Looking for Moms to Share Their Stories About Loosing Weight After Kids

Another person to chime in regarding the value of Weight Watchers. I was born big - 10 lbs. And have never been my right weight.

I lost 40 POUNDS in about 5 - 6 months with WW. And that's with no exercise. Going to graduate school, working full time, being a mother and a wife, who has time to work out?

I just changed my eating habits, LOGGED what I ate on WW Online. I still got to eat some "fun stuff" every now and then, too and I *still* lost the weight.

Never thought it was possible for me.

The key is really committing to a life change, not a diet. That's why I've been successful with Weight Watchers because it's about making permanent changes to the way you look at food.

My best tip is to write down what you eat so you're accountable. I do that with WW and it's eye opening. Get a calorie counter book or use one online to get familiar with what you're eating. Look at correct portion sizes on containers. That's also a huge eye opener. Think deck of cards for meat servings. Half a cup to one cup of pasta. Add salads with salad dressing spritzers to your meals to help fill you up. The more educated you are about what you're putting in your body, the easier it will be to make smart choices.

As far as losing belly and back weight, drink lots of water. That will help clear things out. Do lots of cardio exercise (walking in hilly areas is a good one). I've found that all of the ab targeting weight machines don't really do it for me -- it's the cardio that's getting rid of the tummy.

Good luck!

<grin> Yeah... long story short... I DOUBLED my weight when I was pregnant (I'm 6'1... bikini weight for me is about 180). The first 100 lbs were pretty easy... took about 2 years. Then I had a crazy 2 years and just maintained where I was at. Then lost 50 more. Then had a crazy year. And am on the last 50.

Easy tricks:

- WALK EVERYWHERE. (Walking is the best, hands down, exercise for weightloss). When I was at my fittest, I was walking 5mi + per day. Easy "get into the habit" walking trick? Park at the very very end of the aisle in the parking lot. As far away from the store as possible. Then walk to the store.

- For every meal you make, cut it in half and save the rest for later. Even if later is an hour later. Feel free to pick at your left overs all day long. You'll be amazed at how much less hungry you are 30 minutes after you've eaten. It gets you on the track of eating 5-6 times a day (which is better for us) and small meals (which is also better for us) and keeps your *metabolism* and *body* thinking food is plentiful, and not hoarding the calories we get from it.

- Sit up straight. And stand up straight. The vast majority of our calories are burned purely from not being puddles (the next biggest chunks go to our immune and digestive systems). Our muscles keeping our bodies in the position we want them. Sprawl is comfy, because we're not using our muscles. Get in the habit of sitting and standing up straight, and you not only burn a lot more calories, but the muscles that hold your organs in, will do so automatically.

- Leanr to LOVE the plateaus. The plateau is your body adjusting to a new weight being "normal". Really, we want them, because our bodies kind of "reset" themselves. When we try and push beyond the plateaus, our bodies fight back, and we have to a) work really hard and b) end up yo-yoing as our bodies try to revert to the old "normal". Each plateau is a victory. Be thrilled with them.

Thirty minutes is really not much time to do much of an exercise program. I would switch off from day to day as to what you are going to do. Example: walking one day, yoga the next, jogging the next, yoga again and so on.... I lost forty pounds after my last baby because I went to the gym and got a personal trainer and changed to a healthier diet. I ate more fiber and more vegetables. Remember that if a person loses only one pound a week they are more likely to keep the weight off. Keeping a positive attitude helps bunches and changing the entire family over to a healthier lifestyle gives everyone support to accomplish these goals.

I know what you mean! I had a horrible time losing that "last 20 pounds" and of course the older I get, the harder it is to lose the weight. What I was really lacking was the motivation to really push myself to the next level in my workouts. Like you, I did speed-walking, however that wasn't really doing much for me anymore, and it doesn't tone the core muscles or arms.

One day I heard an ad for Adventure Boot Camp on the radio and thought, well, why not give it a try and see if it kick-starts my workout routine? I signed up in January and have been coming back ever since! It's GREAT! You may want to google it and see if there's one in your area. My mom saw that I was getting results, and she signed up, too (she lives in another state). And now she has lost 20+ pounds. The reason it works for me is that every workout is different; you never get bored because you never know what's coming next. It's outdoors (during nicer weather), so that makes it interesting as well. The very best part of it for me is my trainer. She is so energetic and cheerful, and she really connects with each person so we all feel accountable to her. She gives a nutritional seminar before each session (the sessions last 1 month), and you weigh and measure at the beginning of the month and at the end of the month. I've been so happy to have lost 4" off my hips and waist (the sad thing is, I didn't realize I'd gotten big enough to have 4" to lose - denial isn't just a river in Egypt, LOL). My arms are toned now so I don't feel embarrassed to wear short sleeves. Heck, I'm even wearing shorts and I haven't worn those since the kids were born!

So, Adventure Boot Camp. Check it out. I promise that if you go, you'll have fun and be encouraged and you WILL lose the weight! Don't let the 5:30am start time scare you - I am seriously NOT a morning person, but I actually wake up on boot camp days before my alarm goes off because I'm excited to go. Yes, really! =)

Good luck! You can do it!!

Good for you for wanting to change!

I lost all 74 pounds of my pregnancy weight, and I now weigh 30 pounds less than I did when my twins were born a year and a half ago. I'm just working on the last 20 pounds now.

In addition to walking, change it up a bit with some light strength training. By building/toning some muscle, your metabolism increases and you burn calories more efficiently. So, instead of walking two days a week, do some activities around the house such as lunges, arm lifts, and such (I love Wii Fit for this, but you can find some easy workouts on different parenting magazine websites). Also, if you're not drinking lots of water and taking a multivitamin, these will also help.

As for dietary changes, I did recently join Weight Watchers to help with the last of the weight. Some easy changes that have really helped me are switching to whole grains. My entire family now eats whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice. I also aim to get in at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Good luck to you!

You're received great suggestions but I wanted to tell you about a website my husband and I use = http://caloriecount.about.com/

Also when I was first attempting to loose weight I read in Natural Health magazine that sometimes when you are hungry in between meals, satisfying that need with something crunchy helps.

Try eating celery, apples, carrots, bell peppers, etc as a snack and see if that helps you too.

IMO the biggest factor to losing weight is all in the motivation and you have that now!!! What better motivation than your own children =-)

Best of luck!

Try this link. http://www.nationalguard.com/life/fitness and click on diet and fitness. I found it a couple days ago and think his meal plan sounds great. I'm going to follow it this week after I go to the grocery store. I think he also explains weight management and health in a great way.

I'll second the value of keeping a food log. I log mine at www.nutrimirror.com. Its a free website and very, very helpful. Basically, it creates a "food label" for your day, so you know calories/fat/carb/protein intake, your Vitamins, etc. It calculates your calorie needs, and you can add your exercise, and then just eat under those calories by an appropriate amount. I love that its just the 'real ' food you and your family eat every day, so you can be an intelligent guide for the whole family.

I love weightlifing and interval training. See crossfit.com, for example.

I think you are smart to get in shape for pregnancy. I'm sure it will be a more energetic, joyful time.

With both my pregnancies I have lost all my baby weight and then some. I am a very thin/fit girl. So here is what I know. To shed the pounds it all boils down to one thing.......burn more calories then you consume. Now that doesn't mean you need to exercise like crazy. 30 mins of walking a day or even every other day is great. But what you really need to do with that is actually count your calories to make sure you aren't eating too many and by doing this the weight will fall off. You can go online to sites like mydailyplate and you can type in your age, weight, and how much you want to lose and it will tell you how many calories to eat a day. Then you have to keep track. It will even tell you the calories in fast food or other places to eat so even when you go out you know how many calories you ate. To make counting easier I also eat simple things that have the whole calorie info right on the package. Like a slimfast for breakfast....sometimes lunch. Or a smart ones frozen meal is so much more healthier than getting fast food when you don't feel like making dinner. I try to snack on fruits, or nuts. Protein really helps to fill you up like eggs or a chicken breast. I know it's hard but you can do it. Just don't give up!