Stubborn Weight Loss Suggestions?

[julie80]

I use to be able to lose weight whenever I wanted (pre baby) but ever since my son was born I haven't been able to get my weight to budge. I don't have all the time in world like I use to but I would still think that I would be able to see some difference.

So I wanted to see if others had this same problem and what did you do?

It's been a little over a year now and I'm starting to get a bit frustrated. But I really want to lose some weight before I get pregnant again because I'm scared that I'm just going to gain more weight with the next one and not be able to lose that weight either.

I really do appreciate any help!

[babygirlsmama]

Not sure if this will help, but I used to have a weight problem pre-baby. I have actually been surprised that losing the baby weight was a total non-issue for me -- it seemed to fall off. I credit two things: nursing and a very natural diet.

I used to eat a lot more processed stuff, but I cut all that out the moment I got pregnant. I eat WAY more nuts, raisins, fruit, whole grains, veggies, etc. I try to keep bread and bread like items down to a minimum, as well as anything with processed sugar or flour I also try to avoid gluten and minimize dairy. The funny thing is that even though some of this stuff is very caloric (like nuts, avacado, etc.), it does not seem to have a detrimental effect on my weight. To the contrary, I get satisfied more easily and I guess eat less in the long run.

Anyway, in short, I would take a hard look at your diet and see if you are getting really good, superior nutrition. If not, you might be eating a bit more when your body is really just craving better nutrients. Make sense?

BTW, the book "Disease-Proof Your Child" by Dr. Fuhrhman is awesome. It's about kids and parents' nutrition, so it applies to both. Good luck!

Babygirlsmama

[julie80]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Both my son and I were sick yesterday and I didn't have much of an appetite so I'm sure I must have lost a pound or two!

But all kidding aside, I completely agree that I should be eating better but it's not always so easy. My husband eats all the junk he wants and doesn't gain a pound.

I think a big part of it for me is snacking. Since I'm a SAHM, it's easy to just grab something whenever I'm in the kitchen.

I've tried going gluten-free and it seems to help when I do but it's hard to stick to, especially since my husband doesn't buy in. But I'll definitely start with the snack recommendations and see how it goes. But you're right, I do need to make some serious changes with my diet.

[Hedgehog Mtn]

Having been through this 5 times (after 5 babies) here are my personal suggestions. Use a program like sparkspeople.com (free) NOT to follow their recommendations but to learn how much you truly eat....measure portions of common foods. Do this on a regular basis but ONLY to familiarize yourself with how much and what kind of food you eat. Keep your total carbs a little lower than what they suggest. Stay away from refined foods (breads, pasta etc) and stick with wholesome grains but less often/less of them. Eat as little processed foods as you can. Snacking can be good but only if you know how and what you are eating and if it's curbing hunger vs mindless eating.

I've held onto weight because I ate too LITTLE causing my body to go into starvation mode and from eating too much!!!! Make sure you eat plenty of good fats and proteins.

[julie80]

Thanks for the tip!

I just signed up at sparkspeople.com and I'm interested to see what I find out.

I agree that it can be quite confusion. Some say don't eat too much and others say don't eat too little. Then you throw nusing into the whole mix and that only makes it even more confusing.

[e.naomisandoval]

Diet diet diet diet diet. And I've put other tips in my essay here: http://www.transformationcontest.com...10/naomi.shtml

[julie80]

Wow Naomi! That's quite the transformation.

Thanks for sharing this and it's quite inspiring that you did all of that in 12 weeks. Maybe I just need to suck it up and make the commitment and do one of those programs like Turbulence Training.

[e.naomisandoval]

Originally Posted by julie80

Wow Naomi! That's quite the transformation.

Thanks for sharing this and it's quite inspiring that you did all of that in 12 weeks. Maybe I just need to suck it up and make the commitment and do one of those programs like Turbulence Training.

Don't forget the rest of what I put: Diet diet diet diet! Turbulence Training is wonderful and great fun and it makes you look good once the extra body fat comes off. Without it, you don't look so good once you're thin and you may not be all that healthy. And so it may not stick. You gotta look good and feel good to want to do the work to stay that way. There are many ways to fitness but I'm sticking with TT because I just love it and it's very efficient. And it changes often. And, and and!!!

OH and I'm sorry I can't seem to keep up with this forum but my silly email program keeps putting replies into my spam folder since the last upgrade and I don't know why!

[spughy]

You could also have your thyroid checked. Pregnancy and childbirth can mess that up.

I put on 40 lbs AFTER my DD was born. I tried the kind of portion-control dieting that had worked for me before, but nothing worked (including my doctor putting me on thyroid meds - they made me feel worse) until I cut out starch and sugar and started a proper weightlifting program. So far that's been very successful, I've lost half the weight and I feel really good. But that's after 4 years of repeatedly trying and failing. I think my thyroid WAS very borderline but medication wasn't the answer - trying harder was, and recognizing that yes, that Gary Taubes guy WAS right about the carbohydrates (but wrong about the exercise).

[julie80]

Well, I just spent the weekend at my inlaws which is a bit of a catch-22. I enjoy the break from having to constantly patrol my son but we always eat horribly when we're there.

Naomi, you've inspired me to stop making excuses and start doing something about it.

I'm going to start my own thread to track my results and hopefully it will inspire some others as well that might be in the same shoes that I am.

And Spughy, you bring up a good point. I'm going to set up a doctors appointment and make sure I don't have anything else going on like a thyroid condition that might be getting in the way.

Wish me luck!

[rootzdawta]

Originally Posted by e.naomisandoval

Diet diet diet diet diet. And I've put other tips in my essay here: http://www.transformationcontest.com...10/naomi.shtml

Can't say it enough.

[ameliabedelia]

I find that eating LOTS of green vegetables makes a big difference. I don't follow Eat to Live exactly, but one thing I do try to incorporate into my diet is the 1 lb of cooked (non-starchy) vegetables and 1 lb. raw, leafy greens a day. Often times, I end up with 2 lbs of cooked vegetables, since we can't afford that much raw. However, I find that eating that many vegetables makes it much easier to eat less of other stuff. For example, if I eat two pieces of pizza and a huge salad and a large plate of spinach, I'm going to be pretty full, while if I just ate the pizza and a small amt. of vegetables, I would be wanting more pizza.