Meadowlark Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 (edited) Seriously ladies-and please be gentle, my self-image is depending on it. I am in a rut. I've always struggled with being 20-30 lbs overweight. I had gotten it under control (and lost 60 lbs) before this last pregnancy. Now I"m 8 weeks pp and I seriously have puffed up so bad. My stomach is huge, squishy and resembles a marshmallow. Even my kids ask why my stomach is so "big". I usually can give myself plenty of grace-I mean, I've had 6 babies. But I just feel SO bad that I've let myself gain the weight back these, which fuels my food addiction and I'm eating all the time. Plus, my kids have gone off to school and so I'm here all day with the baby/preschooler and can eat whatever I want with no one watching. Plus, I"m still getting used to this time I have on my hands, and I want to eat eat eat to fill the sadness or whatever. What's something small I can do to start things off on the right track? Logic says to just do what I did before, but I just want to EAT all the time. It's horrible. I feel out of control and will be huge soon if I don't do something different. With the holidays coming-I'm scared! Any BTDT moms? Edited September 22, 2017 by Meadowlark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 :grouphug: Remember that if your baby is nursing, you're going to automatically going to be giving her more calories as she grows, so it will get easier soon. Is it decent weather for walking where you are? Can you pack them up and take them for a walk to avoid the pantry? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Hugs and love to you! one thing that helped me was to put the kids in the stroller and take a walk . Or put them in the car and go to the park. It's takes up time, you get a little movement, clears the head and you only take a planned snack and water bottle with you. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 It's so hard when you have little ones. :grouphug: Mine are all teens now and I'm still trying to lose some of that baby weight... :rolleyes: The two things that are working for me are cutting out sugar and eating a mostly plant-based diet. I've lost 15 lbs. since the end of July and feel so much better, physically and mentally. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 I'm 4 months pp and right about where you are both with feelings about my body shape and the overwhelming need to eat. The last couple weeks I have felt more in control by upping my protein tremendously and restricting my sugar intake to a hot chocolate before bed. I figure step one is just getting back under control. I also started doing the MuTu exercises and kettle bell swings with a fairly small bell. I want to get out and walk everyday but that's not realistic right now between the weather and all the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 I'm a marshmallow too. And I'm nine months postpartum. Love to you! My experience has varied by each pregnancy. But I try to eat to support my milk and not gain s ton more weight, and just shelve the rest until I'm done nursing. If I try to do too much with diet and exercise while I'm sleep deprived and feeding someone else it just fries my adrenals. So I aim for eating high quality nutrition and having as much good quality sleep as I can scrape together. No guilt about the rest as long as my hormones are conspiring against me. That's my advice. It stinks, but get cute clothes and get ready each day. Treat yourself with dignity and love even though you don't feel very cute. It's amazing how much dressing well and getting ready each day can improve how you feel. I might be fat and squishy right now, but I'm put together, darnit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Exercise works for me. I hate exercise so I have to set it up so that it's something I have to do (like contrive to not have a car for a while, or undertake some strenuous project, or something). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 When I've had newborns/babies of that age, I've often been starving! It is hard not to feel guilty when you are overweight and eating, but people gotta eat. Maybe because you have this going on in your head, with pp hormones and breastfeeding munchies, you arent eating enough, or maybe eating the wrong things. Maybe instead of telling yourself to eat less, maybe if you plan out your food you wont feel out of control. You might find that you actually need to be eating more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 I'm a marshmallow too. And I'm nine months postpartum. Love to you! My experience has varied by each pregnancy. But I try to eat to support my milk and not gain s ton more weight, and just shelve the rest until I'm done nursing. If I try to do too much with diet and exercise while I'm sleep deprived and feeding someone else it just fries my adrenals. So I aim for eating high quality nutrition and having as much good quality sleep as I can scrape together. No guilt about the rest as long as my hormones are conspiring against me. That's my advice. It stinks, but get cute clothes and get ready each day. Treat yourself with dignity and love even though you don't feel very cute. It's amazing how much dressing well and getting ready each day can improve how you feel. I might be fat and squishy right now, but I'm put together, darnit! Well, I'm definitely not put together. When I lost all of the weight before, I foolishly gave away all of my bigger sized clothing. So now I'm living in too tight yoga pants and one size too small shirts that show the whole world the marshmallow. Money is tight, so going out and buying a whole new wardrobe is out of the question. The struggle is real. Sigh. Oh, and not breastfeeding (can't) so that's not an issue to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Well, what's the easiest, least thought required, least going to be missed thing you're doing or eating that you could give up? In other words, work up to the bigger things after you start to gain confidence and feel more capable of making changes. Semi-related, what can you stop (or start) buying to make things easier for you? One of the most disappointing things about my house is that my cabinets and fridge are stocked with ingredients. Which is sort of a good thing. Want a snack? Have some fruit, veggies, or air popped popcorn. Don't want those things? Good news, you're not avtually hungry and it's time to find something else to do. No snacks unless you leave the house and go buy them. In my case, when I'm also looking for a snack I am extremely lazy and going anywhere to buy a snack is too much work. I'd also second the suggestion to go for a walk. Get a big stroller if you have more than one. Otherwise, get bikes or trikes the little ones can ride and walk down the block. You don't have to go out forever. You don't have to go far. Start with small distances and work up to longer ones. Don't feel like it? That's ok. Maybe just get dressed to do it first. Once you're dressed, maybe you can put on your shoes. If that feels good then do the next step. Keep doing the next thing until you find yourself outside and the only other step is to do the walking. A lot of times once you get to this point, you'll go for the walk because you've already done all that work. If you don't? That's ok. Maybe just pull up a chair and sit down to watch the world go by. Try again tomorrow. Also, maybe the thing that worked before won't work now. That's ok, too. There are lots (and lots and lots) of ways to lose weight. Maybe this time you need a new set of tools or a different approach. The best way to lose weight is the way you can sustain over the long haul and the only way you'll know is if you try. Start very, very, very small. Small enough that your brain doesn't engage and can't talk you out of it. Small steps. You can do it, I know you can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Start by increasing the number of fruits and veggies you eat. So try and get one at each meal. If you're doing breastfeeding snacks, include half a banana or an apple or something. Maybe a bean/lentil soup some times. Gradually increase your fruits/veg, protein. Sometimes it's easier to add healthy foods then to take away foods, especially with breastfeeding hunger. If not drinking a lot of water, add that too. Start walking with the baby in a stroller. Being active should make you feel better about yourself. I'm a big fan of yoga. When I was immediately post-partum I did my pregnancy yoga videos and it helped me feel a lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Well, I'm definitely not put together. When I lost all of the weight before, I foolishly gave away all of my bigger sized clothing. So now I'm living in too tight yoga pants and one size too small shirts that show the whole world the marshmallow. Money is tight, so going out and buying a whole new wardrobe is out of the question. The struggle is real. Sigh. Oh, and not breastfeeding (can't) so that's not an issue to deal with. Well if you're not nursing definitely focus on the eating. One good choice at s time. I find that is so much more uplifting, mentally, to make a good choice and rest on that, then build with one more, and one more. Mental imagery, what you tell yourself, and visualizing your success are also key. Negative self talk is one of those things that makes a bad situation worse. If it were me, I'd be hitting ketogenic low carb with gusto. As soon as I'm not nursing I will. That gets especially the swelling weight off quickly and helps me feel better faster after the initial adjustment period. I hate exercising and force myself. I'm no help there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 8 weeks is so early... :grouphug: It's hard to lose weight when you aren't sleeping well and if it's your 6th baby, I'm sure your uterus alone is taking longer to go back down. Even if you were thin, your belly may still be somewhat marshmallowy at this point. Aside from giving myself time and grace, I would focus on meal planning for the whole family if I felt up to it and then I'd just quit buying snacks or whatever my weakness is. Do you have any grocery stores that do curbside pickup w/online ordering? It's easier for me to avoid impulse sweets when I order online. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 I can't have certain snacks in the house. The kids and I just devoured a box of Nut Thins and I ate most of the box myself. I stopped buying those but dh brought some home. Do you drink enough water? That might help fill you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecropia Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 At only 8 weeks pp, you may have an abdominal muscle separation (diastasis recti) left over from pregnancy that has not healed yet. I have a chronic one that enhances my stomach with any weight I gain and still gives me an early-pregnancy look at my target weight -- even if I feel that I appear as a marshmallow, I know it is not all my fault for "not having the will power" etc. and that helps. What helps me to lose weight with a young baby is convenience. I mean, I barely have time to eat, so if cut up raw cauliflower or a bag of baby carrots is right there and anything else will take more time/work, I'll give in and munch on the veggies (often, before I know it, I've eaten them all!). I try to stock the pantry/fridge strategically so that the food with more calories takes more effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 It took 9 months to put it on, give yourself that much time to take if off. Heck I think that only goes for your first kid. I think you get more months if you have more kids. Drink water. Before you eat drink a glass of water Take the littles out on a walk. Everyday. A few times a day. To the park. Just keep moving. Work out during naps if you have time. Fill yourself with good things to eat. Fill up with a smoothie and then you are not hungry. Get out of the house around all the snacks. If you a muncher, eat an apple, a handful of carrots. Give yourself some love. Your body has made 6 children. Focus on that and how amazing that is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Would getting the junk and tempting foods out of the house help? Can you get yourself out of the house everyday? Having little ones at home and being home all day is really tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Seriously ladies-and please be gentle, my self-image is depending on it. I am in a rut. I've always struggled with being 20-30 lbs overweight. I had gotten it under control (and lost 60 lbs) before this last pregnancy. Now I"m 8 weeks pp and I seriously have puffed up so bad. My stomach is huge, squishy and resembles a marshmallow. Even my kids ask why my stomach is so "big". I usually can give myself plenty of grace-I mean, I've had 6 babies. But I just feel SO bad that I've let myself gain the weight back these, which fuels my food addiction and I'm eating all the time. Plus, my kids have gone off to school and so I'm here all day with the baby/preschooler and can eat whatever I want with no one watching. Plus, I"m still getting used to this time I have on my hands, and I want to eat eat eat to fill the sadness or whatever. What's something small I can do to start things off on the right track? Logic says to just do what I did before, but I just want to EAT all the time. It's horrible. I feel out of control and will be huge soon if I don't do something different. With the holidays coming-I'm scared! Any BTDT moms? ((((Hugs)))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 Well if you're not nursing definitely focus on the eating. One good choice at s time. I find that is so much more uplifting, mentally, to make a good choice and rest on that, then build with one more, and one more. Mental imagery, what you tell yourself, and visualizing your success are also key. Negative self talk is one of those things that makes a bad situation worse. If it were me, I'd be hitting ketogenic low carb with gusto. As soon as I'm not nursing I will. That gets especially the swelling weight off quickly and helps me feel better faster after the initial adjustment period. I hate exercising and force myself. I'm no help there. I feel kind of ignorant asking this, but what is ketogenic low carb food exactly? Can you give examples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 I think what's so disappointing to me is that I THOUGHT I had this eating thing under control. I was like the poster child of how to lose weight and keep it off...until I got pregnant. Then I kind of ate whatever and let things get out of hand. It seems so easy to the non-food addicted person-to just not eat the junk. I do think a lot of it is mental too, and being covered in spit up and hair in a ponytail every day makes me feel like a big slob. So then I think, eating will make me feel better. You know the cycle. I like the idea of 1) drinking more water, 2) getting out for a walk (tough right now because I have the only baby in the world that hates stroller rides) and 3) don't buy the junk. I think I'll start with that. I also gave up pop for 2 years and dang, I've been drinking it again. I really think there's something to the sugar addiction thing-it's real! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 8 weeks pp is still early to be worried about not being back to pre-baby weight, especially if you're nursing. As someone else mentioned, it took nine months to put it on. You should be giving yourself at least that much time to take it off, more if you're nursing. My advice: Nurture your body like you do your new baby. It worked hard for nine months and then really went into overdrive to bring that new baby into the world. Don't focus on a specific weight or fitting into pre-baby clothes. Eat healthy. Exercise in whatever way brings you joy. And SLEEP (when you can, I know, ha ha!) :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 I'm a marshmallow too. And I'm nine months postpartum. Love to you! My experience has varied by each pregnancy. But I try to eat to support my milk and not gain s ton more weight, and just shelve the rest until I'm done nursing. If I try to do too much with diet and exercise while I'm sleep deprived and feeding someone else it just fries my adrenals. So I aim for eating high quality nutrition and having as much good quality sleep as I can scrape together. No guilt about the rest as long as my hormones are conspiring against me. That's my advice. It stinks, but get cute clothes and get ready each day. Treat yourself with dignity and love even though you don't feel very cute. It's amazing how much dressing well and getting ready each day can improve how you feel. I might be fat and squishy right now, but I'm put together, darnit! Liking not because I like that you feel like a marshmallow but because this is good advice. Also my physio said it takes four years for the body to fully reach recovery from pregnancy so there's plenty of time yet. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you're satisfied and walk when you get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 I feel kind of ignorant asking this, but what is ketogenic low carb food exactly? Can you give examples. Not ignorant at all - a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet works very well for weight loss for many people. Read this and watch the videos, it's probably my favorite site in the last five years for a nutritional ketosis diet: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Does the baby like baby carriers? You could try wearing the baby instead of a stroller 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Some of our Walmarts had some clothes on sale. I got a sleeveless dressy top for like $2. I plan to wear it with a sweater when it gets cooler. There's a chain called Fred's Pharmacy that currently has blue dot clothing 75% off. I don't know if you have one near you. JCPenney has a big online sale going on now. I know money is tight but maybe you can find a second hand carrier or one on sale. I never did the ring sling (I thought that they didn't seem ergonomic and it would hurt my shoulder?) but I did start using structured carriers with my second child. I didn't start as early as I should have, but I now have a toddler carrier. Dh thought I was crazy but I still use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Does the baby like baby carriers? You could try wearing the baby instead of a stroller I was going to say this too. I had stroller haters too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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