[Aleara]

Hello all!

I am a first time mom with a 2-year toddler. I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy and have been struggling with it ever since my daughter was born. I really hope I can get some inspiration, motivation and support here as without them, I have realised, I will never be able to loose my baby weight... I have about 18kg to loose and I hope to get rid of them by the end of 2012!

Wish me luck!

[Buutastic]

Hi Aleara! I have a 2 1/2 year old little boy, and he helped me go from about 190 lbs, or 86 kg, up to 231, or 104 kg I started pushing for my health in July of last year, and so far so good!!

I find that seeing other people's success, reading their stories, finding friends, all really help make the process easier and more realistic. It's really overwhelming to think about how much there is to lose unless you think of it as the start of a changed life. I wish you all the very best, and I am always looking for friends!

[NEMom]

Welcome to the forum! You will find a ton of support on this site.
Do you know what food plan you are going to follow? There is a ton of information about many different food plans on this site. Pick a plan that fits in your lifestyle and you can follow long term. I chose calorie counting because it is free and flexible. It allows me to eat almost anything I wanted as long as it fits within my calorie range for the day and there are ton of free apps out there to help you track your food. Give up the sugary drinks and drink lots and lots of water.
Incorporate some exercise into your weekly routine. You do not have to join an expensive gym try to walk more, use the stairs more, download videos off of YouTube or Hulu.com to work out to. There are a lot of things you can to do with spending a ton of money.
Lastly, if you have a bad meal, a bad day, heck, a bad food week. Do NOT let this be a reason to throw in the towel. Get back on track at the next meal. You can do this!!!
Best of luck to you!

[patchworkpenguin]

Aleara, welcome, glad to have you join us. I suggest you look for a Challenge or Support group to join; small check-in groups make it easier to connect, get involved, and be accountable. We have groups centering around specific diets, themes, or age groups, find one that inspires you and just post to join!