Weight Loss Ideas

I lost weight during my last pregnancy (gained overall, but my own body was losing) 'cause of how I was eating for gestational diabetes. I had previously lost some weight following some of the info in "Ultrametabolism" by Dr. Mark Hyman (OMG, though, don't sign up for his newsletter...I get stuff from them all the time!), after having gained 10 lbs rapidly from cutting calories & exercising. No joke!!

Anyway, some tips:
- Skip the Pam and cook with olive oil. (You can use lots, it's so healthy for you!)
- Throw away everything with trans fats. Don't just look for a count, check the label for any hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils. Ditto for high fructose corn syrup.
- Don't eat for the last 2 hours before you go to bed, whatever time that is.
- Don't skip meals. Ideally, you should eat every 3-4 hours so your blood sugar is more stable.
- Limit the carbs. Don't go overboard, but watch them. Stick to like a fist-sized portion of high-carb foods (pasta, bread, tortillas, rice, even beans).
- Sub things like soybean pasta (or that Barilla Plus one) for the white carbs. Whole grains are your best friend for weight loss.
- Eat high-protein snacks rather than high-carb ones. Skip the chips (or have just a few), but eat a piece of string cheese or a handful of peanuts.
- Eat lots of fiber. Salads are great for that if you don't use too much dressing. If you're having a higher-carb meal, try eating a couple of Metamucil fiber wafers or take some of those newer fiber vitamins some companies have.

Not only have I lost all 30 of the pounds I gained in my DS1's 2nd year, at 2 weeks post-partum from my 2nd I was back to what I weighed before I had my first son! And you'll notice there aren't a lot of "rules," here. It's a really simple thing to stick to since you're not making huge changes.

Best of luck to you!
O.

1 mom found this helpful

Have you tried doing just simple tiny things and add them one at a time? I decided once that I could do without butter on most things, because I like bread and veggies just fine without it. I didn't really look for any changes in my weight, but just wanted to make the change to be healthier. A few months later, I noticed that I liked my reflection better than before...
I fell off that wagon when I discovered "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray." I love that stuff. It tastes great and has no calories. I love it on air-popped popcorn. It isn't quite the same, but it fills you up and popcorn is good for you (lots of fiber) if there's no butter on it. But come on, who's going to eat it with no butter?
I've also heard to drink lots of water. LOTS of it. But I hate to drink water. I found myself drinking a lot of calories, so I decided to dilute my juice. I started adding just a little extra water in my glass, and every time it tasted a little strong to me, I added more. I worked my way up to 50/50, but I've noticed that lately I'm more like 25% juice, 75% water. So really, if I drink 4 of those a day, it's like one glass of juice and 3 of water. Can't hurt, right?
After I had my first baby, I couldn't believe that after jut 4 months, I had my body back. It certainly didn't happen like that the second time, so analyzing what I did different made me realize that I had strapped that baby to me with a Snugli and I went walking. We went on family "hikes" which were really just long walks in the wilderness. It was marvelous! We went on family vacations to National Parks and hiked around there some more. I'm not doing well in that department right now, but hopefully I can find small ways to get a little more active.
With 3 boys and callings, you've got to start small and make little changes. Remember that through small and simple things, great things come to pass!

1 mom found this helpful

M.,
My husband & I own a Health & fitness consulting company and we provide meal plans and exercise plans that fit into your lifestyle. The meal plan is precise and if you stick to the program you are sure to see results. We make it very plan specific according to what foods you like etc... We do require our clients to work out but we don't expect them in the gym constantly- usually 3-4 times per week depending on your personal goals. We do provide phone consultations & our phone # is ###-###-####. You can tell them that I sent you & that I offered you a free initial consult. You may also check out our website thfonline.com.

I hope you find the success you are looking for. Good Luck. :)

1 mom found this helpful

Bob Green's The Best Life Diet is a very helpful book :) Teaches you about good and back snacking, how much to eat without counting calories, there are several products now like yoplait yogurt (i believe) that are best life approved and have a little mark on the lid so it helps when shopping. I really enjoyed the book becuase its not so much about weight loss, but how to eat healthy forever, which will help you use weight in a safe way. And just a side note, this is how oprah lost weight.

M.,

1 - eat more often (at least 5 times a day, never skip breakfast)

2 - Control your ratios. Don't cut carbs , just eat healthy carbs, (carbs are energy) get protein in every time you eat.

3 - Base what you eat off of your activity levels. Eat more when you are going to be more busy, eat less when you are not going to be so busy.

4 - You need to build muscle to lose weight. Don't just do cardio, if all you do is cardio you eventually burn muscle. So weight training is important.

My husband and I own a company that teaches people how to get into the shape they want. We offer free consultations for people on mamasource, our clients see amazing result. Contact me if that is something you are interested in.

Sparks has a great website - it is free and it might help you stay motivated. I have found that you need to find either a exercise partner or an exercise that you like.
Weight loss without exercise is not healthy. (so i am told)

Hope that helps!

Hi M.,
Great job posing the question and taking charge of your fitness!

The most important thing is to find a nutrition program that works for you and your family.

If it is something unrealistic that you won't stick to long term, then the results will be just that...NOT long term.

The show "I can make you thin" does make sense and is realistic.

I reccomend eating 5-6 small meals a day, and trying to cut out processed carbohydrates (white breads and rice, pasta, etc.)

Try to include a fruit and/or vegetable with each and every meal.

A few quick and easy meal suggestions are: apple and string cheese, whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and honey and an orange, chicken salad with home made dressing:oil and balsmaic vinegar...

Eating every few hours keeps your blood sugars level and also allows you to make smarter food choices.

As for working out (which is another HUGE component to fat loss), I suggest you check out the Turbulence Training program by Craig Ballantyne.

You can find it at http://www.turbulencetraining.com

Craig is very well respected in the fitness community and his program has helped people worldwide.

Another great program to look into is the Fit Yummy Mummy program.

You can find it at http://www.fityummymummy.com

This program is by Holly Rigsby, another well respected fitness professional. Better yet, she herself is a mom!

Hopefully this gets you pointed in the right direction!

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do some research and find something you think you can stick to long term!

Best of Luck!
K.
www.ReNewed-Strength.com

Check out www.SparkPeople.com it is a FREE site dedicated to weight loss and healthy lifestyle. It is like myspace and weight watchers combined for FREE online....I love it!

I have been using the many aspects of the FREE site since early April and I have lost 21 pounds!!!!!! I know a little "yea me" in there, but it really is a great site. My theory on anyone who says a plan doesn't work....they probably weren't honest with themselves about how dedicated they were to the plan. Just my two cents.

Good luck. It is a hard thing to do, I know, especially when you are feeling depressed - then fatigue goes arm in arm with depression, etc. Even though I have had some success recently, doesn't mean I think it is easy...but then, "easy" wasn't making me happy.

If you want to have an instant friend on the site, look me up: Bronwyn_Baby is my profile name. :o)

I had a new baby 6 months ago...and have been working out without much actual weight loss on the scale...until a couple weeks ago when I incorporated this into my day. Check out what it is on my blog. www.fordeverfamily.blogspot.com it's amazing!!!!!

After I had my 3rd baby, I bought Dr. Phil's book "The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution Food Guide" after hearing about it on his show. It is the most successful thing I have ever found for both my husband and myself to get in shape and be healthy. I have 3 daughter's so we are very careful not to "diet" or cut out meals or just drink liquids or any other wierd fad diet out there because I don't want them to think that's healthy or okay. So we just talk about eating healthy and making good food choices. The best part about this book is that it's a 12 week program w/ the 1st 2 weeks being "Rapid Start" which will get you immediate results and help you stay motivated. He even gives you a 12 week meal plan for 3 meals and 2 snacks per day so it's pretty much brainless unless you want to tweak it a little if there's a particular kind of meat or veggie you don't care for. It also goes over portion sizes, which is a huge eye opener (American's eat way to big portions!) I lost all my baby weight and even an extra 8 lbs which put me under that plateau that I would always hit and stay at. Even now, 4 years later if my pants are feeling tight or we've been eating a lot on vacation or over the Holidays, I just follow the 2 week rapid start and I can quickly take off that 5 pounds or so. Give it a try and get your husband to do it with you because it makes it a lot easier to have the support. Best of luck!

I know it is so hard! It isn't fun when those thoughts start taking up so much of our energy. The best tip I can give is a new show on TLC called "I can make you THIN." It sounds crazy but it is amazing and I have never seen anything like it. The format looks a little crazy at first, but the guy is very respected in the UK and among celebrities and athletes here. I read an article where Simon Cowell, of American Idol was bragging about it. It is really unbelievable and definately thinking outside of the box. Please just watch one episode when you can focus on it. (No little ones around) Good luck- It isn't too late!

There was a Weight loss program on the Discovery Channel not that long ago, My father told me of it due to both of us are really trying to lose weight due to i have been heavy since i was little and ate food to help with stress, depression, anxiety,etc. It actually is working for people too this is what you do, If you eat out of being nervous you are to do a pressure releiving program, It requires you to poke your cheek like 10 times, move your eyes to your elbows, then roll your eyes around several times, then tap on your hand like 10 times, and sing the alphabet song etc. and it will take away your hunger, Also the other thing this guy did was blind folded people and let them eat the thing is what you see with your eyes makes you think you want it all. Try eating and between bites put down your fork chew and count to ten and chew slowly, dont watch tv or movies while eating, And over time you will see that you get full faster because you are eating slower, putting down your fork and slowly chewing, Hope this works. My dad says he actually eats half of what he was eating, Also my Cousin started eating on her childrens plates so she ate half of everything instead, the tip is dont pile it high!! best of luck

I am in the same boat. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them, too.

Hi. First of all my husband is active duty Navy but will be Reserves in a few weeks.

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Check this out and get back to me:

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I have found having fruits and veggies ready to eat helps me. I eat less than I would of a fattening snack, plus they last longer, so I eat fewer times. Last summer I lost two dress sizes this way, but never had it show up in pounds. I was able to keep it off for 4 months until I got pregnant again. I'm still doing the same thing, am 7 months pregnant and have only gained 4 pounds (partly due to the fact that I don't gain weight when pregnant, this is the most yet.) Also, something that was easier to do than I thought it would be was quit drinking sweetened drinks. Lots of water. Now I don't even think of the sweets even if they're in the house unless they're in plain sight. My habit now is to go to the veggie drawer of the fridge and get something. My two favorites that I always keep on hand are precut apples (green and red) and prepared fresh sweet snap peas. GL I know the frustration. I'm the skinny one in my family, but my husband's family is all skinny. I weight more normally than his sisters do 9 months pregnant! It is frustrating.

Loosing weight is one of the hardest things to do. After i had my daughter the first 20 lbs just melted away and i only had 8 pounds left to get back down to pre-pregnancy weight. I know thats not a lot but it took so long to lose it. (about 3 months). I did weight watches which i know you said didn't work for you but i have to ask how long did you try it for? I got so discouraged because it took like 3 weeks before i even lost 1 pound. With whatever diet you try you have to realize that it might take a month for you to lose just a couple of pounds but you just have to stick with it. And if you have a bad day or week of eating bad. don't beat yourself up over it just start the diet again. You might want to also try the low card diet. I know it's not a diet you can stay on forever but it does work. And because you only watch you cards you can still eat a lot and be full. I did low card once and there are lost of sweet and hardy foods you can eat while on it. If you want to know more just email me. Good luck.

A good book to read is Eat Fat, Lose Fat by: Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon

Much different than any other diet program.
Good Luck.
T. :o)

I have been doing Weight Watchers, and it has been really helpful to me to keep track of the things I eat by writing them down. In your post you said that you had tried Weight Watchers, so I am not sure if I can encourage you to try it again, but if you had a friend who wanted to join with you, it might help keep you on track.
Another thought (though I am guessing it is not what you want to hear) is that maybe your body is "happy" at the weight you are now, which is making weight loss difficult. I seem to hover at about the same weight unless I REALLY work to be smaller (which I am doing right now). It is basically the weight I have been since puberty, aside from the years when I was in college and somehow managed to stay thin (those were the good years!!!)
CHeck your BMI (body mass index) at the doctor's office, or you could find a chart on the internet. See if you are a healthy weight for your size. If so, maybe you should concentrate on toning rather than losing a bunch of weight. I hate exercise, except swimming and walking--I hate sweating!! But I make myself go for walks with my kids. If you have a local pool where you can do laps, try that, or taking a water aerobics class...or just take your kids for a walk each day. Let them ride their bikes, push them in the stroller, whatever. Just FORCE yourself to get out there...it's hard at first, but you'll feel better after it's done!

can you hire a personal trainer?

Can I say I lost 22lbs in December. I got bronchitis, which is not the way to go, but I didn't snack after 6pm when I was sick, which is something I did a lot. After the kids went to bed I indulged in salsa/chips, peanuts and things I really didn't think too fattening. Guess I was wrong.

However when I got sick I was in a panic as I lost weight so fast, the Dr explained that what my changes were when I was sick was what I needed to change to lose weight to begin with. No more glasses of wine (which I had like three a week prior), no more snacks after 6pm. I tried doing crosswords instead, reading or getting into my favorite shows. I also if I had to snack, snacked on a handful of almonds or sunflower seeds or a bowl of cheerios with skim milk.

I had to eat three meals a day or something at least to take my meds, which sometimes I just didn't eat every meal or skipped lunch, which is a diet no no. So doing this helped I think tremendously.

It blew me away to lose that weight within three weeks, I am 43 years old and was about 46 lbs overweight. I was miserable and didn't even know where to start. Funny as a silly thing like just no snacking at night, making sure I had something to eat three meals during the day and not let myself get too hungry was all it took. I haven't counted calories, haven't changed what I eat much at all. I also when I was sick drank green tea as it felt good so I have continued to do that! I still have about 20+ lbs to go and am working on walking more, continuing not to skip meals during the day but not snacking in the evenings.

Talk to your Dr too, sometimes they can offer good alternatives to helping you with what type you are bodywise and gear it more personally for you.

M.,

I totaly know what you mean! I have not tried this, but my mom is 5'1' on a good day and struggled with her weight for a while now, recently she found out her blood sugar was getting dangerously close the the diabetic level. She is not at all obese, but definately had some trouble with weight around the middle. I am built a little differently but also having some issues.

She bought two books, one was a book about a diet to combat diabetes and the other was the atkins diet book. I don't know the exact title of either, but she said that most of the information regarding diet and the best solutions were almost identical. They also listed out a recommened 2 week intense diet with a lifestyle changed diet to follow after that.

My mom lost 17 punds in one month without starving herself and feels like a million bucks! So me and my sister are in the process of aquiring some books and getting started with a plan out of these books that will work the best for each of us.

I hope that this helps. I know that there is a lot of hype about this diet, but with the help of a fully detailed and all inclusive piece of literature I really feel confident that some of the nightmares you hear about can totally avoided with a great end result. The hardest part is starting and getting on a roll, speaking for myself.

Whatever you are thinking of trying, try to find a supprt friend or relative that you think will share your level of commitment, that always helps me. Either that or I make a deal with my husband that when I have lost x amount of wieght and achieved x size then I get to buy x$ amount of clothes and shoes!!!! For me that is always a great motivator and has worked well in the past. Time for me to move into weight loss after baby number 4 mode!

Take Care and Good Luck,

M.