I MUST start

[halloumi1]

Hi everyone,

So I had our second baby 10, nearly 11 weeks ago. We also have a just 3 year old. I’m fairly tall so I’ve always carried weight better but I’m beside myself now at the state I’m in. I’m nearly 5 stone heavier than I was when I met DH and was most confident.

After we had our first child, I really struggled to lose the weight so this baby is first and second child weight. I was on the pill but when I came off that, I managed to lose some but then have got heavier with this baby. I have a noticeable ‘belly’ now and my thighs have more width to them. I also detest my upper arms and my normally round anyway face isn’t helping, my features look lost!

I had a pulmonary embolism 2/3 weeks after our second was born and they’ve been struggling with possible reflux/CMPA with episodes of constant crying so since they were born I’ve just had to grab and go or I comfort my feelings with whatever bad I can find by the end of the day. I didn’t gain a great deal with this pregnancy but since I’m just piling on more weight and something has to stop.

I used to have a fairly active job where I’d be up and down and to get to my place of work involved a long walk once I was inside. Now I have a much less active one but won’t be back until late in the year.

Does anyone have any tips/advice to get me to start? I desperately want to feel confident again and avoid putting on so much weight that I can’t be active with the kids.
My main exercise love is riding but I can’t afford lessons until I go back to work as I missed our pay package by a few weeks so just on SMP.

Thank you

Start with making a few sustainable small changes, then make more, then add to that success. Some people can flip a switch overnight, go cold turkey on everything, but not many!

Identify where you need to start, your main issues, some suggestions...
sugar in hot drinks? cut half out for now.
evening snacking? switch to something healthier, fresh popped corn, grapes
over eating? fill your plate with more veg, so same visually pleasing and stomach filling but less calories.
swap one snack for some fruit or small serving nuts/seeds
add some raw veg to any meal
switch some white grains to wholegrains
drink more water!

Go for a walk! 10 minutes is more than nothing. And fresh air is good for sleep for you all.

But be kind on yourself as well, you only had a baby 11 weeks ago, Your body is still healing and you don't mention if you are breastfeeding either. My first had colic and screamed though most evenings for months, I know how desperately hard it is.

Hi, may I join you? I need to start from Monday!
I use NHS app to count calories at the moment. My favourite though is Nutracheck as it has lots of great recipes too.
I do track everything I eat and drink when I am calorie counting.
I put my weight and height, age in the app and it calculates how many calories I can have.
I put in the app everything I eat or drink. Also, I aim for keeping the calories at that level for the week, so if I overdo it today, I get some soup or similar for the next day, to balance.
I never add any calories for any exercise I do to my allowance.
I walk around 1-2 hours daily, on top of the standing up and walking at work.
I am trying to get a gym routine in my timetable, but I have been rather lazy, so I need some motivation to do so!
I get around 1500 cal allowance.
Food planning for me is the best way of keeping up with the counting.

Tomorrow I am having: porridge with oat milk and honey and coffee, a quiche slice (home made, crustless), tomatoe soup with two bread slices, smoothie (banana, orange, apple)
I will walk at a brisk pace for around one hour. Also, bit of cleaning up at home and cooking dinner for the other two humans at home.
And I shall try to do some exercise, at home! That is the bit that kills me, because I tend to sit my backside on the sofa! Going to the gym works better for me, but I cannot do so most days of the week now (changed jobs)

@WeirdPookah Thank you for the suggestions, they make it sound more doable than a total overhaul straight away. I’m formula feeding baby. Nighttime is my ‘bad’ time as I constantly want to eat how I’ve felt in the day and it’s like a switch is flicked with me not being able to stop!

@MushMonster It sounds like you’re making some positive changes already, good for you!
Little humans definitely lessen any motivation I have. I just tell myself I’ll sit down for 5 after they’re asleep but that 5 turns into hours! It’s easy to underestimate calories so I definitely think I need to track what I’m eating as I’m prone to forgetting I’ve had something then being hit with guilt later.

Hi @halloumi1
I did have my vitamibs this morning (I keep forgetting them), then all ok till lunch time! I had a cake a friend brought for lunch! Meaning, no bread with my soup and no smoothie for me today, but it is a start!
I find noting things down is my problem too.
With such tiny babies, it is very difficult! I hope you did well today!
I do not give up any food group, just smaller portions of the same meals I would have otherwise.
You need to be very careful if you are breastfeeding. I do not remember if the app actually has an option to include that.

Read why we eat to much to find out why calorie counting and diets ultimately lead.to weight gain and what actually works:

Why We Eat (Too Much): The New Science of Appetite https://amzn.eu/d/0kQfgRa

Vitamins lol
For me, meal planning is what works best. Then I eat healthy and within my goals. I find it difficult to plan when I am really busy.
I am putting my meal plannings here in case it may give you an idea of what you can have that day, without going through the hassle. There are lots of threads with meal planning sharing and I love them!
1 toast and coffee, small lasagne piece with salad, greek yogurt with honey, raisins and flaxseed meal, soup (home made).

I will also take a look at this link you've posted thanks.
This is true what you said as i have just had an appointment with a dietician last week, and they said that they don't advise calorie counting plus it can also make some over obsessed. They look more at meals/snacks and the type of foods and portions.
I know for example last year i followed this way of eating, cut out takeaways, junk food and wasn't measuring portions, enjoyed my meals, and I looked and felt so much better, there wasn't much of a change on the scales, but body wise it was obviously noticeable because I had people who see me a lot, asking if I had lost weight or telling me that I had.