I feel so fat after having a baby

[nilling1]

I am 5'3 and was 8 stone before becoming pregnant i put on 4 stone during pregnancy somehow had a 9lb 3 baby. Now after 8 months i have only lost 2 stones.

 

So im 5'3 and 10 stones if not a few lbs more. I have stretchmarks all the way up my stomch and hips and legs. deep ones. My stomach is just a massive ball of stretched excess skin.My bf says he dont mind but i feel disgusting looking in the mirror. Im only 21 and should have pride in my body boosting with confidence like i was before. i love my baby so much and wouldnt change her for the world.

 

I have tried going to the gym and whilst results were showing i lose the motivation pretty quick. The dieting part i find hardest i love my food. used to eat like a gannit and never put a lb on!! What can i do???!?!

[CatsMeeoow]

Well realize that your lifestyle has changed!

 

Your among many women who find losing post baby weight is a huge challenge.

 

How did you lose motivation at the gym if you were starting to see results? That's usually when people keep going... they like what they see.

 

Stretch marks will fade overtime and there are lots of proven stretch mark creams to make them appear less visible.

 

Look into toning routines you can do at home with your baby rather than trekking to the gym all the time. Just focus on certain areas - maybe work on your arms for 10min before lunch and then in the afternoon work on your abs... btw I love crunchless abs program... worked great for me and the routine is in 10min... I would do three reps a day cause I could always find an extra 10min but not a whole 30min at once.

 

Good luck and hang in there!

[lavenderdove]

Try switching to a high protein/low carb diet for a while... It will take a while for your skin to readjust, but the problem is mainly fat, and a high protein/low carb diet is the quickest way to take off fat. It also provides you discipline because it restricts you to meats and vegetables and keep you away from junk food and high starch comfort food that tends to put on and keep on the weight. It also works well with a exercise program and helps build muscle which will help with the 'saggy' parts.

[Ituhata]

I'm a guy so take this for what its worth but, in about 6 months of working at a kennel where 90% of my job is walking, I lost over 20lbs. and I really didn't want to. I seem to have lost every bit of it in my waist as my jeans no longer fit me which ticks me off. So maybe that works for women, any chance you get to walk take it.

[sugarpiehoney]

Baby weight is hard to take off but give it time. Make good changes to your diet increase veggies, fruits, and whole grains will help. Try the workouts with baby .....lifting a baby is just like using weights and it will be good bonding time for the both of you. As for the stretch marks try vitamin e or there is bio oil which is supposed to work really well.

[lostnscared]

Pick an exercise you enjoy so that you don't feel as "forced" to work out--i.e. swimming or dancing. Cut back on calories--I don't recommend a high protein low carb diet, because unless you plan on implementing that for a lifestyle, it's simply a "quick fix". What you need now is to still continue eating the way you are and the way you plan to eat, but cut back at least 200-300 calories a day. If you can breast-feed, breast feed. Work out about 30 minutes a day, and try to lift weights 2x a week. Within 2 months you'll probably have lost the weight.

[NANsense]

I agree with ituhata--walking did it for me! I struggled like you are & it took forever! But once I started walking it dropped off in no time at all!

Start off with 2 miles a day and gradually increase--being out in the fresh air is also great for you & baby!

 

p.s. I also lost the extra weight in the chest area that being preggo causes Cardio is the way to go!

[sweetpea03]

Pick an exercise you enjoy so that you don't feel as "forced" to work out--i.e. swimming or dancing. Cut back on calories--I don't recommend a high protein low carb diet, because unless you plan on implementing that for a lifestyle, it's simply a "quick fix". What you need now is to still continue eating the way you are and the way you plan to eat, but cut back at least 200-300 calories a day. If you can breast-feed, breast feed. Work out about 30 minutes a day, and try to lift weights 2x a week. Within 2 months you'll probably have lost the weight.

 

Have to agree with the above. Just wanted to add, that maybe try to include your new baby. Put him or her in a stroller and go for a walk or jog. It can help you bond more, and also give you more exercise. You want to find activities that are somewhat enjoyable, so you can continue to do them to stay healthy and not lose interest/motivation. If you can, you might want to consider breastfeeding(can help you burn more calories). Going on a low carb/high protein diet is ok temporarily, but it is not meant for anything long term and many times you just gain back the weight you lost when you switch back to a more normal diet.

[Lonewing]

Well, target one, you have to hit the energy balance equation. Calories in must equal calories out if you wish to maintain your weight - so you have to eat less if you wish to lose weight. and you will feel HUNGRY while you are losing weight because, well duh, you're body is SCREAMING about being starved!!

 

Between meals, reach for raw celery and raw carrots. Spice it up? Add an apple. With those limitations available to you, sooner or later you will no longer be hungry becasue you no longer want to eat option 1, 2, or 3!

 

Other than that, increasing exercies will indeed help you lose weight, but as soon as you stop, you will gain the weight back. Light exercise is good for life, but heavy exercise seems to be a waste of time, in my mind - and ultimately, counterproductive. First, it encourages you to eat more and then you forget to stop eating less once you're no longer on the exercise plan. In the meantime, exercise will help tone up areas as the weight is shed. Floor exercises [pushups, planks, flutterkicks, iron cross, situps, crunches in all their variations] and simple jogging - walking -running seem to have good benefits.

[lostnscared]

Have to agree with the above. Just wanted to add, that maybe try to include your new baby. Put him or her in a stroller and go for a walk or jog. It can help you bond more, and also give you more exercise. You want to find activities that are somewhat enjoyable, so you can continue to do them to stay healthy and not lose interest/motivation. If you can, you might want to consider breastfeeding(can help you burn more calories). Going on a low carb/high protein diet is ok temporarily, but it is not meant for anything long term and many times you just gain back the weight you lost when you switch back to a more normal diet.

 

I agree too many people see exercise as something not enjoyable or something they are forced to do. When you choose an exercise activity that you enjoy, and that you do at a minimal time frame(working out an hour or more will quickly lead to burn out) then you are more inclined to continue incorporating that in your lifestyle. The same with "eating". The problem with diets--or fad diets, is that unless you plan on eating that way forever, you'll find that once the diet is over you're back to eating the way you were before, which will ultimately lead you to gain weight. There is a reason why most people who have been on these sort of high protein diets, eventually gain the weight back. They are good diets for quick weight loss or weight loss if you plan to continue eating that way, but they are TERRIBLE for a person who has no intention on continuing to eat egg beaters and vegetable drinks any more than they have to.

Instead just eating the foods that you enjoy, but CUTTING back, will at least aid you in "normal" weight loss and allow you to not feel deprived and to continue eating the way you plan to. Though I DO reccomend that in addition to continuing to eat like you usually do, trying to add more fruit and veggies, or lean protein into your normal diet is a GREAT idea as well.

What I do is I choose fruit I really enjoy, veggies and meat I enjoy and I still eat my bread with it, I still have my desert(but only a small portion), and I still have my carby breakfast. I've always been able to lose weight even eating Mcdonalds everyday.

It was actually in the news the other day about a professor that lost weight eating twinkies. No matter what you eat, if you CUT back, you will lose. As long as you are incorporating more healthy foods into your diet, and cutting back, and working out, you'll be fine, and won't feel as deprived.

[babymommy]

Hi,

 

I gained 25 pounds during my pregnancy, I had my baby on September 4th so not even 3 months ago and I already lost all of the weight!! I had a breakfast shake in the morning that I made with banana, oatmeal (raw), milk, vanilla, a lil sugar, some chocolate powder (Nestle), a lil pinch of sugar, and some ice. Then in the afternoon I had a very satisfying meal and just some cereal or something else at night but I tried not to over do it.

 

I also did a lot of walking, and I avoided eating bread and anything too floury, I don´t know about you but this worked for me, and believe me I have a very SLOOOOW metabolism. But I wish you the best of luck and don´t get discouraged you´re doing great.

[nilling1]

Thanks for your replies. I am going to try doing ore exercise. It's not that i dnt enjoy going to the gym its finding a baby sitter to go, as my bf doesnt get home til gone 7 then have so much to do. But i will try adding in more exercises during the day its just i hardly have any eneryg or maybe i just think i dnt as another excuse. I loved the results i was seeing before but i found out i was pregnant againso i stopped but i had a miscarriage and havent had the motivation to start again!

 

Will skippinghelp#? i quite like skipping lol. But doing all the crunches e.c.t my ab muscles are so weak i cnt even pull my self up my stomach skin prob wont regenerate back to normal. U can see how bad it is on youtube. type in y679wafxt.

 

Also difficult with xmas coming up!!!! Argh! I'll let u no how i get on

[nilling1]

That's good, but i put on 56 pounds, so have more than double to lose than you. My worst time to eat is in the evenings. I can go without during the day! Shake sounds nice.

[sweetpea03]

That's good, but i put on 56 pounds, so have more than double to lose than you. My worst time to eat is in the evenings. I can go without during the day! Shake sounds nice.

 

Please don't starve yourself to lose weight, if you are hungry, then you need to eat. I wouldn't recommend only having a meal a day. It is a LOT better to have multiple small meals a day. You can eat about 4 to 5 small meals a day and lose weight that way. If you eat multiple small meals, you give your body a better chance of getting the nutrients it needs and gives your body an easier chance to digest the food. Also since it can be hard to find a baby sitter, look for exercises where you can include the baby. Going for a jog with your baby in the stroller is one idea and you can look up other ideas online. You don't have to go to the gym to exercise, just do things outside or within your own home.