Need Help Losing Weight - Bethel,OH

If it is not a medical problem like most suggested, I had a lot of luck with Weight Watchers. As soon as I lost my weight I ended up pregnant with #3. Good Luck!

S.,
I am a grandmother with a 32 year old daughter who had her first baby last November. She struggles to keep her weight down normally, and after the baby she had about 50 pounds to lose. Besides being quite strict with her diet, she found the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds program (by video or DVD) to be very effective. She's lost that 50 pounds. I have used it successfully also. It's a program where you can do your walking right in your home, which my daughter did daily. It's an excellently balanced walk which is not only good for helping you lose weight, but it's good for the heart. You will get good, safe guidance in your work out. I suggest you go to the local library and check out one or more of her videos or DVDs. She has one to four mile walks. We use the three mile walk video even if we only use two miles of it. If you like what you try from the library, you can go to her web site and order your own -- or if you are an e-bay buyer, that is another option also. S., just as I wrote this, I thought I'd look on line. :) Check out www.lesliesansone.com and there, they are talking about her new program, interview her and you can hear testimonials. You can watch a video and see what it's like.

I hope you find this helpful.
L.

I'm going through the exact same thing. In fact, if I were to write about my weight problem, I could copy yours word-for-word (except that I have a daughter, not a son). I was recently diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Essentially, it just means ovarian cysts that cause symptoms such as weight gain, hair thinning, acne, problems with insulin production and sporadic menstrual cycles. It's not dangerous but it can cause difficulty when trying to conceive. Mostly, I just hate the symptoms. I feel unattractive and self-conscious all the time. Since, after having Gestational Diabetes, we have an increased risk of getting Diabetes, my doctor put me on Metformin which should alleviate the PCOS symptoms and hopefully prevent Diabetes in the future. I am certainly in no position to give a diagnosis, but it's worth asking your doctor some questions. For more information you can also google PCOS. There are a lot of websites with good information.

If you are on a birthcontrole, talk to your Dr. about changing it. After my 2nd baby, I had lost all my baby weight, then about 4 monts post partum, I started gaining and couldn't stop it. I got off the shot and went on the south beach and lost 20 lbs. in one month. I think it was the hormones more than the diet. But I agree with the other posts. Gaining at that rate is not normal and you should talk to a Dr., it sounds like something other than normal weight gain.

Another mother mentioned your thyroid. I think it would be very wise to have this checked out. It sounds to me like this could be a good cause for the weight gain.

Good luck!

I just joined Mamasource and have received a lot of great feedback about using Meal Preparation to help with nutritional balance. Touch of Gourmet is a local store whose meals are created by a nutritionist. Dinners include nutritional information and are very family friendly. With a chef on staff, the fresh meats are hand-trimmed so you don't have to worry about the extra fat from the protein in your dinner. They offer some great discounts on valpak.com as well.

I was diet controlled diabetic during my first pregnancy and insulin dependent during my second. Now I am being tested for diabetes as there is a higher rate of getting it once you have had gestational diabetes. In wanting to lose the weight you are making a life-long healthy decision.

I would go to your doctor to get a basic blood work done, just to be sure it isn't you thyroid or something else similar. Other than that, drink water. I drank only water (instead of iced tea or soda)for a week with no other changes and lost 5lbs.

Definitely go to your doctor. If nothing else, consider part of your preparation to grow another person.

Hi S.,
You are so wise to try to keep your weight under control before you conceive again. With some preparation, you can probably avoid the diabetes the next time around. Check out www.cinchplan.com/changinglives for some science behind weight loss and testimonials. Best of luck to you. You'll be glad to overcame this when it's time for baby number two.
S.

S.,

I'm a 24 year old mother of 1 a beautiful baby boy, Isaiah. My husband and I have been married for 2 1/2 years. But had been together for 5 years. Your description sounded so familiar to mine I thought I'd say Hi! I didn't have the diabetes but I lost alot of weight when coming home from the hospital too and now have gained more since. I am currently doing the slimfast diet and it really is working. I try to walk alot as well---with a baby there aren't alot of exercise routines that you can do. So walking is the easiest. I would ask your DR though, if you're eating only 1500 calories and still gaining that much weight something in your body isn't reacting correctly. I would get someone with medical background and see if they could be of assistance.

-A.

Hello S.. I would talk to your doctor. The only advice I can give would be to drop your calorie intake to 1000-1200 with exercise 3-5 days a week. I'm not sure also if your breast feeding, if that's the case I think the calorie intake is about right. I'm not an expert, but it sounds strange that at 23 your gaining weight with what your doing. I would highly recommend you call your doctor and tell him/her what is going on. There is nothing wrong with knowing what is going on with your body. I hope all is okay. Good luck, I hope you find an answer to your concerns.

Something you said concerns me, if you are moderatly active and only eat 1500 calories a day and it is a decently balanced diet you should not be gaining that kind of weight, you're talking alomst 10 pounds a month. Have you spoken to your doctor about the weight? It could be thyriod related and could recquire medical treatment for you to ever drop the weight. This happened to a couple of ppl I know after they had thier children. Good Luck.

Try adding ankle and wrist weights to your walk. Adding weight training would really help too. I also like to use www.fitday.com to track food. It is a free online site.

Have you had your thyroid checked lately? A girlfriend of mine found out that hers was off I don't know which way and she had gained a tremendous amount of weight. During her second pregnancy she ended up on 5 medications lost over 30lbs and was seeing her ob 2x per week! I would just advise going in to your primary and getting a physical with blood work. Hope that helps.

There could be multiple things. You state you walk but at what pace. For a walking/workout program to really work on losing weight, you need to get your heart rate up about 60-80% from your normal resting rate for 30-60 minutes a day. Optimally, you would want to do it all at once, but with a busy lifestyle it can be cut into seperate times. Also to lose weight you need to go above and byond what your body is use to. If your body is use to walking 2 miles you need to push further. Try workout videos at naptime. Get em cheap at half price books or ebay. If you feel that you are doing all of this and everything you can then Go talk to your doctor. There may be something else going on in your body that they can maybe find. Or go to a nutritionist and see what kind of diet they suggest.

Please ask your doctor if they would test your thyroid! Pregnancy causes a lot of stress on the thyroid gland. I can't tell you how many women I know who have had serious thyroid problems after pregnancy. And if your thyroid levels are too low or too high it can make you gain or lose lots of weight. I don't know why they don't just test you right off the bat, but you'll have to ask for a test.

Hi S.,

I can empathize with your situation because I am in a similar one and trying for baby #2 as well. It sounds like you live a healthy lifestyle. I would talk to your family doctor and/or OB/GYN for some advice. For me, it turned out to be my thyroid. I was able to get it regulated with synthroid (which is perfectly healthy to take while pregnant). But every person is different and your doctor could offer some good advice on how to prepare your body for pregnancy.