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Controlling the Mama Bulge

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Meal Planning 101 Discussion: Diet Tips	The Shape of a Mother

baseballmama

Ugh

Unfortunately I need this discussion today. I tried on a pair of pants last night and my big flabby gut hung over the top. Of course, that was AFTER I had eaten 3 helpings of pasta & 4 cookies I've been working out, but like you said, that's only part of the equation. I've kind of let my eating slide and I've got to get that back on track.

So today starts Operation Meltdown (did I steal that from Lynni?). I am going to be 20 lbs pounds lighter by my birthday. Its my present to myself

lapoissonne

I think he edited my article...but yes, that was Sarah blurting her fat history

lapoissonne

Here's the article that goes along with it:

Diet, exercise, time keys for new mom to lose baby weight

By Adrienne Martini
Contributing Writer
Diet, exercise, time keys for new mom to lose baby weight
Almost everything about becoming a mom is surprising. The first shock is generally how much you can love something so tiny. The second frequently involves how little sleep you are actually able to enjoy. The third shock, however, may be the cruelest. Even after the baby and all of the various fluids have left your body, you still have to wear maternity clothes after you’ve evicted the infant.
With my first baby, I expected my body to snap right back into fighting trim. After all, my weight gain was well within my physician’s recommended 25 pounds. I was convinced that I could slide right back into my pre-pregnancy jeans within the first few months of my new baby’s life.


It didn’t quite work out that way. My baby was walking and talking by the time I could squeeze into one size larger than I used to wear in my pre-pregnancy days. It was a thrill, frankly, to even be in shouting distance of my old clothes, despite the fact that I couldn’t even begin to zip anything without outside intervention.
My experience of losing the post-baby pounds isn’t unique. It’s something that every mom chats about to her buddies, both online and in real life.
Vicki Iovine, whose warts-and-all book "The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy" has become required reading for the maternally inclined, reminds new moms that the baby weight took nine months to gain and will probably take the same amount of time to lose. Plus, she adds, the ligaments and bones that had to shift to carry and deliver the baby take a while to find their old positions. All is not lost, though.
"The good news about giving birth is that most of your big belly goes away immediately," Iovine writes. "The bad news is that once it’s gone you will notice all of the other places where you got fat, like your arms, behind, thighs and face."
Some women, like Kara Cook, mom of 7-month-old Ryan, do manage to drop all of the weight in less than nine months. Not only did all of her baby weight come off, Cook lost an additional seven pounds. She did, however, have advantage. Cook is a trainer at HealthLinks@FoxCare.
"Lucky for me, my job happens to be that I exercise," Cook says. "It works in my schedule."
Cook admits that it is easy to get stuck inside with a new baby because new moms are frequently tired and overwhelmed. Still, she suggests, that even a few small steps can lead to rewards.
"I would definitely suggest that you get moving. That’s the most important thing. You have enough changes after just having had a child. Do whatever is the most convenient. Just get going," she says. "If somebody can find 20 minutes or half an hour per day to do some kind of strength training or cardio, she will see results."
When Ryan was smaller, Cook would go out for walks with him at least three days per week. Cook asserts that even in the winter there are places to go for walks, like the Southside mall, Oneonta’s Main Street or FoxCare Center.
"It’s too easy to get stuck in the rut when you’re at home," she says. "Babies need to get out just as much as we do." Cook, in fact, will be applying her new discoveries as a mom to a mom and baby fitness class at the FoxCare Center that will start on March 25. The eight-session class will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. every other Saturday. Members and non-members are welcome to join. There is a fee. Cook said the class will contain 45 minutes of mom and baby physical activity, followed by a 15-minute baby massage. Interested moms may contact HealthLinks for more information at 431-5454.
Exercise is only half of the weight-loss equation. Without small dietary changes, those pounds will never go away.
"I’m not a big diet proponent and think weight loss is more about lifestyle choices. Cut 250 calories extra from your diet. Burn 250 calories extra per day. In a week, you’ve lost pound," explains Dr. Jennifer Bueche, a registered dietitian and an assistant professor in the human ecology department at the State University College at Oneonta. "It’s really a matter of finding those 250 calories extra. Especially if you’re breast-feeding, you don’t really want to be restricting your calories too much. I really think that mypyramid.gov is an awesome site. It’s a highly interactive tool to get you started."
Despite the fact that her two kids are almost grown, Bueche remembers what it is like to be a new mom.
"Babies demand an awful lot of time. When you’re stressed and you’re tired, you’re not making good choices," she says. "You need easier food, like a piece of fruit or some vegetables. If you have a little time — how hard is it to grill a piece of chicken and throw it on a salad?"
But Bueche admits that even fast cooking isn’t always possible.
"If your day is bad, cereal and milk is great," she adds with a laugh. Bueche recommends the Kashi line and some skim milk. If you’re hungry away from home, she suggests the Kashi cereal bars or brands that are equally dense in nutrients. "You can throw them in your diaper bag," she says. "Wherever you are, you’ve got something fast and easy."
Exercise and diet do go hand-in-hand. Both are needed to encourage weight loss. And, sometimes, the best weight-loss aid is a break from the baby.
"Moms also need a support system, where mom can get some exercise time. Exercise is a mood elevator and gets that metabolic rate up. If you’re taking care of yourself, it’s easier," she said.
As for my post-birth weight loss, I did manage to fit into my old jeans about a month before starting on baby No. 2. Now, seven months after that baby’s birth and with a little extra exercise and calorie control, I can finally fit into all but my skinniest outfits. And I still have two months to go.

Sparqi

It sounds so good on paper...

I need this too. I was doing great for a bit, then I backslid. I eat in times of stress...we're finalizing Dad's estate, so the stress level is high. Not an excuse...just something I am bad at controlling.

For me, it's operation Ya Ya. I will NOT be this size next May!

Bensmom

Good article- luckily, we've got a great network of support here and alot of us are in the midst of the same struggle. Just randomly, I have to add that the newspaper article is from a little town about an hour from us- my grandmother was born there. I'm suprised they have a local paper.

lapoissonne

I am dressed for the gym. I got showered and just put on my workout clothes short of a workout bra which I don't own one that fits me right now and that I can nurse in...I am dropping Hannah off at preschool and taking Steven and Christine for their first ever drop off at the Kids Club at the Gym and even if I just get 20 minutes in...even Steven doesn't scream and allows me that much...I will feel so much better.

lapoissonne

Made it to the gym. WHAT A DISASTER! Sara, your kids club isn't the only one that sucks! Not only was it packed and I totally expected they would turn me away...it was a ZOO. Steven screamed the entire whopping 15 minutes that I worked out (that is all they gave me before they called). Christine was surrounded by toddlers and preschoolers who kept taking her little toy that I sent her in with while she said patiently in her swing. TWO kids (ie very young adults if even that...) were in there with way too many kids. I watched it all while on the treadmill pumping through a measly mile in the 15 minutes I got to work out. If I go back...I will try to wait until 11am when they said it was slower but I don't expect Steven to stop screaming any time soon and I hate working out that late because I may never get a shower in if I do!

lapoissonne

Back to rule number one (new rule, I can make up rules as I go along because I am the moderator )

1. Stop buying baked goods at the grocery store. I am so glad I busted my butt for a big FIFTEEN MINUTES at the gym today because then we went out to lunch to celebrate Hannah's "last first day of preschool" and I ate a big fat cheese burger with big fat cheddar fries and now I am eating some big fat double chocolate cookies that I got at the store yesterday because they looked good.

Carol in Maryland

Let me add a corollary - do not accept food gifts from others. Part of the "team cleaning" (which involves not only cleaning & tossing, but also removing carloads of perfectly good stuff to recycle as I see fit - eBay, freecycle, keep, whatever) I have been doing at my sister's house involved her pantry this week. She is a b-i-g entertainer. I came home with bags of candy, boxes of mix for citrus bars and brownies, etc. etc. I am determined to keep losing weight at the same rate as the dog, but this isn't going to help