Post partum weight loss

[Lily189]

Hi everyone

I have 2 children my sons 2 and my daughter is 9 months I had to have c sections with both them I was heavy before my daughter around 18 stone but was trying to lose weight
Since I had my daughter I just cant shift the weight my stomach sticks out alot above my belly button which never did before I feel like I still look pregnant
I really want to loose weight but have barley anytime to work out and I suffer from anxiety so I cant go to gyms

Has anyone any good tips on how lose weight it's really getting me down and affecting my confidence
Plus after an argument the other night my partner actually commented on my weight saying I had gained weight and havnt even tryed to lose it

I feel so low and want to get healthy for myself and my children

All advice be great tia

Hi OP, you could try posting this on the Weight Loss board, or even Postpartum Health?

First of all, your partner doesn’t sound very kind.

Not having time to work out shouldn’t be a barrier to losing weight. Exercise is a great, healthy habit but but itself does very little for weight loss - it’s about what you put in your mouth. I still managed to put on weight training for my first marathon due to not being able to outrun my bad diet.

Easy things you can do without thought:

• having fruit for breakfast, or waiting until lunch and having a good brunch type meal instead of eating first thing
• or, if you love breakfast- make lunch very low cal by always having a tin of soup or whatever
• not having sugar in your tea or coffee
• swapping to spirits and low cal mixers instead of drinking beer and wine
• skip the pasta/potatoes/chips/bready thing and just have veg instead (I frequently have tenderstem broccoli with a pasta sauce, and have my burgers bunless)
• drink lots of water
• ideally don’t have things in the house you will binge on, but if you can control yourself, then little fun size chocolate bars can be enjoyed within your calorie allowance

So sorry to hear you are feeling like this - I am a nutrition coach and I would advise to look at a calorie calculator on how much you should be eating to be in a deficit. Start eating in a healthy deficit (no more than 500 calories under your maintenance) - an easy way to do this is to take a note on the calories you are consuming throughout the day. Even if you do this for a week, it will show you where you may be overeating - and balancing out your calories equally throughout the day.

Always thinking about health as your goal rather than just focussing on fat loss is also great. You don't need to exercise to lose fat, but maybe you get more movement in via walking more etc - that will also help put you further into a deficit.

Send me a message if you need any help x

Bit insensitive to OP!😆

Agree that you can't out exercise a bad diet however you said you are feeling low & exercise is a great mood improver & will have a knock on effect on the food choices you make.

You say you can't go to the gym...any chance of getting the kids in the buggy & going for a brisk walk somewhere quiet? Maybe hubby can come & even 10mins a few times a day will be great!
You could do a you tube workout in the privacy of a bathroom...anything that gets you feeling more active will help with mood & outlook.

Hopefully you can make a few easy small changes to start with! Drink more water is easy. You could try eating more (green vegetables!) & replace some of the carbohydrates on your plate with vegetables. Also you don't say if you graze throughout the day but maybe aim for 3 meals & a snack & be more accountable for when you are eating.

Don't do anything that makes you miserable & feels restrictive. It'll make you feel lower in the long run as it'll be very hard to stick to.

Also give yourself a break. Two pregnancies, two csections, two kids. That's hard & you've asked for help which is amazing! GP would probably be very supportive. Sorry husband isn't seeing how he could help support you. Maybe identify one small thing he could do & start there!

Good luck x

Didn’t mean to post on someone elses post, sorry! I’m new to mumsnet and got no idea how to work it

I’ve struggled with binge eating since a teen and find that when I’m trying to lose weight but feel out of control if I have a ‘doesn’t count eating day’ and eat everything I actually want whether it’s high in nutrients or not and then I add up the calories and start a slow deficit from there.
That way I’ve had the foods I’d want to avoid and likely have a higher calorie amount to reduce from.
Reduce by as little as possible each day so you don’t fall into the diet trap of a failed let’s give up mind set.

You don’t need to exercise to lose weight. You just need to burn more than you’re consuming. (You burn calories by just breathing).

I’m in no way a professional but I know the struggle. Be kind to yourself! You’re on the right track already by setting an intention to lose some weight :) good luck x

Check out the fitness chef on Instagram. He is really good at explaining how food is just food and to broach it in a healthier mindset.

That's very sad that your partner comments on it after you have sacrificed your body to produce 2 beautiful children for him! I bought a peloton bike after my son and it helped me shed the weight. It's great because it's in your house you can workout while the baby naps / sleeps. Good luck x