New Mum seeking new body by Christmas!

[CoraBear]

My baby boy is 6 months old and I am quite overweight. Ok, I'm alot overweight (takes deep breath) I'm 15 stone. At 5 ft 7 this is waaay to much. I am sitting here in the one pair of trousers that fit me and my DP's tee shirt because none of my tops fit properly. Basically my stomach looks like a deflated paddling pool and my thighs are so big that I'm fairly sure that if I sit down too much longer they will burst open.

After I had the baby I took the very grown up approach to weight loss and I hoped that if I ignored the problem it would go away and somehow I would have a body like posh spice-because all new mothers lose all the weight instantly don't they? Turns out they don't, and surviving on mini aero's didn't help. I weigh more now than when I gave birth.

I have a serious lack of motivation but I decided to see if I could lose some pounds before Christmas, as I'll be seeing people I haven't seen since I was pregnant and want to look casually fabulous. So are any of you interested in holding my hand, kicking my arse and generally helping each other to stay on track? I really want to do this but I know if I'm not answerable to others my resolve will slip.

I have my first weight watchers meeting tomorrow, which I'm dreading as it will mean that the leader will weigh me and know what a tubby fecker I am. So, if any of you weight watcher followers or followers of other plans would like to come and join me and share stories of jogging up and down while eating maltesers so the points are being eaten and burned off simultaneously or just have a rant about how unfair the world is when you're hungry, you are welcome.

Right, I'm off to remove all the biscuits, chocolate and sweets from my house before tomorrow. That's right, when I say "remove" I do of course mean "eat them".

Oh Cora you poor thing, glandular fever is dreadful, I had it when I was about 16 and can remember the lethargy and awfulness of it. I really hope someone will be able to look after our DS so you can rest.
I have STS but had a bit of a chocolate fest at the weekend and pizza and a BBQ (in the rain!).

What's your price range Sayhello? How about a nice handcream?

Hope you're starting to feel a bit better Cora, I've never had glandular fever, it sounds awful :(

I've stayed the same too Choos, not only have I been eating cheese and ham toasties but the past few nights I've been eating chocolate too. I couldn't help myself. I have no willpower :(

Hi All,

I'm back and still in bits. I weigh 5 lbs heavier but I have been eating some serious comfort food because I feel so dreadful (but I have been taking mutivits to balance it all out).

When I turned 30 my friend made me a card of a photo of us when we were kids and wrote "Here's to another 30 years". It was just glued on to a piece of card but it was really thoughtful and I have it hanging up in my bedroom. Sometimes you don't need to spend a lot to give a good present. That was the only suggestion I could think of for a birthday present.

Cheese toasties are amazing. Have you tried making ones with red pesto and goats cheese on nutty bread. Just put them under the grill until the cheese browns. They are delish. It's no wonder I have trouble with my weight really is it?!

Choos I applaud your bbq dedication by having one in the rain. BBQ's signal the start of the summer, if only the damn weather would pay attention to that fact! Congrats on everyone staying the same. I am jealous!

Hi all,

I'm back. And with a relatively normal sized face. So that's good.

How's everyone else getting on?

I've been eating healthily for the last three days by eating protein during the day and having a meal with carbs in the evening. It's manageable so I'm going to keep it up.

Hope everyone's well.

Well after stuffing my face over the weekend I gained 1lb :( I've been good since Sunday though so hopefully by Tuesday it'll be gone (although I'm away for the weekend so I have a feeling I'll be adding another few pounds to my weight!!)

How's everyone else doing?

Hi all,

Where are you off to on your weekend away SayHello, anywhere nice? I think a weekend away is a good excuse to indulge. And putting on a pound after stuffing your face for a weekend is pretty good going.

I haven't been too bad, but my weighing scales is being a bit weird, yesterday I weighed three stone and then a bit later I weighed 18 stone. So I'll weigh myself at my Mums during the week, it's just safer that way.

Hope everyone's getting on well amd enjoy your weekend away SayHello.

Didn't realise it had been so long since I last posted, hope everyone is still about!!

Well I have gained another 1.5lb :( I was expecting it though with dp being off work (yes, I'm blaming him) Anyway, the diet is back on tomorrow and I am going to be so good and lose 2lbs by next Tuesday. I also have to dig out my shred dvd and start doing that again.

How's everyone else getting on?

Hi,

it's with a heavy heart that I type this (and arms, legs etc.), I am so ashamed, I have put on 8 lbs. I am so upset. I think it was a mixture of being sick and eating erratically and eating the wrong things. But I have to start all over again and I don't know if I have it in me. I can't bear the thought of it. It's all gone so wrong. I think I will try 1500 cals per day and exercise. I try to be active but the weather is hardly inspiring, but from next week I have aqua aerobics so at least that's something.

SayHello- I think you should find it easy to lose that 1.5 lb if your husband isn't around, is he a bit of a foodie? As you can tell I'm not getting on too well.

Don't be too hard on yourself Cora. You haven't been well and I honestly don't think anyone can stick to a diet when they are so ill. I know it's disheartening but you lost all that weight before and you can do it again. Aqua aerobics sounds like a fun way to lose the weight too :)

I gained 2.5lbs and I don't even have an excuse for it. I was eating chocolate for the sake of it, I wasn't even hungry. So I'm back on it and you have to join me haha.

Hi,
Sorry I've not been around, we have all been ill (Again!). Little choos had 3 lots of anti biotics.... please let the bugs go away!!!
Don't worry about the weight gains, we'll get there in the end (next Christmas/ new goal date maybe??). I had to cancel all my birthday plans so being slinky would have been wasted anyway.
Not weighed self - am probably enormous, eating chocolate +++

Cora - I do wonder if the 8lbs is accurate? Sometimes even a couple of days of healthy eating can make quite a difference after illness - it's probably water!
Take care all. Will be back and svelte (dreams) for summer!

Thanks for your kind words, I felt so embarrassed admitting it. My plan is to log everything I eat and add up the calories as I go. I was on the my fitness pal website and they have everything so it should be easy to manage. The first thing I looked up was how many calories are in a glass of pinot grigio!

Do you think we should change the name of this thread to "New Mum seeking new body when she bloody well feels like it"? Why is it so easy to put on weight and so bloody hard to lose it.

SayHello we can do this, eat all the chocolate in your house and let's start again. The gym has named the aqua aerobics class "aqua fit", that has become "aqua fat" in my head.

Choos that's awful that you have all been sick again. How is Little Choos doing now? Have you manged to reschedule your birthday plans? I hope you all feel better, it's awful when illnesses drag on.

I hope everyone's feeling better and the scales become our friends again!

Hi all,

I had day one of counting calories yesterday and it seemed to go well, I only went over by 9. I was hungry by the end of the day but I think that was more a reflection of how I have been snacking in the evening. My daily count is 1700 calories per day, I plan to drop that to 1500 in a week or so as I get more used to eating less. I know I should probably start low to see instant results but I don't want to be starving.

It was so easy to count calories, the information is right on the back of the packet so I could make a decision then and there instead of trying to calculate points. I definitely have some enthusiasm about dieting again. Maybe it's good to chop and change diets to keep it interesting. I suppose that's what the whole diet industry is based on.

I hope everybody's well.

I think that's a good idea to start something different and I think I'll join you on the calorie counting. I've done ok this week but not as good as I wanted (I had salad for lunch yesterday then a few hours later I was starving and ended up with a bag of crisps) but i'm getting a little better I suppose.

Well done on sticking to the calories though, I actually dread to think the amount I go through some days. Although in the next few weeks my money will all be stopping (still getting maternity pay after being made redundant) so we'll have to cut down on the amount of junk food / takaways we buy anyway, guess that'll be good for my diet :)

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Hi,

Calorie counting is the name of the game again today. I had a wobble yesterday as the dream home we are supposed to be moving in to looks like it's fallen through so I had quite a lot of wine and chocolate. It was a little pity party just for me.

But now I'm back and determined and back to watching the cals and back to house hunting.Have you seen the meals M&S do that are really healthy and low calorie (and so so tasty)? M&S food for us is a bit of an indulgence but it isn't as fattening as a takeaway and they usually have a 3 for 2 offer on them.

I was having a little think when I was up with the baby in the night and it occured to me that if maths questions in exams were asked in the way of calculating points, percentage of carbs and ratios of fat to protein, I think every single teenage girl would ace it. My 17 year old cousin knows the starbucks menu inside out and can tell you the carbs:protein:fat in a third of a Mc Donalds hamburger. Yet she is in maths grinds. She could be a feckin nuclear physicist if the questions on her exams were posed in a way she clearly understood. I mean obviously this brings to light the self image of teens and whatnot but think of her exam results!

Ok, enough of my wittering on, I must go and find somewhere to live while watching what I eat, aahhh multi-tasking.

Just wanted go say Corabear, not to be disheartened by your weight gain, you've managed to lose a lot of weight in a slow and healthy way over a period of time. Which is a lot more than most of us can say!!8 lbs will come off soon enough, being ill I'm sure had a lot to do with it. Onwards and skinnierwards! Keep up the fab work!

Thanks Cake,

are you trying to lose weight too? Have you any tips?

I think it's the thought of starting again that freaks me out but I'm trying to be more active and make better food choices. Went for a stroll with Dp and my son this morning and had lebanese salad for lunch so not doing too bad today. I had half a small crepe as we were out for breakfast but DS ate the other one and a half, he is quite the little hover so it saved me some calories.

Hope everyone else is getting on well.

Oh my goodness,

just back from an aqua fat workout in my local pool. God those classes are full on. I thought it would be gentle but it kicked my unfit ass. They have weights that you can use under the water so you really get a work out. The 45 minutes flew by. Woo-hoo. A form of exercise that doesn't leave me clock watching after 20 mins.

How's everyone getting on?

I'm going to have to look in to that Cora and see if they do classes here, it sounds fun. I need to join a group as otherwise I don't seem to shift my asse!!

I haven't done well this week despite all my "I will lose 2 lbs by Tuesday" talk. I've felt ill with the cold and my poor little girl has had a sickness bug. I haven't been eating too badly but def haven't had enought exercise. My little ones all better now though and went back to nursery today so once the baby gets up we're going for a power walk :)

I hope you're feeling better SayHello, there seems to be alot of nasty colds and bugs going around. I'm sure if we ever get good weather it should kill some of them off. Power walking sounds lovely, I've gotten out of the habit of it. If my 3 year old niece is on the buggy board she freaks out if we go too fast, she says it feels like she's going to fall, so I'm always going at a snails pace.

It was hard work using the weights under water but I feel great today and it was nice to get out of the house for a bit and do something by myself. You should definitely look for a class.

I'm feeling fine Cora, it was just a cold but I felt worse having no sleep because dd wasn't well.

Well I did power walk, but up to my friends house then we went out for lunch and sat out in the sun. She's trying to diet too but we had an afternoon off. So I'm keeping away from the scales til next Tuesday as I dread to think what the scales are gonna say!!

I've looked online and there are a few classes near me, I quite fancy the aqua fit and body combat. I want to rope a friend in too :)

me again - I am doing terribly. Little choos now has an ear infection, waiting to hear from gp to see if needs anti biotics again.
Diet has gone out the window, need to get back on track. Well done on all the exercise, I need stern words to get motivated again. I like the new proposed thread title Cora :)

Hi all,

Your poor son Choos, he seems to be really going through it at the moment, I hope he feels better soon. Shall I give you stern words of motivation:

Ok, here goes- I tried on the white summer vest top I had been dreaming of a few months ago. I look like an anaemic, raw, over stuffed sausage in it! If you're not going to diet for the love of God don't try one on!

That was less a motivational speech, more a warning to heed. But still, it was not a good look!

Is the weather nice in England? I'm assuming that's where you are both from, sorry if I have that wrong. It's fab here, I bought the kids an enormous paddling pool. Trying to pump it up was like a work out.

SayHello what's a body combat class? It sounds like ninja's come out and beat you with sticks or something.

Soooo today was weigh in day, and I'm down 4lbs! Woo-hoo! I weighed myself about 15 times to make sure the results were right and they were. Don't get me wrong, I've been hungry alot of the time, it hasn't been easy. But I am so happy.This week I hope to lose 2 lbs.

Hi everyone ,I am indeed trying to lose weight! I'm doing the Cambridge Diet at the moment, very challenging but very effective, i usually wouldn't take such drastic measures but I'm on an extremely short time frame before I'm in front of a very very very large number of people so you bet I'm trying to shift it! I don't have any tips unfortunately, I've struggled with my weight all my life, but there are 2 things that are certainly worth searching out. 1- Zoe Harcombe, stop counting calories and start losing weight, Best book ever!! You might see yourself in it, Most people do. 2- An American documentary called " Hungry for Change" absolutely bloody brilliant, it might be hard to find, but if you can, get it, life changing stuff. I too have a DS(7.5 months) and ended at 15 stone, at the heaviest a couple months ago... horrendous. So, I'm in it with ya!!! Siggghhhhh...

By the way Cora, well done on the 4 lbs!

Well done on the 4lbs Cora, that's brilliant!! If you carry on like that you'll be looking fab in your top in no time :) I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 1 lb, better than nothing I suppose.

I'm in Scotland and its been lovely here too, wish we got more weather like this. As for Body Combat, it's an exercise class that uses moves from Karate, Kick Boxing, Tae Kwondo etc. The ninja thing is a good idea though, that would get me moving!!

Hope your ittle one is feeling better soon Choos, it's awful when your babies ill. Has he recently started nursery? My dd was ill all the time when she first started hers, she got every bug going.

Good luck to you too Cake, hoping we all lose some pounds next week.