baby weight is still here...help. (system, weight loss, pregnant, carb)

[CTtoPA]

my son is now 6months old ....and i'm still wearing some of my maternity clothes . i have always been thin so everyone was telling me "don't worry you'll lose the weight in no time" when i gained the 55lbs during my pregnancy. my son was 9lbs when he was born (that delivery was a hoot btw) so my 125lb self was 180lbs when i delivered my son. i went from a size 2 to a size 6/8 and now none of my clothes fit i lost most of it after the first few months, but i still have about 10lbs that i'd like to lose...right now i'm at 140 which is a healthy weight but i'm a small girl so it kinda looks like i am about 4/5 months pregnant if i dare to wear anything form fitting. i don't have any money to buy any new clothes so i'm really trying to eat better and get some excercise in - nothing seems to be working.... i just want to be able to wear my bathing suit without being self conscious help me out please

[Lol_Stacey]

Congrats on your baby!

I can commiserate with you completely. I am 5'2 and gained 50 pounds with each of my pregnancies. It is very depressing to not feel like yourself. So, although you at a size 6/8 are far from being a "big girl" you don't feel like you are in your right body. Here's the thing...it takes a little time to get the weight off. I know it is discouraging to see the ladies who are rail thin 2 weeks after giving birth, but believe me they are the exception to the rule. Most ladies take about 9 months (same time it took you to gain it) to get all the weight off.

Meantime, you should be eating right and exercising. My recommendation to you is to try Atkins diet for rapid weight loss (rapid is not 20 pounds in 20 days, but more like 20 pounds in maybe 3 months). There are many people that will tell you it is unhealthy, but if you follow it properly it is a decent diet where you eat the majority "whole foods" (not processed foods). The extreme version that most people think is the whole diet only lasts 2 weeks and it is a sort of clearing out the system (jump-starting your metabolism, if you will). There are less extreme versions of low-carb/high protein diets out there that you can research if this one doesn't sound like you can stick with it.

Aside from the diet and exercise, you need support from the people close to you (husband, family, friends, etc...), every little bit of encouragement will help. Don't be so hard on yourself though, because your body just made a miracle and it will recover.

[thepinksquid]

I hope this isn't too personal to ask... but are you breastfeeding your son?

[CTtoPA]

i was -- haven't been for about 3 months now...

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Originally Posted by CTtoPA

i was -- haven't been for about 3 months now...

Are you exercising?

My wife is 5' 2" and normally between 125 and 130 pounds. She gave birth to our daughter in May of last year and was back to her normal weight six months after. Once she stopped breastfeeding, she changed her diet and picked up her exercise and lost just about all the baby fat in six months.

She started going to the gym (at her work) regularly and attending yoga classes. You only have 10-15 more pounds to go for your goal, but you really need to incorporate some weight training and fat burning cardio to speed things up.

[Leaving.Illinois]

Congrats on the baby!

I'm small too, and always have been. I didn't have any trouble losing the baby weight. I weighed 111 lbs before having my son, gained 40 during the pregnancy (he was 7lbs 9oz) and 3 days after having him I was down to 115.

I've always been really active though and worked out with weights, ran 8.5 miles a night, and played tennis a lot. It's probably what helped me through a 37 hour natural child birth, first and only child, and I was 35 years old doing it.

If you cut your calorie intake by just 100 calories a day, and increase your daily activities just a little, it helps a lot. In order to lose 1 lb. you have to burn up 2500 calories. One pound = 2500 calories.

Don't go crazy trying to get rid of the weight too fast because you'll only make yourself sick. You have to lose weight slowly and in a healthy manner in order for your body to stay healthy, and to keep it from coming back on.

Get yourself a set of ankle weights that weigh 2 lbs. each. The kind with the velcro strap are the best ones. Strap those puppies on in the morning when you get up and then do your housework with them on. This will bring back muscle tone and help to burn up a few extra calories without having to resort to a major calorie cut in your diet, or overdoing it with exercise. After just having a baby it's best to avoid anything too strenuous.

Also, if you eat salads, try eating it with vinegar and oil dressing. Vinegar helps to naturally lose weight.

hope this helps ...