Re-introduction/De-lurking (long)

Dear all,

some of you probably remember me, but let me re-introduce myself for the new
members: my name is Elly, 31 years old, from Italy, at the moment SAHM, and
currently at my highest weight ever :-(

Short history: since my 20ies, my weight was yo-yoing, but it was always no
more than 5 kg (11 lbs), up or down, and I had no problem losing it. Then,
in 2001, after another weight gain, I decided to seek the professional help
and my GP, who is also a registered nutritionist, put me on the balanced low
carb WOE (eating everything except the "white food" - potatoes, white
pasta/rice, corn, etc.). Then I weighed 77.7 kg (cca 171 lbs), and I'm 164
cm
tall, so my ideal weight is around 64 to 68 kg (141 - 150 lbs), based on the
BMI factor. This was mid-October 2001, and I was able to go down to my ideal
weight rather fast, by summer 2002 I was in my old clothes and went into
maintenance, following the balanced low carb WOL (upping my carbs a bit,
though). I was also rather active - in the beginning I was doing a lot of
water aerobics, then joined the gym and the aerobics class, did the fitness
routine almost daily at home, drove stationary bike, did a lot of
walking/hiking and swimming, and basically I loved losing and maintaining
weight, my physical and emotional state was great.

Beginning of January 2003 I was pregnant with my child (first and only, so
far ;-), and still was within limits for my "ideal" weight (150 lbs). I had
an almost perfect pregnancy, gained 16 kg altogether (cca 35.2 lbs) and had
a wonderful, healthy baby girl (3.63 kg and 51 cm, Apgars 10/10). My
recovery was short, and the first week postpartum I weighed 74 kg (cca 163
lbs), so I was only 6 to 10 kg up from my "ideal" weight.

But then, about 2 months postpartum, I started gaining weight. Lots of it,
and the gain was rather quick. My postnatal care nurse explained that I'm
experiencing a short-term hypothyroid dip, and that it will go away. I also
nursed a lost, and was very hungry, all the time. I tried to make healthy
food choices, but it didn't help because my portion sizes got bigger and
bigger. DD would be nursing, and sometimes I would think "when she's done,
I'll go and eat, I'm so hungry!". And of course, breastfeeding women are
encouraged to eat and rest in order to have more breast milk - so I was just
taking care of the baby, taking one daily walk, eating and sleeping. No
fitness routine (apart from the walking bit) whatsoever.

Now DD just turned 9 months old, and instead of losing the weight by now, I
gained :-( And it's time for the gain to stop. I now weigh cca 88 kg (cca
193.6 lbs).
I decided, with the help of my GP/nutritionist, to go back to the balanced
low carb WOE (because it's something I felt good about and I don't have to
learn much about it), lower my carb intake - but not too much since I'm
still breastfeeding, and start some sort of exercise program.

Now, the exercise is something I currently feel very lazy about, which is a
shame because I loved doing it before...
My daily routine as a SAHM (who
also works part-time from home) is such that I don't know where the fitness
routine would fit in - DD wakes up at 8 am, then it's
nursing-playing-napping
time (which I use to clean the house and get some work-from-home done), then
lunch for DD (we're in the solid food introduction phase, so I still make
separate lunches for her and me), then going to the beach (DH usually drives
us there before going to work and then we walk back, which *is* a form of
exercise since the beach is 3 km away from the house and it's uphill all the
way back, but I'm kind of prone
to it - it doesn't make me lose the weight, only to maintain it), and at the
beach, since DD is still not walking yet (she is "cruising", though), there
isn't
a lot of exercise, plus if I go alone with her, I can't go swimming, we just
stay in the shallow water). After the walk home, it's breastfeeding time.
When she falls asleep (around 9 - 10 pm - it's still very light here, so she
doesn't fall asleep until the sun sets), I still have some part-time work to
do, go online, check the e-mail and occasionally prepare a dinner for DH (he
works afternoons and comes home around 11 pm), although now we just eat the
veggie salads, so the dinner preparation doesn't take a lot of my time.
I know I could fit in the fitness routine when DD sleeps in the
morning/afternoon, but sometimes I just feel so tired that I need to sleep,
too.
And in the evening, I just feel too exhausted to get anything done
physically - I just feel I have enough energy to relax a bit, read a book,
go online, until DH comes home. Doing a routine just isn't tempting enough -
yet - although I do remember that doing the routine before going to bed was
actually very relaxing.

Now, how do I make myself exercise? Any SAHMs out there who can share their
tricks?

Anyway, we're going on a vacation in mid-August, and I made a mini-goal
decision - to stick with the eating plan, to *try* fitting in the fitness
routine and to lose 4-5 kg by then (5 weeks from now). It's not because
we're going away that I decided this, it's because it is giving me at least
some kind of time frame, and saying, "I want to lose 4-5 kg" sounds a lot
easier than saying, "I want to lose 25 kg". So I hope that sticking (and
getting) to a mini-goal will help and motivate me.

Since the ASDers have been a great help, source of information and emotional
support the first time around, I decided to de-lurk. Hope you'll have me
back :-)


Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

Hey, welcome back, Elly! I think of you every time I put cinnamon and
vanilla in my yogurt or cottage cheese (like just a couple of hours
ago) :-).

I'm glad you and your baby (and of course your DH, too) are doing
well. I'm sorry about the weight gain. I'm hypothyroid and I know
how difficult it was before I was diagnosed and put on medication -- I
just gained weight with no apparent reason.

Since I'm not a mom, I can't really offer any advice based on personal
experience. But -- with regard to exercise -- I was wondering how you
carry your daughter when you walk. Is it feasible to carry her in a
front or back sling of some kind, so that you're carrying her weight
-- as opposed to pushing her in a stroller or whatever? That would
increase the energy you expend when you walk with her. Or maybe you
could try to just walk faster when you do walk? If you don't have
time for more exercise, maybe you can find ways to increase the
intensity of the exercise you are getting. Or, if you can find the
time for them, how about some exercise videos you can do at home while
your daughter plays nearby? (I have heard of some people playing
around a bit with using their babies as weights -- like holding them
while they do squats and such. Of course, this would require a
willing baby :-).)

Chris
262/144/ (145-150) {Now at goal weight :-), as of last month.}

Hey, welcome back, Elly! I think of you every time I put cinnamon and
vanilla in my yogurt or cottage cheese (like just a couple of hours
ago) :-).

I'm glad you and your baby (and of course your DH, too) are doing
well. I'm sorry about the weight gain. I'm hypothyroid and I know
how difficult it was before I was diagnosed and put on medication -- I
just gained weight with no apparent reason.

Since I'm not a mom, I can't really offer any advice based on personal
experience. But -- with regard to exercise -- I was wondering how you
carry your daughter when you walk. Is it feasible to carry her in a
front or back sling of some kind, so that you're carrying her weight
-- as opposed to pushing her in a stroller or whatever? That would
increase the energy you expend when you walk with her. Or maybe you
could try to just walk faster when you do walk? If you don't have
time for more exercise, maybe you can find ways to increase the
intensity of the exercise you are getting. Or, if you can find the
time for them, how about some exercise videos you can do at home while
your daughter plays nearby? (I have heard of some people playing
around a bit with using their babies as weights -- like holding them
while they do squats and such. Of course, this would require a
willing baby :-).)

Chris
262/144/ (145-150) {Now at goal weight :-), as of last month.}

"Elly" wrote in message
...
Dear all,

some of you probably remember me, but let me re-introduce myself for the
new
members: my name is Elly, 31 years old, from Italy, at the moment SAHM,
and
currently at my highest weight ever :-(
(snipping)

Now DD just turned 9 months old, and instead of losing the weight by now,
I
gained :-( And it's time for the gain to stop. I now weigh cca 88 kg (cca
193.6 lbs).

Welcome back, Elly. It's hard to believe the baby is 9 months old - it
seems just like yesterday that she was born.

I decided, with the help of my GP/nutritionist, to go back to the balanced
low carb WOE (because it's something I felt good about and I don't have to
learn much about it), lower my carb intake - but not too much since I'm
still breastfeeding, and start some sort of exercise program.

This sounds like a good plan as you did well on it in the past. Time for
exercise can be hard to find with a baby in the house but I'm sure you'll
find the time somewhere. Just remember it doesn't have to be all at one
time. Maybe you could start by grabbing 10 minutes a few times each day
until you find the right time in your schedule. Maybe the exercise will
help to increase the energy level.

I look forward to your post.

Beverly















Now, the exercise is something I currently feel very lazy about, which is
a
shame because I loved doing it before...
My daily routine as a SAHM (who
also works part-time from home) is such that I don't know where the
fitness
routine would fit in - DD wakes up at 8 am, then it's
nursing-playing-napping
time (which I use to clean the house and get some work-from-home done),
then
lunch for DD (we're in the solid food introduction phase, so I still make
separate lunches for her and me), then going to the beach (DH usually
drives
us there before going to work and then we walk back, which *is* a form of
exercise since the beach is 3 km away from the house and it's uphill all
the
way back, but I'm kind of prone
to it - it doesn't make me lose the weight, only to maintain it), and at
the
beach, since DD is still not walking yet (she is "cruising", though),
there
isn't
a lot of exercise, plus if I go alone with her, I can't go swimming, we
just
stay in the shallow water). After the walk home, it's breastfeeding time.
When she falls asleep (around 9 - 10 pm - it's still very light here, so
she
doesn't fall asleep until the sun sets), I still have some part-time work
to
do, go online, check the e-mail and occasionally prepare a dinner for DH
(he
works afternoons and comes home around 11 pm), although now we just eat
the
veggie salads, so the dinner preparation doesn't take a lot of my time.
I know I could fit in the fitness routine when DD sleeps in the
morning/afternoon, but sometimes I just feel so tired that I need to
sleep,
too.
And in the evening, I just feel too exhausted to get anything done
physically - I just feel I have enough energy to relax a bit, read a book,
go online, until DH comes home. Doing a routine just isn't tempting
enough -
yet - although I do remember that doing the routine before going to bed
was
actually very relaxing.

Now, how do I make myself exercise? Any SAHMs out there who can share
their
tricks?

Anyway, we're going on a vacation in mid-August, and I made a mini-goal
decision - to stick with the eating plan, to *try* fitting in the fitness
routine and to lose 4-5 kg by then (5 weeks from now). It's not because
we're going away that I decided this, it's because it is giving me at
least
some kind of time frame, and saying, "I want to lose 4-5 kg" sounds a lot
easier than saying, "I want to lose 25 kg". So I hope that sticking (and
getting) to a mini-goal will help and motivate me.

Since the ASDers have been a great help, source of information and
emotional
support the first time around, I decided to de-lurk. Hope you'll have me
back :-)


Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 23:42:46 +0200, "Elly"
wrote:

Dear all,

some of you probably remember me, but let me re-introduce myself for the new
members: my name is Elly, 31 years old, from Italy, at the moment SAHM, and
currently at my highest weight ever :-(

Short history: since my 20ies, my weight was yo-yoing, but it was always no
more than 5 kg (11 lbs), up or down, and I had no problem losing it. Then,
in 2001, after another weight gain, I decided to seek the professional help
and my GP, who is also a registered nutritionist, put me on the balanced low
carb WOE (eating everything except the "white food" - potatoes, white
pasta/rice, corn, etc.). Then I weighed 77.7 kg (cca 171 lbs), and I'm 164
cm
tall, so my ideal weight is around 64 to 68 kg (141 - 150 lbs), based on the
BMI factor. This was mid-October 2001, and I was able to go down to my ideal
weight rather fast, by summer 2002 I was in my old clothes and went into
maintenance, following the balanced low carb WOL (upping my carbs a bit,
though). I was also rather active - in the beginning I was doing a lot of
water aerobics, then joined the gym and the aerobics class, did the fitness
routine almost daily at home, drove stationary bike, did a lot of
walking/hiking and swimming, and basically I loved losing and maintaining
weight, my physical and emotional state was great.

Beginning of January 2003 I was pregnant with my child (first and only, so
far ;-), and still was within limits for my "ideal" weight (150 lbs). I had
an almost perfect pregnancy, gained 16 kg altogether (cca 35.2 lbs) and had
a wonderful, healthy baby girl (3.63 kg and 51 cm, Apgars 10/10). My
recovery was short, and the first week postpartum I weighed 74 kg (cca 163
lbs), so I was only 6 to 10 kg up from my "ideal" weight.

But then, about 2 months postpartum, I started gaining weight. Lots of it,
and the gain was rather quick. My postnatal care nurse explained that I'm
experiencing a short-term hypothyroid dip, and that it will go away. I also
nursed a lost, and was very hungry, all the time. I tried to make healthy
food choices, but it didn't help because my portion sizes got bigger and
bigger. DD would be nursing, and sometimes I would think "when she's done,
I'll go and eat, I'm so hungry!". And of course, breastfeeding women are
encouraged to eat and rest in order to have more breast milk - so I was just
taking care of the baby, taking one daily walk, eating and sleeping. No
fitness routine (apart from the walking bit) whatsoever.

Now DD just turned 9 months old, and instead of losing the weight by now, I
gained :-( And it's time for the gain to stop. I now weigh cca 88 kg (cca
193.6 lbs).
I decided, with the help of my GP/nutritionist, to go back to the balanced
low carb WOE (because it's something I felt good about and I don't have to
learn much about it), lower my carb intake - but not too much since I'm
still breastfeeding, and start some sort of exercise program.

Now, the exercise is something I currently feel very lazy about, which is a
shame because I loved doing it before...
My daily routine as a SAHM (who
also works part-time from home) is such that I don't know where the fitness
routine would fit in - DD wakes up at 8 am, then it's
nursing-playing-napping
time (which I use to clean the house and get some work-from-home done), then
lunch for DD (we're in the solid food introduction phase, so I still make
separate lunches for her and me), then going to the beach (DH usually drives
us there before going to work and then we walk back, which *is* a form of
exercise since the beach is 3 km away from the house and it's uphill all the
way back, but I'm kind of prone
to it - it doesn't make me lose the weight, only to maintain it), and at the
beach, since DD is still not walking yet (she is "cruising", though), there
isn't
a lot of exercise, plus if I go alone with her, I can't go swimming, we just
stay in the shallow water). After the walk home, it's breastfeeding time.
When she falls asleep (around 9 - 10 pm - it's still very light here, so she
doesn't fall asleep until the sun sets), I still have some part-time work to
do, go online, check the e-mail and occasionally prepare a dinner for DH (he
works afternoons and comes home around 11 pm), although now we just eat the
veggie salads, so the dinner preparation doesn't take a lot of my time.
I know I could fit in the fitness routine when DD sleeps in the
morning/afternoon, but sometimes I just feel so tired that I need to sleep,
too.
And in the evening, I just feel too exhausted to get anything done
physically - I just feel I have enough energy to relax a bit, read a book,
go online, until DH comes home. Doing a routine just isn't tempting enough -
yet - although I do remember that doing the routine before going to bed was
actually very relaxing.

Now, how do I make myself exercise? Any SAHMs out there who can share their
tricks?

Anyway, we're going on a vacation in mid-August, and I made a mini-goal
decision - to stick with the eating plan, to *try* fitting in the fitness
routine and to lose 4-5 kg by then (5 weeks from now). It's not because
we're going away that I decided this, it's because it is giving me at least
some kind of time frame, and saying, "I want to lose 4-5 kg" sounds a lot
easier than saying, "I want to lose 25 kg". So I hope that sticking (and
getting) to a mini-goal will help and motivate me.

Since the ASDers have been a great help, source of information and emotional
support the first time around, I decided to de-lurk. Hope you'll have me
back :-)


Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

Hi Elly. Good to hear from you again, and glad you decided to come
back here for support when you need it.

I can't believe it's 9 months since you had your little girl. It
seems only recently you were popping in to say hello and to update us
on how the pregnancy was going. Glad you now have such a lovely
healthy DD.

I'm sure you have the knowledge about food to know what you need to do
(having said that, so do I but I don't always do it!). What comes
through to me, which has already been suggested by someone else, is
that perhaps you need to look at how you could vary your afternoon
activity, to take DD somewhere different on some days, where you could
exercise while someone keeps an eye on her. Perhaps you need to vary
what you do with that time of the day a bit more. Also, you need to
sit down with DH if you haven't already, and discuss how important
being able to exercise is for you, and how he might be able to help
you make time to do this.

Anyway, it's good to have you with us again, and I hope you'll keep
posting now you're back.

janice

"Ignoramus22273" ha scritto nel
messaggio ...
Elly, it sounds like you have every chance to drop at least some
weight and keep it off. Regarding exercise, walking with kids in a
stroller, and later walking along is great for you and them.

Your English is excellent, also.

i

Thank you for the compliment and encouragement!

Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

"Ignoramus22273" ha scritto nel
messaggio ...
Elly, it sounds like you have every chance to drop at least some
weight and keep it off. Regarding exercise, walking with kids in a
stroller, and later walking along is great for you and them.

Your English is excellent, also.

i

Thank you for the compliment and encouragement!

Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

Welcome Back Elly!!!
Thank you, jayjay! In a way, I hate to be back - IYKWIM? but if you are in
trouble like I am, this is a great place to be!

Would it be possible to make room just 3 days a week to go to
a gym instead of the beach? Most gyms have some sort of child care
facility and your daughter is old enough now that for her to spend an
hour in the childcare shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Unfortunately, I live in a small town and the gym is closed in the
afternoon - it's open from 9am-noon and then from 7pm - 10 pm; it doesn't
offer the child care facility, either :-(

Another option would be to work something out with your DH for the
weekends (or whenever his days off are) so that you can have an hour
or so for a good workout while he watches your daughter.

Yes, we already agreed that whenever possible (at least 3-4 times a week),
he'd take care of DD and everything else to give me an hour to exercise. He
works afternoons, so my mornings were kind of free anyway, but I always
found something else to do, I guess :-( And he's free only on Sunday, and we
always go to the beach, so he'll be spending part of the beach time in the
shallow water with her and I'll be swimming ;-)

Another option would be to get videos and workout at home at some
point in your day. (maybe cut the beach time shorter and come home
for a workout instead).

That's a good idea! Cutting the beach time would be kind of a problem,
because we tend to stay there until it's cooler because we walk back. But
maybe if I miss the morning exercise, I can do it later, when DD sleeps. I'm
sure my energy levels will go up once I get back into things.

Its those intial first couple weeks that is the hardest
to get back into.

Tell me about it :-)
I'm very proud to say that I already did my daily fitness routine today :-)
DD was very good, so I put her in the playpen (she is crawling so if I let
her loose I'd be just running after her instead of exercising ;-) and put
the exercise mat down next to the playpen, turned on some music and
exercised right next to her. For a full hour! I'm sure I'll be acking all
over tomorrow, but that's ok - tomorrow is the beach day anyway so the
water/swimming will help with the musculfiber. I did it slowly and was very
careful about the performance - the last thing I need is an injury right at
the beginning.

You know... This time, I'm really doing it for the whole purpose of
improving my health - I can tell that my knees are suffering the weight
they're carrying, they hurt even when I'm laying down. And when you look at
my legs, they loook kind of ill... :-( I *really* need this WOE and the
daily routine.

as another mom... I'll also invite you to alt.mothers newsgroup.
Its a great group of other moms... waves at Kat and Teri I've
recruited a couple from there to here.

Thanks for the invitation, I guess I'll spend some time lurking there
tonight :-)

Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

"Chris Braun" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
I was wondering how you
carry your daughter when you walk.

I usually carry her in the front baby carrier, but she weighs almost 9 kg
and is rather "long" (72 cm at 9 months old), and I'm kind of short (164
cm), so this is beginning to be a bit difficult - she is heavy and her legs
are up to my knees... The back carrier isn't a help since I need help to put
her in it, and when we go for a walk, I'm usually alone with her, so have no
one to help me with it.
I'm still using the carrier if we go for a shorter walk (20-30 minutes), but
if the walk is longer, she just becomes too heavy. So for longer walks I use
the stroller. Especially if we go to the beach and such, when I need to
carry bags.

I have heard of some people playing
around a bit with using their babies as weights -- like holding them
while they do squats and such. Of course, this would require a
willing baby :-).)

Oh yes, we are doing that whenever possible - my arms are rather strong now
(upper part of my body - I look like Mrs. Hulk ;-).

Thanks for all the advices - I actually listened to them and put her in the
playpen today and exercised right next to her on the mat for a full hour.
She seemed interested in her Mommy's unusual activity ;-)

Thank you for your welcome, and - congratulations on reaching your goal!

Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs

"Chris Braun" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
I was wondering how you
carry your daughter when you walk.

I usually carry her in the front baby carrier, but she weighs almost 9 kg
and is rather "long" (72 cm at 9 months old), and I'm kind of short (164
cm), so this is beginning to be a bit difficult - she is heavy and her legs
are up to my knees... The back carrier isn't a help since I need help to put
her in it, and when we go for a walk, I'm usually alone with her, so have no
one to help me with it.
I'm still using the carrier if we go for a shorter walk (20-30 minutes), but
if the walk is longer, she just becomes too heavy. So for longer walks I use
the stroller. Especially if we go to the beach and such, when I need to
carry bags.

I have heard of some people playing
around a bit with using their babies as weights -- like holding them
while they do squats and such. Of course, this would require a
willing baby :-).)

Oh yes, we are doing that whenever possible - my arms are rather strong now
(upper part of my body - I look like Mrs. Hulk ;-).

Thanks for all the advices - I actually listened to them and put her in the
playpen today and exercised right next to her on the mat for a full hour.
She seemed interested in her Mommy's unusual activity ;-)

Thank you for your welcome, and - congratulations on reaching your goal!

Elly
Postpartum/breastfeeding SAHM following the balanced low carb WOE
193.6/ 193.6/ mini-goal by August 20th: 182.6
sometime in the (distant) futu 150 lbs