Aa
New here- Just starting out
I have finally made up my mind to get healthy! I know I have a long road ahead of me bc I hate all vegetables except broccoli and dont really care for fruit either. I have a 10 month old baby and at 9 mos pg I had gotten up to 33? lbs! Thats rediculous and embarrassing to even say. After I delivered my daughter I got down to 290 and over the past 10 months have managed to gain it all back. The thinnest I have been was 170 in high school and that was pretty healthy since I am 5'10 but I have done nothing but gain it all since then. Im 23 now and I have to get on the right track for myself and for my daughter. I dont want her to remember the fat mommy that was too tired to play and I want to change my everything before she is old enough to have the same problem. I dont ever want her to deal with this issue and if I turn it around now and start good habits from the beginning, hopefully she will have the best chance at a healthy lifestyle also. For the first time in a long time I have decided to really stick to a diet and Im really serious about it this time. My only main concern is the lose skin I will be left with. I dont really have self image issues and losing weight has never really been a vanity issue which is why I havent done it yet, so Im scared that once it starts to come off, I will hate my body. I have seen pictures of people that have lost alot of weight and some bounce back with no problem but Im scared Im just going to be a big saggy blob of skin. Is there anyone that is starting out in their journey like me or all yall pretty close to being done? Also, for those of you that have lost a lot, does your body look semi-normal or do you have a lot of lose skin, and if so, do your clothes cover it? Im really motivated this time and excited!
tigerlilly - That is reassuring that you lost so much and you dont hate your body, or think you look bad. That has been my main reason for no wanting to lose it is bc right now I dont even hate the way I look, and im afraid if I do lose weight my skin will be so gross I really will hate the way I look!
jenkaye21 - a partner sounds great. I think we are both part of the July babies forum (at least your name looks familiar) My daughter was born in June but I was due July 9th so I have been part of that group since the beginning. Imagining you walking with the kids at baseball practice reminds me of how when I was little, my mom would make me go for a walk with her and I hated it so much and always tried to get out of it, so I would walk really slow and she would run ahead, and then double back, and she probably got 10x the exercise I did, lol. That was back when the world was semi safe and you could leave your kids 50 feet behind you and not worry about someone taking off with them!
Barb - lots of good advice and but ill have to work up to the vegetables, lol...ugh. The scale is working now, so I dont know exactly how much I have lost bc I couldnt get that first weigh in but this morning I was 324 so its been at least 7 lbs. It sounds like a lot and im excited but im so big that you cant even tell and of course thats why its coming off faster right now...I dread the days when it takes a month or 2 to try to get off that 7 lbs. At least, I can keep better count and see the results on the scale bc waiting for my clothes to get bigger feels like its a lifetime away. Looking forward to the new support system!
jenkaye21 - a partner sounds great. I think we are both part of the July babies forum (at least your name looks familiar) My daughter was born in June but I was due July 9th so I have been part of that group since the beginning. Imagining you walking with the kids at baseball practice reminds me of how when I was little, my mom would make me go for a walk with her and I hated it so much and always tried to get out of it, so I would walk really slow and she would run ahead, and then double back, and she probably got 10x the exercise I did, lol. That was back when the world was semi safe and you could leave your kids 50 feet behind you and not worry about someone taking off with them!
Barb - lots of good advice and but ill have to work up to the vegetables, lol...ugh. The scale is working now, so I dont know exactly how much I have lost bc I couldnt get that first weigh in but this morning I was 324 so its been at least 7 lbs. It sounds like a lot and im excited but im so big that you cant even tell and of course thats why its coming off faster right now...I dread the days when it takes a month or 2 to try to get off that 7 lbs. At least, I can keep better count and see the results on the scale bc waiting for my clothes to get bigger feels like its a lifetime away. Looking forward to the new support system!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Well, I'm happy to see that everyone is raring to go here -- for those who don't know it yet, we have a Weigh in every Sunday, during which we can talk about our successes and/or failures, what worked last week, what you might change this week, etc. The idea is weigh yourself first thing in the morning (after you've gone to the bathroom and before you eat/drink); then just watch for the Sunday Weigh In post to come up.
Karen - two things for you: 1) don't worry about the saggy skin right now; just worry about getting the weight off so you can be healthy for yourself and your daughter. As tigerlilly pointed out - there are lots of nice looking clothes that can camouflage excess skin. 2) take all your measurements now - that's upper arms, bust waist, hips, thighs (you can even measure your neck if you want); then don't worry about the scale. As was mentioned, you will know you are being successful when you clothes start fitting differently AND when you can easily do exercises that might be hard for you now.
As for your food - hating all veggies might be a problem, but if you are willing to try some different things, maybe you could learn to eat some others by seasoning them differently, adding a bit of fat free cheese or something? Can you eat salad greens and/or tomatoes? cucumbers? Maybe you could try just a small salad with lettuce, baby spinach, a slice or two of cucumber, grape tomatoes, a slice of green pepper?
I used to absolutely *hate* green peppers; I could smell green peppers in a dish from a mile away and even picking out the peppers, the food still made me sick. Then one day a couple of years ago, I didn't have time to stop for a regular lunch so I went into the grocery store and in the produce section, they had these ready made salads in individual servings, so I bought one with a small packet of fat free dressing. I didn't realize until I got to my next stop and went to eat the salad, that it had not only green pepper, but also red, orange and yellow - a slice of each!! At first, I was about to panic because I just knew the entire salad was going to taste like peppers and I'd be sick the rest of the day!! My first thought was to toss the peppers, then I thought "hmm, maybe the red, orange and yellow don't taste as bad as the green", so I nibbled a bit on the red and it really wasn't all that bad, a bite off each the orange and yellow proved that they weren't going to kill me, at least not today!! It ended up that I ate almost all of the red, orange and yellow and even some of the green, but still couldn't quite handle all of that.........After several times of buying these salads, I gradually learned to "like" the peppers and eventually even started buying them to have at home. I now use them for snacks. I went through a similar issue with beets -- I can now eat them, but they aren't my favorite.
I'm not saying that you should go "gung ho" with the veggies; just a bite or two at a time and see if they "grow" on you. Or if you try green beans "this" way and don't like it, try it "that" way next time; my point is don't just give up on them.
Jenkaye -- you are doing great to get that walk in while the baseball players are getting ready -- I don't know how old the 2 that walk with you are, but you can make that work to your advantage; AND you are teaching them that exercise is better than sitting on the bleachers waiting for the game to start...............
In your case, it sounds like you are "learning" to eat fruit; what about veggies? Fruit, of course, has lots of vitamins/minerals, etc, but it also has lots more sugar. Veggies, on the other hand, have lots of vitamins/minerals AND "good for you" fiber --- so maybe you could snack on carrot or celery sticks once in a while too?
Just some ideas to get you thinking and hopefully, it will help.
I've done (and am still doing) my own weight struggle, following a drastic weight gain prior to a diagnosis of hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Even though I am now on med to control the thyroid issues, I'm still struggling to get rid of the weight. I think I've lost and regained the same 10 pounds at least monthly, over the past 2 years. I can say without a doubt that it gets frustrating, but I still keep trying and hope you will too..........
Best of luck to you...........
Karen - two things for you: 1) don't worry about the saggy skin right now; just worry about getting the weight off so you can be healthy for yourself and your daughter. As tigerlilly pointed out - there are lots of nice looking clothes that can camouflage excess skin. 2) take all your measurements now - that's upper arms, bust waist, hips, thighs (you can even measure your neck if you want); then don't worry about the scale. As was mentioned, you will know you are being successful when you clothes start fitting differently AND when you can easily do exercises that might be hard for you now.
As for your food - hating all veggies might be a problem, but if you are willing to try some different things, maybe you could learn to eat some others by seasoning them differently, adding a bit of fat free cheese or something? Can you eat salad greens and/or tomatoes? cucumbers? Maybe you could try just a small salad with lettuce, baby spinach, a slice or two of cucumber, grape tomatoes, a slice of green pepper?
I used to absolutely *hate* green peppers; I could smell green peppers in a dish from a mile away and even picking out the peppers, the food still made me sick. Then one day a couple of years ago, I didn't have time to stop for a regular lunch so I went into the grocery store and in the produce section, they had these ready made salads in individual servings, so I bought one with a small packet of fat free dressing. I didn't realize until I got to my next stop and went to eat the salad, that it had not only green pepper, but also red, orange and yellow - a slice of each!! At first, I was about to panic because I just knew the entire salad was going to taste like peppers and I'd be sick the rest of the day!! My first thought was to toss the peppers, then I thought "hmm, maybe the red, orange and yellow don't taste as bad as the green", so I nibbled a bit on the red and it really wasn't all that bad, a bite off each the orange and yellow proved that they weren't going to kill me, at least not today!! It ended up that I ate almost all of the red, orange and yellow and even some of the green, but still couldn't quite handle all of that.........After several times of buying these salads, I gradually learned to "like" the peppers and eventually even started buying them to have at home. I now use them for snacks. I went through a similar issue with beets -- I can now eat them, but they aren't my favorite.
I'm not saying that you should go "gung ho" with the veggies; just a bite or two at a time and see if they "grow" on you. Or if you try green beans "this" way and don't like it, try it "that" way next time; my point is don't just give up on them.
Jenkaye -- you are doing great to get that walk in while the baseball players are getting ready -- I don't know how old the 2 that walk with you are, but you can make that work to your advantage; AND you are teaching them that exercise is better than sitting on the bleachers waiting for the game to start...............
In your case, it sounds like you are "learning" to eat fruit; what about veggies? Fruit, of course, has lots of vitamins/minerals, etc, but it also has lots more sugar. Veggies, on the other hand, have lots of vitamins/minerals AND "good for you" fiber --- so maybe you could snack on carrot or celery sticks once in a while too?
Just some ideas to get you thinking and hopefully, it will help.
I've done (and am still doing) my own weight struggle, following a drastic weight gain prior to a diagnosis of hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Even though I am now on med to control the thyroid issues, I'm still struggling to get rid of the weight. I think I've lost and regained the same 10 pounds at least monthly, over the past 2 years. I can say without a doubt that it gets frustrating, but I still keep trying and hope you will too..........
Best of luck to you...........
Good ideas! My 10 y/o has started helping some with meals, though all of them continue to be kinda picky about "healthy" foods.
Right now I have 2 playing basball, so we are at the ballpark 5-6 nights a week. The players have to be there 30 minutes early, so I have been dropping that child off, then taking a walk with the other three until game time. Of course with 2 kids + a stroller, it's a SLOW walk, but I guess it still counts. Plus it beats the boredom til gametime! = )
Right now I have 2 playing basball, so we are at the ballpark 5-6 nights a week. The players have to be there 30 minutes early, so I have been dropping that child off, then taking a walk with the other three until game time. Of course with 2 kids + a stroller, it's a SLOW walk, but I guess it still counts. Plus it beats the boredom til gametime! = )
Yep, kids can definitely put a time constraint on your "me time". The two things I have done to try & fight the clock is 1. to include my oldest in food prep & explain why we are eating whatever health stuff that will be in the meal 2. include the kids in the exercise. We are currently looking for a couple family/kids workout videos so we can do them as a family every night. My son still tries to keep up with the stretching & calisthenics already.
Welcome! I have a 9 mo old, so we are in the same boat there. I thought I would've lost this pg weight by now, but no such luck! = (
I have trouble making good food choices, and with 4 kids, have NO time to exercise. I don'tparticularly like fruit, either. I find that if I take something to work withe me (like grapes, or an apple) and don't haev other snacks available, I will eat it when I get hungry enough. I have even come to sorta like some fruits I didn't like before (grapes, apples, pineapple, oranges-- not my faves, but I can eat and kinda enjoy them).
I wouldn't sorry about the skin thing, yet. Everyone is different, and you won't know till you get there. The heaviest I've ever been (while pg) was 190, and my skin will never be the same! I have had 4 babies, but it was that way even after my first. Just bad genetics, I guess. You could always have a tummy tuck after your done having kids. (Not me, I'm terrified of surgery!)
I wouldn't worry about a scale, either, as you will notice when your clothes start getting looser. Using the Food Tracker and Exercise Tracker on here have helped me make better food choices and feel accountable. The only exercise I get is a walk at lunch (20 minutes) about 3x per week. I would love to check in with someone, too, on maybe a weekly basis to see how we're doing, if you interested?? Just like, How did you do this week with diet, exercise, etc. ?? Let me know, and good luck!!
I have trouble making good food choices, and with 4 kids, have NO time to exercise. I don'tparticularly like fruit, either. I find that if I take something to work withe me (like grapes, or an apple) and don't haev other snacks available, I will eat it when I get hungry enough. I have even come to sorta like some fruits I didn't like before (grapes, apples, pineapple, oranges-- not my faves, but I can eat and kinda enjoy them).
I wouldn't sorry about the skin thing, yet. Everyone is different, and you won't know till you get there. The heaviest I've ever been (while pg) was 190, and my skin will never be the same! I have had 4 babies, but it was that way even after my first. Just bad genetics, I guess. You could always have a tummy tuck after your done having kids. (Not me, I'm terrified of surgery!)
I wouldn't worry about a scale, either, as you will notice when your clothes start getting looser. Using the Food Tracker and Exercise Tracker on here have helped me make better food choices and feel accountable. The only exercise I get is a walk at lunch (20 minutes) about 3x per week. I would love to check in with someone, too, on maybe a weekly basis to see how we're doing, if you interested?? Just like, How did you do this week with diet, exercise, etc. ?? Let me know, and good luck!!
I have lost a total of 121 pounds since I was pregnant with my last child. kittengamer is right, you really need to lose slow and exercise including strength training to cut down on skin trouble. The saggy skin thing is a something you just need to work around. There are certain things I won't wear and other things I like to wear. Other people won't know you have it just you, so that makes it easier. It's worth the journey either way.
Welcome!
Welcome!
First of all welcome & congratulations on starting the road to better health!! I just made the same decision myself to start a better life for myself & for my family. This community is great for support & ideas. Try not to get too discouraged by the scale. If you are following yout measurements than you will see the results.
On the saggy skin thing: usually this is only a problem with rapid weight loss & weight loss with no exercise. So as long as you are willing to take to it slow & steady & exercise to tone up you'll be fine. Everything I have read basically says the same things; gradual weight loss, exercise, & lots of water.
On the saggy skin thing: usually this is only a problem with rapid weight loss & weight loss with no exercise. So as long as you are willing to take to it slow & steady & exercise to tone up you'll be fine. Everything I have read basically says the same things; gradual weight loss, exercise, & lots of water.
ADD:
Another things thats a little bit discouraging is that my scale is a 330 limit and I think I am like 335 or 340 (hopefully no more) and so Im not even going to be able to see my progress for a while and I feel like Im going to question my self and my progress until I can see it on the scale. Should I just work hard in the mean time or should I go buy another scale that way I will see I am actually accomplishing something? I did write down my measurements, so I will know that way, but what are your thoughts?
Another things thats a little bit discouraging is that my scale is a 330 limit and I think I am like 335 or 340 (hopefully no more) and so Im not even going to be able to see my progress for a while and I feel like Im going to question my self and my progress until I can see it on the scale. Should I just work hard in the mean time or should I go buy another scale that way I will see I am actually accomplishing something? I did write down my measurements, so I will know that way, but what are your thoughts?
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