AIBU to want to lose baby weight asap

[kiki22]

i'm thinking of joining slimming world pretty much as soon as babys here maybe after 2 or 3 weeks start the classes a friend done this and has lost all her baby weight her ds is only 15 weeks and tbh she looks better now that pre pg, but quite a few people have said it's far to soon and can't believe i'm even thinking about it yet (34 weeks) some have even suggested it wouldn't be healthy. DP's aunt (5 yrs older than me) had the cheek to suggest i should be focusing on my baby not myself like she did 4 dress sizes ago. Really want to know if i'm the only one that thinks it's ok?

To try to field any questions i won't be BF and if i did i would alter plan to allow for it (MW will advise), i want to do it because tho i am happy to get chubby in pregnancy i don't want to be afterward i want to feel attractive again (vain but i miss it) and i usually struggle to lose weight so don't want to leave it months gain more be unhappy and have a huge struggle to get loads of weight off.

Can i get some opinions on this??

tbh, OP, I think you're going to find having a baby a bit of a shock; it really is very hard for most of us to just leap back into things. I expect you to come back on here in a year laughing at how naive you were

Equally, she may have a far more positive attitude and succeed.

Eating healthy food doesn't always mean 'leaping' into anything.

You are NBU at all OP, neither are you being vain. I agree, healthy eating in sensible portions is the way to go.
Plus you may have plenty of energy after the birth and recover quickly. As long as you don't overdo things then you will be fine.

Just be kind to yourself and if it doesn't happen don't feel disappointed. Just be kind to yourself whatever happens, don't let the "shoulds" ( ie "i should be at SW by now", "i should be feeling XYZ") get to you!

On another topic, am totally at people thinking that you shouldn't gain weight whilst pregnant and seeing weight gain as in some way weak. Doctors advise you to gain, it's totally normal and no way should anyone feel bad about putting on weight whilst preggo!

i'm hoping to go from a 16 to a 10/12 in a year hardly hard core dieting just want to get a healthy start. I don't think my current diet of pizza chips chocy and frosties is the best for a busy new mum. I am perfecly aware what having a new born is like this is my first baby but not the first baby i have lived with and taken care of i remember night feeds and constant washing all to well, i also remember how easy it is to slip into getting a take away or grabbing snacks on the go instead of meals.

Starting slimming world thursday to learn the ropes and will start my healthy eating plan soon as i can be arsed get organised after the baby comes and will hopefully be a happy healthy mummy for my boy :)

Re 'cravings' - that again is an old-wives-tale - if you have a balanced diet and have all your core minerals and vitamins you will not have cravings.

I had a thing about mars bars - but as I can't stand chocolate I tried eating honeydew melon on the assumption I was "craving" sugar for energy. I was put straight that it was infact the iron in cocoa beans I was looking for and was advised to eat red meat more often. So I made sure I had piece of steak every few days. I never had urges for a mars again.

Similarly, menstruating, I get the chocolate urge now and again - but red meat cures that.

Come to think of it - the iron depletion is why previous generations of women were advised to drink stout/guinness. But if you are artificially supplementing iron intake - remember to drink orange juice as it aids absorption and stops you getting constipated - which in turn will help prevent haemoroids.

Someone is going to come along and announce they could only be sated by soap thinly spread on coal or somesuch - again it will be a mineral missing.

The one thing I suggest you do eat in high volume is banana - it is zinc rich and will stop night cramps.

Doctors advise you to gain, it's totally normal and no way should anyone feel bad about putting on weight whilst preggo!

That would depend on how much weight wouldn't it?

And for the record, I was never advised with any of my three kids to 'gain weight'....simply advised to eat healthily and reminded that 'eating for two' is an old wive's tale.

OP it is perfectly possible to eat healthily without being on a 'diet'.

Trust me, that when you are recovering from birth you need a good amount of food. You will be emotional, and tired, and beating yourself up about an extra sandwich or plateful of dinner will do you no favours.

I suspect you may find that your priorities shift dramatically in a few weeks time.

Eating for two is an old winves tale you are only advised to eat 200-300 calories a day extra. I also think its ridiculous to say you arent focusing on your baby if you eat properly and exercise. Surely that is normal behaviour. I also dont agree that it will take you any longer with formula feeding as it will breastfeeding, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you lead.

Breastfeeding can burn up to an extra 500 calories per day

You may find that your priorities change when you actually have the baby.

Slimming World is a sensible and balanced program to follow, I followed it before i got pregnant and have been (kind of) sticking to the main principles during pregnancy and have put on very little weight. MW has said it is a sensible healthy eating diet and is gd to follow so cant see that there would be any problems with following it straight after. Obviously you will need to follow advice on how much extra nutrition you need if you are BF etc

trois no offence but i think if i changed my diet everytime i got a craving i'd drive DP up the wall. i've been craving apples and crunchies, but i go by the idea that even one crunchie a day isn't going to be a disaster but i'll try and avoid having the second one. i'll let myself eat as many apples as i like though because i poo them out anyway. pregnant or not u've got to enjoy yourself now and again!

I put on 7stone in my last pregnancy, I felt disgusting so I joined when dd was 4 weeks old. It wasn't too time consuming. It's now 8 months later and I have lost 5 of the 7 stone that I had to lose. I say go for it if you feel ready too :)

Just wanted to say good luck OP and I don't blame you for wanting the weight off ASAP. The haters on here are probably a bit jealous.

Hardly anyone has ticked off Anxious for her unwarranted and unhelpful comments on BF, so Anxious go back to your bitty and have a big fat from me.

I don't think my current diet of pizza chips chocy and frosties is the best for a busy new mum.

Not ideal for anybody, truth be told. :) I'm glad that you're trying to change your eating habits now. I think best think in terms of food quality & not calories. There's nothing wrong with gentle exercise now, too. Will be harder to change habits after baby is here, Most new mums wolf down meals for the first month, and don't have the energy to be think hard about what it is.

You may have looked after newborns before, but was that 24/7, hitting the ground running after your insides were turned inside out in public view, and losing (at least) a full night's sleep never to be regained? And physically it is different when it's your own baby. Your mind & body will be hit by hormones & worries you never expected. So better to improve habits now where you can.

Go for it. Do what makes you happy, from experience it is not nearly as impossible as people are saying to go out and do something 'for yourself' a month or so after the baby is born.

Unlike what people here are saying, it's important to feel good about yourself. I found exercise was good as it helped me clear my head and lose weight, but combined with WW online.

Good luck with the baby

FrenchRuby well done you've spurred me on :)

I deff think getting into it now is the best idea i'm going to need all the energy i can get soon :) since i've been eating so much crap i've felt crap looking forward to getting back on track

I put on 5 stone when pregnant with DS. Lost one stone immediately and then a further 5 over the next 5 months. Yes 5 stone in 5 months!! So ended up a stone less than when I started :)

I did it on the exante diet. like cambridge. milkshakes basically.

Was hard but omg i am so glad I did it.

Start eating healthily now for you and your baby. Breastfeed and stop talking to your family about what you might do.

kiki22 - once you've had your baby, would it be worth focussing on the dress size that you want to be, rather than the weight? I put on 3st during my first pregnancy but within a week I was in my old 'large days' clothes. Some of the weight that you gain is made up of increased fluid, blood volume, larger amounts of breast tissue etc. These aren't affected by your diet but will change the longer after your pregnancy it is - your breast size in particular if you choose not to breastfeed.

I found that getting out for a 30min walk every day really helped me - DS would sleep and I got some fresh air and sunshine and exercise. Yes I did breastfeed but I also tried to make some choices about my diet, simple things like stopping eating when I felt full ( sounds easy but how many times are we told to finish everything on our plate!) and have something to drink rather than always eating in case I was thirsty rather than hungry. I tried to opt for fruit and things rather than cake or chocolate.

Like others above, is it worth finding out when SW classes are for your area, but don't put yourself under pressure to join until your DC is here and you know how you are feeling? Good luck with everything and am of all your newborn baby snuggles yet to come.

yanbu, sort of, i was the same with my 2.

us women are under a LOT of pressure to snap back into shape after having babies

but as others have said, take it easy, don't go mad with dieting as soon as babys born as you will just feel tired and shitty. the weight will drop off naturally anyway in the first couple of weeks as you willl lose all the water weight (thats what i found anyway)

low Gi is the way forward diet wise when you've recovered from the birth

then once you have had your six week check, pilates works wonders

congrats on your pg btw!

I loathed being pregnant the first time as I put on 5 stone, but it was water. Within 2 weeks I was back to prepregnancy weight.
Cue 2nd pregnancy...ate like a horse, thinking "it's water"...no it wasn't . put on 2 stone, but took me a year to shift.

Just eat healthily, do some exercise and be healthy. Nothing wrong with wanting your figure back.......just do it sensibly.

Plans are all well and good. But having a baby can sometimes mean those plans go out the window!!

Maybe decide to go with the flow. See how birth goes for you and how you heal. Then when you feel mentally and physically strong enough you can begin to focus a little bit on getting you body back.

You only get those scrummy newborn days once though, so please don't worry them away thinking about your weight!

Also how much do you need to lose exactly? I thought I'd need to lose weight, but I didn't. I was 9st (BMI 21) at conception. 10st 10lb at 39 weeks. 1 week post birth I was 9st 4lb. And in my book 4lb does not require a 'plan' to lose! I think I am around 9st 1-2lb now, but I am still breast feeding so kid myself that I must carry around at least a lb of milk ;)

Yep, good point maturely made there Arachnophobic.

I started back at gym 3 wks after giving birth and tbh it was great, got a few hours away a wk which I think is great for mental health if nothing else! My LO was always sleeping at the time do he didn't suffer and it has made me feel so much better about myself after feeling fat for so many months! Still half a stone to loose but I know I'll get it off soon, but I'm glad a started so soon tbh.

If u feel up to it why not? I got a few funny looks and comments from people in the gym but I felt fine after a wk and my LO was a great sleeper- babies aren't all bad sleepers, most of my friends have all had babies that slept through from 6/7 wks and felt great a few wks post birth so it's not all doom and gloom like most people try to make out!

If you feel fine go for it- it can only make u feel better!!

Obviously it's your choice and all; but was there a particular reason you don't want to breastfeed?