months but as you can see there are a lot of restrictions... please help :-(

Replies

  • Aladdinou
    Aladdinou Posts: 6
    Oh and I forgot to say cant do any abs exercises either...because of the prolapse. It will put too much pressure on my pelvic muscles
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    take your son out for walks. pushing a carriage is a great work out.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I think a lot of people now will also say... diet... I eat fairly healthy and I dont eat much either. I also snack throughout the day and dont have huge meals. I'm breastfeeding and because of this I should be careful not to undereat either... Im planning to breastfeed untill my baby wants to stop (no longer than 2 years though..

    Everything about this paragraph gives me the impression that you have no idea how many calories you're eating. You're going to want to get a handle on that
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    It is possible to lose weight without any exercise. I lost 90 pounds before I even began to walk more. Losing weight is mostly about eating less calories than you burn. Just taking walks can help.

    You need to discuss this with your doctor as you are nursing your baby.

    Using MFP to honestly record exactly what you are eating may give you an opportunity to see exactly home many calories you are eating. Perhaps you are eating more than you realize. Things can add up very quickly.

    Best of luck to you!
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    losing weight is 90% diet. The other 10% is exercise but only because it helps you feel like you are accomplishing something and helps you stay focused.


    so basically, you need to be thinking ten times as much about your food consumption, and ten times less about exercise (without forgetting altogether)
  • Aladdinou
    Aladdinou Posts: 6
    Thank you all for your replies.

    It's true that I'm not counting any calories at the moment. I think dieting before 2 months postpartum is a bit extreme. But I do think it's time to start losing some weight now...

    I have counted calories for years before this pregnancy so I do have an idea how much I am taking in. It cannot be more than 2000 a day (but again..who knows :-) ). I have mentioned that I do eat healthy (lots of fibres, good carbs fruit veggies etc etc ). The problem is... I don't see how I can cut any more food. I only eat when I'm hungry and sometimes I try to ignore the hunger (yes I'm hungry I'm not just looking to snack!!). I think it's because I'm breastfeeding that I am more hungry but if I'm going to cut on food I think I'll be exhausted through the day....

    It's also estimated that with breastfeeding a woman burns around 500 kcal a day... well... I can't see that in the mirror but I do believe this as I am constantly hungry....

    I must be doing something wrong.. so any advice on how to cut on calories without being too hungry or something........or is this just mission impossible???
  • Aladdinou
    Aladdinou Posts: 6
    take your son out for walks. pushing a carriage is a great work out.

    I do this nearly everyday for 1-2 hours...unfortunately it doesn't help.....Can't walk up on hills either or else I could make this prolapse worse.......sigh......
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    As long as your diet is nutrion rich to provide what your baby needs, you should be okay that way. You need to start counting calories. Try using MFP to account for them, and set your goal low, like 0.5 lbs. Even without exercise, making a change in your calorie intake will allow you lose weight while lactating.
  • Rinske_
    Rinske_ Posts: 5 Member
    One thing you may want to do is count calories so you know what you're eating, but since I don't think MFP can handle the uncertainty of how many calories you are using in regards to breastfeeding and baby, you might not want to set it for losing. Just use it as a tracking tool rather than letting it guide you based on numbers.

    Also, do you find you are hungry for things in specific? To remind you of something you've likely heard before, maybe your body is craving something in specific so if you eat more of that mineral/vitamin/protein(?), you won't feel as hungry.

    Since you already seem to have isolated leg exercises covered with the cycling, maybe look at some arm-centric activities? One idea for leg/arm combo with less center might be erging (indoor rowing), if you're at the gym. I'm not sure if it would be an un-approved exercise, but isolation of different kinds may work best. Maybe ask at your gym?

    Hope this generates some helpful ideas for you and best of luck!
  • Aladdinou
    Aladdinou Posts: 6
    Yes I will definately start counting the calories just to make sure I'm not eating way above what I should... I guess there isn;t very much I can do at the moment but will speak to the docter with my next appointment about limiting my calorie intake... because this seems the only option for me to lose weight...
  • Sweetchar417
    Sweetchar417 Posts: 23 Member
    I lost my first 50 pounds by just walking and staying at my calorie limit. Start counting calories and move a little more and you will lose. Good luck and congrats on your new baby :)
  • purplepink1992
    purplepink1992 Posts: 273
    Not eating enough could be a problem factor too. If you don't eat enough your body will most likely just continue to store any food coming in as fat. Eating a little does not = weight loss. Calorie count to get an idea of how many you consume in a day, and then figure out how you can improve from there
  • alathIN
    alathIN Posts: 142 Member
    There is nothing wrong with counting calories in the postpartum period, even with breastfeeding, as long as the targets are realistic and account for the extra energy needs of nursing.

    Swimming is a great fitness activity that should not exacerbate your pelvic floor problems.

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