Taking off "baby" weight - "baby" is turning 6 soon!!

Options
Srdunco
Srdunco Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
weight was never an issue for me until after having a baby. I got down to my pre baby weight plus 10 while breast feeding quickly so I didn't feel any pressure having only 10 lbs to loose but the 10 became 20 and then 30 over the years due to staying home more, exercising less, finishing up her Mac and cheese here and there, etc. Now here I sit disgusted when I see photos of myself and wondering how the he'll I let it happen. I feel resolve to take the weight off but this isn't my first try and past failure has put me in a bad place even just starting out. I'm trying to set small 5 lb goals, I've joined weight watchers with a friend but it's day 2 and I already hate tracking. I'm 36 and the weight does not come off easily. I also have a very busy life of full time job and family so time to focus on me is limited. Any encouraging words?? Would love to hear success stories of someone in a similar situation. I seem to do a lot of shacking from dinner to bedtime.

Replies

  • AbbysMonkeyMama
    AbbysMonkeyMama Posts: 9
    Options
    I don't have any great inspirational words of encouragement. You just have to decide that you are going to stick with something and do it. My problem was that I was always making excuses..."I'm too busy", "I'm too tired", "Oh, I'm just going to swing by McDonald's because I'm running late", blah blah blah. I'm nowhere near my 100 lb weight-loss goal, but I'm down 25 lbs and feel so much better than I have in years. Every little bit helps. Don't worry about failures in the past, stop making excuses, and just make the decision that you're going to do it. It will not happen all at once, so don't get discouraged. Good luck!
  • luvmybeebees
    luvmybeebees Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    Hello there!

    I am working on taking my 'baby' weight off too...and mine will be 8 next month! I have five kiddies and a grandbaby still living at home, and I work too.

    What you really need to know first is that you should be proud of yourself just for being here - you've taken the first step. Don't go crazy with the exercising and drastic eating changes. Just start watching what you eat, eat smaller portions of what you already are eating, maybe cut out some of the 'extras'.

    As for exercising, start small...start walking, or if you already walk, walk 5 mins more, etc.

    This is a wonderful site, and you will find tons of support here.

    Good luck to you! Take care!
  • beccadore
    beccadore Posts: 2
    Options
    Right there with you! I am also working on taking off my "baby" weight. I also find that the worst eating time for me is from dinner to bedtime, or even starting earlier, like around 3pm! I am not sure what to tell you, except that I am finding that when I have an especially rough day with the kids, I eat more! I am learning to just take it one day at a time, and some days just one meal at a time. You can do this!
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    Options
    I finally realized when my baby was 11 months old, and I was still overweight, I need to do something about it. I've never been "fit" my adult life. Long story short, although I don't work FT anymore outside the home I do have 3 kids ages 4.5, 2.5, 1.5, 3 dogs (one is a puppy) and a husband who works weird hours. So pretty much I have the kids, house, etc on my own...

    Anyway, I am an "all or nothing" gal...so when I took the pluge, I went full force. Only I control what I put into my mouth. I started working out 20 mins at a time, then added to it. Turned my diet around 360, and really paid attention to what I was doing. I workout around my kids/hubs schedules. (usually really late at night). I walk as many places as possible (most of the time with the kids in tow).

    I started on March 13, 2011 and have lost 96 pounds, and am currently maintaining. It CAN be done! :)
  • erzille
    erzille Posts: 524 Member
    Options
    You can do this!...I did not think I could track foods...but it works...36 pounds down for me...4 pounds to my goal weight. Working on toning after that. I am losing baby weight too...my third baby will be 4 in January! Not everyday is perfect...Good luck!:glasses:
  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
    Options
    First of all, never beat yourself up for weight from a pregnancy. That alone is an incredible miracle.

    That said, we've all had our waking up moment to look at ourselves and ask how that happened. Leave that behind. It doesn't matter how it happened. What matters is if you really want to change it.

    It's not a diet. It's not a short term thing. It's a change in your life that has to go on and on. You can do this. You can. Happy to help if I can.
  • ciskegal
    ciskegal Posts: 1
    Options
    I just had a baby 3 weeks ago... I am not really doing anything at this point to lose... but I AM cutting out things I do not need. I am VERY over weight and it all started getting bad when I had my first 6.5 years ago... now 4 babies later, I'm DONE having kids and praying I can get to a healthier weight!
  • PompousClock
    PompousClock Posts: 36
    Options
    Hello, srdunco. I'm a fellow 36 year old mom here looking to look better in photographs. I've slowly lost 10 pounds over the last three or four months, by focusing on adding exercise back into my routine. Now I'm turning to my diet to lose 25 pounds. I've only been using this website for a week, but it's already made a difference in what I'm choosing to eat, and more importantly, the portion sizes of what I'm eating. I also really like seeing the site tell me what I'll weigh in five weeks if I continue along the path I've forged each day. Definitely helped me choose a glass of water instead of a second helping of dessert when I knew that such a choice will help me weigh seven pounds less in five weeks. Best of luck for this site to help you as well!

    P.S. I've mapped out my planned weight loss, and I'll have lost the weight by my daughter's fourth birthday. Knowing I will look fab in her birthday photographs is a definite motivator!
  • achambers1990
    achambers1990 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    ok maybe I'm just strange or something b/c apparently it happens alot. But I don't understand why women gain so much weight when they are pregnant. It is not an excuse to eat whatever you want or stuff your face like a pig. I am a mom and I lost all my baby weight by the time my little boy was 2 weeks old. I ate like a normal person when I was pregnant. I ate what I wanted but I only ate when I was hungry and stopped eating when I was full. I gained 18 pounds while I was pregnant and I lost 11 the day he was born. Plus if your "baby isn't a baby then it isn't baby weight anymore... It's just fat.

    Also people say they gain weight b/c they are to busy to eat healthy. That is a load of bull. If you are to busy then you would be to busy to eat anything at all. If you have time to eat then you have time eat something good for you! Like I said I have alittle boy he is 18 months now. I am a full time college student. I work a part time job and I have a house and husband to take care of. I know what busy is. The only time I sit down is or rest is when I'm laying down to go to sleep. I am busy all the time but I still cook a realatively healthy meal for my family, and I tend to skip a few meals here and there also. So i know if you're truely busy then you don't have time to eat.

    If you are as busy as me and alot of other people you find yourself skipping workouts to study for a huge exam at school or cleaning the house after the kids go to bed or you are working out late at night after the kids are asleep and while you're waiting on your husband to come home. (Kevin works 2 jobs and I work part time and go to school but he leaves at 6 am and gets home at 10 pm). So I don't weigh alot but I'm not toned. I weigh 113 now my goal is to tone up everything so I can look hot is my bikini next summer. I like to workout in the winter b/c you are covered up w/layers to keep warms so no one notices that your loosing weight or toning up or anything then when summer coes you can reveal your sexy new body you've been working on all winter and really surprise everyone YAY!
  • PompousClock
    PompousClock Posts: 36
    Options
    Achambers, you're not strange, you're young. I could eat anything I wanted at 21 years old and stay slim. Losing the baby weight at that age doesn't take as much effort as it does for a woman in her 30s. Your metabolism changes as you get older. I appreciate that you are a busy wife, mother, student, and part-time employee, and kudos to you for concentrating on your health while you are young. It's a good habit to develop and maintain.

    I too lost the baby weight soon after I gave birth - despite breaking my tail bone during labor. But a full-time job where I was working behind a desk for 75 hours a week (including pulling all-nighters every month), plus trying to spend quality time with my child and husband, meant that I subsequently gained weight while my child was a toddler. I am now in a position where I can concentrate on my health again and I will lose the weight again.
  • landlwoof
    landlwoof Posts: 46 Member
    Options
    I'm in much the same situation as you.....no success story yet, but nighttime is my worst. I swear I go from 1500 cals for the day to 4500 between 8 and 10 at night. Ugghh. Hopefully we can help eachother. What timezone are you in? I'm in Pacific on the coast.
    You can add me as a friend.
  • KristenY18
    KristenY18 Posts: 42
    Options
    Pretty sure this post for looking for encouraging words.....


    You have already addressed the hardest part...and thats starting your weight loss journey! Kudos to you :D

    I am a mother of a 3.5 year old and know how hard it is to start making all the healthy changes. Someone told me so great advice... You need to take care of you, before you take care of them! Take time out of your day to just focus on you ....and if that means 10 mins on the treadmill...great! Your kids will thank you later for having an energized, healthy mother in the long run :) PS my toddler loves to do workout dvds with me...give it a try!
  • TriciaAnn81
    TriciaAnn81 Posts: 35
    Options
    I'm in the same boat with ya! I have a 4 year old and 18 month old. I never lost all the weight from the first one and then came the second one. I've been on the site for one week and already lost 5 lbs so it is possible even in our hectic schedules! I've noticed that even within this week, my diet change has positively impacted my childrens eating habits so it is a great motivator!
  • Briteblu
    Briteblu Posts: 71
    Options
    Hang in there Srdunco! You can do it! I can only offer the same advice as most of the others, just be more concious of what you are eating and start out with smaller work outs at first. I can't stick to a diet to save my life lol so I just try to be more aware of what and how much I am eating. I am 32 and have a 17 month old son and work full time. I have slowly lost some weight but I have about 15 more pounds I'd like to lose. I've just done it a little here and there... so sometimes it takes time but don't worry and do't lose your focus. Like someone else said, every little bit helps! :-)

Categories