Postpartum (ish) get yourself together thread

[DandelionNumber12]

It's 13m since I gave birth to my son. I'm 37. I have a serious sugar addiction. Never used to struggle with this, but since having a baby I'm constantly stuffing chocolate into myself.

I'd like to change this and I need some kind of accountability, even just on an anonymous forum.

There's a few other things I'd like to do too, such as taking better care of my appearance, have more sex with DP (if I was less hairy, I could be more spontaneous... It's a theory, anyway). Listen better to DP, I find these days I only half listen a lot of the time. Go jogging. Write a little every day.

Oh, and stop buying crap.

Sugar first though!

Does anyone want to join with their goals? We can keep eachother on the straight and narrow.

Ahh well done @girlmom21 I've cried too talking to Drs about being depressed or anxious. It's a really hard conversation to initiate. I hope they have some options to help you feel better.

@ChickenRat

Argh sorry accidentally tagged @ChickenRat and couldn't delete.

I was going to say good work with the healthy eating and walk yesterday @IceStationZebra

Well. Day 1 done of no sugary treats (I'm already in my PJs after a paddling pool incident, so no danger of sneaking out to buy chocolate now).

Well done @DandelionNumber12. I was feeling stir crazy yesterday with no plans so took baby out for a walk, got a green smoothie and a brownie in the interest of balance! Headed home via the park for a go on baby swings. Early night with a belvita and a book. I'm not trying to cut out my sweet treats but trying to make the whole experience a treat rather than just the food (walk/brownie, book/biscuit)

Aw that's a nice approach! And a good idea - it's not just mindless munching.

I am trying to think of ways to give myself a treat/that dopamine hit without eating or buying anything. We're moving soon, so I'm broke atm. Suggestions welcome 🙂 exercise is probably a good one.

I'm finding the summer holidays a slight challenge. I only have the one young DS, but all the playgroups we go to aren't on in the school holidays. So, lots of trips to soft play. It's more for me, to give me a sense of getting out, than for him.

Hello my people! Brilliant thread!

Dd is 8m, thankfully I've lost the baby weight, just been cleared to run by the pelvic health physio but too scared/lazy/unable to put myself first. I'm all wobbly especially round the tummy.

Can't keep away from the chocolate cupboard especially on days when ds (nearly 4) is here too.

Makeup bag and hairdryer are covered in dust and my only social life is playgroups which have all stopped for the summer. We've had the odd playdate but it's generally been quite lonely.

Back with some goals later!

Can I join in?
I’m 13 months pp, and don’t have loads of weight left to lose - maybe a stone if I m being optimistic But I feel so flabby and untoned. 😒
I did try and start running again, (I used to run 4 or 5 times a week before I got pregnant) but I did something to my knees and was in agony and could hardly walk for about a week.
Any advice on how to get back into running? Maybe I should do something more low impact?
And like everyone else, finding the time is a problem. 😫

For back to running, you have to remember that your head/mind knows how to run but your body has forgotten a lot so I would definitely start with couch to 5k or similar.

I regularly ran 15 milers before baby no 1 and also injured myself on my first attempt at returning! I knew how to push myself but not when to stop.

Pilates is good for me for toning the flab but doesn't have the high and quick wins of a good run.

DS2 is 6 weeks so not ready to start on the physical side yet although I’m really missing running. I have been taking magnesium and feel so much better though, I started taking it to help with breastfeeding but have found it’s really helping with cutting out sugar. I’m not cutting everything out so occasional treat on days out but want to reduce eating so much in the evenings.

I did do couch to 5k but still injured myself. 🤷‍♀️
I think you’re maybe right about pushing too hard - although it felt okay at the time it clearly wasn’t!
Will definitely also give Pilates a go to get back into something. ☺️

Hello everyone! Welcome aboard to people joining today 🙂

@DuneFan looking forward to seeing your goals :-) wobbly round the middle describes me too! I'm not overweight exactly, I'm 9st. Was 8.5 pre-baby and that extra weight seems to sit around my tummy. It's not disastrous, but it does make me feel self-conscious.

I didn't realise how much my body would change having a baby. I'm still BF and my boobs look really different, my nipples point in a new...more downward direction. Oh dear.

It's nice my body has been able to make a child, but it's hard not to worry that its less attractive now. Which is ridiculous!

Having less time does seem to mean physical health comes last. If I've got an hour to myself, there are usually things to be done that seem more urgent than putting on my running shoes... My partner is WFH so I could conceivably go jogging when DS is napping, but instead I clean and do washing.

@tealandteal good to hear magnesium is helping your sugar cravings too. I got an a-z multivitamin/minerals in Boots yesterday, not sure if it will help, but I thought it's definitely not going to hurt.

I saw a similar thread a little while ago where someone said that it's not a great idea to try change all your bad habits at once/try to establish a bunch of new habits quickly, because you end up backsliding on all of them. It's best to make changes slowly. Which makes a lot of sense to me.

So, not sure if I have said this up-thread already, but I'm going to make changes gradually, one new one a week. Sugar this week. Maybe next week I'll add in jogging ☺️

Can I join? I’m 6 months pp with second baby, want to lose 2 stone and today is the first day I’m trying to kick the sugar addiction too!

I have a 18 month old also and the 6mo isn’t sleeping well at all so finding it hard to get through the day without the sugar quick energy fix, altho I’m back to work in a couple of months and I really want to have lost the weight and feel healthier and fitter for then because I feel like I’m dragging myself about now

interesting about the multivitamin and magnesium thing making you have cravings, definitely going to try this!

This thread was written for me! 6m post partum with a 3yo at home too. Not only have I not lost my weight from the new baby, I still wasn't down to pre-baby size when I got pregnant! I'm another person who finds it very difficult to get through the day without chocolate and I'm also suffering with PND. I'm going to try a multivitamin and see if that helps with needing a sugar hit.

Hi all, want to join too! 4 weeks post partum and want to shift 3 stone before our wedding in July next year. Hoping that some of it is baby weight that will come off naturally but definitely was 1 stone over my ideal before I got pregnant with DC2. Breastfeeding is helping and will be getting back to the gym if I get the all clear from the midwife in 2 weeks. If I can find a window between cluster feeds, that is!

Overdid it on the chocolate this pregnancy, surprised I didn't give birth to an Easter egg 😅. Was never a massive sugar eater but don't know how I'm going to reverse the addiction now....

Hi @OrlaOrka @MollyRover and @OrlaOrka welcome!

How is everyone doing this morning? @girlmom21 hope you're feeling OK

Oh god DS woke hourly from midnight and was up at 4.45am. No idea what's up, he has been sleeping through recently.

This is going to test my will power! 🫤

Bad night here so I've had a big bowl of porridge with melted frozen berries and peanut butter for breakfast which was comforting and gave me a bit of a boost!

Does anyone have any advice on Vitamins while breastfeeding? Seen a few people mention magnesium. The breastfeeding multivitamins are £12 a pack so I stopped taking those at about 12 weeks but I feel run down and achey now (8m pp)

morning! I’ve treated myself to a coffee and porridge in a coffee shop, the guy asked me did I want a brownie and I stayed strong and said no haha

I want to be able to weigh myself after like a day of eating healthy and be 2 stone lighter tho 🤣

@HettyMeg ive taken the breastfeeding pregnacare vitamins before and found them ok, not sure how much magnesium they have in them, I read last night it’s good to take magnesium and calcium when bf especially if you have your periods back it helps with the drop in supply

I had porridge too! 🙂

Hmm my multivitamins said consult a pharmacist if BF, but I decided that it's probably fine... DS is feeding much less now he's 13m, I might have double checked at 8m.

Spent the morning at a friend's, so that was nice and meant I was kept from temptation. I have a haircut later, I'm going to go short with a fringe, eeek!

Well done @OrlaOrka resisting the coffee shop temptation.

Roasting hot here!

@HettyMeg also sorry you had a bad night too. Is your DC unwell? No idea what's up with mine, he is perfectly cheerful today. Nothing to justify hourly wakings!

Dd slept through last night but I woke up at 1am, 4am and 6am . . . I will add that the weight suddenly dropped off me when her sleep improved at 7m. I think I lost 5lb in 18 days.

Vitamins - I took floradix in pregnancy and keep toying with going back to it. Not mega expensive. I am sporadically taking the vitamins I think I'm a bit deficient in - iron and vit D - so my first goal should be to remember to take them daily.

Second goal is to do 4x a week pilates from next Monday.

Third goal is to wear makeup also 4x a week from the August Bank Holiday. . .

Sugar I'll tackle another time. Today a packet of Haribo fell into my mouth.

Ohhhh I'd really like a load of chocolate! Struggling with it this evening. I didn't realize how addictive sugar can be! I've got some grapes and I'm planning to make some Bircher muesli for a work snack tomorrow, work without chocolate or cake seems like a bonkers idea.

Pilates 4 times a week is a good start @DuneFan

I need to decide what I'm doing to start doing/stop doing from next week. As well as sticking to no sugar.

Thanks for checking in I had a bad day yesterday but just had a chat with my doctor and am getting some meds and referred for some (loooong overdue) counselling so feeling positive about that. Here's to the positive steps we're all taking!

@girlmom21 so glad you are getting some help it’s so hard!

how is the no sugar going @DandelionNumber12 ? I’m on day 3 now but I’m allowing myself one biscuit every evening with a cup of tea I find the evenings so so hard!!

Errrrmm, well I ate a magnum. In my defense, it was a free one from work. But I haven't had a mad sugar rampage as a result so let's just pretend it didn't happen?

Maybe I can allow myself 1 magnum a day? Ha no, kidding...

Glad you are getting some meds @girlmom21 and the counselling too.