Our Mommyhood

Posts Tagged ‘Weight Loss’

By Jenny, Guest Writer, Happenings of a Little Bubba (@bubsymomma)

I don’t know about you but I tried to maintain a level of fitness throughout my pregnancy with my son.  As a fitness professional, I had to.  I even taught Pilates and Kick Boxing tell my 9th month of pregnancy.  I think it is key to continue to exercising so that when it is time to get back into shape after baby, you can do it a whole lot easier!

Exercising in the postpartum period is a way to help you get back into shape and stay healthy for your baby and yourself. Many of us moms want to know when we can start exercising after giving birth. The general advice from most physicians and midwives is to wait 6-8 weeks before really getting into a fitness routine.

I have to agree with this rule of thumb.  I remember when I started getting back into Pilates after my son it was about 5 weeks out.  I did a move that required a lot of abdominal strength and was disappointed when I wasn’t able to do it and that it felt kind of weird.  By weird I mean my uterus was still shrinking and I should have WAITED.

You may be asked to wait longer or hold back a bit if you have had a cesarean section or an operative vaginal delivery (with forceps or vacuum extraction). Your doctor or midwife can give you specifics on your personal time line for exercise. Ideally, this bar on strenuous fitness will not hamper your efforts to move.

Movement is perfect and should begin within hours after you give birth, even if you required surgery. We know that moms who move after birth do tend to heal more quickly and feel better sooner than their less active counterparts. This doesn’t mean jog around the block, but it does mean getting up and moving around your hospital room or in your home. Even after surgery or after an epidural, you can begin to walk with assistance in just a few hours. Though the first few attempts may be painful – overall, the movement is good.

I do not recommend a fitness routine, but a daily brief walk after the first week or two is perfect. Watch for over doing it, which as I told you above, I did.  If you were exercising prior to pregnancy, you may feel more of a need to get out and get going. On a limited basis, some doctors will give you the go ahead. You might be asked to do modified yoga versus aerobics, but stretching and gentle movements are fine.

Just remember that your body is still adjusting to its non-pregnant state. You will have your center of balance shifting again, the hormones of pregnancy will continue to make your joints a bit softer and then you have just the feeling of exhaustion that can accompany any birth.

Here are some rules that I followed and recommend that you follow post baby….
•    Wait until you’re given the go ahead
•    Start with small bits of exercise
•    Slowly work your way back into a fitness routine
•    Stop exercising if you have pain, increased bleeding or you just don’t feel comfortable
•    Think slow and gentle at first

Jenny/Certified Personal Trainer and Mommy Blogger

By Toni, Contributor, Hemp and High Heels (@ToniSue)

Ask any random group of 100 women what their number one New Year’s Resolution is, and I am willing to bet that at the top of that list “Lose Weight”. I would know, it was mine for many years.

After reaching a personal (non-pregnant) high of 195 pounds on my 30th birthday, I was fat, bloated, and miserable. Embarrassed with my reflection, and disgusted with myself – I vowed I wouldn’t start another birthday feeling this way. I began dieting and exercising, and within two months I had lost twenty pounds.

I kept at it, and eventually, I managed to lose a total of sixty pounds through hard work and determination. I feel so much better than I ever have about myself. With every pound lost, a gained a new found self respect.

What I didn’t find was the small fortune I would require to clothe my now smaller self in. Here’s what no one ever tells you. When you are actively dieting and shedding pounds – it costs a LOT of money to replace your wardrobe. In my case, I was having to replace my entire wardrobe every season there for a little over a year and a half.

At first, to celebrate my new-found smaller self – I took myself on a rewarding clothes shopping spree at a high-end fashion boutique. I spent more money on clothes for myself in that one trip, than I have in several years combined.

Guess how long they fit? Exactly two weeks. Then, my butt shrank.

Reality check – when losing weight it isn’t always the smartest choice to buy your clothes at the more “name brand” stores. In fact, “Roll Back” store might be your best friend while you are in between sizes.

Let me give you an example. If you go shopping in mid-spring, you can buy a wardrobe that will last you until early fall (depending on where you live). At the place with “Smiley faces” I recently bought and entirely new Spring/ Summer/ Early Fall wardrobe for $100. I know that for some people $100 is a lot to spend on oneself, especially for us mother’s on a budget. However, I had no summer clothes that fit, so $100 is a bargain for a whole new wardrobe if you ask me.

Wanna know what all I got? I got four sun dresses, two pairs of shorts, three tees, five tank tops, and a pair of capris. For a single Benjamin. That’s twelve brand new pieces of clothing – you can’t beat that with a stick. And no, they are not ugly, tacky things. “That” store has BCBG, L.E.I., O.P. and several other designers now. It has come a long way from muu muus and camo.

My two cents is that when you are working hard at slimming down, save your pennies for when you cross the finish line. I took a year off, but am back on the weight loss express with a twenty pound goal in mind. When I reach it, you can bet that my budget is going to be more than $100 – though I doubt I’ll get a better deal than I have at the “discount chain” store.

A great friend of this blog, Lisa @ This Mommy Works is officially losing it… well, sorta. See, she’s about to embark on a new weight loss challenge, and she’s looking for your support and your participation! It’s a great campaign to lose weight (with a little help from your blogging friends). We encourage you to stop by Lisa’s page between now and April 30th to sign up for this challenge!

By Stephanie

I woke up a little pissed frustrated this morning because I’m still fat. I’ve been dieting for close to eighteen hours now and nothing is happening. It’s bullshit.

I’m kind of an “immediate gratification” type of a gal, especially when it comes to “not outweighing my husband” or “no longer sweating when I eat”. And really, if I am to be expected to live on spring mix greens, half an apple slice, and a tablespoon of water a day, I should think I’d be down twenty, thirty pounds by now.

I’m not really sure how this “dieting” nonsense works ,as I’ve never been fat before. I was thin my whole life until my body was invaded by many a fetus* and I thought, “Oh! Eating for two!” But I was totally kidding myself about that; it was pretty obvious I was eating for, like, ninety.

And then, to make matters even more weighty (groan), when I was on bed rest in the hospital for several endless weeks, the Gestapo nursing staff watched me like a hawk to make sure I didn’t so much as walk to the ladies room– so there went the exercise**. And (this is so obvious I really don’t even need to mention it) the hospital food was so horrifying and I was so worried about the baby that I really didn’t have a choice but to order pizza every other night. And eat it alone. In the dark. While weeping and berating myself.

Now the time has come to shed the sixty*** pounds of “baby weight” (which is really on the cusp of no longer being able to be legitimately labeled “baby” weight) and I’m not sure how this is all going to go.

Things I’ve never even considered eating before are beginning to make my mouth water. You know; things like fish. Baby food. Wheat germ. The bed spread.

I’ve heard it said that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Unfortunately for me, I’m not so much interested in being “stronger” as I am in “eating some Chinese takeout”.

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*Lest you think I have a quasi-valid excuse here, I was never pregnant with multiples. I have a three year old and an eleven month old. But still.

**Isn’t it cute how I pretend that I actually would have exercised had it been permitted?

***Eighty

Stephanie is a stay at home mom to Joshua and Ella. She writes daily at Mama Still Wears Gucci,where she discusses everything from a radical obsession with vacuuming the draperies to vying (peacefully of course) for total world domination.

By Honey B

So I’m all into the Weight Watchers thing. I’m going to the meetings as planned, and I’m obsessed with getting the 10% key ring, and the charms for 25lbs, 50lbs, Lifetime, etc. Obsessed. The immortal phrase from What About Bob comes to mind- “gimme gimme gimme, I want, I want, I need, I need.” I’m actually hoping if I apply those thoughts towards a key ring instead of Twinkies, I might have a shot at the key ring! 

On Tuesday, another WW member got her Lifetime charm. It went on the key ring I’m so obsessed with. She looked awesome too; she looked like she felt good. I was SO impressed. Lifetime! Until the Leader asked her how much weight she had lost. And she answered… 26 pounds.

 I’m sorry what?

 26 pounds?!

I can lose 26 pounds just by cutting out Little Debbie products!

Now don’t get me wrong, she’s obviously done well. She had weight to lose, and she lost it. And she lost it in a healthy way. Which is more than I can say about myself… yet. But I lost a certain level of admiration when I found out her total loss was 26 pounds.

If I’m being perfectly honest about what I need to lose, I’m staring down 82 pounds. And that’s just 5 pounds below the top of the recommended weight ranges for me. 26 pounds isn’t even a third of what I need to lose. And when you’re not losing more than the recommended two pounds a week, that’s a lot of weeks.

I will never begrudge this woman the attainment of the Lifetime achievement. But I’m going back to the WW meeting on Tuesday really hoping to see someone who has lost 50, 75, or 100+ pounds. Because I know that person has pushed through weeks, and plateaus, and too many baby carrots, and persevering, and surviving work potlucks, and wavering resolve, and even more weeks to see it through to Lifetime. That is some serious weight loss.

 But let’s be honest here… why do I want to meet one of those people so badly? Pretty much just to know that yes, someone can give up Little Debbie products and go on to lead a normal life.

Honey posts regularly at the Honey B. Blog, keeping you apprised of Baby Bucket List progress and the life of a wanna-be mommy!