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Holy Crap, What Motivates You?
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Anonymous
Oh, mama. Be good to yourself. Your body is holding onto those pounds for dear life because having an 8 week old baby and a toddler is exhausting and you probably need the reserves right now. It's OK. Do you have a partner? Can s/he take the kids for an hour? I'm not saying use the time for exercise. I'm saying take a breather and stare at the wall if you need to, fart around on thr web, read a book or whatever. It's OK. |
Right now I need some sleep more than to do a dvd I guess
Anonymous
| Don't be so hard on yourself, OP. Your body is working overtime to make milk and take care of an infant and toddler. 8 weeks? You've got to be kidding. If you can get the kids in the stroller and out for a walk, consider that your workout for now. And yes, you totally need sleep more than exercise right now. Give the formal exercise a rest until about 16 weeks, when your baby is hopefully sleeping a little better. Hugs! |
Anonymous
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9 months on. 9 months off. At least.
I didn't lose the last 10 until I weaned (at a year) and went on Zoloft! |
Anonymous
| OP, is it an option to her mom's helper, it's summer vacation and in my neighborhood list serve i'm getting a lot of emails from families who have kids / nieces / nephews that would be happy to be mom's helper. It's amazing what an extra pair of hands could do, even for 4 hours per day, 2 days a week: you may even manage to get out of the house. |
Anonymous
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Dear 21:11,
Why is it that we all need Zoloft? I feel like I need it too (to finish with the weight loss 13 mos later, and for my general underlying grouchiness). Have been on and off antidepressants my entire adult life, but trying to stay off whenever possible. Is there something wrong with us or is it our expectations for ourselves, which are almost never met? (Darn, maybe I need to get back into therapy....) And yes, this is relevant to OP, who seems to have unrealistic expectations of what she should be achieving 8 weeks post partum! Why can't we cut ourselves some slack? Can you imagine what a MAN would be like 8 weeks post-partum? The mental image is laughable. |
Anonymous
| Be kind to yourself. Give yourself at least another one to two months to transition to this new crazy. Then get a goal and sign up for a race. That always motivates me. |
Anonymous
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This is OP. I would love a mother's helper, where do I find one? I cannot afford a nanny, but could absolutely do a morning nursery school or mother's helper for my 2 year old. Again, it takes time to find one and all of the schools I have found either do not offer part time slots or are outrageously expensive. I am in Darnestown near Rio, Muddy Branch, Rt 28, Great Seneca, Kentlands. If you have any preschool/nursery school suggestions please pass them on. Mother's helper ideas wanted too.
I suppose I just will come out and say it - I feel fat and gross. I have never been skinny, but I am short so the weight I am carrying is that much worse. I am 5'3 on a good day. My body is mushy. I have cellulite on my arms which I have never had before. I do not want to feel this out of shape and I am wanting to get into shape for ME. AND ONLY ME. I want to feel like I can run with my toddler, like I am not out of breath if I go outside with the baby in a sling and the stroller. I want to climb stairs with laundry and not want to pass out. I do not want to still be wearing maternity clothes 9 weeks later. Am I really asking too much? I am asking seriously? Is it just too soon for my body? I feel SO good, so motivated, but what my mind wants my body just does not want at all. I got out yesterday with the baby in a sling, holding my toddlers hand and it was hell. I wanted to go back home because I was so tired. I just feel bad all around that I have no time or energy to follow through on my motivation. I am going to try to keep walking with the kids and will reevaluate in 4 weeks to see how I feel. I appreciate that I may be pushing myself when I am not ready. I eat well, stay away from junk. I guess I have let myself down with the image of fat just melting off as I breastfeed. That is not happening. I also want to be desirable for my husband. I do not want to be the wife who never lost the weight after she had kids, that is not me. I am not happy being unable to be active. I love riding bikes, I love hiking, I enjoy chasing the kids. I just physically cannot do these things right now, I would keel over. |
Anonymous
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OP, i'm the pp who suggested mother's helper, but sorry, i'm in DC and it's a bit far from Darnestown, but if there are any listserv's, local supermarkets that have advertisement boards, or any neighbors that you know with highschool / college age kids, you could check with them - even if they themselves don't want to do it, they may know of friends who do.
On your question if you're asking too much of yourself, I would say: yes, you are. 9 weeks with two kids, allow yourself a year for your body to start coming back. It is not like if it doesn't happen in first 3 months, then you are doomed to be fat and flabby forever. In my case, I didn't gain much weight, but when I stopped nursing and went on the pill, my weight just shot up without control - i exerxised and dieted but my weight kept going up. It's now a year since i gave birth, I have changed the pill to a different brand, nad i'm able to exercise 3 times a week and it's amazing what a difference that makes. It will happen, but do not rush yourself. Be kind to yourself and to your body. You will get there, but give it time. |
Anonymous
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OP - Do NOT underestimate the amount of exercise you are getting keeping up with the two of them (I know, it's not great for weight loss, but you are probably building lots of muscle). I didn't start lifting weights again until after my son was 7 or 8 months old. I was shocked to realize that my arms were as strong if not stronger than they were before. Lugging a baby around is a workout!
The only thing I did prior to 7 months was walk and/or some simple streches and toning. Everytime I tried to do more, my body just screamed at me. I don't think I got enough sleep to recover from a good workout. But I did find fitting a few minutes in to be helpful (a few ab crunches, a few wall squats, etc). Just a little to keep your body thinking about exercise. Actually, stretching is probably the most important (otherwise I was sore just from taking care of my kid). |
Anonymous
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OP - it is okay. At 8 weeks post-partum, most of us felt like total crap. Exhausted, flabby, unmotivated. But it does get better. I have 2 boys almost exactly 2 years apart and it is only now (with the little one 18 months) that I really just got back into a serious exercise/diet routine. It tried WW while still breastfeeding and didn't really like it, but it works for some. Once I stopped breastfeeding, I finally decided to crack down on my eating/exercise and went back on WW and now run most mornings.
BUT - that is 18 months post-partum. You are only 8 weeks. Give yourself time. You will feel like yourself again soon, but at least wait until the baby is 4 months old or so and sleeping more regularly, etc. - don't try to do too much. Go on long walks, but don't feel bad about not exercising more than that!! |
emmadc
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| As a mom to a 2.5 year old, I know what you are feeling. I have been carrying around the extra "baby weight" for a while and finally just had to make a decision to do something. I tried walking if I had time, but that didn't work so well when my little guy could climb out of the stroller. I tried dieting and that worked for a little while, but I often got bored and just stopped. I read an article in the Washington Post about a new kind of fitness studio called Transform Fitness. I have to say that after meeting with the Director and taking a whole life and body assessment, I was hooked. It's not your traditional gym which I love. There are no machines and skinny women running around in spandex in full makeup! Instead, Anne Johns, customizes a workout specifically for your body type, fitness level, and lifestyle. I love her approach to each individual and not just a face. After a couple of weeks, I am already noticing a difference in my body shape and overall energy level! You can bring your baby with you I think and she offers kids classes too! Check her and her staff out - they are wonderful. www.transformfit.com. They are located in Rockville, right off of intersection of Montrose and 355. You can also email me offline if you want more info: marijkes at gmail Good luck! |