Hello all.

I don't often post, but I'm on the site almost every day. I'm mostly a self-motivated person, but today I've come to the end of my resources and I am hoping to tap into the wealth of experience and energy you all have. I've been at lifetime for almost two years now, and since my adopted baby came home almost 5 months ago, I've gained 8 pounds and lost muscle tone, shape, and MOTIVATION!

I'm sitting here at the computer with a tight bra strap, a bulgy belly, the blurry memory of WAY too many points today, and a lot of discouragement. I just can't seem to get moving on this! I know it's only 8 pounds, but I said it was only 2 pounds, only 5 pounds, only 6 pounds, and I don't see my behaviors changing so I expect it to keep creeping up. I think it's time for - I don't know, accountability? Maybe I need to report on how my daily points are, or report my weigh-ins. I'm really not sure. Does anyone have any ideas? Of course you do! I've seen lots of good advice go by, but I've been so consistent in the past I haven't needed to pay attention.

The problems I'm facing are, I'm sure, familiar to a lot of you - fewer opportunities to get to the gym because of the new baby; reduced time to spend at the gym when I do get there; more time at home, where most of my binge eating occurs; and chronic tiredness from short, interrupted sleeps, with one of my triggers for binge eating being tiredness.

I don't want to go back to where I was - I've worked hard for two years to get to where I am, to feel good about it, and maintain it. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

runner/Jodie

Dear Runner,
What a blessing..an adopted baby! Keep in mind you have been through many many changes including lack of sleep in the last few months...a weight gain could happen to anyone under the same circumstances!

You obviously want to do something or you wouldnt have ask for help!

Slow down....take a breath..enjoy the baby and then ask yourself..............How did I do it before? A little planning,journaling and "want power".right? You can do it again!

Think about what you really want INSTEAD of what you want at the moment ! With a new baby.it is more important than ever to eat right and teach the baby to eat right.......PERFECT TIMING!

Go back to the time when you were in control and remember all the things you did to get to goal. YOU can do it again.....even with a baby!All the more reason to be healthy and in good shape!

Go for it.................
WW CIN

Hang in there! I remember these days so well ... it is truly an exhausting thing to parent a baby.

It is just so difficult to muster a good attitude and lots of willpower when you are sleep deprived! My advice is:

try to get your exercise in early in the day - make this a habit. It gets the day off in a positive mindset and, if you wait til later, "other things" tend to creep into the day and keep you from your exercise.

get out of the house! Strap the baby in a stroller and take a walk - Every Day! Even in cooler areas of the country this should become an option soon as Spring sets in. Oops - I just checked and realized that you are in Malaysia. I don't know what the weather is like there!

get support! Get to meetings, log onto this site every day, hook up with a neighborhood buddy ... you get the idea. It is SO much easier to go this when you have somebody else to help support and motivate you. The on-line journals on this thread are a great way for me to plan my day, track my points, and keep in touch with the whole idea that: "This is for life, this is about being healthy not just losing weight. If you make a bad choice, take the hit and move on!" - every day that you wake up is a new opportunity to have a healthy day - no matter WHAT you did yesterday!

get rest! You must keep your body healthy and rested in order to be there for your child and also to maintain a positive attitude.

good luck, and give that baby lots of hugs and kisses!!

Runner- At least you have noticed the weight gain now instead of 20 or 30 lbs down the road. You can do it. Just take a deep breath and exhale. Everything will be okay! You have a lot going on in your life right now. Enjoy your baby. You'll lose the weight. You said you binge at home. Try to keep no point or low point foods on hand. Hang in there, you'll make it!


Lori

Have you seen the running strollers? Around here in the park, there are sooooo many parents running while their babies nap peacefully in the stoller.

Sorry I cannot help you with the sleep issue, unless you get a sitter to watch the baby while you nap.

Thank you everyone for your help.

Just writing the post seemed to help, I've been OP since that night, and feeling better, somehow more in control.

WWCIN - I DO want to teach Alex good eating habits, particularly since I think at least part of my problem comes from the way I ate as a kid. (We had a chocolate bar after supper every day!) I want him to love food but use it as fuel, not comfort/an activity/stress release, etc...

Austingal - it's really a good idea to get exercise in early in the day. Lately I've noticed that my motivation to get to the gym conks out the later it gets. The difficulty in Malaysia is that the temperature is about 32 degrees year round, and as they say, "only mad dogs and Englishmen walk in the noonday sun." I'm not English, and any kind of outdoor exercise is impossible for me, so it's the gym or nothing.

I will keep coming to the boards, and I think I will try and post my daily menu if the baby gives me the opportunity. It helps to see what others eat as well.

Thanks again, and I hope to post an eight pound loss in the next couple of months! It's amazing to me what 8 pounds has done for my self-esteem and the way I fit my clothes... I just can't wait to get it off again.

Jodie

Jodi
I am so glad to here you are on track again.........YOU really do have what it takes! Be sure to let us hear about your success!

Are you sure it stays 32 there..?........ha ha ha
I had a friend live there when she worked for Texas Instruments.terribly warm and humid.isnt it?

Bravo stickers for you!!

Sincerely
WW Cin

WW Cin,

Jodie is in Malaysia, so 32 degrees is the Celsius temperature. If you convert it to Fahrenheit, you've got yourself about 90 degrees year round!

Elizabeth

Jodie,

Congratulations to you in becoming a mom. It's an exciting, tiring, wonderful time being a new parent. :) Are you home with the baby during the day? If so, is there any way you could add some home exercise to your routine (like free weights/step/videos/etc) that you could do while the baby's napping? After my second baby, naptime was MY time to do my step aerobics tapes. I didn't really care how messy the house was; getting that step workout in really gave me more energy. This doesn't sound like much of a recommendation, but I know that sometimes the urge to "keep up with everything" when there's a baby around can cause us to neglect our own bodies. Babies really change our lifestyles and at times it feels like we'll never be able to do anything for ourselves again, but I think with enough persistence and some trial and error you'll figure out ways to fit the activity in (especially since you already know all the benefits and want to get back to it).

Like the others have said, you're doing very well in catching it at 8lbs. It's much better to get it now than to let it become something more.

I had to laugh at the 32 degrees. I've been to Malaysia, and it is indeed HOT and humid! :D

Things have been great since I first posted. I think that's very strange! After weeks of getting up in the morning saying, "this is the day. I will stay OP today," and then binging by breakfast, writing that post was my "click." I don't get it, but I'm grateful.

I've been hitting the gym earlier and that's helped. Also, knowing that I crave that "chocolate bar" (or some kind of sweet after supper) I've been saying no to things earlier in the day to accommodate it. That's helped.

Yes the temperature is 32 celsius, and wow is it hot! Even in the middle of the night it's hot out. Rupertsmom, you say you've been here? Where did you visit? Sometimes I feel like I am in the further Antipodes. I didn't even know where Malaysia was on the map when my husband got this job. However, I just love it here!

As far as home exercise goes, I have a couple of problems - our living room is absolutely minute, and we have marble floors everywhere. Even with my runners I think that would be too hard on my knees. However, if the difficulty getting to the gym persists, I may have to buy some kind of matting and do tapes where you stay in one spot. My husband is super supportive, though, and really goes out of his way to make sure I can get to the gym. The only problem is, if he's at work all day, I'm out of motivation by the time he gets home!

Thanks so much for all your help. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing, if just to keep myself honest. I also joined an Easter countdown and I'm hoping that will help keep me on track. (Malaysia is a Muslim country, and it took me a while to find out when Easter is this year!)

Jodie

Jodie,

There are lots of great videos on the market for space constrained individuals. They tend to be the ones I gravitate to, because I'm a horribly uncoordinated woman and the more "dancey" the video the more space they seem to consume. If you find yourself in the market for some, you'll have no trouble finding any through mail order.

Back in my former life (before I stopped working), my company had its Asia-Pac headquarters in Singapore and I visited a few times. Once I got to go to Malaysia. I was looking forward to visiting Kuala Lumpur, but unfortunately only got as far as just a bit north of Johor Baharu. I found it fascinating to be in that area of the world. The food's great, I think, and it was always a business trip that I lost weight on. (Hey, someone send me back there!)

BTW, Malaysia was where I first discovered that my name (Lori) has quite an interesting meaning. The Singaporeans kept asking me if "Lori" was short for something. They couldn't comprehend how someone could name a child "Lori". lol.

Okay, I'll bite. What does Lori mean? I can't think of anything it sounds like...

How cool that you were here. The world seems a thousand times smaller.

Things are still going pretty well, though last night I ate 2 cookies and some choc for a total of 5 points over. Still, much better than my out and out binges of last week. I now know that I must leave some points for the end of the day.

Jodie

I remember you!
 

Jodi,

I remember you from the Lifers board. First off, congrats on your new baby!!!! That is so exciting. I had a little one of my own and she will be 6 months old at the end of this month.

I gained way to much during the pregnancy but have managed to get to 12 pounds above my WW goal weight. Here's what helped me. I know some of it won't apply to you, especially with the weather there.

I started going back to meetings when the baby was a month old, I do a lot of cooking/freezing meals on the weekends while my husband watches the baby. I found a way to walk at my lunch breaks at work. I make my lunch the night before so I can grab it and run. I got the baby used to daily walks in the stroller.

Additional things that I'm doing are: trying to re-read parts of Thin for Life by Anne M. Fletcher. It reminds me why I'm doing all of this. Also, I'm trying to keep a positive out look on the weight and on my body image. This will be important for both my daughter and me in the long run. And I have been journaling very,very carefully over the last few weeks. I bought a spiral bound journal for $4 at WW. Very nice. I used to use a points calculator, but I was getting bad about not counting evening snacks, so back to the paper journal instead.

Hang in there. Those of us with the added duties of family have even more challenges but I think the pay off of staying in control is even better... being able to keep up with your kids, having the long term health benefits so we can watch them grow up. Plus the fact that I have a lot of great clothes in my closet just waiting for me.

Good luck! Keep us posted and let us know how it is going.

Karen

Sorry, Jodie for leaving that out...Lori means "truck". I also assume it means "bus" (like a British lorry), because while there I noticed a large sign with the word "LORI" written on it and a parkbench beneath. I was horrified, yet amused, to think my name was being used to signal a "bus stop". Ack! At the time, I was pretty hefty, though, so it actually was quite fitting. Sorry, sick humor. :D

Garden Girl:

I remember you too, and when you first got pregnant! Congrats on your little girl. Of course, since I adopted I circumvented the whole pregnancy weight gain thing - that's the reason I adopted - LOL!

I wish I had meetings to go to here. There's no WW in Malaysia, so I have to get the updates and new materials when I visit Canada (where I'm from.) I miss the support, I miss the accountability, I miss the new recipes and the new materials as they came out. I miss buying the cookbooks.

Part of my problem is that among other things, I'm a boredom eater. Iwent from a challenging, exciting busy job in Canada to a dead stop in Malaysia, where I am not allowed to work (visa laws.) Until the baby, I kept myself busy by going to the gym every day, which was a great way to deal with the boredom! Since Alex has come along, I am back to trying to fill my days with something besides chocolate. I had forgotten about Thin for Life! I have a copy of that, I'll go back and have a look.

So far, this week has been a vast improvement over previous weeks. I have been getting lots of exercise, and with the exception of Tuesday I have been within my points. I'm pretty pleased.

Rupertsmom: I was wondering if your name meant truck! In Bahasa Melayu (the local language) they have picked up a number of English words and incorporated them into their language, the word "lorry" being among them. That's funny. Come back sometime! I'm sitting here at my computer on a beautiful hot morning, looking out the window at a tree full of orange flowers. This is truly a beautiful country.

Happy OP day, everyone!

Jodie

Jodie,
I remember you from about a year ago--are you still dancing? Congratulations on your new baby. Boredom eating is my nemesis as well, and, frankly, I found infant care boring. Fortunately, they get more interesting!

Are there moms groups where you are? Maybe giving your day more structure would help. AND be sure you are keeping your food journal.

Best of luck.

Jodie,

I'd love to go back...If I did, I'd offer to watch Alex while you went to the gym (or you could load baby in a stroller and we'd go for a run)! BTW, is it frustrating for you to be in Malaysia given that they don't have the weight problems we seem to (at least, I don't think they do)? When I would walk the streets in Singapore I felt soooo awful. First off, the women are soooo beautiful and tiny. (In my head I called myself "The BIG American Woman".) Secondly, when I would sit down to eat with them, I would be amazed at the quantities of food they ate. Of course, what I didn't quite realize then (but do now) is that their diet is very high in fruits/vegetables, and seafood (not to mention all the walking they do). :D

Anyways, I'm glad you're doing better. The longer I live with this maintenance "thing", the longer I appreciate the fact that it is our attention to detail that will keep us from slipping too far. I don't think anyone can maintain "perfectly" forever, but if you catch yourself in a lapse and take those laborious steps back to what you know works you will pull yourself out of it. It's a process that continues forever.

Thanks for remembering me, Bumby! I am joining a baby group in April and am looking forward to all the baby-friendly activities. So many of the things I used to do don't offer childcare, and it gets expensive to hire in!

Ruperstmom: You know, I think that moving here was the thing that really spurred me on to lose my excess weight. Like you say, the people here are so small, and on top of that, they're mostly slim! It was so hard to go shopping and not be able to fit ANYTHING. Not a dress, not a bra, not even shoes. Of course, even though I'm slimmer now that hasn't changed - I'm not ever going to be a size 2, but at least I know it's not because I'm bigger than I should be. And they aren't shy about saying that your fat! A friend of mine came out and asked me once (when I was at my slimmest and fittest) why I was so big. I said that at least partly it was because I was so much taller than most of the women here, but he said, "no, I have a friend your height and she's half your size." Ah, blunt honesty. Sometimes it's a bit much.

I too am amazed at what they eat, and I can't honestly see that it's mostly vegetables and fish. I go to friend's houses and they serve dishes that are around 17 points a plate! And I know they eat that every day. What I don't get to see is what they eat the rest of the day, maybe it's very little, or maybe they have higher metalolisms? (Blame it all on metabolism - I've done that for years!! LOL!)

Anyway, I am very glad to have caught this latest slip at 8 pounds. I had a problem last night - I had eaten all but one of my Points, I went off to a late-night dance class, and it was cancelled! It was too late to hit the gym, and when I got home I was pretty darn hungry. I always use my exercise points, so I had counted on being able to eat dinner with them. I drank lots of water but that wasn't cutting it, so I had a big bowl of miso soup (3 points) and two slices of WW bread. That put me 4 points over for the day. That taught me not to count on my exercise points until the exercise is done!
I've thought about not using today's exercise points until tomorrow just to be sure, but it's the day I get exercise that I'm hungrier, so I don't know if that will work.

Anyway, glad to hear from you all! You're keeping me honest! The good news is, my pants feel looser - I hope that's not just wishful thinking...

Jodie

Jodie,

I'm amazed how mean (you were polite and called it blunt) some people can be! The good news is that you didn't let it get you down, foodwise. I used to do that (didn't we all). Now, I just think "I'll show him " and realize I'll be the great benefitter of my determination.

Whew, Jodie, that is pretty blunt! Ouch! I know what you mean, though, about just being a good weight for your size. I don't know your frame, but most of the folks I encountered there had very slight frames. Very rarely did I encounter anyone who was my height (only 5'6"), but even if I did it was very obviousl that they weren't descendents of hardy central European stock. lol. I think when I visited, I bought a purse and some jewelry - at least they fit! :D

p.s. At the company cafeteria one day, I was surrounded by a bunch of skinny women engineers who were consuming HUGE amounts of food. I got a plate of stir fried rice (granted, a HUGE plate). I was asked by more than one, "Is that all you're going to eat??"