Losing Weight Advice

i have a 2 yr old too and I used to go to the gym all the time. Now that Im working I started putting on weight. This girl at work told me about these pills slim 30. Anyway, I love excersice and have never taken anything (pills or otherwise) but I gave it a try. I went half on the bottle with her so 15 pills. I had no diarea and no increased heart rate. But it is an appettite supresant. I remember telling my friend I didnt feel any different. At the end of the 2 wk trial I lost 5 lbs. Ive now lost 20 lbs. I stopped taking them cause I was broke and the weight didnt come back either. You get used to eating all the time (cause you still get hungry.) Just a suggestion but believe me I never would have tried them in the past. Everyone asks me what I did when they see me and I tell them I took slim 30. But theres no commercials just word of mouth. They are on myspace

I've used Weight Watchers with great success in the past. My daughter is 6 weeks old and I need to get rid of those same 15-20 lbs of baby weight that you have -- when we settle into a routine I will be heading back to WW. The pounds comes off slowly but reliably and it's a very flexible plan that anyone can tailor to their lifestyle.

Dear M.,

Try walking in the a.m. early - is Dad there to care for the baby? Or go walking with his walker on the weekends and at night or in the a.m. Exercise, exercise, exercise. C. N.

Since you don't have much time to fit in a daily exercise routine (which is the fastest way to lose weight) you will have to really work on your eating.

You will need to eat 1250-1550 calories a day, but if there is anyway to get in 20-30 mins a day of cardio, then you'll be able to lose that weight in about 3 months!

Come check out www.sparkpeople.com, they are alot like weight watchers but 100% free! They help you teach how to make life style changes to become more healthier. The main tool is a food tracker, you log your food & count calories to help you get use to smaller healthier portions.

I'm the teamleader for an amazing team, so stop by my page & I'll answer any questions you have!
http://teams.sparkpeople.com/tightandtoned
Best of luck to you!
J.

Well, I can give advice on this one. I have 3 kids, the last two were basically back to back pregnancies. My youngest is almost 5 months old now, and I have lost 62 pounds since he was born. Lesson number one. You have to make working out a priority. I started walking 3 weeks after my last one was born, and have worked out 5 days a week ever since. I walked into the gym after the baby was born thinking...this is going to be my second home for the next year. I bring the kids with me, and they go in the kids area. It has become part of our daily routine. It has become my daily "me" time. I look forward to it. I run 5 days a week, and 3 days I do weight training. I have lost weight before with just cardio, but let me tell you, weight training makes a HUGE difference. I have gotten the best results using weights.

The second lesson. Eat healthy. I have not touched fast food since my son was born. I only eat lean meats and veggies. Also, cheerios and yogurt are great. Trust me, it can be done. I was HUGE when I delivered..about 230. Now people tell me I don't look like I've had 3 kids. It is HARD work, but so worth it. You will feel so much better about yourself. If you can stick to the plan, you could drop the weight in 2 months or less. Good luck.

the thing i did was put my daughter in the stroller and walk around the neighbor hood you need at least 30 min of exercise, also eat smaller more times a day my daughter is 3 and that's how i lost the weight, then recently i gained it back from not walking and eating three times a day now i started eating less more times a day and i just lost 6 pounds and the walking will help you loose the rest hope this helps

Hi M.,
I think a million of us moms know exactly how you feel! Take heart! I also get too tired once I get home to do much of anything, so for me I have to do some sort of exercise during the day. The best calorie-burner? Running. I am not a runner, so I will walk very fast. Maybe during your lunch break? Or, right after work before driving off to your next stop? It has been my experience that diet alone is not enough. Here's another one...when you park your car, park REALLY far away so you have to do a lot of walking to get to your job, store, ect.. Hope it is helpful!!!!

Hi M. -
I used to have major problems with low energy and extra weight after the birth of my son, and the doctors were no help. I finally went to a fantastic holistic doctor who pinpointed my problem within 2 minutes.

One of the things that happens to our bodies when we go through pregnancy or anything traumatic is an overabundance of Candida Albicans. This occurs naturally in the intestine, but when it gets out of control, it overproduces and eats away all of our nutrition and energy...look it up online and you'll see what I mean. When I discovered this, I stopped eating all sugar (candidas favorite food) and took over-the-counter anti-candida supplements, which you can find at Whole Foods or Sunflower Market.

You are probably craving sugar a lot, which is a distinct sign of candida overproduction. Alcohol converts to sugar, so watch out for that too. When you first start taking the anti-Candida medicine, you may feel a bit nauseous because the candida are dying off...but keep going!

After my very first candida cleanse (about 2 weeks), my energy came back (big time!), I started dropping weight, and I was able to exercise.

Good luck to you!!! - L.

I did eDiets (online), which provided me with a "follow the bouncing ball" method of dieting. I also took a walk on my lunch hour - I had an easy way to make myself do it, too. There was a market one mile from my office, so I'd walk over every day to buy what was on my list from eDiets for lunch, usually a Lean Cuisine or similar frozen meal and a bag of salad.

No walkie, no lunchie - Motivated me pretty quick. ;-)

I lost almost sixty pounds this way in a ridiculously short period of time.

I lost weight by take aerobics classes and eating only 1 serving of whatever I eat.. I try to eat mostly fruit, yogurt and special K bars.. Good luck! I lost 10 lbs

I am also a working mom. I keep planning walking dates on the calander for the MOMS club I belong to but don't get much response. Curves was not for me due to the hours. I am looking for a buddy in my area that is flexible with times. You can always bring a stroller walking, you can not bring it to curves. Maybe post a request for moms in your area to partner up with.

Hi M.,

I can empathize with you & your busy schedule. I would first suggest ditching the diet pills unless they are all natural and are only an appetite suppressant that you can't live without. I went on Weight Watchers years ago and lost 47 lbs without exercising at all! I'm not advocating not exercising but if you can't make it to Curves everyday, you will at least learn how to eat right and the beauty of WW is that you can do it online. I would at least squeeze out 3 days of Curves a week, even if you're tired; force yourself to go by remembering that this is something you are doing for yourself! Wt Watchers uses a "points" system where every food has a point value (for example, most vegies are zero points so you can eat as much as you want) and then based on your weight, you eat however many points you're allowed from their chart. It's actually kind of fun and it's really easy. You can eat whatever you want, no special diet foods, you just have to stay within your points range for each day. Check into it! It's by far the best & healthiest plan out there (and I've tried ALOT!!). It teaches you how to eat right and control your portions. What I love about it is that although I've fallen off track a few times over the years, because of what I learned in WW, it's easy for me to pick up and start the points system all over again right in the comfort of my home. Good luck to you!!

D. H.

Hi M.,
I've found the times I've lost weight, I've eaten a breakfast bar or drink, something with protein not a lot of fat. (I used to skip breakfast--bad!) And then I eat a big lunch between 12-2pm. Then a very modest dinner, and not after 6pm. This helped me scale down calories without putting my body into starve mode, which holds the extra weight. Also, water is key--although I struggle with this, it's so essential to fill you up and make the body work correctly. Good Luck!
J.
www.workingforwellness.biz
"Helping Moms Work From Home!"

After carrying around an etra 40+ pounds, I got serious last year & went to Weight Watchers. I have found it very easy to follow & can still enjoy food. I just had to realize I was eating way too big of a portion! You can either sign up & do it on line or go in person. I preferred the in-person meetings....I felt more motivated knowing I had to weigh on Monday mornings. Also, don't beat yourself up if you 'fall off the wagon.' If I had a bad, day, I had a bad day. I'd start fresh the next meal or the next day. So far, I've lost close to 35 pounds & feel soooo.....much better. Plus, I now know how much I should be eating & do a much better job of regulating my food intake. Good luck!

Hi M.,

I didn't start loosing my baby weight until I quit my job. I didn't quit my job for that reason. I quit because I wanted to work less hours and stay at home with my daughter. I was eating fast food almost every other night when I was working. First, I suggest you watch what you eat. I think that plays a big part in losing weight. Once I started watching what I ate the pounds started coming off so quick. Another thing that help me was moving to a new apartment complex. This helped me because we live on the 3rd floor and I am climbing up and down the stairs at least 4 times a day. If I forget something I am climbing the stairs more than 4 times a day. Since we moved here I've lost about 30lbs and all together I've lost 50lbs. I think if you get in a little walking routine, maybe dad could watch your son while you walk or you can take your son with you, and watch what you eat you'll see some results.

M.,

I did Weight Watchers on line. It was really easy because all you do is enter what you eat into the food tracker and it adds up the points for you. The website has recipes and you can get point values for all sorts of stuff (including fast food). You can also "earn" additional points by exercising. I hate to diet too but if you are too tired or too busy to exercise and you refuse to diet, you are kind of out of options. As far as I know there aren't really any miracles. If there were, I'd be skinny....

:-)T.

At a restaurant, a waitress said that she had lost 25 pounds by not eating anything from a box. Basically, she stopped drinking soda, and stopped using processed boxed or frozen foods.

I know that it would require a bit of a switch in thinking about food - and I also know how stressful it can be to cook from scratch if you aren't used to it, but she was really enthusiastic about it. And, she said she didn't exercise at all. She would even still eat ice cream - but only Breyers because it had no preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Anyway, food for thought (so to speak). Good luck!

Hi M....I have since made it a point to do some sort of exercise since I found out about my high cholesterol. I work full time and so does my husband and we have a 4 year old WILD little boy lol...What we have been doing is using up all that enegry...I know it can be hard but it has to be done to stay healthy...I dont have a gym membership but I do have a park across the street from my house and I have a swimming pool in out area too..So on the days that we are up to it we go for a walk around the block a few times...and sometimes we jump in the pool afterwards to cool off...its fun...at the park there is a tennis court so we sometimes play tennis...and on those really lazy days...we stay home and do some home exercises like the stair stepper...or a video...And as diet goes...I have been on weight watchers and I think its the greatest thing...I have not been able to attend the meetings..but i do follow the whole thing and I definately would recommend that...Diet pills can sometimes be dangerous for your body so it may be best that you dont take any of those...but try vitamins and the exercise will definately give you an energy boost...I thought I was going to be tired after a long walk and swimming but I was actually relaxed...anything I think will help to lose the weight. I think being a full time mom is the hardest and best thing...but we need to take care of ourselves so that we feel better and are healthier...any questions feel free to email me...just click my name =) good luck!!

~*AnG*~

I'm in the same boat...only I have 60 pounds to lose. I just started weight watchers and its working great. It's much easier than I thought it would be and completely healthy. Our town even has a Mommy-and-Me meeting so I don't have to worry about my daughter interrupting the class.

I know what you mean!! It's not easy. What works for me is Weight Watchers, it's the best, it's not a diet.

What you eat is going to be the biggest obstacle to overcome. I been pretty good about not eating after 7:00 and taking smaller portions than I usually would. I always eat all my vegeies first so, that if I get full I will skimp on the whatever else I have in front of me.
As for excercise I've also found it very difficult to work in going to the gym, but active playing with your son can help. Take time for dance time everyday and get crazy for a few minutes, you'ld be surprised what a work out that could be. Try taking a walk everyday in the evenings after dinner. Either walk together or put him in his stroller. The littlest things help.

oh you're lucky to only have 15-20 lbs. when my daughter was born I only had about 5 lbs to lose. Since then I gained over 100 lbs. She is now 13. I know what you mean about Curves. I keep thinking "Ugh. It's only 1/2 hour three days a week! Why can't I stick to it?" I did best going in the morning before work. It also boosts your energy level through the whole day, and you sleep at night better. The Curves staff should be really good at helping you set goals. Ask about the advanced workout. It's customized. It has helped have a more effective work out. Try just reducing your calorie intake by 100 calories a day. About working out, it'd got to be your priority, everything will fall into place.

I know how you feel. I just started Weight Watchers this past Monday and have already lost 6lbs. Its easy to follow and you can still eat your favorite foods :)

Dear M.,

After I had my 5th child, I had gained alot of weight. I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was on a strict diet during my pregnancy. I spoke to my nutritionist after I had the baby and she told me to eat a well balanced meal wich consist of mostly vegetables and lots of fiber. She also told me to eliminate juice and eat fresh fruit. Another big factor is to exercise. I have followed this ever since I had the baby and it has worked. I am not gaining weight.

How long do you get for your lunch break? I am fortunate and get an hour at work for lunch, so I go to the gym on my lunch break and do 20 min. of weights and 20 min. of cardio. If I didn't have my lunch break, I'd never work out! I can't in the morning because I have to take my daughter to daycare, and after work that's the last thing that I want to do is excercise.
Even if your work only allows you 30 min., you could eat your lunch for 5 min. and then go walk for 25 min. My daughter is 2 and I've lost 30 pounds in addition to my baby weight just by working out on my lunch break, 3-4 days a week (I try to stick to 4 days). Good luck!

when you get home take him and go for a half hour walk every other day- it is good for the both of you. Start off simple then maybe you go up to 45 minutes everyday

Try and take some time to take a walk either before work, or right after dinner. That or start doing some areobics when the baby is bed. You can either rent or buy some areobics viseos to follow or make up your own routine. There is also yoga. I lost my baby weight from practicing yga for one to two hours a day, and as your baby gets older, he will immatate some yoga postures. Yoga can also be found on video if you are not sure how to go about it. Start out with the basics, and move up. Not only does yoga help you loose weight, but it also helps with your stregnth, flexability, patience, and relaxation. I always like to end my day with yoga to relieve the daily stresses.

M. *~

I do sell a weight loss product that is all natural and completely safe. Even for kids to use!! It's called LiquiGenics and you can get it at my website at www.WellWiseWays.com. What I like best about it is that you don't "feel" it working. Meaning like how most diet pills make you feel all jittery. Plus it's a liquid that you add to your water, about 2 tsp to a 8oz glass of water and drink that 2-3 times a day. What I like to do is make a big pitcher of it so when I want it it's already ready. It's also a carb blocker and a gentle detoxer. I just gave some to my bestfriend Maggie, who just had a baby and is now done breastfeeding, she lost 5 pounds in her first week. You can learn more at my website. Good Luck!!!