SO CLOSE to giving up!

Think of the 6 children (six kids!! no wonder you're tired!!), the example you're setting for them by eating healthy, exercising, taking care of YOU.

keep going! the fact that you've gone this long and havent gained any weight is amazing!!! that's great progress - just because the scale doesn't say so, you're doing so well! you can control everything and you have been, otherwise you would've given up a long time ago - but you didnt. your strength to continue even though you feel down is so inspiring, i wish we could all learn from your motivation to stay strong.

I wish I could pour support and encouragement through my keyboard to yours so that you could soak it up and take it to heart! I've been to some of the same places you are and I still visit them from time to time--I just (as in just last night) took on one of my demons and while I almost let it win (yet again), I fought back and made it through with renewed motivation and determination. You can too!
Struggling with depression on top of everything else you describe gives you a huge mountain to climb, but just try to do it one step at a time--that's all we can do anyway...
DON'T GIVE UP!!! Everyone here is pulling for you-we need to believe that other people can do this, just to reassure ourselves that we can do it too (one of my friends reminded me of this last night).
Friend me if you like and we can remind each other of that as often as we need to.
DON'T GIVE UP!!!

What's your support network like? With 6 kids, girl, you need one. I have two kids and I don't know what I would do without my friends, MIL, hubby....

I ask, because I think you need to get some help from this network You need to relax, breathe and have some YOU time to reflect. You need some friends/family to discuss all of this with, so they can support and help you. I believe a community raises a child (or six) and the more help the better.

I understand where you are coming from, ALL of it! Nursing, depression, lots of kids, no motivation. :ohwell: In fact, this is my second time to lose over 100 pounds because I DID give up, on myself, on life, on ever being happy.

Both times that I have lost weight I did so while nursing. I have been either pregnant, nursing or both for the last 11 and a half years. :laugh: The first time was10 years ago while I was also on Prozac. This time I have been taking natural things for depression that have been working for me.

Just keep your chin up and keep trying to make the best choices that you can. When you are starving, grab some veggies instead of potato chips. NOT what you want to do most of the time :grumble: , but it does help!!!! :happy: I have had a long term struggle with depression and I feel SO MUCH better when I am eating healthy and exercising.

I dealt with adrenal exhaustion/fatigue a couple years ago. I ended up going to an herbalist who put me on a herb/vitamin regimen that made a WORLD of difference for me. You sound like you could potentially be dealing with the same thing.

My thoughts are a bit scattered right now, my kids aren't being very quiet!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Hi, I'm not breastfeeding, but i have a 13 month old son and am working full time. About 7 or 8 months ago, before i started finding the time to exercise and before i started to really lose the weight, i felt a bit like that - depressed, anxious, fed up of being overweight and just generally tired all the time. Now that i am exercising (admittedly it is hard to find the time), i feel so much better, lighter and with a spring in my step. My sense of humour has returned and life is generally much better. I've got a long way to go still with my weight and my anxiety, but things are ten times better now.

Stick with it - it took a while for my weight to start coming off - i had a 2-3 month plateau between June-August last year, but i kept going and now am 37lbs down.

I know that you say you are tired all the time - i still get tired a lot, but do you have time to exercise? Couldn't you start with gentle exercise, or something that doesn't take too long? Nice walks in the fresh air?

How many calories are you allowing yourself a day? Maybe it's too little if you are always hungry?

Nutritious meals don't have to be more time consuming to prepare - sometimes i find just sticking a load of vegetables in the steamer and some chicken and baked potato in the oven (for example) is much quicker than an unhealthy meal.

Don't give up -im sure you can do it! just give it a bit longer and you might soon see some results.
Take care :flowerforyou:

don't give up..i have thought of doing it too, but think of all the hard work that would be lost..try upping your calories..i did it, and offered it to a mfp friend, and it worked..we were both plateaued, and upping them has helped..best of luck

I was told when you reach a plateau in weight(not losing any more) its because your body thinks thats the appropriate weight form your height and proprotion. It may be tuff but I was told I needed to step it up, eliminate more carbs, exercise etc. I am a mother of four boys. afte having my first three natural, I dropped weight lik there was no tomorrow. my fourth was a c section, I have battled to keep weight off for quite sometime. After my third boy I did teh Atkins and lost 90 pounds. I kept it off for quite sometime until I found out I was pregnant with my fourth. I swear c section has something to do with it. Its been a struggle for me lately because I am on an axiety medicine that makes me extremely tired and makes me want to eat. I am aloso getting married this Oct /I really need to get on a move to lose weight. I am a size 14 and want to be at least a 10 by Oct, I know I can do it Ihave done it before. My fiancee talked me into doing this. Good luck!!:)

I'm totally impressed! your life is busy!

I don't want to come off as a know it all, as I haven't achieved much myself... yet....but I have done my homework. Forgive my less than perfect structure - I hope some of this helps.

The first comment is that you shouldn't try to lose weight while breast-feeding because your fat stores all sorts of toxins that will be released into your blood stream and possibly into your child. I think you're already very aware of this.

Depression can be linked to artificial sweeteners, lack of B vitamins particularly B12 (is used to make serotonin), lack of water. Coffee and caffeine and alcohol and refined sugar are the enemies of B vitamins and if you have these, you'll need to supplement.

I recommend the 'Dingle Deal' by Peter Dingle... you should be able to buy the book online or ask for it at your library but the crux of the diet side of it, is to come off all 'white' carbohydrates (bread, pasta, over-processed potato etc) and replace them with healthier options such as fruit and seeds and nuts. This has the effect of helping to stabilise blood sugar.
For example, breakfast of fruit and seeds, the oils etc in the seeds will extend the release of sugar from the fruit across your morning.
Oats and rye are the only grains he recommends.
He also recommends regular exercise across the day (10 min brisk walk from time to time). This is better than running a marathon and he makes the point 'would you rather look like a marathon runner or a sprinter?' Sprinters always look amazing! Marathon runners look like they've got a terminal illness! This is a hormonal response to the type of exercise.

I've taken to having a big salad with cabbage, lettuce, seeds, cheese, a sweet fruit and an oily dressing (measure the oil, so you can track calories). This extends the release of sugar for longer. Some people express it like this: "oil is the cleanest burning energy source". But don't go for heated oils - they must be raw, or use coconut oil for cooking.

I'm finding my calories really easy to stick to and in fact, don't feel like I'm missing out most days - I put this down to the oil and avoiding sugar 'lows'. Have you actually looked up the calorie needs of a lactating woman of your age? Maybe you actually need more? Anyhow, my maintenance is about 2000 calories a day and I feel free to eat as much as this 1 or 2 days of the week - also known as zig zag dieting.

Adele Davis wrote some books in the 1960s-70s based on a literature review of various medical journals (they're old because they're my mum's) and OIL is essential for weight loss, sticking to diets and retaining the weight loss after the diet concludes. The oil should be raw - ie. not cooked - I prefer flax seed, olive and coconut and mix these up from day to day for variety of tastes in salads and smoothies. Coconut is suitable for frying if you feel the urge, it is also reputed to build health and stamina etc. Seriously, coconut oil and c. cream are very helpful for me - highly recommended! If you feel absolutely terrible and tired, drink some water and take a tablespoon of coconut oil - very satisfying. You can also have a lettuce and mayo 'sandwich' - Mayo is very easy to make yourself and will last in your fridge - this way you can be sure you're getting the best quality oil.

I'm wondering if you might also have low blood pressure - can make you feel awful and tired. You sound like the kind of person who will go to a doctor for help and if you do find it is a bit on the low side a herbal remedy is liquorice - must be real liquorice root based.

I'm supplementing Calcium Magnesium and Vitamin E - recommended by Adele Davis and Vit B complex & C if I feel run down. C is burned up when you are stressed and worn out - you probably need to take more of it than you might realise. You can take C until you feel your bowls get loose -aka 'gut tolerance' - totally safe.

Anyhow, I suggest that you don't do any of the 'low fat' or fad diets and go back to your roots. Full fat foods - whole eggs!! Vitamin A, complete protein! yay!!, healthy carbs only and enough of a variety of protein sources. Plus supplements. You can get checked out for various medical problems and hopefully come good:)

One last thing - I love my fresh herbs... flat leaf parsley on eggs, mint on stone fruit/watermelon salads, coriander in more savoury salads, basil on anything Italian. Lemon juice on brocolli or any green steamed thing! Often, these help absorb nutrients better than if you ate each thing alone.

Your body is amazing and can cope with a lot... until it doesn't! It might take a while for you to come good, but it will happen.

Dieting while breastfeeding isn't really recommended as toxins stored in your fat are released and go into your milk. Also, for some people (not all, I know a few people who have got very thin breastfeeding), it is actually almost impossible to lose weight while breastfeeding as your body will do anything to cling onto those fat reserves so that you can produce milk. I never managed to lose any real weight while bfing (which I did for 5 years, 3 months in all), but within a couple of months of stopping, the weight dropped off my hips (where I was storing) and obviously bust.

That aside, you have 6 children?! I barely get time to exercise with 2. Give yourself a break. You cannot deal with children if you are hungry. You just can't. Hunger makes people ratty and that is not a good state to be in with a lot of children running around.

Really, give yourself a break.

Don't give up! Just don't. Yes, you have a lot going on, but going back will only make you feel worse. Keep praying, keep maintaining your lifestyle and your healthy habits, and look for ways to tweek your current routines. The suggestions from the people above sound great! I'm no expert, and I have not walked in your shoes; but want you to hang in there, and I'm sending up a prayer for you:)