baby blues

First off, congrats! I just had a baby...8 months ago! I'm working to get rid of the weight too.

This is one thing almost every mom has said to me: It took 9 months to get this way, don't expect it to get back to normal that fast. The celebs who do it have nannies, cooks and personal trainers. Plus, I know they use body slimming things to make them look flatter than they really are!

But regardless, it has only been a month and you will notice in the next 4-6 weeks your body will start shrinking. You won't necessarily be losing weight, but your skin will be springing back (for lack of better explanation).

I am breastfeeding as well, and I will tell you this: You will not lose weight breastfeeding if you eat junk. I know this from experience! Breastfeeding actually only requires 300-500 more calories than your normal intake. So whatever MFP gave you for calories, increase it by at least 300. The most important thign right now is to establish a good milk supply and losing weight fast will actually hinder that. Have a goal of 1 pound a week.

I topped out at 200 a week before delivery. I am now 175 and I lost most of that in the first two months after giving birth.

It is a tough road and you will find you are insatiably hungry while establishing a milk supply. Healthy snacks and food can be affordable though!

A great and filling breakfast that would last you at least two weeks is oatmeal. If you don't like oatmeal, try this recipe, I never liked it until I ate it this way:

1/2 c of quick oats
1/2 c of 2% milk
.5 oz of raisins (usually a minibox, but it is cheaper to buy raisins in the big packages)
.5 c of unsweetened apple sauce
cinnamon, to taste

Cook the oats and milk in the microwave for 3 mins. Stir in apple sauce, raisins and cinnamon. It's very filling and oatmeal is great for milk production. If you buy all these store brand, it shouldn't cost you that much! If you buy the big canister of oats, that should run you about 2.50. Milk is about 3.50 a gallon (where I live, but everyone has milk usually!) A big box of raisins should run about 1.75 and a jar of unsweetened apple sauce might be about 2.50. So for about $10 you'd have breakfast for about two weeks.

Lunch, I usually have a salad. A couple heads of lettuce could last you a week of good sized salads. That would only be about $4 for two heads a week. Add in some things like sliced up turkey (a 16oz package of smoked turkey goes for about $3.50 store brand here), 1/4 c of 2% shredded cheese, light ranch dressing, a few crunched up tortilla chips (just three, just to give the salad a nice crunch), a couple table spoons of salsa and you have southwestern turkey salad.

Dinner can be tricky and the most expensive. A cheap way is to buy a package of frozen chicken breasts and use those in variety of ways. I have resorted to using a lot frozen veggies because they are cheaper. If you have some chicken breast, frozen veggies you like and maybe a sweet potato or something, it can really be done cheaply if done right.

Another great meal I love making are tacos. I use the 93% fat free ground meat from target, which is about 3.89 a pound. Mix that with a taco seasoning packet (which is about 89 cents) and you have taco meat! The rest of the ingredients are rather affordable as well. You can also use leftover meat for a salad the next day. Just opt for the lower fat tortillas instead.

Snacks are tricky though. Apples and bananas are great snacks and usually very affordable. At Target, a pound of apples (which would be about 4 medium size ones) are about 1.49. If you buy two pounds, you'd have enough apples for one week and that is abotu the cost of a bag of chips!

Bananas are usually about 1.50 for 6 or 7, so that is affordable too.

It is tricky trying to learn how to eat healthy and affordably, but it can be done. At first, you might find it a little difficult to figure out what to eat and it may get pretty boring sometimes, until you start inventing new things.

It's hard to focus on your health and weight when you're trying to get used to a baby, I know this from experience. I am also really good at knowing what to do to lose weight, just not very good at actually doing it!! hehe

Good luck, mama, it gets more fun and challenging every day!

Okay, You are saving money by living with the folks so spend some of that on healthy food. Stock the cupboards with good for you food. A nursing mom needs to eat healthy.

Now if you are depressed for any reason you need to talk to your doctor. And don't be ashamed a lot of women are depressed after they have a baby, our hormones get all screwed up. Also you have a lot going on that can add to that. Your doctor may be able to give you something that will help. Once you get to feeling better it will be easier to consentrate on losing weight. I know I've been there, you can pm me if you want. Also Make time for yourself. It will make you a better parent if you take a little time each day for yourself. Even if it's leaving baby with mom for 15 minutes to take a walk around the block, take the time to destress and collect your thoughts.

I couldn't agree more with Anna Banana. Post partum depression is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy and going through that was probably the hardest thing I've been through.

Focusing on your health and well being (even if you need a break from the baby for a little bit during the day) will make you a much better mommy.

I wish you so much luck.:flowerforyou:

Congrats on the new baby! I hope you get to feeling better soon.
Like the other ladies have said, give yourself a while to recover before you jump in with both feet.:flowerforyou:

Supermom, if there's one thing that throws me off of a diet, its a lack of control over my enviroment. This is the first time in my life where I could set my own routine (at the whim of my 15 month old) and it has helped immensly.

Making yourself a schedule really helps, as well as planning out meals etc. You seem like a person who values organization - a woman after my own heart - and those are both things I had to do in order to stick to my plan.

I wish you the best of luck, thats a gorgeous wee baby. :bigsmile:

Ah yes, it WILL get easier in regards to the wee one. Eventually they find a routine (or at least mine has!) and you can pretty much set your watch by their naptime.

The blue goo is icing... it was on his cake for his 1st birthday. :laugh: