I got married weighing appx 135-140, gained 15 pounds within 6 months, when I got pregnant, weighing 155. Had a c-section, but lost a ton of weight within the first 6 weeks- was down to 160, so only 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Then, we stopped nursing only 4 months after she was born and I just gained weight! I am now at 174, my baby is a year old, and I've been trying this whole year to get down to that pre-pregnancy weight. I'd REALLY love to be to my initial 135-140 from when I got married, but at this point I'd be thrilled to see below 170, because for the last 8 months I have been bouncing around from 170-178 but never 169 or ANYTHING below 170.
It's the most frustrating thing, and I truly feel that I will never lose this weight.
We really want to get pregnant again soon, because we don't want our kids more than 3 years apart. I just don't feel ready physically and I'm very worried that I won't get there in time.
I'd like to give myself 6 months before we start trying to get pregnant, and at this point I have what seems like an impossible amount of weight to lose, simply because I feel like I CAN'T lose it no matter what I do. It's the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to bed- I'm tired of obsessing over it, I just want it to HAPPEN!
I've started doing the JM 30 Day Shred, and I'm thinking about calorie counting because I haven't done that - I did WW but hated it, I've tried it several times, it just doesn't work for me. Anyway... I know I just rambled a bunch but basically if anyone has any kind of advice I'd super appreciate it. I'm open to anything (healthy!) at this point. I guess it'd also be comforting to know that even though I've had a hard time losing this weight that it CAN be done- it seems like a lot of people here have just had to put their minds to losing the weight and they do it. I have put my mind to it but it won't come off!
Thanks, ahead of time. You guys are all so awesome and I have found a lot of inspiration here!
Focus on eating very healthy and exercising, and then whatever amount you lose in the next months, you'll be much healthier because of your lifestyle. That might take a little of the time stress away.
I'd say it seems like you probably need to get a handle on your eating. YOu say that WW doesn't work for you, and you are going to try calorie counting, but it doesn't sound like you're managing your food NOW.
The first thing I'd suggest is keep a food log for a week. Don't try to diet, don't make any big changes, just keep a log of what you do eat. Everything. If you taste the spoon when you're cooking, write it down. If you sample juice before you give it to your baby, write it down. If you take a bite out of your husband's sandwich, write it down. After a week, you'll hve a much better idea of what you DO eat, and how you can adjust that to eat more healthily and eat fewer calories.
carcar, I found that as a new mother myself, i put the bulk of my weight on after my baby was born as well. frankly I found maternity leave to be pretty darn boring so I would just loaf in front of the tv and hit the wheat thins like there were diamonds at the bottom. The biggest help to me has been writing things down, as photochick has stated, and simply reading the back of boxes so I know what the heck I'm eating! I admit I use measuring cups and spoons and scales and count what I'm taking in but you would be surprised how quickly you learn what a portion really is.
Plus, I'm sure chasing your child around at this point is keeping you from loafing too much. Mine is going on ten months and I can't turn my back on him for one second!
I would start with writing down what you eat without changing your diet and you will notice where you can make changes.
Also, it sounds silly, but for me, just not having junk food in the house at all has been a big help. I don't trust myself enough to have it without binging!
Would it be an idea to visit a professional dietist, if you can afford it? It sounds a bit like you don't really believe you will lose weight no matter what you do. Maybe a professional's opinion might give you that confidence you need. If you'd rather not do this maybe you can just read up a lot on dieting and food. What really helped me a lot on portion control is not eating from a plate, but from a bowl. I know that what goes into the bowl is enough, portion-wise. A plate is much easier to load and load and load. And I take care to choose a meal that has 1/4 carbs, 1/4 meat, 1/2 vegetables. If I do these things and don't choose exceptionally fatty dishes I can lose weight, and they're rather simple.
And remember: an active obese person is actually more healthy than a person with a healthy weight that leads a sedentary life. So, it's great that you're exercising!
PhotoChick - as much as I hate to admit it... you are probably right.
I do feel that I eat healthily, but I'll be the first to admit I could do better with portion control/grazing.
Well, if you're admitting that you might snack a bit and such... I agree with Photochick. Do a food log for a week, bring it back and see how many hidden calories you're actually taking in. The 3FC girls will be ridiculously helpful at giving you some advice on how to make the pounds shed off from there!
Also... 174 to 135 is NOT impossible. ...just as 176 to 135 isn't impossible. There are girlies here who've lost over 50 lbs. Have faith. We can do this together.
I do feel that I eat healthily, but I'll be the first to admit I could do better with portion control/grazing.
This has always been my problem.
I mean, yeah, I like chips and stuff as much as the next person. And I do have "trigger" foods that I'll eat until I'm sick. But I've never been someone who didn't like veggies or wouldn't eat salad or whatever . I just ate too much of everything.
It was a HUGE eye opener for me to track what I ate and see how much of it I ate. And to see what I was eating that I thought was healthy and really wasn't as healthy as I thought.
Ultimately if you eat too little, you'll lose weight. People do starve to death if they eat too little. But most people don't eat *so* little that they're starving to death. Most people who eat too little are eating the bare minimum to sustain their bodies and eventually their bodies get so desperate for nutrition that they hold on to everything and weight loss stalls. Some people have even been known to gain back some weight when entering that so-called "starvation mode" simply because their body hoards everything that's put into it in a desperate attempt to retain some form of nutrition.
That's an extreme, of course.
For most people, eating too little results in a stall of weight loss as the body's metabolism slows to accommodate the lack of nutrition.
I'm being silly, but I need your advice!
There are girlies here who've lost over 50 lbs. Have faith. We can do this together.
