Weight Loss After 4. HELP PLEASE!

Hi, I am 40 and 5'0 - one child 6 years old boy - and I was always 100 lbs. until pregnancy. gained 60 lbs. and have spent the past 6 years trying to lose it. i am 115 now and still trying to lose the last 5-10 lbs. I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and am now on medicine and that has helped tremendously. the rest i lost with weight watchers. it really works,but you must write what you eat. keep a pad in the kitchen and really write the truth. you can even just sign up online and skip the meetings. i never gained back what i lost and have also had heel spurs and a neck injury that limits my ability to excercise without pain. i was a professional dancer and flight attendant and 100 pounds was expected. my family is of french heritage also and are all slim. i do not consider myself underweight, nor was i ever. i always ate what i wanted. with age and children, i do have to watch what i eat now. the little cookies add up more now. and i truly believe nutra sweet and coffee bloat me. i still have to have one cup in the morning - starbucks is my only addiction. but i do espresso with nutra sweet and non fat milk. green tea is really much better and keeps the fluid off more. also, if you think you might be hungry, drink water and lots of it. really 8-16 glasses a day. it really works. lots of times you feel hungry, but really your body needs fluids. i am a fast one to eat too - so i keep tortilla wraps - whole wheat in the fridge and throw the veggies in it with some protein and a big glass of h20. best of luck. and dont feel bad about losing that last 15. i want to also - and i will.

High protein and plenty of water!

I just wanted to say that I am in the same boat, I just had my third and am at the same weight and height. I love my kids but the weight gain and having to loose it sure is the downfall. Thanks for asking the question, I was able to gain alot of insight too. Good Luck!

Dear C.,
I think "The Enzyme Diet" might be just the thing for you. I'm trying it myself because in addition to having great tasting meal-replacement shakes, they offer activity plans, support, measurement guides, and great tasting recipes too. It will definitely take less time to mix up a shake for one meal a day. If you want to check it out go to www.infinity2.com/3angels and read about it. All of their products have a guarantee that the ingredients are absorbed for maximum nutritional benefits.
Good luck with 4 kids. Try to do something fun for yourself now and then. That will benefit you and the kids.

God Bless,
Angie

Hi C.. I know weight lose is a big concern for mothers after having kids. I have two boys, one is 10 years old and the other is 15 months, and I have another one on the way. I am 13 weeks now. After my first child, 10 years ago, I kept on the weight. It wasn't until 2002 that I really got into exercising and weight training. Therefore, when I had my second child I was already in good shape. After I had him I was back into a size 6 after two weeks of having my second child and before I got pregnant with my third child I was wearing a size 4. I learned a big lesson between having my first two kids. After my second child, I basically had to eat just fruits and vegetables for three months. I learned this from my Asian friends. It is a tradition that they carry in their culture and that is why they stay so small, especially after having kids. No meats....they told me that certain meats can cause infections in the body especially if you had a c-section delivery. I drunk plenty of water, no sodas. Only 100% juices and stayed away from dairy products. It was almost like fasting. I ate mostly salads, with no meat, and soy products like veggie burgers and etc. I was able to lose the weight without exercising while I was on maternity leave. After the three months, I was able to eat the normal things I use to eat, but just stayed away from a lot of sweets and sugar. Those things I ate in moderation. I also had to become more active after the three months. I started off by just walking for about 20 minutes either outside or on a treadmill. I found it easy to do the treadmill early in the morning before anyone else wakes up in the house. It not only made me feel better, but also gave me a burst of energy throughout the day. After a while you can buy some light dumb bells from Wal-Mart or Target and include a little weight training. That is something you and the kids can do together. It is really fun to get infront of the TV and act like you guys are shooting a workout video.

I hope this helps. I can't really refer you to any good books because I stop reading them because the meal plans that they provided just didn't fit into my lifestyle nor my budget. Stay encourage and stay active. Remember your beautiful anyway not matter what you may think you look like on the outside. I'm sure you have four beautiful children that will agree with me on that one.

Hi C.,

Check out www.gofigure8.com for some great options. It is easy, healthy on the go good increasing protein and fiber intake and it all tastes great. You need a referral code to shop the products if you see something you like. Let me know if you are interested and I will help you with access.

Take care,
SAHM of 2, ages 6 & 8, 141 lbs and moving towards a 129 goal for my 10th wedding anniversary on July 18th

I've had a lot of luck w/ this site. I hope it helps.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/mycommunity.asp

Hi C.,
I have shed 52 pounds using Shaklee's weight management program called "Cinch". The products are all natural and the program offers many recipes for healthy foods, as well as good snack choices. If you are interested visit my website and complete the "contact me" section. I have helped many others to shed those unwanted pounds. I would love to share the program with you.

J. H.
www.shaklee.net/jackie_vernell_hill

There is a book titles "Eat Great Lose Weight" by Suzanne Somers. Very sound eating ideas. I read this book about six years ago - can't believe it has been that long - and had great success. I have kept the weight off and still eat (mostly) the way the book suggests. It is not a deprivation plan, but a healthier way to eat. It does have you illiminate sugars and processed flour for the weight loss section. The first week was a little difficult to cut out the sugars, however it became easier and I did not miss sugars so much. It is a very easy plan to follow - as I said, I still eat this way. I have been in the fitness industry since 1992 and this is the first plan that I recommend to my clients who want to lose weight. It just makes sense. I tell them that they are doing a nutritional overhaul - NOT going on a diet. I could go on and on about dieting, but I won't - unless you write back and say that you want more information. Good luck to you. J.

Hey C....I wouldn't be tooo concerned about your weight. I'm 5'3", 185lbs and am very healthy..just thick. However, YOU need to be comfortable with YOU. You're gorgeous the way you are, I'm sure.

I do know of a company called Market Day that provides pre-made meals. The selections are marked so that you know if they are low-carb, low fat, etc. I can tell you that they have some REALLY good food. The sweet corn is off the chain! lool....their website is www.marketday.com. One thing you may look into is to see if any of the schools or organizations in your area use them as a method of fundraising. The school or organization often gets a percentage from the sale of the food stuffs to benefit them. Check it out, I'm sure it will help. I'm a football/basketball mom, so I can't tell you how many times those pre-cooked meals saved me!

Good luck!

D.

Good morning C.,

Being a woman who has always struggled with her weight, I would first suggest not to stress about it. Stress will not help, but hinder you. Also, having previously taken the DEPO shot, I know that it can be difficult to lose weight, because one of the side effects of DEPO is weight gain. With that being said, you can go to the South Beach Diet website and just register for them to send you recipes, also with Weight Watchers. You don't need to actually join the full fledge program to get some pretty interesting tips and quick recipe ideas. Most of them are quite tasty. Another tip is to drink plenty of water!

Have a blessed day.

S.

i would get a rachel ray 30 minute meals and change all the ingredients to low fat or fat free and substitute chicken or fish. that will help with the quick meals and great for you.

another option is Nutrisystem. that is how i lost the last 10 pounds after having my daughter.

first place you should go is www.sparkpeople.com it is free and full of information. my sign on name is maycruise and i have three (although 2 are grown) children. there are exercises, blogs nutrition info videos for exercise etc etc and a great way to track what you are eating. hope that helps.

I had success on the Firm meal plan that came with their TransFirmer. They have a meal plan on their site. I also love the meals on Denise Austin's site. These are sites you must pay to be a member, but it is not very expensive.

Hey C.,

I've had two children and I look like I have not had any because I chose weight watchers. I got the accountability that I needed, the support I needed and I could still eat all the same foods I loved. I didn't have to buy someone else's special made food. Weight Watchers taught me how to use certain substitutes for foods to make the same things I love. Like for omlets, I can have a 3 egg omelet by using egg whites instead of the whole egg. It's healthier that way. I can also have pizza and cheesecake and can even go out to eat if I choose to. They also have a website you can ask questions of others on weight watchers. I only needed to loose 15 lbs, but in 6 months I got it off and kept it off. That was a year ago. Check it out: www.weightwatchrs.com

C.,
Wow your almost 29 with 4 kids and you only weigh 123 lbs!!! Girl just relax and enjoy your time with your kids, your doing great. Do you realize some of us moms--at an older age!--would love to even see 120 lbs again. Truth be told, your probably at the best 'healthy' weight for you with just having had a baby and all. And as I'm sure you know, as long as it takes us to put the weight on during pregnancy..it takes that long to get it off. Thank goodness we're not celebraties and under contract to loose weight in 3 WEEKS!
Please don't be obsseive about your weight where that's the ONE thing you continue to focus on. If its something you must do, then do some exercises that you can include your kids in...brisk walks, floor exercises, etc.. Live your life happy, strong and worry free

I can help you with it, and you will loose the weight that you want too. Lets set up a time to talk and go from there.

Hi, C.-

The Mayo Clinic website has great resources: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/HealthyLivingIndex/Healt...

Also, this site helps me a lot. You can track what you're eating and get a lot of healthy ideas:

http://caloriecount.about.com/

Here's another great site:
http://www.realage.com/

Hi, C.!
I'm a breastfeeding mom, asll well. My littlest is almost 12 months, and we're still going strong! I nursed my oldest daughter til she was 16 months. I'm not familiar with the shot you just received. What was that for? I, too, had trouble losing weight while breastfeeding (the whole "breastfeeding makes you lose!" didn't seem to work for me!). I've found that exercising consistently (at home videos is what I do), making healthier food choices and adding some safe supplementing has helped me tremendously! You can check out my story at www.advocare.com/05102522 and let me know if you have any questions! Best wishes!

Hi C. - I would recommend a CINCH shake from Shaklee since you don't have a lot of prep time - it not only helps you lose inches but helps the metabolism and retain muscle - CINCH also has a healthy tea and meal bars - you can learn more at www.shaklee.net/integrativewellness. Good luck zann

Hi C.,

For your information, the Depo shot adds weigh by increasing body fat and body fluids because it sends a message to your brain that you are pregnant.

Is there alternative way you can manage BC rather than the Depo Shot?

Voice of experience. Good luck. D.

Sounds like you're doing great to me! Exercise and eating healthy are really your best game plan, so keep it up and you'll get there.
In addition to that, you may want to consider a Cleanse/Detox. I did a "NutriClean 7 Day Cleanse" along with a 2 week "fruit, veggie and high protein fish" fast after having my daughter and lost about 9 pounds which was more weight than I had originally planned to lose. You can find it online at:
"www.marketamerica.com/onque" in the health and nutrition section. If you decide to do it you definately want to stay away from fatty foods and proteins and stick to fiberous foods (fruits & veggies)that help to clean out your bowels and intestines. Although its a light cleanse and not as intrusive as a colonic, you should definately see the difference in how your clothing fits and feel the difference in your energy level.
Also - if you find that Depo is troublesome for you and you have constant cravings, you may want to talk to your Dr. about an IUD - I researched the Mirena and Paraguard brands on the market and found that they had fewer side affects than many other options out there. Just a thought!

Good luck to you!

N.

I am also trying to loose the last 10 after having my daughter, she is 1. I got a cook book called The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. I have tried several of the recipes out of it and my family has enjoyed every one of them and they don't take a lot of time to make. I hope this helps.

Hi C., I am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International and we have awesome Figure 8 weight loss products and a weight loss program that WORK! If you are interested, go to my website: www.wholelifewellness.myarbonne.com or visit arbonne.com
Shakes taste great and I like to add fruit and/or yogurt. It's also very quick and easy.
Please contact me if you'd like to know more.
I hope to hear from you.

Congrats on #4! I have three with the youngest turning one in a month. I didn't have trouble loosing weight with the first 2. After #3, I did Weight Watchers - online only. I only needed to drop 10-15 pounds. I logged in my weight and what I ate and got it under control. It only took a few months to get where I wanted to be - and a little more. If you google for a WW discount, there should be one out there. I'm where I need to be now, so I just need to quite the membership. I also picked up a WW cookbook at BJ's wholesale club and it is full of really good recipes, and healthy recipies at that. We're used to eating lots and heavy southern foods and the recipes still had all the flavor we were looking for. And drink lots of water.

From a moral support perspective - go for it! Everyone told me to not worry about it but I didn't feel good about myself. 10 pounds doesn't sound like a lot or look like a lot on you, but it's important to stay healthy and feel good about yourself. It only gets harder as you get older. I'm 5'9", 35 years old and 140 pounds. I'm at a BMI of 20 and I'm pretty happy with that. Not unhealthy in either direction. Good luck!

I just read a really good book called In Defense of Food. It's not a diet book per se, but it does make some really wonderful suggestions on healthy eating - sort of a holistic philosophy of eating all natural and unprocessed foods. Anyway, the idea is that you want to avoid as much processed food as possible, which is, frankly in a lot fo "diet" foods and recipes. While this is not a direct response to your question, just generally, my suggestion would be to be careful with recipes and suggestions that seem "low calorie" or contain substitutes for things because it could end up causing more issues with weight. As for a book with recipes - try out cookbooks from the American Diabetes Association (or just diabetes cookbooks generally). These tend to have recipes that contain low sugar items - which of course turn into carbs, which turn into fat and contribute to extra weight. But again, be careful with any recipes that don't require using fresh, natural ingredients. Hope this helps!

C.,

I really wouldn't worry about the last few pounds. I am a mom of 4, they are now grown ages 27,24,21,20. I found that I would get hungry and would make hot air popcorn in a bowl for snacking. The kids would also snack on this (would sprinkle taco seasoning, parmasean cheese or any other flavorings. As the youngest one started crawling etc. I was never able to stay in one place long (unless sleeping), was constantly on the go and as the weather was warmer we were always outside doing stuff (walking, biking) and the weight came off easily. We also started a rule in the house that no one at anything after a certain time and that helped.

Good luck

I'm confused...your 5'1 and only 123 lbs and want to loose more weight??? I'm 5'2 and a normal weight for 5'2 is between 125-130.

Hello C.,

If I may suggest, Cinch Inch Loss (weight loss too) is a great program to help individuals who want/need to lose weight. In addition to the products being natural, healthy and safe, the next best thing about this program is that it burns the fat and not the muscle so that you lose the inches quickly and safely, and what follows naturally is the weight loss. It's an all natural program developed by Shaklee. Please visit my website at www.shaklee.net/jmckenna to learn more about this great product.

I'm currently working with an individual who is 4' 11" and wants to lose 25 pounds. She started using Cinch around early March this year and has lost about 5 inches and almost 5 pounds. She said she's thrilled with the program and her body feels healthy and clean on the inside, and she definitely likes what she's seeing on the outside as well. I'm also working with woman who is nearly 325 pounds and a man who is 385 pounds. She is going to begin the program next week; he has been on the program for about 3 weeks and has lost nearly 10 pounds.

I hope you will look into this truly great program with the company that founded the wellness industry. Because of their tremendous commitment to safety and scientific integrity, and their rich history of integrity for over 50 years, I am proud to recommend ALL of their natural products to everyone.

We are not encumbered by territories and have consumers throughout the metropolitan Maryland, DC, and Virginia area, as well as across the country. Many people find it convenient that they may order online at our website, or by calling me directly. Please feel free to contact me at ____@____.com and we can exchange phone numbers to discuss the program further.

Regards, J..