Hello, my name is...
apriljmcmillan
Posts: 17 Member
Hi, I'm April. I am a 36 year-old FTM (first-time mom) of a 2 month old girl. I gained about 40 lbs during my pregnancy, though about half of that was baby, fluid and everything else. I still need to lose at least 20 lbs. I realize that isn't a crazy amount, but it is going to take more effort and discipline than I ever put in before I was pregnant.
I totally have diastasis recti (split abs) and I'm not yet sure if or how I'll repair it, but I'm going to press on with the things I can work on for now. My mid section was never a problem area in my 20's, and now I have a pooch and love handles to work on!! But that's a small price to pay for this amazing child that just enlarges my heart every day!!!
I want to lose this weight and tone up because most of my clothes still do not fit, I'm really tired of wearing the same thing every day, I don't have money to go buy everything in a new size, and I want to be comfortable in my body again.
Even more important than all of that-- I NEED to do this to be as strong and healthy as I can be, to set an example of fitness and positive body image for my daughter, and to take good care of, and keep up with, her as she grows.
Before I got pregnant, I mainly exercised at home or outside (I gave up my gym membership years ago, though I've gone with my husband a few times). I'm big on YouTube exercise videos, and I fell in love with running. I had no energy to run in my first trimester, then I was hesitant to go because I was a bit prone to dizzy spells and I felt it was too risky to go running alone, especially living in a hot climate. I'm looking forward to taking that up again soon.
So, that's my story! I'd love to know yours--please introduce yourself!!
I'm hoping to grow this group so that new moms on MFP can have a place to find support for our fitness journey.
I totally have diastasis recti (split abs) and I'm not yet sure if or how I'll repair it, but I'm going to press on with the things I can work on for now. My mid section was never a problem area in my 20's, and now I have a pooch and love handles to work on!! But that's a small price to pay for this amazing child that just enlarges my heart every day!!!
I want to lose this weight and tone up because most of my clothes still do not fit, I'm really tired of wearing the same thing every day, I don't have money to go buy everything in a new size, and I want to be comfortable in my body again.
Even more important than all of that-- I NEED to do this to be as strong and healthy as I can be, to set an example of fitness and positive body image for my daughter, and to take good care of, and keep up with, her as she grows.
Before I got pregnant, I mainly exercised at home or outside (I gave up my gym membership years ago, though I've gone with my husband a few times). I'm big on YouTube exercise videos, and I fell in love with running. I had no energy to run in my first trimester, then I was hesitant to go because I was a bit prone to dizzy spells and I felt it was too risky to go running alone, especially living in a hot climate. I'm looking forward to taking that up again soon.
So, that's my story! I'd love to know yours--please introduce yourself!!
I'm hoping to grow this group so that new moms on MFP can have a place to find support for our fitness journey.
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Hi April! I'm Sarah and I'm in a similar boat as you... The first 20 lbs of the 40 I gained during my pregnancy came off pretty easily and now that my son is 3 months old, I am ready to take back my body. My goal is to lose the last 20 lbs before he reaches 6 months. I too am sooo sick of wearing the same things over and over. I'm basically still wearing my maternity clothes and all the excess weight seems to be around my mid-section which makes me feel pretty self-conscious. I've been tracking my calories for about a week now... Thank goodness for breastfeeding or I would be over my calories every day! Did you know that you burn 20 calories for every ounce of breastmilk produced? Not bad! I've also been doing a lot of walking and yesterday I started some simple core exercises. I tried a few videos on youtube and then I remembered a yoga site that I used before I ever got pregnant. It's called yogaglo.com and you can do a free 14 day trial. After that I think it's about $18/month. I'm doing my free trial now and if I can do it at least every other day for the next 2 weeks then I'm going to sign up for the membership. What I love about it is that they have specific videos for postnatal so I know I'm not pushing myself beyond what I should be doing at this stage. Plus it's great to be able to do it in my home.
If you have any youtube videos you recommend let me know.0 -
Hi April and Sarah! I'm Elise. I had my baby girl last July, and 13 months later I haven't lost much beyond the initial stretch. I think I gained 45 lbs during pregnancy, but I'm still 15 lbs over where I was when I got pregnant. I'm working on losing 30 lbs total.
I've been pretty bad about tracking food and exercise, and it's time for a change! I was pretty disappointed to find that breastfeeding and pumping didn't really help me lose anything (still nursing, no longer pumping). It felt like a scam, so I continued to eat as if I was pregnant, but now I'm really tired of my old clothes not fitting.
I just got an activity tracker, the Misfit Shine, and I'm hoping that will help me to motivate. Also getting back on the wagon here at MFP.0 -
A great online workout is MommaStrong, it's a bunch of videos that a mom puts out for a monthly membership. She even has a special program for diastasis recti, April. I did the Hook one time, but then got off of the routine when we were traveling, then the house was too hot to work out in every day.0
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Hey ladies...FTM here too. My daughter will be 5 months tomorrow and I have about 50 lbs to lose (I was a bit overweight before baby too). My goal is to lose it before she turns one. I am so sick of feeling the way I feel right now and want to get rid of this belly!! But really, I need exercise to become a habit again so that's the goal I'm concentrating on. I really hope we can motivate each other!0
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HI There - I am a FTM too but started out seriously obese- I lost a lot before my pregnancy, did my best to keep my weight gain low during pregnancy and have lost all of my pregnancy weight but am struggling with exercise and diet- trying to get some of my excess weight off and be healthy for my daughter! I have tried a few mommy baby videos but at the time my daughter's head control wasn't there yet - I need to retry those now that she is older! - she is nearly 5 months old
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pharmgirl313 wrote: »Hi April! I'm Sarah and I'm in a similar boat as you... The first 20 lbs of the 40 I gained during my pregnancy came off pretty easily and now that my son is 3 months old, I am ready to take back my body. My goal is to lose the last 20 lbs before he reaches 6 months. I too am sooo sick of wearing the same things over and over. I'm basically still wearing my maternity clothes and all the excess weight seems to be around my mid-section which makes me feel pretty self-conscious. I've been tracking my calories for about a week now... Thank goodness for breastfeeding or I would be over my calories every day! Did you know that you burn 20 calories for every ounce of breastmilk produced? Not bad! I've also been doing a lot of walking and yesterday I started some simple core exercises. I tried a few videos on youtube and then I remembered a yoga site that I used before I ever got pregnant. It's called yogaglo.com and you can do a free 14 day trial. After that I think it's about $18/month. I'm doing my free trial now and if I can do it at least every other day for the next 2 weeks then I'm going to sign up for the membership. What I love about it is that they have specific videos for postnatal so I know I'm not pushing myself beyond what I should be doing at this stage. Plus it's great to be able to do it in my home.
If you have any youtube videos you recommend let me know.
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JeninBelgium wrote: »pharmgirl313 wrote: »Thank goodness for breastfeeding or I would be over my calories every day! Did you know that you burn 20 calories for every ounce of breastmilk produced? Not bad! I've
oops not what I meant to do! I knew that you burn calories producing breastmilk but I had never heard the per ounce number- As I struggle to produce enough (I pump when at work 3-5 times a day plus we nurse plus take every galactologue I can but still we need to supplement) I wish that calorie burn was a little higher but Hey! I will take what I can get!
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Hi ladies!
I started this group thread with no idea how consumed I would become with mom life!! I STILL need to get on track with workouts!!!
I've lost all the baby weight, but the lower ab pouch is such a tough spot. I'm definitely going to look for that MomStrong workout!
Anyway, who is in the group now?
How are you all doing and what fitness and health goals are you working on these days??1 -
Hi all! I'm Melody. I have a 2 month old son. Finally at that stage where little man is sleeping longer stretches in the night so my energy has been much better and I'm now completely recovered from the delivery. I lost 35kg leading up to my pregnancy, however I did IVF and got OHSS at the end (severely enlarged ovaries and ++water/blood gain) which made me balloon in size and I had to quit exercise and got put on bed rest for first 2 months of my pregnancy AND add to that I had severe nausea so all I ate for the longest time was bread and ginger ale. Then when cravings hit, I started eating a ton of beef and cows milk. I'm not at my previous heaviest but I'm halfway there and I only went up one size. I miss my 10k runs, but I only have energy for 4k walks with jogging stroller and baby. Hoping to get back to running gradually and restore pelvic floor strength and back to my previous size 12 jeans
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Hi all! I'm Melody. I have a 2 month old son. Finally at that stage where little man is sleeping longer stretches in the night so my energy has been much better and I'm now completely recovered from the delivery. I lost 35kg leading up to my pregnancy, however I did IVF and got OHSS at the end (severely enlarged ovaries and ++water/blood gain) which made me balloon in size and I had to quit exercise and got put on bed rest for first 2 months of my pregnancy AND add to that I had severe nausea so all I ate for the longest time was bread and ginger ale. Then when cravings hit, I started eating a ton of beef and cows milk. I'm not at my previous heaviest but I'm halfway there and I only went up one size. I miss my 10k runs, but I only have energy for 4k walks with jogging stroller and baby. Hoping to get back to running gradually and restore pelvic floor strength and back to my previous size 12 jeans
Wow! 2 months pp and going on 4K walks is impressive!
I too had a challenging pregnancy- not at all what I had envisioned as a first time mom. My daughter is 6 months old now and I’m finally ready to get serious with exercising consistently and eating healthier.
Keep up the great work, mama!
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Hi! I'm 9m pp and have always been "obese". It was harder because in the last month of pregnancy we were sedentary and then for the first 6 weeks as well. Now I've gained back all of the weight and I feel like crap.
We just started trying to make better choices with food but exercising is tough right now in the summer. I also have SI joint pain and corresponding back pain
but I've started with 15 minute walks in the morning at work before it gets too hot. I have my best friends' wedding in November which I need to at least drop 50 lbs so I don't feel like a whale! 0 -
kltreadwell1 wrote: »Hi! I'm 9m pp and have always been "obese". It was harder because in the last month of pregnancy we were sedentary and then for the first 6 weeks as well. Now I've gained back all of the weight and I feel like crap.
We just started trying to make better choices with food but exercising is tough right now in the summer. I also have SI joint pain and corresponding back pain but I've started with 15 minute walks in the morning at work before it gets too hot. I have my best friends' wedding in November which I need to at least drop 50 lbs so I don't feel like a whale!
Morning walks are a great idea! It’s a lovely way to start your day and fresh air always gives me a boost of energy.
Have you tried swimming or water aerobics? I’ve heard it is easier on the joints and could be a nice way to beat the heat. If there’s a YMCA near you they typically have a pool and water-based classes, too.
I understand what it’s like to want to feel your best at a big event like that. Be kind and patient with yourself through this process - you have a lot going on! I’m sure you’ll have a blast at your best friend’s wedding. 🙂0
