Army Wife Trying To Lose The Baby Weight

TinaaaaDaaaarden
TinaaaaDaaaarden Posts: 5 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I don't get it because when I had my daughter, November 28th, I instantly dropped all my baby weight but 4lbs. I was ESTATIC. But slowly the weight came back!

The day before I gave birth to my daughter I was 184lbs. I started at 160lbs. I am 5'3". Not too bad. But now, almost 3 months later, im up to 170lbs. I'm not breastfeeding, maybe that plays a roll. I was actively working out, as often as I can, as a new mom and trying to watch what I eat. But my sleep pattern was off and I my health lacked. I've been actively working out since middle of January and every time I stepped on scale, it seemed as though my weight was going up.

Now I'm strictly calorie counting and eating clean, drinking plenty of water, and exercising every day for at least 30 mins. I've also been doing 150-300 kettle bell swings a day. I've been doing this for a week straight. Im starting to see a change in the scale but NOT MUCH. Before I go any further, I need suggestions and comments and feedback.

Is there something I should be doing more or less of? Mind you, I'm an Army wife and i can't just run to the gym. Everything I do has to be with no babysitter in mind, as my husband is away. I NEED HELP. I need some motivation/encouragement.

HELP!

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    In a week's time: you won't see much change in the scale. Over time, though, it adds up.

    Think of it this way: between Nov 28th and mid February, you put on 10 pounds. (160 to 170.) That was a gain of about 10 pounds in 2.5 months. A realistic loss rate will be .5-1 pounds per week.

    Accurately & honestly track/log your food, and have patience. A month from now you should weigh 2-4 pounds less than now. A month from then, a little less and so on.

    Congratulations on your daughter, and thank you for your service!
  • TinaaaaDaaaarden
    TinaaaaDaaaarden Posts: 5 Member
    Before now, every time I got on the scale, my weight went up, even with exercising and diet modifications.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    You have to think long term. A week is not enough time to judge results. Why? Because our water weight can easily shift 3-5 pounds in a single day due to sodium, stress, muscle fatigue, TOM/hormones and a number of other things. 4-8 weeks is a more realistic time frame to judge 'is this working'.
  • TinaaaaDaaaarden
    TinaaaaDaaaarden Posts: 5 Member
    Makes sense, however, I have been actively working out since middle of December after I was cleared from OB. I just am now starting to strictly calorie count, ect.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    TinaaaaDaaaarden wrote: »
    Before now, every time I got on the scale, my weight went up, even with exercising and diet modifications.

    Because you were eating too much.

    I think you need more patience. As others have pointed out, one week isn't nearly enough time to gauge whether or not your weight loss plan is working. If your workout routine is new to you, your muscles are likely retaining water to aid in recovery and repair. That, coupled with the facts that weight fluctuations are perfectly normal and that weight loss is not a linear process are just three of the reasons why you're not seeing any significant movement on the scale yet. Give it at least another 4-5 weeks before you decide to make alterations to your approach.

    I would also suggest you build at least one rest day into your workout routine. You haven't specified if you're doing cardio, strength training or both, but rest is an important component in getting more fit, especially if your workout routine is pretty strenuous.
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  • TinaaaaDaaaarden
    TinaaaaDaaaarden Posts: 5 Member
    I think I worded my blog wrong. I know that one week is nowhere near enough time to gauge my efforts, however I have been working out prior to my more intense efforts this week. I do cardio and strength training daily. I am trying to determine tips on working out at home effectively with minimal equipment and diet suggestions. I really appreciate everyone's feedback.
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  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    TinaaaaDaaaarden wrote: »
    I think I worded my blog wrong. I know that one week is nowhere near enough time to gauge my efforts, however I have been working out prior to my more intense efforts this week. I do cardio and strength training daily. I am trying to determine tips on working out at home effectively with minimal equipment and diet suggestions. I really appreciate everyone's feedback.

    Do you have any free weights or resistance bands at home? Fitness Blender and Nerd Fitness are two popular YouTube channels that offer a variety of at home workouts that involve both body weight exercises and resistance training with free weights and/or resistance bands.

    With regard to dietary suggestions, weight loss is much more about how much you eat rather than what you eat. What you eat can come into play if you're having trouble sticking to your calorie goal because you're always hungry. If you're having trouble managing hunger, figure out which types of foods keep you satiated - it varies from person to person, but it's usually either proteins, fats, complex carbs or fiber - and eat more of those.

    And as pointed out above, controlling how much you eat will have a greater impact on your weight loss than the amount of exercise you do.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    TinaaaaDaaaarden wrote: »
    I think I worded my blog wrong. I know that one week is nowhere near enough time to gauge my efforts, however I have been working out prior to my more intense efforts this week. I do cardio and strength training daily. I am trying to determine tips on working out at home effectively with minimal equipment and diet suggestions. I really appreciate everyone's feedback.

    But if you were eating in a surplus, you would still gain weight despite working out for several months. Since you've just started logging your food, you've only been in a deficit for one week regardless of your previous exercise.

    My tips for you would be:
    Continue logging your food, if you aren't already I would suggest you get a food scale so you can weigh everything you eat.
    I would look into an established strength program if that's something that interests you, rather than just doing a ton of kettlebell swings every day. (StrongCurves is very popular among the ladies here.)
    You don't *have* to eat clean or exercise every day, you just need to create a calorie deficit.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited February 2017
    Have patience.

    I gained about 60 pounds with baby #1 (I retain a *lot* of water when pregnant). Lost 50 in just over a year then got pregnant again. Back up to same weight. Had baby #2. The first 20 pounds came off easily. Then next 10 were really really slow - despite the fact that I was working out two or three times a week and thought I was eating decently. But I wasn't counting. Call it 10 pounds in 6 months.

    Then I got fed up with feeling fat and decided to count calories since it had worked for me eight years ago when I needed to lose weight before I ever met my husband.

    Making no changes other than counting calories (and the obvious "behaving myself to meet a calorie goal"), I lost almost 10 pounds in the first month. I went back to work and continued to count calories, slowly raising my calorie goal to slow the weight loss to 1 pound/month for health reasons. I lost 35 pounds in just under 6 months.

    You can do it too. Be honest. Be accurate. Log everything.

    Pop the kids in a stroller and take them for walks - to the park, to the mall, anywhere you get steps. Sign up for a "bring the baby along" exercise class if you can find one. I did one for the first year after each birth, and it was awesome. Everyone is a mum so everyone understands if you have to stop to feed or change baby.

    There's a group here called "Fit, Fabulous and Postpartum" that you might enjoy and use to find friends on MFP
  • kq1981
    kq1981 Posts: 1,098 Member
    edited February 2017
    Hormones? It took me probably 6 months of hard work after my first baby to lose weight. It's hard. But it's possible, good luck!!!!!
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    edited February 2017
    10lb gained in 3 months is only 3/4 of a pound per week. That's ~375 calories over maintenance per day - if you were not counting calories it's very easy to overeat by that much, no matter how much exercise you are doing. In fact, exercise without tracking food can be counterproductive, as it makes you hungrier and that makes portions look smaller, so you eat more.

    Now that you're tracking calories, you should be fine, just give it time and focus more on getting the eating sorted out. The exercise is less important, it's helpful, but if you don't get the amount you eat right, no amount of exercise will do the job.

    (edit: maths)
  • SarahStarr86
    SarahStarr86 Posts: 121 Member
    Yes! I exercised for YEARS while doing nothing but either maintaining or gaining. Now I know I wasn't consistent with my eating. After taking the advice of others on these forums, I now make sure my eating and tracking are on point first. I have lost 20 lbs easily. I still have 30 to go. I was killing myself working out almost 7 days a week. Now exercising is secondary to me, and I try to only use it for health and fitness reasons. Not for weight loss, the extra calories burned are just the benefit. Lastly, I actually have now chosen exercises that I love and enjoy vs choosing an exercise method that I think will help me lose weight the fastest and though I despise it :smiley: Calories and diet are number 1.
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