Looking for Advice, Inspiration, and Motivation!

Hi K.!

My bloodwork for my thyroid was in the normal range from the time I had my son, who is now 9, and after having my daughter, who is now 7. When my daughter was 2, I started feeling achey and tired, and I had long periods. I could not motivate myself to get up in the morning, when I napped I sleep longer than usual. I got a cold and I thought my glands were swollen. I went to my clinic during after-hours, and the doctor felt my glands, and he said your glands are not swollen, but your thyroid is. He sent me to get an ultrsound of my thyroid, and yes that is exactly what happened. My thyroid was enlarged, eventhough the hormones were normal. I had many symptoms, like constipation, inability to lose weight,always cold, fatigue, slight sore throat, dry skin and hair, and a temperature below 98.6 degree. All of these points to your thyroid. Get a second opinion. I take a little pill every day to keep the hormones in check, and keep my body from killing my thyroid. I now have a five month old, and have had no trouble losing weight. I discovered drinking 8oz of water at different times throughout the day, has caused my metabolisim to speed up. I have not evercised at all. Be encouraged.

Hi K.,

I'm a personal trainer and owner of StrollerFit here in St. Louis so I deal with a lot of moms trying to lose that baby weight. Since I don't know how often or how hard you are working out and I don't know what you're eating this is what I would recommend. 30-60 minutes of cardio (moderate to high intensity)at least 5x a week and strength training 3x a week. If you can afford a trainer I would recommend getting one at least for a short period of time to show you how to maximize you're workouts and get the results you want. I also have my clients keep a food journal and write down everything they eat, it's a bit of a hassle but it has truly worked for many and even myself. I know it can be very frustrating trying to lose weight so if you have any specific questions you would like to ask please feel free to email me and I'll try to help.

T.
____@____.com

I am a Chiropractor and also do Acupuncture and Nutrition. For what you described, it sounds like your adrenal glands might be a little depleted. They sit on top of your kidneys and are the andti-stress glands of your body. I find that even a slight depletion/fatigue...which seems to be a normal phenomenon of a busy mom...is easily treated through a good nutritional regimen and some mommy time to regroup. I have worked with quite a few women with this problem which has left them able to loose weight. I can recommend some safe things to you that will definitely help.
You can find me at ____@____.com
Check out our website: www.bcoh.org, we have a lot to offer moms!!

About me: I am a wife of a fabulous man and mommy of a 2 yr old little boy and 25 weeks pregnant with a little girl.

I FEEL YOUR PAIN, Its been a year and I still need to lose about 10 more pounds.. I did Weight Watchers and that took care of 15 of it, then I hit a wall so I gave up on that. When I went back to work when my son was about 7 months I started losing more, about 5 pounds or so, but it is a struggle. Im sure you are in the same boat as me I have NO time to exercise, now that its getting nice I try to go for a walk. I didnt feel the same for a long while and am just starting to feel back to my old self so to speak, I really think something changes hormonely with some people and it takes awhile to get back to normal. I dont have the time or the energy to exercise they way I think I need to to actually lose the rest. Just know that you are not alone and I know exactly how you feel. Im here to talk or for support when ya need it.

i think the one most important piece of "diet info" i would share is make sure you eat something for b-fast! it helps jump-start your metabolism. you can do it, i know you can!

Breastfeeding worked for me. If you're not doing that, try to limit your sugar intake and avoid alchohol and high fructose corn syrup. HFCS is in so much stuff, and it tells your body to cling onto fat. Corn is used to fatten up cattle, so High fructose corn syrup does the same for us. Ketchup is a big culprit.

Are you on birth control. I was losing wait and I stop. My doctor ask me about my birth control. And the time I start this one is when I stop losing. He told sometimes birth control make it harder to lose wait. And we rule out everything eles. Because the birth control and it's horomes affects the why the body works. I just have to work out harder. Just talk to you Dr. about it. When I'm not on the pill it is easier for me to lose weight. But, I don't want anymore kids.

I had the same problem after my second child. I had great success when I joined Healthridge fitness club and got a trainer. The first thing she taught me was to take out all whites. I bought wheat crackers, pasta, etc. Then I lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks. The exercise helps. I have also been eating 5 meals a day. Well three meals and two snacks. Good luck!

I am in the same boat as you!! But my daughter is 4 years not months. I had lost most of the weight and then got lazy. Then when I say my blood pressure start to creep up, started having more trouble with my knees (they have never been "good") and not to mention just yucky feeling I decided it was time to get back in shape. I started right after the first of the year and thought that I'd have most of the 20 that my doctor said I needed to loose off me by now. I've lost 6 pounds so far and have been so disapointed. I've stuck with the excersise and watching what I eat (I will admit to cheating every now and then) but still keep on excersizing. And even though I haven't noticed much physical change I do feel better and when I said something to my husband the other day about how disapointed in my efforts I had been he told me that he could tell. He said that even though I was really smaller I was firmer and he was loving it. And I know that even if I stay 20 lbs over my husband will still love me and that is such a boost. But just having him tell me that he notices and is apprecaiting what I'm doing has givin me a new boost. So even if it takes me all year (or more) to loose the 20 I'll keep on trying. Just stick with and it will happen!

Hi K.,

Check out Arbonne's all natural weight loss line of products. They have protien & fiber shakes, wight loss chews, supplement, dotox tea, an energy drink, etc. There is also a website dedicated to this weight loss line where you can get recipes, chat online, get support & inspiration, and more! Check it out on my website at www.vickimartinez.myarbonne.com, shop online, go to the weight loss section. You can get a 35% discount and the potential of up to 80% with qualified orders. I would be happy to tell you more and send you some info! I have struggled with my weight for years and recently started using this line myself and in the first couple months I lost 13 lbs! I work out a couple times a week, follow the plan and it's working. I personally know of several who have had success with this line as well. Best of luck to you!

V.
____@____.com
www.vickimartinez.myarbonne.com

Try eating more fruits and vegetables, especially the green vegetables. Limit the amount of red meat you eat and try not to eat it 2 days in a row. Eat more chicken and turkey and fish. The protein will give you more energy. Sometimes it just takes realizing what all you put in your mouth in a days time. When I stop and think about it, I know why it is hard for me to keep it off. When I pay attention it works well. I too have been lacking in motivation so due to reading your letter I hope to get back to it. So Thanks and best of luck. Sheri

Baby #3 seems to be the magic number! Happened to me too. I went to see Dr. Michaels who is an Endocrinologist and he told me it was my insulin, and then did a blood test to back it up. My blood sugars were always normal so my regular doctor never caught it. Your insulin level rises to keep your blood sugars under control so it "hides" the problem. Not sure if this is what is going on with you or not but is worth a shot to have your doctor check your insulin level or get a referral to see the other doctor. I can tell you that I was able to just change my eating so I will hopefully never fully going into full blown Type 2 diabetes and I was also able to lose 40lbs in 3 months, NO exercising!! Back down to my highschool weight and I am 33!!

I know your pain. I too have that additional weight I can't seem to loose and my youngest is 18 months old now. Remember, stress will often make it harder to loose the weight. And I know working and also being a mom of three is alot of stress. Best wishes to you. DOn't be h*** o* yourself.

I completely understand your frustration. I have a 21 month old and couldn't lose the weight for the life of me. I have always been in great shape and an exercise queen!
I also got my thyroid checked and the results came back okay. My doctor actually put me on a diet pill for a few months. That was the only thing that worked.
Running does help the stomach go down. I also take kickboxing classes at the Boxing Gym in Maryland Heights. It has really toned my body and cut inches. The classes and running is the only thing that keeps me going now.

Good Luck. Don't give up!

You're not alone! After the birth of my first, it took me almost 18 months of hard work to lose all of my weight. After my second, the weight just fell off by itself. I think sometimes you have to just let your body do its own thing! Just watch what kinds of foods you're eating and get regular exercise (walking with your baby, doing exercises with baby is a great way to fit it into your schedule). I wish you all the luck in the world. I KNOW it is frustrating! (And wish me luck too--my #3 is due in 3 weeks).

Not loosing weight after four months isn't unusual. Your body got used to what it was and now doesn't want to change. Our bodies are stuborn. It seems for me, and alot of people I know (except my best friend who left the hospital in a size four after having a ten lb baby!) the weight doesn't start to come of until atleast 6 month but everyone is different. You also may not be eating enough, especially if you are breast feading. Your body can be storing food. Try Spark People (sparkpeople.com). It is free and you can calculate your calories and how many you should be taking in. You could probably ask your doctor also.

It looks like someone else has mentioned the Figure 8 system from Arbonne already. I have a friend who has been using this system and seen huge success. She lost 25 pounds over a period of 6 months. That last 10 pounds have been a challenge for her. Arbonne has developed a new energy drink to kick start metablolism and energize your! It was just what she needed to kick start her body into losing that last 10 pounds. It sounds like it might be a good fit for your situation too! :) The best news is that our energy drink is pure, safe and beneficial! Which means, it is completely different than most of them on the market right now. Most are horrible for our bodies... loaded with stimulants and unneeded calories. I have FREE information if you are interested in taking a peek!

Take care and keep your chin up! If you stay deterimined you WILL lose that weight! :)

M. Wyatt
____@____.com

Try getting a work out partner OR a personal trainer. Good luck & God Bless!

Hi K.,

With the pregnancy of my first son, I gained a total of 32 lbs altogether. After one full year (after giving birth), I still carried add'l weight. It seemed so hard to get it off...so I got desperate, and went on a 500 calories a day diet, and ran faithfully every night. I was successful at loosing an add'l 25 lbs, but most people wouldn't recommend doing it this way, especially if you are nursing.

With the birth of my second son, my add'l weight just seemed to fall off with no effort on my part.

I have been successful on a low fat diet as well as a low carb diet. The key isn't to just loose the add'l weight, but to maintain your weight loss.

Currently...I'm doing the low carb diet, and have lost 3 lbs since Sunday. I think this too is up to you on just how many carb grams you decided to take in daily. I try to stay around 20 per day. I love salads with chicken breast, so I usually have that daily for lunch. Drinking eight glasses of water daily is very beneficial as well!

For daily exercise, I use my treadmill or my mini trampoline for 30-40 min's a day.

Best of luck to you!
Judy

I gained 50 pounds with my son (went from 107 to 157) and it took me over a year to lose. Slow and steady wins the race. Eat healthy, exercise at least 30 minutes a day, even if it's just going for a walk, and enlist the support/help of your husband/friends to keep you on track. I also set goals for myself: once I reached 120 I allowed myself to wear a new pair of super-cute shoes that sat in my closet from the week my son was born until I hit my goal about 9 months later. Then I allowed myself cheesecake when I reached 115. Whatever incentive you need, set goals and stick to them. You can do it!

Now that the weather is finally getting nicer, I would start going out for long walks with your kids. Also, if you can afford a gym membership that has free daycare I would join one. I know Club Fitness is only 14.95 a month, with no contract! One more piece of advice, try to eat healthy little meals all day (5-7) instead of three larger meals. This should help to boost your metabolism. Good luck!

I had that problem too. Then my doctor prescribed me some diet pills called phentermine. It seems to work really good for me. I lost 10 lbs in one month and that's without working out. Now I still have about 20 lbs to lose but I think I have to get off my butt and do something. Haha. These pills curb your appetite and give you energy. You got to get used to it, like any other kind of pills. They make you feel a little weird, but after about a couple weeks of consistent use, I feel normal. With these pills your doctor will only prescribe it to you for up to 6 months and you have to go to the doctor every month so they can monitor your weight to see if its even effective. Let me know how it turns out if you try it. Hopefully it will work.

K.... I think a lot of us have been where you are at. It doesn't help that magazines, tv's, and celebrities portray everyone to be perfect and size 1. I have to always remind myself that I could look just as fabulous with a stylist, trainer, chef, and airbrushing! ;) Just keep working at it. Try not to look at your figure in terms of weight. I have struggled with that myself and I am a size 5! It doesn't matter what size you are. There will be something that you will pick apart about yourself! I encourage you to work out and eat healthy to feel healthy and to try to not focus on the pounds so much! I think that a lot of time when we give up on that negative energy that things start changing for us. I gave up on dating and then I met my "man of my dreams" - same principle - just focus on feeling good and things will fall into place for you. There is also a free weightloss/fitness goals website called peertrainer.com. You could log onto that to get tips and motivation. It also has logs on it that you could plug info on to see your progress. Good luck! You'll get there! :)

Give yourself time, your body has already been through so much!!! I agree weight watchers is amazing. I did it online and it will calculate everything for you!!! Instead of paying a fortune, I only did it for 1 month, then just used everything I learned to keep going on my own. Plus I found it helped when I stopped worrying about it so much. Just do NOT spend a lot of money by buying all these products others seem to think you need that cost a fortune!!!

Hi K.,

I also had trouble losing additional weight after the birth of our second child. I tried lots of things, but finally went to Weight Watchers. They helped me lose all my baby weight and then a little extra! I also decided to find time for myself to exercise. I am now pregnant with our third child and will definitely go back to Weight Watchers to help me lose this pregnancy weight. Just a thought! I know how busy your are and hope this helps!

Amy

Having a baby is hard work take it easy for a month or two then attack the weight your body is stagnant becaus you have been carrying all that extra weight around and then you put it through labor and delivery which can be a traumatic experience by itself so let your body rest it is mad at you right now after a month or two it should feel more like cooperating. Now what worked for me was simplicity eat when hungry but not untill full just untill your no longer hungry and 30 minutes of cardio a day (walking, running, jumping rope stairs, biking) you might also feel stagnant because of baby blues talk to your dr. they reall do know how to help.

First of all... are you nursing?

If you're nursing you can't take weight loss pills/supplements, etc, you shouldn't diet either, extreme weight loss can effect your milk. Losing more than 1.5 lbs per week can cause toxins from the burned fat to be released into your milk. The good news is that if you are breastfeeding it can burn around 500 calories per day! Here's a great link from kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html

I definitely recommend taking daily walks now that the weather is getting nicer. Take the kids to the park, chase them around, play on the toys with them. I plateaued for a while too, but that all changed when my daughter started crawling and I was chasing her every where. Make healthy eating choices and limit your portion size. Try eating several smaller meals throughout the day. Eat healthy snacks like carrots, grapes (awesome frozen... like popsicles!), blueberries (also great frozen), raisins. Eat whole grains too instead of things made with white flour... they have more fiber and keep you fuller longer, plus they have extra vitamins & minerals that your body needs.

Lastly.... keep in mind you're only 4 months postpartum, which isn't very long at all. It took you 9 months to gain that weight and it can take you at least that long to lose it. Don't be so h*** o* yourself, just keep trying! I gained 60 lbs while preggo... it took me about 10 months to lose it all, but I did it, and you can too!

Good luck! :)

I don't have kids my self but I have been battleing a severe weight problem for most of my life (the better part of 20 years and I'm 24 now). My peak weight was around 260 + and I'm about 5'8". I started really losing by going to Weight Watchers once a week. They have great food plans and advice for moms and people of all body types. My best friend is 6 & 1/2 months pregnant with her third child and tells me that she is able to lose the weight because she breast feeds for each pregnancy. Once I began to hit a plateu with my weight loss I began to look for different types of exercize and find kick boxing an effective method of muscle toning and weightloss aswell as a stress reliever (lol). I'm not saying that all this is for you but I am saying to find that one groove that works for you and stay there. The most important thing is the type of exercise you choose. If you don't enjoy what you are doing you will get even more frusterated and give up on the whole thing. Through what I have managed to do for myself I have gone from 260 lbs to about 170lbs.
Good luck. I hope you find one that works for you.
L. H.
p.s. Don't forget the water!

Hi, K.! The only advice I didn't notice was sleep. Believe it or not, it does help. Your body needs rest to work. I've got a 4 yr old and an almost 3 yr old so I understand lack of sleep, but try to sneak it in when you can.

I have also used eating oatmeal or shredded mini wheats for breakfast and the other for lunch with a nutritious snack inbetween when I'm feeling "fat" or like I'm in a slump. A favorite salad to eat is romaine lettuce with shredded cheddar (you can use reduced fat), pepper, dried basil, some squirts or sprays of olive oil and some basalmic vinegar. YUM! An apple with reduced fat peanut butter is a good snack or warm unsweetened applesauce with a little cinnamon is tasty, too. Have a little container that fits an ounce of nuts like peanuts, walnuts or almonds with you at all times so you can have a nice healthy snack when chips or cookies from a vending machine are calling you. I also only drink water, skim milk or not from concentrate OJ with vitamin D (my preference and low potassium). My kids love blueberry/pom juice, but again not the cocktail stuff with sugar. Sugar is hidden everywhere. Whites and sugar are big culprits.

Good luck, I've been trying to get past 146 lbs for a while, but when I get a migraine, I kind of slack on what I eat, too.

Melanie in Swansea, IL

I am having the same problem. I can exercise and eat right for a good two to three weeks and then life happens and throws everything out of wack and then I have trouble getting back on track. The only thing I know to do is not to give up and have friends help encourage you. Hang in there, it sounds like you are doing the right things. It all takes time. Someone told me that it took 9months to put all the weight on, give it 9 months (sometimes more) to take it off. Keep up the hard work and it will pay off. My husband has been working out and changed his eating habits in November and only just this past month has noticed significant change. He never gave up and I am proud of him. So now he is really encouraging me. I hope this rambling helps some.

You may want to have your harmones checked by a Endocrinologist, From having alot of stress my adrenal glands have went into exhaustion and it causes my cortisol to work against me,
you can google it and read more about it, but unless I one get stress off of me and stabilize the harmones I wont let go of the last 25 pds either.
good luck

I have seen a few people recommend Weight Watchers. This works great! I have currently lost 60 lbs. Start when you only have 25!!!! Don't wait until you need to lose 80, it is miserable. With WW you get to eat what you want, but you learn how to limit portion size. You keep track of everything you eat, and that really helps. When you start writing down what you are eating, you realize that you are eating a lot more than you think. I lost the first 45 without any exercise. I recommend the exercise though b/c it really helps tone up the flabbies. Another thing that really helped me was finding an exercise goal. I decided that I wanted to run in a half marathon. Having a date that I had to be ready and a training schedule made it much more motivational, you can get training schedules for any thing online! GOOD LUCK, you can do this!!!!

My friend had a similar problem between pregnancies. I am sorry I don't recall the specifics except to say they insisted it wasn't thiroid she kept getting other opinions until someone would agree it wasn't normal and she had surgery on her neck. I think it was a cyst on her thiroid. Best of luck. You know your body, if you feel something is wrong, keep seeing DRs until you get the answers you need.

It has only been 4 months. It took you 9 months to put it on so give yourself time. It is also your third child, you can't expect miracles of your body.

Good luck,
D.

If you're breast-feeding, your body just might want to hold onto the weight as supply for milk.
I heard 10 up, 10 down. If it took 10 months to gain, give yourself 10 to lose. The fact that you've already lost the "baby weight" part is something to be proud of in itself!

I had the same problem after my 2nd daughter. I did Weight Watchers and lost 25 pounds in 3 months. It's easy to stick too since you get to eat the same things as the family, just in smaller portions. If you exercise it earns you more "points" and after the first week or so I never felt hungry. Watching those pounds melt off felt so good!

Good luck in whatever you do. I know you can do it!

I am doing Weight Watchers and it has been working well for me. I have lost 26 lbs. I find with them if I have a week of no weight loss (Which I am losing about a 1 lb a week) then it is usually when I am not writing down what I am eating and taking an extra bite here or there and it is adding up to more than I think. (Like eating leftovers off the kids plates or snacking while I am cooking dinner) Also I find if I drink my water I always do better too. Well good luck I still have 25 lbs left after having my 3 kids (youngest one 7 months old and the oldest 3 year old). Also my friends always say it took 9 months to put on that weight it may take 9 months to take it off.

good luck
M.

K.,
I am a mother of 6. When #2 was born, I weighed 125 pounds, which is 15 pounds underweight for my height. My ex-husband wasn't concerned with food in the house, he had his cars that needed attention, so I don't know how in the world it happened, but in 2 weeks after the baby's birth, I weighed 148, and there I stayed until the next baby. Every time I gave birth, within 2 weeks I was back to what I weighed just before the baby came. I couldn't lose weight, no matter when I tried. My baby daughter is almost 25 years old, and I'm 200 pounds and I hate it. My middle daughter got me on a "diet" where you drink water and eat less, (# of ounces of water = to 1/2 of your weight in pounds, so I need about 50 ounces a day). I droped almost 30 pounds, but -- like most dieting and people -- I could not stick to it, and am up to 200 pounds again...UGH!! I know the water/less food (do not starve yourself) works. NO DIET PILLS or excess eating of one food, those don't help most people!

You gotta find something fun! Jazzercise is awesome! Especially if you like shaking your groove thing! I go to one in Valley Park or one in Chesterfield. www.jazzercise.com

I am also a mother of 3 and gained 65 pounds with my last child. I weighed 218 when I had here. I was really discouraged after I had her, because I thought that I would never lose it. After 11 months I weigh 135. I started weight watchers and walked everday on my tred mill after everyone went to sleep. I teach full time and then come home and have my mom duties so that is the only time I had to myself. I still to this day eat the frozen meals and cook from the cook book and it is all really good. Mind over matter. If you are like me I am a pretty picky eater so I wondered if it would work. It has worked for me and I love it.

D. Rakers

Hi, I helped my husband loose 80lbs in 3 months. First we cut out soda (even diet soda). Took a multivitamen/multimineral. Cut out sugar. We went to all natural sugars like steve sugar, honey and malasas. Increased our hot spices in our food. Especially cayenne peppers. And ate foods high in fiber and protien. example chili. We hardly ever ate out and about two months later he started working out. Read the Makers Diet. It is an amazing book and it works.

Really my best advice is to slow down and don't be so h*** o* yourself. You only had a baby 4 months ago. You have a busy life and I'm certain it's a bit stressful. The best way to loose weight is to relax and have some fun with it. Get a workout buddy. But in all reality you shouldn't be upset about not dropping the extra weight after only 4 months. There's the old saying that it took you 9 month to get that way it's going to take at least that long to undo it. And every baby is different....you may have carried this last baby differently then your others and your body really is different this time. I know with my first baby I was back into my old pants in 2 weeks. But with my second baby I never got back into them. I weighed the same (eventually, it took me a whole year and a half) but they never fit again. And now I've had my third child I have thrown them out and realized I'm just not the same any more and I won't ever be again. So relax. Take your time. And give your body some time to heal. You'll make it I'm sure. You sound very determined. Good luck to you.

K.,

I too am in the same boat, wanting to lose 25lbs. There are many days when I feel discouraged and wonder if getting up early and working out is really going to make a difference. I'm sure I have nothing new to offer but, here are a few things that help me... Remember the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady will help keep the weight off longer than a quick fix. I always remind myself that the scale is not the only determining factor of me reaching my goals. I go by how my clothes fit and only step on the scale once a month so I don't get obsessed with the numbers. The other thing I always remind myself of is that working out is not just about losing weight. It's about choosing a healthy life style so I can be strong and keep up with my child and family activities. I have to remember that my choices today will determine how well I age and what kind of grandma I'll be someday. Try taking a picture of yourself in a bathing suit. Tuck it away in a notebook with your goals. Then each month take a new picture. I bet you'll be surprised to see things really are changing but, you don't notice them as much because you see yourself every day. Some practical advice is to make sure you drink lots of water. I know everyone always says that but, I know I feel so much better when I drink lots of water. You might also add some weight training to your workout. Weight training alternated with aerobic work out will help keep you tone and strong. Nothing drastic you don't want to look like the hulk. You might find a workout buddy. I have four friends that keep me focused. We are not even in the same state but, we email each other twice a week with encouragement, praises reports, and keep each other focused on our goals. My girlfriends know what my goals are and they keep me on track each week. We don't comment about anything negative but find the joy and treasures each week holds. Some weeks it may be that all I've done is eat right or drink water. Stick with it K., it's always too soon to quit. Your family will be so proud of you and just think about all the great things your children are going to learn when they see mom set and achieve goals, stick with something even though it's hard, making healthy choices, and having more fun. Surround yourself with the positive and find joy in each day. Then write down something that you are proud of yourself for and hang it on your bathroom mirror. Use this time to really focus on your achievments, not matter how small. Read great motivational books. I’m finding that as I focus on making life changes with my diet and exercise that the rest of my life is coming into focus too. My house is cleaner and more organinzed and I have more energy. Every day is filled with 1440 minutes for you to grab hold of and make something great happen. No looking back on past failures…it doesn’t matter how many times you have tried to lose weight in the past. Every day is brand new with no mistakes. I wish you awesome success on your journey. Makes goals and Dream Big!

Go for greatness,
Fellow mom on a journey
F., Discovery Toys mom

"If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build, ends up building us." Jim Rohn, Motivational Speaker

“If you think you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” Anita Roddick

OH Sweetie, do I ever know how you feel. First of all, I am 36 y/o and my son will be 2 in June. My husband and I didn't want any children, but GOD thought different, and boy oh boy, he sure new what he was doing. I wouldn't trade my little Louie for anything...I didn't know what true Love was / is till I had him. (What a true blessing) BUT, I have always been very very fit - I have been told that I look like Heather Locklear and in my high school days sometimes it was Stevie Nicks...I am not being conceided, (just trying to give you an idea of what I am going thru as well) but I have always been a very pretty woman with an almost perfect figure. I stand 5'2 at 125 - 135 pounds (depending on that time of the month)...But before I had Louie and married my husband I always weighed between 115 - 122 (give or take)..a size 4-6 jeans would suit me just fine. (I think you get the picture).... NOW, since Louie, my body has changed and I have had a hard time accepting that I am 36 soon to be 37 and getting the weight off isn't as easy as I though it would be. Granted, I weighed 165 at the time they took Louie early at 32 weeks...and I did manage to get back down to 125 - 135, so I shouldn't complain. BUT for me, it is still a "problem" & the problem is when my clothes are off and I look in the mirror... I realize and see that I no longer have that firm BUTT, I don't have that nice tummy. The c-section really did something to my tummy & I feel like I will never have that 6 pack again. My thighs are even fater. Carrying him just changed my figure. I just don't look the same. (and yea, it bothers me). With my clothes on, I can squeeze into my jeans and you cant really tell that I have this insecurity, but it bothers me. When I talk to my husband about it, he reminds me in such a sweet way that I am older, my metabolism has slowed down, & despite my busy schedule, this extra 10 - 15 pounds might not EVER come off. & that is OK with him...he says I look perfect to him. I exercise a lot, I work 12 hour days / 60 hours a week and move around a lot on my job...I go home to 4 big dogs in which I walk as often as I can, I pick my son up from daycare and tend to all of his needs, I keep my house very clean and vacuum a lot..(as you can imagine with 4 dogs), I do a lot of laundry and go up and down the stairs to our basement - I really, really do my share and perhaps if I didn't do all of this, I would weigh 150. My whole family is fat...and it scares me cuz they too are about 5'2" - and I look at them and know that even though I love them with all of my heart, I never ever want that - my Mom and my aunt and my sister all weigh over 200 pounds - Could this be my future? I also have severe back problems with 2 herniated discs and have been told by several Doctor's that I do too much and that is why I hurt - SO...I know how you feel. The good new for YOU K. is that you just had your little angel -...some of the fat will come off when your body gets back to realizing that it doesn't need those harmones that we carry when we're pregnant - and it sounds like you are really, really trying. You didn't mention how old you are, but in my case that is a big factor...ten years ago, this weight would've come off (or so I think). Another problem that I have is my husband is chunky and eats anything he craves. This means that there are always goodies in the house, and he loves to cook !!! He's a great cook and I want to eat his fatening food. What I TRY to do is sincerely watch my fat grams through the week and then when the weekend arrives, I PIG OUT !!! I treat myself to whatever I want. In fact when I e-mail my hubby I have given him the name and call him "Chubby Hubby" & he has NO desire at all to lose weight. His health is perfect according to blood tests and the Doctor says that all of his triglycerides etc... are like a 20 y/o. I realize this may catch up to him, but he is 45 y/o and doesn't mind that he's chunky and neither do I. Infact, he would look funny to me if he were skinny. K., you are doing great and I commend you bunches and bunches on having 3 children and staying sane - (I have one and he's enough !!! We will not have anymore). Just give it a little time and YOU WILL SUCCEED !!!! God Bless. M. L. W.

I was recently introduced to Baby Boot Camp, it incorporates workouts that you can do with your children. The lady I heard speak is from Olathe and may be opening up a location in Prairie Village. Her groups also meet at parks and exercise while pushing their baby strollers and really support each other. She was a real nice lady with 2 kids of her own, if you're interested in more info. Google BABY BOOT CAMP.
Also, eating low-glycemic really worked for me after my 3rd child. Basically, you eat foods that are lower in sugar, no need to count calories! It's a great lifestyle system, not a diet, check out this website for more info. www.transitionslifestyle.com GOOD LUCK! V.

I had a hard time losing weight too, I myself figured out missing meals made me gain weight. I started eating better and exercising more. I lost 20 pounds in 3 months. I don't know if that helped at all.