Desperately trying to lose baby weight

SO I had my son one month ago today! Yay for one month birthdays. I was 15lbs over my goal weight when I got pregnant which was 140, then I got pregnant and even with watching what I ate, basically only ever drinking water and a little apple juice and walking I still gain 50+ pounds which left me at 212lbs TWO FREAKING HUNDRED. Which of course was awful for me. Fast forward to today and I'm at 170-172 on some days. Yes that's down a lot but my post baby body looks terrible and I'm still 30lbs over my goal weight. I'm headed home to California in the beginning of January and I desperately need to lose this weight so that I can actually look decent and more importantly feel great.

I'm looking for some low cal snack ideas and dinner recipes or just some plain motivation.

Replies

  • ainsliejane
    ainsliejane Posts: 24 Member
    Be kind to yourself! Your little bubba is only a month old - it took 9 months for your body to gain that weight, it may take a little time for it to get back to it's old self :) I have had 3 bubbas - my last is 11 months next week and this has been the hardest one to lose the baby weight. Suggestions - drink lots of water, take bubba for walks in the pram if possible. Fruit is always good - I can't help with other snacks as I'm in Australia and brands are different. Good luck!
  • sammierader
    sammierader Posts: 9 Member
    Well that explains the pram comment lol. Thanks I'm trying hard not to be to hard on myself but it's incredibly hard. I had a Csection and this extra fat deposit is killing me. Im three pounds down from last week tho! I'm glad it's not just me!
  • jessicaw79
    jessicaw79 Posts: 26 Member
    My son is one year old, and I would suggest Bikini Body Mommy...check her out on Facebook. She has a meal plan for $10 a month for food ideas, and her workouts are only 20 minutes long. It was suggested to me by a friend and I've been telling everyone about her! :)
    But yes, be kind to yourself, it took a long time to make that baby and put the weight on, it takes time to come off! And also, congrats on your little one!!!!
  • AdieEve
    AdieEve Posts: 87 Member
    edited October 2014
    Are you breastfeeding? My little dude (my second) will be 6 months on the 29th. I weighed in at 175.2 (at 5'6") when I was 1 month postpartum. When I weighed myself this morning, I was 140.6! I aim for 2,000 calories per day and do not eat back breastfeeding or exercise calories, but I make sure to be well-hydrated (I aim for at least 9 cups of water per day), and I have no problem with milk supply (little dude is wearing 9 month clothes). I definitely feel like breastfeeding has contributed greatly to my weight loss, as well as to the health of my son.
  • MelanieMamaof5
    MelanieMamaof5 Posts: 75 Member
    First off, is this your first baby? Remember that your baby is only one month old. You are not even past your 6 week postpartum/hormonal craziness. :) Just take a deep breath and keep in mind that it took time to put the weight on....and it will take time to get the weight off. I have a lot of experience in this. My baby #5 is 11.5 months old. With each child I have gained varying amounts of weight but this last one was a doozie. I, like you, gained 50 lbs, which is 16 lbs more than I had ever gained with any of my other pregnancies, and tipped the scale over 200lbs. I KNOW how it feels to not be happy with a post baby body but being a mama is worth the sacrifice (most of the time ;) )

    #1 If you are nursing your baby, and want to continue to nurse your baby, you have to make sure you are getting enough calories.....and enough FAT calories...in order to produce enough milk to satiate your little guy. That does NOT mean that you can't cut your calories back. Just be sure you are not cutting them back too far (Besides, cutting your calories back too far can make your body think your trying to starve it and will actually latch onto the weight making it HARDER to lose.) If you are NOT nursing, then this paragraph is not important.

    #2 Exercise is key (after your doctor clears you for it, of course). Fit it in when your baby is sleeping. You will feel GREAT for doing it and it will help the weight come of much faster. If you focus on both cardio and strength training your body will slim up much faster than with cardio or strength training alone. You want to both burn calories (with cardio) and firm up your muscles (with strength) for the best overall results

    #3 Like I said before, take a big breath, and relax. Enjoy these next few weeks until your doctor clears you to resume normal activity. Go for a leisurely walk, if you want to, but don't sweat it (literally) too much until then.

    Okay....now, as for snacks....some of my favorites.
    peanut butter (1tbsp) and an apple(medium)= about 200 calories
    yogurt= 100-250 calories depending on size
    almonds=200 calories
    string cheese (100 cal) and triscuits (130 calories) = 230 calories
    peanut butter (2TBSP) and celery = 210 calories
    granola bars= calories vary by brand/size but usually 100-250 calories
    cottage cheese (1/2cup 2% fat) with a sprinkle (1tbsp) sunflower seeds= about 150 cal
    popcorn-healthy pop (1/2 bag) = about 150 calories (or you can buy the 100 calorie bags)

    As for low fat dinner ideas, PINTREST is FULL of them. Search "skinny" and "dinner"

    I hope that helps. Just keep at it, work for it, and any time you get discouraged just remember that sweet baby boy you have in your arms and be patient with yourself.

    You can do it!!!
  • AdieEve
    AdieEve Posts: 87 Member
    edited October 2014
    Also, I was over 210 at my highest during pregnancy. Be patient and the weight loss will come! You should not even be trying to actively lose weight until you're 6-8 weeks postpartum. Good luck, and be well!
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    My little guy is now 6 mo. I lost all my baby weight but then gained back about 20 after I had to stop bf. I got slightly depressed cuz I tried everything and wanted so badly to bf. But it takes time. I wish fir 175! 140 is a long sought dream! I am working on it! Add me if u like!
  • melisj5
    melisj5 Posts: 23 Member
    edited October 2014
    I have a 5.5 month old. I lost 30 pounds and got pregnant, so I have to start over. One thing I do is take my daughter for walks and when your little one is bigger, you can lay on your back and keep lifting him over you. My daughter loves it, it's a good bonding experience, and excellent exercise!

    Eat fruits for snacks instead of sweets. :) When you are tempted with something unhealthy, think about your future body.
  • sammierader
    sammierader Posts: 9 Member
    I'm not breastfeeding, I do hear that helps considerably with new mothers tho.

    As far as waiting and being patient I truly am trying but I have suffered with weight issues an self esteem my whole life and if I don't hit it hard and fast I'll lose all my motivation and fall into old bad habits and gain weight and then I'll inevitably end up depressed which is bad for me and for my family. I ran my calorie needs for my body right now and to maintain my weight it say 1950-2050 calories and I'm trying to remain in a 700 calorie deficit so I'm shooting for 1400 calories a day but healthier better calories rather than empty. I used to drink away 1200 calories easily in soda and sweets. Now I'm switched to diet soda and water mostly with Crystal light.

    Thank you for the support and advice ladies it's nice to have someone to help keep me accountable and that can see my daily intake flaws and all. I'm trying to be honest about my tracking even the things I wanna hide lol.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    Try the Dr Oz 2 week weight loss plan (google it). It is a 4 part video series showing various people losing the weight. The condensed version is: Cut out wheat (bread, pasta etc), sugar and dairy (except greek yogurt, i don't know why). Nuts, a little fruit, a lot of veggies, healthy fats, and protein is allowed. Everyone who has been on it lost between 7 - 20 lbs in 2 weeks. I plan on starting Monday!
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    Oh, and cut out alcohol and coffee too
  • sammierader
    sammierader Posts: 9 Member
    Ahh see I can't do that, those diets are incredibly high in protein which is great for them but a few years ago I donated a kidney and as a result because I only have one I have to be careful about not overloading on protein. I wanted to do a protein heavy diet and my surgeons advised against it.
  • jdt242
    jdt242 Posts: 106 Member
    Be kind to yourself! Your little bubba is only a month old - it took 9 months for your body to gain that weight, it may take a little time for it to get back to it's old self :) I have had 3 bubbas - my last is 11 months next week and this has been the hardest one to lose the baby weight. Suggestions - drink lots of water, take bubba for walks in the pram if possible. Fruit is always good - I can't help with other snacks as I'm in Australia and brands are different. Good luck!

    +1
  • XX_Miss_RoseMary_XX
    XX_Miss_RoseMary_XX Posts: 274 Member
    It will take time. Relax. You cant do much exercise at this point but walking is great. If you are breastfeeding don't go to low cal you will kill your supply, unfortunately.
  • julgwill
    julgwill Posts: 18 Member
    If you're committed, try eat to live.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
    edited October 2014
    If I could share a tip (that you may not find useful at all, sorry in advance) : stop calling the fat that is on your body "baby fat" or "baby weight", like so many moms do.

    Pregnancy is the context during which you gained the weight. It is OVER now (or will be over very soon, as I understand you gave birth a few weeks ago).

    It may seem silly, but I strongly believe that words have an impact on how we think and behave. And that is particularly true for the expressions we use to talk about ourselves.

    From now on, your baby has strictly nothing to do with your weight. It's not his, it's all yours.
  • I desperately need to lose this weight so that I can actually look decent and more importantly feel great.

    I have a theory that, whether you are trying to gain or lose weight, the answer is to come to healthy relationship with food and with your body image. And to do that, I don't think beating yourself about your looks is the answer.

    Call me foolishly optimistic, but I think that dieting (or any plan to reach a healthy weight) should be a positive, encouraging experience. Please don't "beat yourself into shape" or feel like you have to look a certain way to feel great or be worth something. It's good to try to be healthy, but I think a healthy perspective about food and about yourself would go a long way in your plan to reach and maintain your goal.