When Will the Weight Go Away!!

I was 130 lbs. when I became pregnant. I shot up to 182 lbs.! My daughter is 18 mos. and I still weigh 160 lbs. I am a popaholic! The last 14 lbs. I've lost in about 8 weeks due to cutting back on Pepsi. I was drinking about 6 cans a day and now limit myself to 1 a day. It's been very difficult, but my doc suggested I try cutting back the pop. I feel bad, I look bad, and you're right--it makes you feel unsexy. I also started walking around the block three times a week. It takes 20-25 minutes and I just have to make myself do it! I just keep telling myself--THIS IS FOR ME!! For a long time I felt selfish if I did something for myself. NOT NOW! Good luck.

J.,

I know how you feel. I only gained about 40 lbs, but also had a c-section and a hard recovery. With all the water weight, I weighted 2 lbs more a week after delivery!. I have finally lost all the weight plus some. About a week ago I broke down and joined WW. I chose the core program, b/c I didn't think I could count everything I ate. It really works and it isnt' that bad.

Good luck.

J.,
You never mentioned how tall you were. If you are feeling 155 is to heavy. Then I am thinking you must be kind of short. Your height is important when you weigh, (here comes that naughty word )B.M.I factor.
I have to agree with Shasta. Weight watchers does work. I have no will power. I am a huge pop drinker. ( I wish pop still came in class bottles it was so much better then) LOL! anyway. On weight watchers you can still drink all the pop you want. Although it must be diet . I lost 6 pounds in my first two weeks. Then we left for Costa Rica for vacation and I never returned. It's that will power thing again. I do think going to the meetings is very important. because you have to be accountable and weigh in. Also I take a weight loss pill prescribe by my doctor called Adipex. I assure you this pill works. But not all Doctors will prescribe it, because it can be addicting. Good luck

Well, my son is only 5 months old but I know how you feel. Since I am younger (23) everyone told me the weight would fall off. Well, I have alot to lose. I cannot wear any of my old clothes and hate having to buy new bigger clothes. I am sorry I have no advice for you but I wanted to post and let you know that you are not the only one out there struggling. Good Luck.....

Hi Jamie,

I just saw your post too. I TOTALLY FEEL YOU. I weighed 145 pounds and I was at my best everything was where it was supposed to be. After I had my kids (I had 2 now 6 and 12). After a C-Section it is very very hard. You dont get that jump like moms who have natural births. I gained 100 with both of my kids. I went in with the last one weighing in at 255. They cut you 6 layers deep into your muscle and all heck breaks loose. Last December, I had had it. I was in a 18 and I was weighing 210. That is just too darn young (and cute) to be that over weight. So I said I am going strong for 3 months. I did not think about the success or weight loss. I did not weight myself (except) when I started. It is March 28 and I weigh 171. Let me tell you what I did. I DID NOT DIET. It is so true that you have to eat to lose weight. I was a fast food and pop junkie (sweets were never my thing). I cut pop out totally. Cold turkey - that was the hardest thing next to the initial pain felt after the anesthesia wears off from a darn c-section!!! I drank nithing but water and Crystal light. Its nasty at first but trust me you get used to it. Eat light all day. I found the greatest diet bar, They are by Special K and come in great flavors. They are 90 calories and 20 in fat - no sugar. I at those. Eat fresh fruit. Chicken breast and lettuce should become your best friend. Last but not least this is where we ALL have problems. Working out atleast 5 times a week is a MUST. It sound like a lot but 30 minutes and a Pilates DVD is all you need to yourself. Pilates is hard at first but once you do it a few times you will feel your body start toning. You cannot tone up without working out. You will lost weight but you will get flabby and that is so not cute. Have a cheat day! And look forward to it. Plan the cheat day make sure you eat what ever you want on that day. and if you must have pop do diet and make sure you stay away from the dark pop. Its all on you. When you get to the point where you are tired of being fat you make that change. And believe me it is SOOOOOO hard! BUT my reward if that I am now back into a 13 and I hadnt seen that in years and I can wear L and XL - no more plus sizes for me!!! I believe in you~ you can do it!!! email me if you need motivation. I will send you a picture of before and after. I am still excited! and if you give it that 90 days ou will be so proud of yourself. I am getting off my soap box now. Because I know how it is to have a once OW person tell you that you can do it. But I did it, because I couldn see being fat another summer. Good Luck and email me if you need some encouragement~ I believe in you!!!!

Hi J.,
If I didn't have a Coke by 10 am I had a headache. Then I learned that it it's ingredients leached calcium from my bones, along with adding many calories and I stopped it. I fully believe that weight loss begins in your head, not in your stomach. Decide that you're going to make certain changes because it is good for your life (so you'll be around a long time). Make up your mind beforehand what you'll eat/drink and what you won't. If you wait until you're hungry or thirsty, old habits will be hard to break.

There's a lot of new evidence that keeping your protein high helps retain lean muscle (which weighs more). Having more lean muscle keeps your metabolism higher which helps burn more calories now and after you have achieved your goals.

The products my husband and I used were from www.cinchplan.com/changinglives. We have each lost over 30 pounds and more than 40 inches together. This company does not use any fad ingredients, but had powered olympic athletes for many years so they know the science behind retaining muscle. Hope this helps. Losing weight/inches is so worth it so go for it!

Jamie- I feel your pain! I have always struggle with my weight, and pregnancy really did me in. A year after my son was born, I too hadn't lost an ounce. So I got really mad one day, went through the house and threw out ALL the junk. I gave the rest of the pop to our neighbors and pitched the chips, ice cream, cheese its, and all of the other junk that I was having issues with. Then, that Saturday, I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. It really is awesome. I lost 38 pounds, and have kept it off for a year. The biggest thing they taught me is portion control. I learned to start eating way more fruit - though I am still not so great on the veggies. AND I gave up regular pop. That was SO hard, but it was SO worth it. I didn't realize how many extra calories I was drinking with all of that pop!
Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck!

Hi J.

I swear by Weight Watchers! I am 5'4" tall and when I got pregnant with my son I was 128lbs. Brady is now 17 months old and I currently weigh 119lbs. I did this with Weight Watchers and regular cardio and weight training. I try to work out 3 to 5 days per week and this really seems to help.

Good luck!

Weight Watchers! I went from 140 to 190 after the birth of my son and then my daughter 2 years later. It seemed overwhelming to even know where to start. It became easier to just get used to the idea of being heavy. I finally got fed up with not being comfortable and having no cute clothes (bc I refused to buy new clothes the appropriate size). I joined Weight Watchers online, so I never attended the mettings. I simply logged EVERY piece of food I put in my mouth (still do) and weight myself every week (really every day, but only logged once a week). It started slow, but 6 months later I am back down to 140 at 5'9". It has been great! Now, I do have friends that joined and went to meetings bc they said they needed that accountability. So, if you are someone who would let yourself cheat, attending meeting may be better than online. It really works, IF YOU FOLLOW IT. And it's not as hard as you would think! GOOD LUCK!

Hi J. -

All 3 moms said what I was going to say: Weight Watchers. Girlfriend? It works! I lost 40 post pregnancy pounds on it. If you don't want to go to meetings, you can also follow the program online. Just writing down everything that I put into my mouth helped me. The other things I did was drink lots of water (2 quarts) and worked myself up into a sweat every day. I did it by either walking or dancing with the baby. It took me about 5 months to lose it all, but it definitely worked!

Good luck!

Have you talked to your Dr? Some women develop thyroid conditions (10-20% in fact) after giving birth and need some medication to help. I have had good luck with South Beach (and learning how to eat properly not just cut everything out of my diet) and excercise. Breastfeeding should have also helped but you won't be able to ditch it all completely for at least a year after the baby. Your body has been through a trauma and it takes time for it to heal. Be patient, persistant and talk to your Dr to have him run some bloodwork.
Good Luck,
C.

I myself never did weight watchers but I know several people who have been very successful with it. I have 2 children 4 and a half and 2 years old at the begining of the year I weighed 165 pounds and I was down 8 pounds!!!! I did not gain very much during my pregnancies (15 pounds) I seem to put it on after they are born. I think the biggest difference for me was starting to take pilates, I only go one day a week but I have a wonderful instructor and two of my friends go with me so when I don't feel like going I know they will rag on me!!!!!!! Pilates however is not going to get the weight off alone, I also work out at Curves 3 days a week and I love it because it is a 30 min work out so I don't feel bad leaving my husband home with the kids. Before I found out I was pregnant again I was down to 132 pounds, still about 10 pounds above where I would like to be (I am only 5'2") but in my life I was so much happier!!! I worked my butt off but it was worth it, I found that everyone is different and you just really have to find what works best for you. Good Luck and just remember you can do it.

A.

Hi J.. I was 135 when I got pregnant and 200 when I delivered. What I did was cut out carbs. The Atkins diet. Once you stop eating them for a couple weeks you won't crave them anymore. Your body/ metabolizim has changed. You probably were able to eat what you wanted at 115 and not gain weight. Unfortantly you can't do that anymore. Also pop and juice have a ton of carbs and calories. I know it is hard to give those up but maybe you could try diet pop. Once you get used to it it's not so bad. One more thing, try to drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day. This will keep you filled up and clear your system.

Good luck,

J.

this is crazy! your exact before and after weights are the same as mine and it has also been 2 years since ive had my baby! i know how you are feeling but obviously i do not have any weight loss tips. i too am struggling. ive tried going to curves 5 times a week....and for almost 400 dollars in a year i lost 4 pounds. but thats another story.
well, i do know of a very unrealistic diet that works, but is just too hard to follow. you may be able to find it on a website for coronary surgery preperation at humility of mary health partners. i tried it for 4 days. my father in law did it thought and lost 3o pounds in a month. it involves a lot of vegetable soup.

I gained 80lbs with my son. He was 10lbs 3oz and 24 inches long. I was only about 130 before getting pregnant. All my friends after having there babies look great just went back to them selves i hated it. I am getting married in 2 yrs and parker will be 3 in march and i still need to lose about 30lbs and no matter what i do the scale will not move i know what your going through i am only 23 and would love to feel great about myself i am to young to think bad about myself. I will be starting the atkins diet the first week of february i will let you know how it goes. Good luck and i am with you.

J., I feel like I just read my own story! My daughter, (second child) will be 2 at the end of October. I too was "overweight", unhappy with myself, sex life, etc. What worked for me was, first, finally getting fed up with feeling crappy, and second, finding something that really worked for me. I must have read every diet book out there! In February, I joined Weight Watchers, and lost 40 pounds. It helped me realize that my so called sensible potions were actually huge, and I was snacking way more than what I thought. I never really felt deprived, because you can eat what you want, you just have to count the "points". The meetings really helped me because they made me accountable. I couldn't just forget it, and "start again on Monday", which is what I always did. Once I started eating better, I felt more like exercising, which in turn helped everything. It makes sex more fun when you're not so ashamed of how you look! If you're not able to go to meetings, they have WW available online now as well. I think the key is just finding what works for you personally. Good luck!

Hi Jamie.

I was also 115 when I got pregnant and am 5'4" tall. I had been wearing the same size (0, 2 or 4 depending on brand etc) since high school. I was up to about 155 when I delivered. My baby was 6lbs 10.5 oz and I stopped my weight loss at 144. I'll never forget that number as it haunted me for almost 2 years. Just before my daughter's first birthday last October, I hired a personal trainer at my gym - Bally's. It was an investment, but I knew that I'd never go if I wasn't accountable to someone and some amount of money that I didn't want to go to waste. They also have small group training that is much more affordable. The main thing is that I got to the gym at least twice a week - and sometimes I could go three times. They have free daycare for children from 1 year and up. I immediately started losing inches - and my trainer had me foucusing on certain muscles and was a huge source of encouragement. I have now gotten back into my size 2 clothing - almost a year later. Last time I checked (which has been 3 mos or more ago) I was at 124 pounds - and I know that I have lost since then. I don't weigh myself all the time - it is depressing if i do. But - if you do get your cardio up and tone your muscles, you will see improvements! I promise! Feel free to contact me if you need any more info - but it is doable - you just have to incorporate exercise. Good luck and chin up!

Hi J.! I know how you feel. I was 95 lbs when I got pregant with my son, I gained 60 lbs because I was on strict bedrest, then when he turned one I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I never really lost all the weight from one pregnancy and then I was at it again. I was back on bedrest so I gained another 20 lbs. I was 165 when all was said and done. My daughter is now turning 1 (next week!) and I am back in size 2 jeans. I'm down to 120 (still about 5 lbs away from my goal) but here's what I did. I started Cardio & Pilates classes. I took a 45 minute cardio class, then stayed for the 45 minute pilates class. I did this 4 days a week in the morning, then in the evenings my huband and I put the kids in the stroller and took a walk, we're up to 3 miles now. It's great exercise, plus my husband and I love the time we get together. I was lucky enough to have a sitter to watch my kids while I went to classes (I went to a private studio that didn't offer childcare). Some of the larger gyms do offer childcare. If you can't get out of the house I'd recommend the Windsor Pilates video series. I use them when I can't get away, or just need a pick-me-up. I didn't just lose the weight, I also gained energy and my mood improved. It worked wonders for me, I feel like a new woman! Hope that helps!

I went up to almost 200 lbs when I was pregnant, I lost the weight in about 6 weeks (I hated to cook cause I was so tired from not sleeping). Then once I got to work, I ate at work and put almost all the weight back on! I went up to 175. First I did Atkins, (it worked for a bit, I lost 20 lbs) then later I did slim fast (not good made me constipated but I did lose weight) but I have found the best success with (drum roll please) Weight Watchers! I bought the books and write things down but I would love to go to meetings. Also I exercise about 3 times a week sometimes more. Oh And I lost 10 pounds one summer switching to diet pop and I have not switched back. Also, having a longer mirror helps remind me that I want my clothes to fit, etc. etc. It's not easy but it is worth it. Don't give up trying. I give myself a reward when I reach a weight loss goal, like once I lose 15 lbs I will buy those boots I want, something like that. Gives me something to look forward to.

Hi Jamie,

I just now saw your post. I wondered how things were going for you in this department. I too was 115 when I got pregnant with my 1st and my weight went up to 165 with him also. I don't know if you had breastfed your baby, but I know that breastfeeding helped me lose weight, but I also worked out to taebo 4-5 times a week and I got down to my 115 size. I did however get pregnant again and went to 170 with my second and of course the weight was harder to lose and then with my 3rd who is still only 5 months I went up to 170 again and now I am sticking at 137 and I am not motivated to workout right now at all. I did order the new taebo amped workouts and I hope that will help me get back down to about 120. Working out to taebo www.billyblanks.com and turbo jam www.beachbody.com really helped me. GOOD LUCK!!!