Tell me your inspiring pandemic pounds weight loss stories

[Peppapigforlife]

Bonus points if you're a single mum with a toddler.

I need help losing the weight I gained over the past year. I've only twice gained weight and that was during A levels and during university (I went in my twenties). I'm finding it hard to carve out exercise time and part of me feels like it wont make a difference when I do have time, because it's so little. I want to look and feel great again.

At the moment she goes to nursery two and a half days so I could probably work out then. Every time I get up to do an indoor workout she jumps up and tries to crawl under me or push me over for fun. Cute, but not productive. Haha.

Would love to hear your stories to inspire me to get moving and losing!

I use my DD as weights! So cuddling her I do lunges and squats, and I get her to sit on my hips for hip thrusts!

I was depressed and had anxiety and frequent panic attacks for a long time but it peaked in 2020 and as we all did I gained a lot of weight. In March 2020 I had a blood analysis through work and it came back that I was obese and had high levels of everything bad. I hadn’t realised it was that bad as I was about a size 14 and didn’t look what I had thought “obese” looked like.

I started running, then a month later I got a personal trainer. I made some dietary changes for health not weight loss, eg supplements and benecol. The more I ran the more I cared about what food I was eating as fuel for running.

Gradually I lost 3 stone and I recently had a second blood analysis - all healthy! I also came off my anti depressants and anti anxiety medication and haven’t had one panic attack all year. I haven’t even had the dark thoughts I used to be plagued with. I fit into clothes I bought at 16 and my pear shape has become hourglass. The weight loss is petering off now, as I’m not dieting it seems I’m close to the natural weight my current lifestyle will maintain, hopefully. but I’m normal bmi now and half a stone below my oriGinal target weigHi.

I’m evangelical about exercise now, I don’t recognize myself! I used to have a glass of wine in the bar during dd swimming lesson, now I swim 2k front crawl instead.

I’m so, so pleased with myself!

OP - if she tries to join in when you work out at home, use her as a weight! Seriously. There are some brilliant and lovely mum and toddler-as-weight workouts on you tube. You end up bonding and playing and she gets to see you keeping fit.

Also, put her in the buggy well wrapped up and go for long frosty walks around the park. Let her get out to play chase to warm up, then come home.

Base food around healthy winter recipes, like blueberry porridge, carrot and ginger soup, chicken and veg casserole or spicy tray bakes etc

I lost weight through just adding walking to my day, so I’d walk to work (20-30 minutes) and then back (again 20-30 minutes). I did eat more healthily compared to before when I’d been putting on weight but it wasn’t a diet

You know what guys I'm so so so so sooooo grateful for these comments! I just came home from a walk to the supermarket and decided to just sit on the sofa all evening, but reading this has really inspired me and made me feel a lot more grateful and hopeful.

I'm going to definitely use DD as a weight and I'm going to log my calories into that app, because possibly yes, I'm not eating enough, as I've been trying too hard to be careful. And thinking about it yes, my times of weight loss in the past have always been with me eating more and exercising more. I'm also going to go with the advice of doing it in bursts throughout the day. I did twenty sit ups yesterday and noticed my stomach slightly tighter than yesterday. I'm not sure I'd feel safe on a bicycle with DD as haven't cycled for years and because of hypermobility my core hasn't rebuilt itself yet, so İ could fall off, and same with couch to 5k, hypermobility means running really hurts my vagina and other places for some reason. Will see about getting a second hand exercise bike though and I enjoy dancing, online workouts and anything high impact.

I've also decided to do a daily supermarket dinner shop to get me walking with the buggy each day (it's flat to the supermarket luckily).
It's too many names to go back through and tag everyone but I hope you all see this and know how grateful I am for the positive comments. Feel free to keep adding your stories and I'll keep you updated with the changes. I'm going to stand up now and do a burst of exercise.

I'm hypermobile too and I really recommend weight training. It's has made such a positive difference to my life.
Also pilates is great for the core (as I'm sure you probably know!)

@supercalifragilistic123

I'm hypermobile too and I really recommend weight training. It's has made such a positive difference to my life. Also pilates is great for the core (as I'm sure you probably know!)

Me as well. Best thing I ever did taking up weights. All those stupid little injuries are massively lessoned.

Eat less. Do more. You clearly don't want to hear that but if you've put weight on, it's because you're taking in more calories than your body's using.

Well would you believe it, my DD fell asleep by 7.15pm, and my house was reasonably clean and tidy with just a few toys to put away, and İ had managed to cook dinner earlier on and İ had some leftover energy. İt's a miracle and the first-time all of those factors have come into play all at once.

İ found a YouTube dance workout which I did for thirty minutes, plus a few sit ups and stretching and followed this with a banana and a small bowl of dinner.
I'm now writing a chart of hopefully getting a dance workout, a walk and some sit ups in every day, and I'm writing down what I eat each day so I can keep track. Actually İ noticed today İ hadn't eaten as much as İ thought İ had and it wasn't a lot, and so I went and grabbed a banana post workout!

İ was also surprised that despite over two years of minimal movement (other than pushing the buggy), and two sizes bigger, İ had loads of stamina for the dance workout!

Fingers crossed for me, all, that something similar is able to happen tomorrow night!

I'm not a young mother - I'm approaching retirement - but I have lost 4 stone this year - from 3 February when I was 13 st 1 lb to 25 September when i weighed in at my target 9 stone. I had some support via an app and stuck to around 1200 calories a day. This meant I had cereal or egg on toast for breakfast with fruit or tomato. lunch is corn cakes, humus or goats cheese and a big mixed salad, plus an apple or orange. Dinner is whatever vegetarian meal I would have had anyway but small portion with mashed cauliflower instead of rice. Exercise was the key to keeping on track, but not in the weight loss itself. I did couch to 5k - that was very difficult to begin with. I do 2 pilates and one yoga classes a week and some yoga with my husband who teaches it ( at a venue not convenient to me for formal classes) a couple of times a week.I feel so much better, and look so much better too. Just hoping that with Christmas round the corner I can keep it off.

Ah well done OP!!

YouTube is great for free workouts- I used Sydney Cummings throughout the pandemic when the gyms were closed and I still do now on the days I can't get there. She does use weights and equipment but you can improvise!! .Her workouts rent easy but she does give you lower impact options and it's all free. I've had really good results following her programmes.

(and no I'm not Sydney herself sadly but a big fan!!)