It's no secret that I put on a LOT of weight during pregnancy. Drastically cutting down exercise and drastically increasing chicken nugget consumption will do that to you.
It's also no secret that the weight didn't exactly melt off me. You just can't keep 20 extra kilos a secret, no matter how cleverly you dress.
I've dealt with the extra weight remarkably well, in an emotional sense. I think I've kept my "Ohmigod, I'm soo fat and uuuuuugly" meltdowns down to two or three. I also think there is FAR too much pressure on new mums to get back into shape, and I grit my teeth every time I see someone who's only a few kilos above pre-preg weight moaning about looking better than I ever have!
But...I do want to lose the weight. Actually, I need to lose the weight. My GP agrees. It's not just about looking good, or getting into tri-training shape again, it's about getting healthy, especially if I want to get pregnant again in the not tooooo distant future. And without a lot of spare time for exercise (...though I'll have a bit more stroller time soon, as I am dropping my hours), that means looking hard at my diet.
So, when I went back to work in June, I also joined Weight Watchers online (yep, I'm a bit behind on blogging), and started using their online pro points tracker. I chose to do Weight Watchers for a few reasons: another new mum mate was doing it, I'd heard good things about the new pro points, it was online (and with an iphone app available), and I knew they had a plan for breastfeeding mums.
I've enjoyed tracking points- it's a bit easier than calorie counting, and the site is fairly useable (but far from the best I've used). The best thing for me is having someone else decide what my daily target is, instead of worrying all the time whether I've picked the right arbitrary number. The next best thing is that pro points are (mostly) great, and encourage fairly healthy behaviour. They're based on fat, carbs, protein and fibre, not pure calories, so there's an incentive to eat good food. I am particularly enjoying the fact that (most) fruit and veges are point free. Because I'm both fat and breastfeeding, I get a huge daily allowance, and can eat pretty much what I want without digging into my weekly allowance provided that I'm mindful with what I eat. I did struggle a little being dairy and wheat free, as that meant no yoghurt, no cottage cheese on crackers, and so on, but I got used to it, and into a reasonable daily pattern. I didn't notice any negative impact on my supply, but it's hard to measure that when my supply isn't great to begin with!
Since starting Weight Watchers, I've lost 8kg. I have no idea how heavy I was pre-birth, or whether I lost or gained in those early weeks, so the start weight comes from when I was about 6 weeks post partum. 8kg over 3 months is a slooow weight loss, which I can pretty easily blame on too many days of not sticking to my points, and also on the last month which has been hugely messy with work travel, then eating like a pig to up my supply again post- surgery (wisdom teeth. four. general). I have about 13kg to go before I'm at my initial goal weight, and a good way to go after that before I'm in fighting shape. It will be a slow journey, but I'm confident I'll get there- eventually.
6 comments:
I personally think slow and steady weight loss is much better than quick weight loss. I've done both so far...first 30 pounds in 3 months, then gaining it all back plus another 15 or 20...and now 45pounds since late 2009. It's been a LONG road but my habits have totally changed as a result of the slow and deliberate process. I'm much more confident it'll stay off thus time around...and make it easier whenever I get pregnant.
Good on ya Kate. I've got to be better with tracking my calories. I find it gets away from me quickly - it goes on so much quicker than it comes off! Keep on keeping on!
yay for those first 8!!!! :)
8kg lost is a really good start. Well done! Weight watchers sounds a good idea. Surgery = ugh. Hope the teeth are behaving now and you've healed up.
I've heard really fantastic things about WW, and it sounds like it's working for you! You know, they say slow weight loss is more likely to stay off that a sudden drop anyway, so it's probably for the best that your scale isn't plummeting overnight. Good luck, and I'm very curious to hear what you think as you continue with the program.
I'm struggling with getting the baby weight off also and had to start the dreaded dieting. Its slow for me too but I just tell myself that that means it's permanent weight loss!
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