New and struggling
 

Hi everyone

I have three little girls- one of them was just born 3 weeks ago- and I am pretty depressed about my weight. I'm 5'10" and 204. I've set a random goal weight of 160, though I have no idea what that will look like on my frame. I've also decided to do SBD, although with nursing a newborn, I'll be starting with phase 2, not 1.

I'm hoping that I can keep myself motivated by reading and re-reading the goal postings and photos. I spend a lot of time wishing to be thin, but when I'm faced with a piece of bread or a bagel (nevermind sweet stuff!), I always cave in. I'm afraid of artificial sweeteners, so the lack of dessert scares me as well. Splenda makes me horribly sick. Sigh. Stevia seems to work well for me though, and it's not artificial. Gotta hunt for recipes with that in them!

Sorry to be so mopey on my first post. Hopefully, I'll be fit for decent conversation before too long!

Welcome Kavingate! I'm so glad you found this site. I think it is wonderful and has provided me with a lot of support.
You have three little girls! You must be busy! I'm sure they're beautiful!
Did you know there are threads for those on SBD? And for nursing mommies? You may want to check them out and get to know some people! I hope you stick around, and keep posting to let us know how you're doing!
Nursing thread:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=173
South Beach Diet thread:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=110

Welcome, give yourself a break your a new Mom. With that comes alot of emotional roller coasters. Take care of yourself.

Hi Kavingate! To echo Sharon, I completely understand - the weight will come off! Right now you're probably not getting enough sleep, so your body isn't producing as much leptin as it should to regulate your appetite, so you're hungrier. Breastfeeding will do that too. Since you've got two others, you probably know that it takes about 6 weeks for your body to get rid of all that extra fluid and swelling from birth. And the depression - man, that hormone roller coaster sucks!

THE WEIGHT WILL COME OFF! Take good care of yourself!!! :hug:

Hey Kavingate, and :wel3fc:

Wow, let me say first off that at three weeks post-partum, your body is probably still adjusting. So don't worry too much about your weight for the next couple of weeks...you've got a newborn to worry about.

That being said, we have a great Pregnancy and Nursing forum, and an entire South Beach area as well, so you'll fit in quite nicely. Find a spot, settle in, and get to posting.

Can't wait to get to know you better!

:welcome: kaving
I also have 3 little girls my youngest is 10 months and still nursing. You will lose weight with the nursing as long as you don't overeat.

:congrat: on doing something about your weight so soon after having a baby! I regret not starting sooner!! Especially since I want to try for a boy!!

Don't worry topo much about your long term goal of 160 when you get there or close you can evaluate whether that is right for you or you want to lose more or less. Personally I find focusing on smaller goals works bets so either focus on losing 5 or 10 pounds or getting into "onderland" or maybe 10% of your body weight. The challenges are also very helpful with that!

To stay motivated come on the forum daily ...personally I am on a few times a day!! It is the only way I can stay focused. Sometimes I feel like a loser cause I spend more time on 3FC than I do with my husband. During the week anyway!!

If artificail sweeteners don't work for you there are other alternatives. You can have deserts but smaller portions etc. I have desert everyweekedn and it hasn't hindered my loss. I am not doing SBD so I don't know the specifics of that.

Anyways we have a great support forum at http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133641 there are only 3 or 4 of us but it is nice and we keep each other on track so come on by.

I have found eating more fresh fruits in small quantity takes care of my desire for sweets. Frozen pineapple chunks are my favorite. It's like eating a pineapple icicle.
Hugs
Pat

Thanks, y'all. I already feel more optimistic! I've just always felt alone in my weight problems, so maybe this site will make all the difference for me!

Kaving you are not alone!! I think there are 70,000 ppl on this site!! So when you feel lonely just post! someone is always here!

I'm in a similar boat. I have a (slightly older) newborn and am your height. I don't know what I was immediately postpartum, but soon settled in at 195 and sat there for months. At the beginning of the month, I started eating better and have dropped 10 pounds and my energy level is up.

You can practically eat all the veggies you want and lose weight. You're supposed to eat something like 5-9 cups of veggies and fruits per day. Do that and you don't have enough room to fill up on other stuff! I've been depending on a lot of frozen fruits and veggies. I steam the veggies, then top with a little butter and spices. With the fruits, I tend to make smoothies in the blender. Diced bananas in chocolate pudding is surprisingly low in calories, too! I think spices help a lot, too. If you eat a piece of plain, steamed chicken you feel unsatisfied. (Well, I do at any rate!) Top it with some spices and maybe a *little* of something decadent (sour cream or cheese) and you don't feel like you're cheating yourself!

Remember, it probably took you some time to get to this weight. You can't eat right for a week and get back to where you want to be. But, truly change the way you eat and you can be fit for the rest of your life. By the way, for my medium frame and our height, 168 marks the heaviest we can be and not be considered overweight. My target of 145 is in the middle of "OK" for us.

Hi! Welcome.

Hello! I just saw your post and I am thinking of myself right now. I am 5'9 and 209. I am having a c-section on April 21st, so my weight is really up there. My goal weight is to get back to 160, so once I have this baby, I will be checking in with you to see how you are doing!

I have no idea how I am going to get this weight off, but I have some ideas on how to do it because, with my first baby, I was 240 pounds at delivery and had to work to get it off for 2 years! I know what it feels like to feel depressed about your weight and body after baby, so I send you a HUG!

Here is what my diet is going to look like once I have my baby girl:

Breakfast:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup fruit
2 egg whites
Snack:
Apple and Almond Butter
Lunch:
1 cup brown rice with lean protein...or some type of starch like a sweet potato with a protein source like chicken or black beans, etc.
veggies
Snack:
Protein Shake
Dinner:
Same as lunch.

I use a combination of the "6 week body makeover" and the "fat smash diet" and Tosca Renos, "Eat Clean" book.... to figure out what to do to lose weight. If I stick to the above regime, it comes of pretty quickly. I do cheat, but try and stick with it for the most part.

Good luck! You can do this! This seems like a supportive place, and this is my first post :o)

Flying Squirrel