For those who don't know me, I used to be here several times a day for about a year. I had lost 60 pounds (took two years) and then I got pregnant. My beautiful little one is 7 months old now. I have gained 25 pounds since he was born! I know what to do, but I just won't make myself do anything.....obviously. I've even avoided this site in fear of having to begin to make the right choices again. I know how much better I'll feel, sleep, move, cook... but I won't do it. I can't seem to get started! Why would I not want to make better choices for myself? Has anyone been where I am now?

quote:

Originally posted by sautequeen:
...I'm also going to try to limit the time the tv is on today and see if I can work on the house while the baby sleeps....

I'm glad to hear Lane is doin so well.
If you have AOL Instant Messaging (it's free & you don't have to use AOL) you could join us on our morning or afternoon FlyChats. We chat for 10 minutes and then fly for 20 minutes. When we are flying we work on the house, pay bills, exercise or whatever needs to be done.

I will bump up the FlyChat thread so you can get the finer details.

Hi everyone. Thanks for your words of encouragement. I guess I'll start off today with a water challenge to myself. I will attempt to drink 64 oz. of water every day this week. Small, but a start. I'm also going to try to limit the time the tv is on today and see if I can work on the house while the baby sleeps. I sure need to break my tv addiction. I definitely don't want my little Lane to watch tv his entire life the way I have.

My motivation... to get off the couch and play with my baby as he grows up and have the energy to keep up with him. He will be crawling soon. He now gets on his hands and knees and does the rocking thing. It won't be long now.

Stephanie,
How has it been going the last week?

Boy can I ever relate! I had just that conversation with my WW leader Kelly yesterday (mine was phrased, "I keep on breaking promises to myself"). She said the key word is promises, plural. Don't make too many promises (you lose focus); just decide on one thing you will do.

She came up with a great suggestion: start a "BLT" bag. "Bite, lick, taste" = all the little things you eat that you don't count, but that DO count!
In your BLT bag, put the few M & Ms you would've taken from the candy jar at work; the chips you didn't sneak from the kids in the afternoon; the leftover PBJ you did not eat. For things like sampling food you're cooking or avoiding that sip of your husband's wine (which would create a mess in your BLT bag), instead write them on a piece of paper.

It is a huge eye-opener! I realized that during the WW meeting I ate 1/3 of a slimfast bar I hadn't planned on tracking, then at Trader Joe's I sampled some cucumber yogurt on a pita. Then at night it went the other way: I didn't sample the potatoes as I made them; and I didn't eat the last 4 PB cups in the drawer or the AllBran bar I probably would've had before bed too.

At the end of the week we're supposed to look in the BLT bag and add up all the points we managed to avoid. (Plus I'm putting an asterisk next to the things I didn't avoid; thought it might be enlightening.)

Try it~ it's fun!

Stephanie.....WooooooHooooooo, you are back!!!! Hurray!!!! Hey, I have felt like you are feeling many many times. You know, it is just like one day something snaps and you just do it!! This time it was carbs. I decided to make my day start out with protein and save my carbs for dinner. The reason was because I found that I could easily eat nothing but carbs all day and not much protein at all, if any. So, one day I decided, no more white sugar, no bread, cereal, pasta or rice, no white flour for me. I gave myself 2 weeks of no carbs at all to get the craving out of my system and that was tough, but once I felt in control I was able to slowly introduce the right kinds of carbs, like fruits, veggies, brown rice, whole wheats, etc. I have lost 25 pounds in 3 months. You know the routine, drink more water, set small goals. The very fact that you came to post tells me you want to change. I am glad you are back. And don't beat yourself up about the baby weight. That is your badge of honor right now for the beautiful outcome of a long and tough pregnancy. Just set your mind that now you will regain control and take great care of yourself for his sake. He needs mommy to be healthy and strong.

quote:

Originally posted by sautequeen:
Has anyone been where I am now?

Hi Stephanie!
I was there when I was depressed. Couldn’t get back on the wagon… didn’t care about getting back on the wagon… It takes a fair amount of energy to get on the wagon, and I didn’t have it.

I know that you had a rough start with ds

1. Is it possible that you have a touch of post-partam depression? Or life change depression? Just having a baby changes your life sooooo much… and some of it isn’t always for the better. I often felt isolated and kind of lonely… not to mention sleep deprived. Being tired all the time isn’t exactly conducive to getting or staying on the wagon.

2. Did you have to go back to work? If you are at home, do you take naps when the baby does? Sometimes taking care of yourself in the sleep department REALLY helps in the eating department.

3. What is YOUR motivation to lose weight?

You might want to browse the articles on the Motivation Center page on the WW boards.

I found this quote from Can You Change Your Ways? really interesting.

quote:

When people make behavioral changes without identifying their motivations, behaviors are less likely to stick. Think about what you want to change and why. Write it down in the form of an affirmation and frequently say it out aloud.

I know that for a long time, I wanted to lose weight but really didn’t know why. If somebody asked me, I would have said something like, “Well I want to lose because I’m overweight (like duh!!!). Everybody knows that overweight people are supposed to lose weight…”

Just because I was supposed to lose weight or wanted to lose weight - that didn’t mean that I was motivated.

Or you might believe that you want to lose “to be healthier” but way down deep you really truly believe that you are still pretty young and have time… (this is true for my dh…)

So, sometimes you have to kind of dig for your motivation and sort out what you think you believe are your motivations and what your real motivations are.

4. I know that the more I’m on the wagon, the more motivation I have. The more I’m off the wagon, the more I want to stay there and I get resentful about healthy habits and I DON’T want to do them and the Toddler-Within takes over and it is just whine city.

But once I’m on the wagon a couple/three days… I feel so much better… I get my motivation back.

So my advice is to get back on the wagon and look for your motivation when you are there. Don’t wait for the motivation fairy to come sprinkling you with determination dust. Like the Nike commercial, just do it.

PS Welcome back !!!!

Congrats! I know I am about 7 months late,but he's still a baby.
Steph , you know what to do....my goodness you have done it better than most of the people I know. You also know the story about the motivation fairy not sprinkling us with dust and saying "poof, now you are motivated". But you do know that you have to want to do the work to loose the weight and get back to your pre preggers weight. So while the weather is still somewhat nice, what baby step can you take to start the ball rolling, a walk with Lane, a stroll through the neighborhood? Could you make sure that you are eating 5 vegies and fruits every day? What babystep could you start today that would give you success?

Hey, don't be a stranger, we need to hear from you...and you need to check with us. Got pics, we'd love to see them.

Cathy

Steph, I'm not the one to give any kind of suggestions or advise on this one because I'm riding the same boat you are. I have been on this boat for almost a year now and at times I believe the boat was sinking!

I'm trying to come back here and be involved like I used to also. I thought I was doing better and got hit with another bombshell this week but I'm not going to let that sink me either!!!

Yep, I agree with the baby steps....I probably could have just jumped right in the middle of a diet & exercise program before but I find I can't do that now for what ever reason.

I am getting back here a little more and I am getting my water in AND I did walk some yesterday...Not running again yet, but walking is most definitely a good start.

I hope to get an appointment with a dietician soon also. Do you think that something like that might help get you started again?

I know how it feels to be in a "slump" and feel like that is no way out. I've had serveral "false starts" during this past year too. My DH even told me at one point that I was "going to pot".....Boy, that sure makes a girl feel great!! LOL!!!

But I was going to pot. I think I'm SLOWLY but surely coming out of my slump now, I hope so....actually, I HAVE to.

What worked for you before may not work for you now. What motivated you before may not motivate you now. Bee told me a few months or so ago that I was dwelling on the past and she was ABSOLUTELY correct. I'm having to take a look at my life, my routines, my health issues that I am facing today. I really didn't want to look at things this way but reality has set in and I AM having to go back to the starting line again.

The good news is that I do know that I can do it. Slow and steady wins the race every time!!!

Hugs to you Steph because I would give anything if I could give you some wonderful advise or ideas!!!!!! All I can say is that you aren't the only one in this boat and to HANG IN THERE!!!!

Please do keep up checking here...Hey, I'll make you a deal....I'll be more involved here again if you will!!!!

Hugs and prayers to you Steph!!!!!

Hi Steph! Glad to hear that Lane is doing well and that you even have the energy to be thinking about getting into the swing of things again.

Are you still up with him round the clock for feeding?

I think that it isn't a question about wanting to make the right choices but about the effort it takes to do it. You've had a pretty stressful and life altering year and right now your priorities have shifted.

I agree with doing some small baby steps. Things that will get you moving in the right direction but don't require too much energy right now.

Coming back here to post is a great step!

Hang in there and don't be so hard on yourself.

Hey Stephanie!

Good to see you as always! Sounds like things are going well with Lane and you might be ready to come up for air and do a little something for yourself. Bet that feels weird/nice/scary all at once!

Well, I don't think that what I have to say will come as any surprise to you but it's all about baby steps. Pick one and get things rolling. Or how about the 5 point challenge? That one is what got me out of the gate. One point each for a good, better, best choice, drinking water, any exercise, accountability and 15 min time for yourself (maybe spend that visiting the site??). For me, the most 'grounding' thing I can do these days is post my food plan in the "What's for Dinner" folder. If I'm not doing that, I'm not doing too great food wise.

Have you been able to utilize the gym much? I know you had a bumpy start but I thought you had worked that out. Even a walk around the block would be a place to start.

Feel free to check out the Halloween challenge. You could get a baby step well estabished in a month!

Peg