With 6 babies all grown and born and birthed, we can say with a fair degree of certainty that I’m not looking quite the (ahem) svelte young thing that I once was. *cough* Well, I’m 1 1/2 stone heavier than I was shortly before I got pregnant with Fran which is perhaps not all that bad but there are definitely pieces of me that sag and bulge in ways I sincerely wish I didn’t. Sadly, I only really like my body when I’m pregnant – I’ll happily where clingy tops over a bump because it is just lovely to experience what it is like for people who don’t go squish when poked in the midriff. I’m never going to get to be like that again though, so it is probably time to clamber out of the maternity clothes UK style that I really should have put away almost 18 months ago (omg… how, just how… is he that old?) and really put some effort into my figure, my health and how I feel about myself. With the girls all off to school and Bene a very definitely active little baby boy but small enough that I can change my diet without him being particularly aware, I’ve decided to take advantage of this unexpected me time and put it to good use.
The truth is I’m not fussed about clothes much. I have one pair of shoes, a handful of feeding tops in the same style as each other, some very old and much loved trousers and a couple of comfy cardigans. I’ve made the most of maternity clothes in the past because… well, they are designed for being round in! Now that pregnancy is over and Bene rarely feeds through the day, I’ve got some goals in mind.
The first thing I’m going to do is alter my diet; I need to bear in mind I’m feeding, but I have plenty of hump for him to live off and I drink plenty of water so I’m going to do four weeks of intensive appetite reducing healthy eating on a plan (feel free to suggest things, I’m dithering). While I do that I’m going to get back to running and be ready for a Race For Life in Cambridge one month from today. It’s going to be hard but (assuming I EVER shake this cough) I think I can be just about fit enough to run most of it. I’ve got a little fitness doodad to try out and I’m going to use that to inspire me to get into a shape that will mean I can buy clothes to suit me, not me plus 6 babies I’m still carrying around on my belly 🙄 I’d so love to kick off my pregnancy free 40’s by knowing I’m fit and well enough to bring this active little boy I’m mumming up properly.
My brother is getting married in December; I so much don’t want to be a blimp in the photos. I want to look at them and know I had fun buying clothes for it and felt good. I promised myself I would be thin for my 40’s and I’ve only got 6 months to do it. Talk about procrastinating… I’m as bad as Amelie. If I can lose 2 1/2 stone I will be the weight I was when I worked at it before I had Fran and that’s all I need to lose to be happy and fairly healthy too. Plus the MADs are coming up in September again and much as I loved my purple dress, I don’t want ot have to buy a size 20 and make Myleen Klass hide my hips ever again 😉
Disclosure: I have been paid for this post. The words and thoughts and aspirations are my own.
sounds like great plan Merry. Would the eating plan that Deb NotSheep follow be okay for you? High protein would mean that you had plenty of resources to feed Bene with.
I have just the info you need! Don’t do anything without me. I’ll get back to you later.
Good luck Merry. I have just started running again too.I struggle with dieting and the thinner I get the saggier my 6 baby belly gets! X
The Harcombe diet is working wonders for me at the moment – 11b gone in 4 weeks, and feeling amazing. Safe for pregnant/breastfeeding/adults/children anyone.
5:2 is most popular round here, is easy peasy and lots of people losing weight.
My sister went from size massive at Christmas to size 10 for a wedding last week. Think the personal trainer has had a lot to do with that as well as food reduction. She runs regularly now.
I only ever lost weight after stopping feeding. The whole breast feeding-makes-your-weight-fall-off turned out to be a big disappointment. It was the ‘OMG am back to work soon and I’m not buying anything bigger than I was wearing before I got preganant’ that did it for me each time. So it took a year to get fat and a year to lose it – proper eating and body pump classes. Is the only time I’ve enjoyed shopping – being able to fit into anything that was in the shop and it actually suited me.
Fortunately with my job now, children take up the morning so no breakfast, patients and relatives keep me on my feet all day so perhaps a chocolate or a biscuit as I’m writing up my notes before heading off to the next conversation is lunch and then I’m too tired to cook when I finally get home so graze on not much unless husband has cooked. Guess I’ve been doing a version of the 5:2 for years looking at that written down.
Good luck,
i’ve lost 2 stone of baby weight with Slimming world, it is a great plan if you are not a dieter because you only measure calcium (cheese or milk) and fibre (bread or cereal) you can have as much lean meat, veggies and most fruits as you like (free foods) and carbs are not measured either, although 1/3 of every meal should be veggies. Fats and sugars are giving a “syn” value, you can have up to 15 a day, although 10 is recommended.
I’ve never dieted before, the plan has got me cooking from scratch again and really enjoying what I eat, all the recipes are family friendly too.
Good luck, you can do it. x
I’m trying to lose (baby) weight too. But, I’m not dieting. I’m just thinking a bit more about what and when I eat, choosing the lower calorie option where I can, e.g. tea rather than latte, or water rather than juice or alcohol, and focussing above all on nutrition. Good luck!
Rosemary Conley worked really well for me, but if you do any calorie-controlled diet you do need to allow for the breastfeeding, even if it’s just at night. I always added at least 200 cals for breastfeeding, and also never went to bed hungry, so if I really needed it I had an extra bowl of cereal or piece of toast before bed. And I still lost 3 stone in 5 months. You can do it! Can chat if you need encouragement xxxx