Losing and Maintaining Weight

I would love to hear what other mom's have to say. I have lost a lot of weight (65 pounds) since I had my son but it just seems like I am in a stand still and have not been able to lose any more weight in fact I have gained about 5 pounds which is definitely a Very big deal to me. I do not have the motivation or support to work out. I haven't worked out over a month. The clothes still fit me lose but I am still needed to lose about 45 pounds. I want to be the skinny and fit person I once was and want to be able to maintain it as well.

I been trying to get on Weight Watchers and taking Arbonne figure 8 but not really suceeding.

I just wanted to say Good Luck to you and I hope you find a way to lose and maintain your weight.

M.

Hi A., I am about 10 lbs lighter and leaner than I as in college and after having 3 children, all under the age of 9. Basically, I changed how I look at food. Food is meant to give you energy and sustanance. I only eat when I am hungry and STOP eating when I fillt he slightest bit full. The amount of food I eat has changed dramatically. I feel sick now if I eat too much. This is especially true at restaurants...which very few exceptions restaurants service 2-4 x times a normal portion. That is just gross and you should NOT feel compelled to eat even though you paid for it. I am a firm believer that you can eat almost anything you want, just have realistic portions, stop when you are full, and don't eat after 7 pm. I usually eat food that is a little different than what my kids eat.

Also, I eat throughout the day...probably 5-6 times. Just small snacks..For breakfast, I have a cliff bar or a cup of yogurt. I realize that if you are used to eating more than that, you will feel hungry. That is why it is OK to have a snack in the morning. You will adjust though. I rarely eat anything that is made from white flour. Another big thing I do is to avoid foods (I read all the labels) that has corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup in it. That stuff is just BAD. Start reading labels and you will see how it is in EVERYTHING.

I excercise 3-5 times a week. 30 minutes cardio and 15-20 minutes of weights. Yes, I do have 3 children. I found a family friendly gym that I love and THEY love. It is just a part of what we do as a family...we eat well, we rarely eat junk food, and we exercise.

It is a mindset and a lifestyle. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! It is not easy...but you can.

Hi A.,

Your answers are yes, yes & yes! I am a registered dietitian and weight management specialist. Much of my time is spent teaching healthy lifestyle classes at a pediatric facility for families that have overweight children. I have counseled many adults and children on living a healthy, balanced lifestyle that does not require the elimination of any one food, but focuses more on food patterns. This allows you to continue enjoying your favorite foods in moderation. This is really the best way to go because it decreases your risk of disordered eating, which is so prevalent in our country today! And really, most of the "naturally" thin people eat this way and that is why they maintain a normal body weight.

My private practice, Nutriphasics, was just rolled out this month and I still have some appointments still available. If you are interested in sitting down so I could do a one-on-one full nutrition assessment, I could answer all these questions and customize solutions for you and your family. I use a non-diet approach which is reasonable and easy to follow.

Let me know if you're interested! No pressure...this is NOT a gimmick or fad solution. Registered dietitians are very reliable because we are evidence-based...check us out at http://www.eatright.org. There is TONS of free information on this site for you to read. :D

A.

Here are some tips that my family has implemented. One has been cutting out white flour. If you want to use flour in cooking, you can bet unbleached all purpose flour or whole wheat. Use 100% whole wheat pasta and bread. My kids are 11, 6 and 2 and they turn their noses up to white bread and pasta.

Use fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible.

Don't use boxed meals like hamburger helper and other things. We usually have stir-fry or meat, veggie, rice/pasta/potato. Fish is really good for you. Start out with something like halibut or tilapia, because they are really light in flavor. Move to salmon too because it is tasty and really good for you.

Make sure you eat breakfast, like the others suggested. Have healthy snacks throughout the day for you and your kids. Just get all the junk food out of your house and make a switch to not buying it anymore. If you don't have it around, you won't be able to eat it. If you go to fast food a lot, try to cut back to once a week or, even better, once a month.

I too have been heavy in my past. I'm not sure how much I weighed, but was a size 14. I am now down to size 6 and I have three kids. I workout 4-5 times a week. Some really good programs are on Lifetime - Denise Austin and My Workout. They are at 6:00 and 6:30 am. Denise Austin also gives you recommendations on how to eat and live a healthy lifestyle during the workout. Another personal favorite is Total Body Workout with Gilad on FiTV.

On Discovery Health there are great healthy eating cooking shows. You can get recipies on their website. I use Epicurious.com, FoodandWine.com, Foodnetwork.com for recipes also.

Good luck and that is really great that you are wanting to make healthy changes in your life. It will definitely pay off for you and your family. Your kids will learn how to eat healthy at an early age, which is so important.

A., I am happy to help you. I have lots of free resources to help you achieve your goals on my website www.SuperMommiesFitness.com . As a personal trainer I also offer lots of services to assist you like boot camp fitness, Mommy & me fitness, and digital personal training for your iPod, MP3 player, or picture cell phone. You can also check out my other website www.MetroplexBootCamp.com . Taking the first step is the hardest part the rest is really fun.

I have been trying to lose the last bit of my pregnancy weight for awhile now and for the longest time nothing I did seemed to work. Then I heard some really great advice, when you go to the grocery store do most of your shopping on the outer sides of the store and try to avoid the aisles as much as possible. In most grocery stores the fresh fruits/veggies, meat and dairy are along the walls. That way if I don't go down the aisles I'm not tempted by all the junk food. I also started paying attention to the ingredients in the foods that I do pick up and I try to avoid anything with sugar (under all of its many names), corn syrup, and anything "enriched". I also started taking the time to cook stuff that I really enjoy, not just stuff that will fill me up. I usually make my kids eat whatever I cook for myself because no one needs to be eating a lot of the junk that's out there. Of course, I make exceptions and I don't expect them to eat only healthy food, but I try. Since I've changed my eating habits I've noticed a dramatic change in my weight and I feel so much better/more energetic. Probably in the last 4-6 months I've dropped from a size 8-10 to a sie 2-4.

You should check out Curves! They have Cardio and Strength training in 30 minutes. Personal trainers that guide you, every time you come in to work out!! They all know you by name.
I lost 12 lbs in 6 weeks!! They have a 6 wk program- eat small eats six times a day. I love the diet, each wk you have a grocery list. It's easy to follow, it's easy to cook and my three year old eats everything on it!!
You can buy the book at any local Curves- $5- $10
Check out the one in West Richardson, I think that one is the best! Arapaho and West Shore in the Tom thumb shopping center!
Good luck,
Val

A. - first of all - kudos to you for making the attempt to attain a healthy weight for the long term!!!! I have two young girls (3 and 11 months) and I know it is hard to have the energy to take care of yourself! My husband and I are both in the medical field and my husband also competes in triathlons in his personal time and has about 15 years of experience about this stuff under his belt. Here is what works for us and some of our friends and family . . .

1. the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. You may actually weigh more because muscle is denser than fat but even in periods of resting - you muscle mass requires energy to maintain itself and thus burns calories. I would try to include toning exercises into your exercise routine if you can (I bring two 5 pound weights with me on my morning power walks to work out my arms and shoulders) - it increases my calorie burning, increases my cardio workout and tones my arms at the same time.

2. eat smaller meals more often, I end up eating 5-6 times a day but smaller amounts . .. really key in to when I dont feel hungry anymore, and dont let myself get to that "full" feeling. keep high fiber snacks on hand - fruits, vegies, granola, etc - they are bulk forming and will fill you up and make you feel satisfied more often. Also, nuts - even though they are a fatty food, they are good fat and will decrease your cravings for high-fat/sweet foods (I am a chocoholic so this has really helped me). Also, my husband and I usually share an entree' when we go out to eat and it fills us up just right!

3. everything in moderation - I have found that depriving myself of the foods I love often backfires and I inhale 3 chocolate bars after two weeks of having none. so I set up a reward system. If I did my workout that day and kept on target with healthier eating choices then at the end of the day I treat myself with 2 squares of the yummiest dark chocolate I can find. It gives me something to look forward to and I actually sit down and take the time to truly enjoy them instead of inhaling them during a hectic day and not even really noticing how yummy they are.

4. be committed and forgiving, give youself a pep talk each morning that you are committed to talking care of yourself and that you want to be a good role model for your kids (that is what motivates me most on the mornings that I would rather sleep in - which is almost every one of tem ;) ). I want to have the energy and health to play with my grandkids the way I play with my kids now and I want my daughters to grow up feeling confident and happy in their skin.!! . . . and when you slip up - use some good humor and recognize how human you and the rest of us all are and just keep treking!

remember we see what is going on with how we look and our weight but what is most important is our health - who knows what shape our bodies are really in under our skin, even the skinniest of people are incurring massive damage to their bodies but appear thin so people think they are healthy - it takes some commitment and lifestyle changes but every day you work it at it = every day that it will become easier and you will see improvements. It is never easy to go against the lazy grain but you can totally do it and you totally know you can too!!

Best wishes and congrats on being super awesome!

R.

I have to wonder why on earth you'd ever want to be skinny?? The friends I have who are skinny (just naturally) lament their figures regularly.

First make sure that you're shooting for a healthy and realistic weight. Then realize: 125 lbs after 2 kids isn't going to look like 125 lbs did in high school!

I'm 5'5, and my weight is between 125-130, depending on how much PMS water I'm retaining. With the exercise, make sure you're getting both aerobic exercise and strength training. Not only do you need both for healthy weight loss, but for your health in general. The aerobic exercise helps your heart and vascular systems, and the strength training helps keep your bones strong.

The first thing to bear in mind when eating is portions. We eat TOO much at one sitting. I'm sure you've heard the 'small, frequent meals' recommendation, and it's true. I have breakfast after I run in the morning (oatmeal or grits and skim milk, usually, or maybe cheerios); breakfast #2 a couple hours later (yogurt smoothie with blueberries, bananas, strawberries...and maybe a handful of nuts or something salty); lunch -- could be half a sandwich (I use spinach in place of lettuce on my sandwiches), or soup and peanut butter crackers, a big salad (gotta have some kind of protein on it though or you'll be starving soon), then in the afternoon a snack with a veggie (celery and cream cheese, carrots and cream cheese dip), and then dinners. We make all kinds of stuff for dinner, from healthy to fat-laden but totally yummy to pancakes to mac and cheese. If I eat regularly through the day, I'm not starved by dinner, so I can have a reasonable portion of absolutely anything, including a little dessert. I have not denied myself any 'kind' of food -- I just eat a reasonable amount of it.

I know lots of people swear by Weight Watchers, or other eating plans and 'diets'. I think, personally, it's all crazy. If you are exercising sufficiently, and eating intelligently, the way our bodies are made, it is impossible to be overweight (unless you have an underlying medical condition or are taking medications which cause weight gain). Our bodies are very simple machines in this way: energy in, energy out.

It's absolutely key to drink at a minimum 64 oz of water a day. I drink about 90+ ounces, just sipping all day, not even trying to hit the 64 mark. It helps with the water weight and flushes toxins out.

When my son was born, I weighed 193 lbs and dropped to about 145 before my daughter came along. By the time she was born I weighed 198. I understand how hard it is to lose weight. Have some patience and mercy for yourself: you didn't get there overnight, it's going to take time (a pound a week). But -- as you get healthier, you won't have those cravings for junk foods. As you hydrate your body, you won't mistake thirst for hunger. Your body will want lots of water and healthy stuff. You'll re-learn your body's cues for being full (when you think you're just starting to get full, sit back from the table for 5 minutes. I can almost guarantee you won't just be 'starting' to be full, you'll BE full....but your mouth will want to keep tasting. It's really interesting how we've learned to eat...)

Anyway, enough of me rambling. Just remember to be healthy. Skinny isn't the goal; most of us aren't built to be twigs, especially after childbirth. Treat your body right!