share: Hi From oveerweight newbie

Jessica,
I am a fitness coach and trainer and have been doing this for a very long time. It is going to be difficult to lose the weight if your hormones are going crazy, which they do after birth. You'll need discipline around regular meals and exercise even though you may be tired. This is when food looks really appealing! The thing to know is that you can do this. Try going on www.fitday.com and tracking your food for a week. It will open your eyes to what you're actually eating and that alone might give you a clue as to why you're struggling. Its amazing what we put in our mouths that we are unconscious about.

The other thing I would suggest is walking. Walk vigorously every day until you've worked up to an hour a day. That will help your metabolism and your state of mind. When you feel up to it, add some simple weight training. NOTHING changes your body like working with weights. I've been ill for a couple of years now and had to stop working out. I lost all of my muscle and became, for the first time in my life, a sedentary person. I know that getting back to weights, even if only for a few minutes a day, will turn everything around. Sometimes the solution is really simple.

Take heart and start moving!
D

Hi jessica,

I'm in your same boat! I have one question: are you breastfeeding, as that would change the information I can find.

I lost my pregnancy weight with taking my son on daily stroller walks and watching the portions of food I ate during the day. However, I have slowly gained the weight back, as now that my son is a toddler, I am snacking with him during the day, AND still eating all of my full meals. All of the playdates or appointments/meetings I attend also have food...usually carbs...that I snack on, too. (similar to an office setting).

Can you tell me more about your current eating and exercise, what has worked for you in the past, and what your barriers are now...and we can figure this out together! I also wrote about my visit with a personal trainer, which helped me tremendously: I have someone I'm accountable to, and knows when I workout or not. They have a daycare facility, so my son can play with other kids (and learn to be without me for an hour!), while I take care of myself and lift weights and walk on treadmill.

Hi Jessica and thanks for your question.

Losing baby weight can be difficult but is certainly not impossible.

I pretty much waited until I was finished having children in order to focus on weight loss, but I wouldn't recommend this unless you plan on having your children close together. If you plan on waiting a year or two to get pregnant again or if you are done altogether, then you're ready!

As the others have said above, walking is one of the best ways to lose weight and tone up. I began a walking regime slowly, about 6 months ago and have now worked up to about 4-5 miles per night, at least 4 days per week, preferably more, at a very rapid "power-walking" pace.

It has done wonders and I'm back to where I was before I had all my children.

It does take commitment though, and is hard work. I also gave up a lot of my treats, although I don't deny myself chocolate, an occasional meal out or a glass of wine. Deprivation is a sure fire way for me to binge.

Moderation is key for me, in terms of what I eat. I have also eliminated most white foods from my diet, and now stick to brown rice, whole grain breads and pastas.

Jessica, most people under estimate what they eat. People snack and then think it's dinner time, meanwhile their snacks have actually added up to hundreds of calories that they are not counting as meals. These are meals!
Keeping a food journal for several weeks will give you an idea of exactly how much you are eating and what triggers your eating habits.

Bottom line - fad diets just don't work, no matter how appealing it seems or how many testimonials you read or how quickly you appear to lose weight. Fad diets are not long term and once you end them, the weight returns.

A healthy diet and exercise is the only thing that works longterm. Sometimes weight loss can take longer this way - but your chances of it being permanent are far higher!

Good luck - it's hard to get back to where you want to be when you have had a baby. But you can do it! And be realistic and fair to yourself - your body changes after a baby and with age.