In desperate need of some help...

[LILRTL]

I have never dieted. I have never "worked out". From the time I was 4, I was involved in SOMETHING athletic - cheerleading, baton, dance, etc. I hit college, put some weight on. Dropped the weight. Then got pregnant. Now, I need to know how to get something resembling my old body back! I don't know how to count calories (sad, huh?); I don't know what is best for my body type; I don't know how many calories I should have/day. My first goal is to drop all sodas. This shouldn't be too difficult because I usually only have one/day. However, that's all I drink. I have milk for breakfast, and then a 20 oz. coke can last me through lunch and dinner. So I am definitely dehydrated. Water, water, water! But what about healthy, easy-to-fix foods? With a 12 week old, the last thing I have time for is cooking lots of healthy veggies. I usually have either Oatmeal or Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast - is that okay? What about filling lunches? Dinners?

See - I'm just lost! I'm not sure what to do! :confused: HELP! :D

[MLA]

I don't really have any recipes for you, but you said you don't know how to count calories -- I have a good resource for you. You should start keeping a food diary. I use a website called www.fitday.com, which allows me to list everything I've eaten each day and all of my athletic activities. It tells me how many calories are in everything I eat and how many calories I burn. It's a really great resource and really helped me to figure out what foods get you more bang for your caloric buck.

Good luck!

[LILRTL]

Thanks! That was a depressing eye-opener! :p

[Myra]

I also use calorie-count.com, which reports the calories in foods at chains like Cosi and TGI. Oatmeal for breakfast is definitely good. Not sure about Honey Bunches, it sounds sugary. For cereal, you always want to pick something that is higher in fiber than sugar.

[Chris'slady]

i think weight watchers is awesome it is great for me becaus I'am always busy. and it will help you daily you can right down what you had and calculate your points i lost 18 pounds in my first 3 weeks and it is so easy you eat what you like, but just to a minimum.
although every diet is different, and some people respond to each one differently i couldnt do atkins but i know people that flew threw it and lost tons, but those same people couldnt do weight watchers. and they have tons of recipes online at weightwatchers.com. they even have quick microwave meals in the grocery stores.

[LILRTL]

i think weight watchers is awesome it is great for me becaus I'am always busy. and it will help you daily you can right down what you had and calculate your points i lost 18 pounds in my first 3 weeks and it is so easy you eat what you like, but just to a minimum.
although every diet is different, and some people respond to each one differently i couldnt do atkins but i know people that flew threw it and lost tons, but those same people couldnt do weight watchers. and they have tons of recipes online at weightwatchers.com. they even have quick microwave meals in the grocery stores.

The only problem with WW is that you can't do it while BFing. :rolleyes: I will definitely look into it in 9 months, though! ;)

[linekelei]

Actually, WW has a breastfeeding program (you get more points if you are breastfeeding).

Do you have a Trader Joe's in your area? TJs has lots of healthy foods and prepackaged dinners that aren't as processed as what you would find in the regular grocery store.

If I were you, since you are breast feeding you don't want to cut your calories too low. I'd just watch your portions and try to take in about 2300-2500 calories a day (breasfeeding uses up about 800 of those calories, right? I'm just pulling this from something I read, as I don't even have kids yet). You really don't want to go too low and hurt your milk supply. Anyway, I'd buy some oatmeal (steel cut or quaker oats, but not the packaged, flavored kind-too processed) and eat that for breakfast (not sure what kind of oatmeal you are already eating). Another filling breakfast would be whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter. What do you normally eat for lunch? You could do turkey sandwiches on whole wheat (no mayo, but mustard & lots of veggies) and then raw veggies along with it (you can buy already cut up carrots, celery, etc.). For dinner, since you don't have a lot of time, you could do whole wheat pasta w/a bottled tomato sauce and green salad. I'd also buy some prepackaged frozen chicken breasts and fish-those are easy to throw in the oven or in a teflon pan cooked in Pam with seasonings.

And I'd definitely cut out the regular sodas-those are just empty calories with no nutritional value. A 20 oz. coke has probably close to 500 calories. Some other things that are easy to snack on and quick: fruit, luna bars, lara bars (found at TJs and other health food stores), cream of wheat (made w/water or nonfat milk-I love to add banana slices & a little bit of brown sugar), raw veggies in prepackaged hummus, natural peanut butter, yogurt, low fat or nonfat cottage cheese, and whole wheat tortillas (good with the PB or used as wraps w/lunch meat).

[linda_loo]

Actually, WW has a breastfeeding program (you get more points if you are breastfeeding).

Totally - 10 extra points/day - it's a perfect time to do ww!

[LILRTL]

Thanks so much, ladies! We do not have a TJ's in the area...but we have a few other "healthy" stores out there. I am currently eating just plain old quaker oats. Good to know I'm doing the right thing there! :D Thanks for the suggestions!!

[shaqangel]

lora my friend had a baby in april and is breastfeeding and she's doing weight watchers - she's allowed 30 points a day and she's been losing weight.

[Asha]

the one time i had to try to lose weight i didn't count calories. i just cut out all the bad foods. i cut out all beverages except water. also, i would not eat any overly processed carbs meaning whole grains or wheat. this was before the current whole grain craze. also, i cut out processed sugar. at the time, i would only eat low fat cheese, though, i don't do that anymore. that was just to lose weight. then i exercised 6-7 days a week.

[princesse]

Have you tried spaving your meals out and eating throughout the day? Big breakfast and then you won't be tempted to nosh through the day. Hang in there babe it is so hard.....

[LILRTL]

I think I'm going to do the hardest thing for me...break down and buy a scale. :( I've always said that as long as my clothes fit, I don't need a scale. Well, obviously, right now, they don't. I think it will motivate me. And seeing results will motivate me even more.

I really like FitDay - it either makes ya feel good...or like an ass. :p

[princesse]

Another helpful hint that has really helped me is to only focus on losing 5 pounds at a time. If you focus on losing 20, 50, 75, it seems so overwhelming. 5 is doable and you can celebrate seeing that number on the scale much more readily. Some people are against scales. I need one.

There is the never ending battle to weigh every day or not. I am obsessed and get on every morning to see how I'm doing. I don't torture myself, I just want to know.

Another trick which will be easy for you with the baby at home is to take every extra step that you can. Every extra step counts. Eat well. Be kind to yourself and be happy. Be a good mom first and foremost. Be healthy and the rest will come:-)

[tgr68]

I am totally in the same boat as LILRTL!! Always been fairly fit, put on weight in college, lost some after I got married, then I got pg! My numbers are back down to pre-pgcy size, but I'm still a clothing size bigger than before I got pg. I would ideally like to be about 20-25lbs lighter but more importantly I want to be healthy, and I don't feel that way at all right now.

I have tried South Beach, Atkins, lo-calorie, lo-fat, etc. and none have worked. I honestly like eating a little too much. In HS I rarely had to worry about portions because I was running 2-4 miles a day. Now I just don't have that kind of time with a little one. I am trying to fit in Pilates a few times a week, and that has helped some of my back issues.

[longislandlolita]

Hey LILRTL -- you know, veggies in the microwave can be great! I especially like broccoli and stringbeans for microwave cooking. Just put a little water in the bottom of the dish and microwave 'em for a couple minutes. They come out like they're freshly steamed!

Are there any healthy foods you like? I firmly believe that a "diet" full of things you hate is going to fail big time! For me, it's sushi and/or steamed veggie dumplings. Both are delicious and also a treat for me, so I try to have them a couple times a week. And definitely be sure to treat yourself (in moderate doses) every once in a while. No food should be off limits -- because that's definitely a ticket to bingeville! For instance, I love chocolate, so I have a little bit of it every day. It's a real treat for me and makes me feel good about eating healthy the rest of the day. I also have a big fat chocolate chip muffin for breakfast a couple times a month. It's so yummy that I don't mind having a healthy lunch and dinner.

The trick for me in losing weight (30 pounds, have kept it off for ten years now) was taking it ONE day at a time. Seriously, even five pounds sounded like forever to me when I was first starting. All I could do was get through ONE day. And then you'll see, those days start to add up!

The other thing that helped me was to clean up my environment. FH and I do not keep anything bad in the house. We have no willpower, we love cookies and candy and ice cream and brownies and . . . OK, I'll stop now! :p But when the stuff is not in the house, then you open the fridge and think, "OK, if I want ice cream, I have to go to the store, but I have these huge delicious strawberries right here . . ."

I wish you all the best! I know how it feels to be starting out, so if you want a cheerleader I'm happy to keep popping in here to root for you!

[JamBray]

I have never dieted. I have never "worked out". From the time I was 4, I was involved in SOMETHING athletic - cheerleading, baton, dance, etc. I hit college, put some weight on. Dropped the weight. Then got pregnant. Now, I need to know how to get something resembling my old body back! I don't know how to count calories (sad, huh?); I don't know what is best for my body type; I don't know how many calories I should have/day. My first goal is to drop all sodas. This shouldn't be too difficult because I usually only have one/day. However, that's all I drink. I have milk for breakfast, and then a 20 oz. coke can last me through lunch and dinner. So I am definitely dehydrated. Water, water, water! But what about healthy, easy-to-fix foods? With a 12 week old, the last thing I have time for is cooking lots of healthy veggies. I usually have either Oatmeal or Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast - is that okay? What about filling lunches? Dinners?

See - I'm just lost! I'm not sure what to do! HELP!
I would say to try and eat more frequently throughout the day, like someone else posted. Have some healthy snacks on hand that you can munch: nuts, raw veggies with a low-cal dip, fruit, cottage cheese, etc. Don't look at losing weight as going on a diet, but rather making a life style change in your eating, as that's less likely to set you up to fail.

Definitely quit the soda and start to drink water (I like the flavored sparkling waters since plain old water gets boring). I'd stay away from diet anything, since that stuff usually contains some sort of artificial sweetner. Also, begin to read lables on the foods you buy, and watch out for hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (like your Honey Bunches of Oats). If you eat them, start to move away from white rice and pastas, and go to the brown/whole wheat stuff.

A good book to get is "What Color is Your Diet" which incorporates fruits and veggies into just about every meal, and gives you lots of info on keeping your diet healthy and colorful. Some easy things to do for meals are stir-fries, whole wheat pasta with 1-2 cloves of sauteed garlic and spinach (with a little sprinkle of parm cheese and salt), salads.

Do you do any type of exercise now? What about going out for walks with your baby? It's very important to be getting some type of exercise no matter if you're trying to lose weight or not. As others have said though, take it one day at a time.

Good luck, and I wish you all the best.

[amyintn]

I know one thing that helps me lose weight is to have healthy meals already prepared. I know that may be hard with the baby. Typically, I take about 3 hours on a Sunday and cook 3-4 healthy meals that keep well in the fridge and that reheat well. That way, when DH or I get home from work, I don't have to worry about making something that is quick and easy (which typically means something out of a box or incredibly fattening for me). I'll make a quick salad or heat up some veggies, either frozen or like someone else said, microwaved broccoli or beans and a healthy, lf dinner is ready in 10 minutes.

Also, for lunches, I love the Lean Cuisine "entree" style dinner. They usually come with 2 servings of veg, have at least 5 grams of dietary fiber, and are super filling. They're in a bigger box than normal LC and I think they taste a heck of a lot better. Anyways, they hold me over on my 10 hour work days.

Good luck!
Amy