Please help me lose weight

Ema of 5

Wed, Jan 18 2023, 10:09 pm

I’m going to put myself out there, and post this under my own screen name. BH my baby is now 2+ months old. He is baby number 5, pregnancy number 8 or 9. I have been married over 15 years.
(All of this is background info, just to help.)

I would like to lose 15lbs. and hopefully keep it off. I eat healthy, most of the time. I don’t have an exercise regimen. The problem is that I get super duper famished when I’m nursing. I try not to overeat, obviously, but sometimes no matter what I eat or how much I eat, I feel like I haven’t eaten anything.

I’d live to work with someone to come up woth a meal plan- breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks….maybe add in some exercising too, but only something I can do from home.

amother

Mulberry

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 11:21 am

If you eat healthy most of the time as you say, Exercise would definitely be a great start.
are you able to have a set time and maybe brisk walking partner on a daily basis? Brisk walking is easiest to commit with a baby, I find, since the baby can come along in the stroller.
Besides for that, buying and preparing healthy snack options, like sliced veggie sticks in containers in the fridge, healthy yogurts, dried fruit and nuts etc. is important while nursing since you cant help snacking, you shouldn't need to be hungry to lose weight.

Ema of 5

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 12:07 pm

amother Mulberry wrote:

That’s what I really need, someone to help me with food options. I need options so that I can make a menu, and stick to it. Meal prep is good, but I get tired of the same things….
What are some healthy yogurt options? Where can I get healthy dried fruits? Most of what you buy in the grocery store is loaded with sugar….

amother

Mulberry

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 12:48 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

you can find good dried fruits by wholefoods or really any grocery if you just check out the variety and read the labels, most grocerys also carry the no added sugar varieties.
Mehadrin fit and free Greek yogurt is a good option of healthy yogurt.
you can also find there Fit and free ice cream pops for a treat.
boiled eggs stay fresh in the fridge for a week. you can cook a few and just peel one, sprinkle some salt, and there you have a healthy between meal filler.
a handful of lettuce topped with sliced olives or pickles from the jar with some of the pickle/olive juice as a dressing is a great quick salad. If you throw on some shredded fetta cheese thats even better.
whole grain rice cake and peanut butter. its not the best for dieting but better then other snacks.
grapes in the freezer for a long lasting snack.

mommyla

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:02 pm

I lost 50 pounds while nursing on WW. It's great because you get more points than you would if you weren't nursing.
You get a point allowance and every food is assigned a point value, so nothing is truly off-limits but if you "spend" your points on a treat you'll have fewer points left for the rest of the day (which is okay, because there are many zero-point foods as well).
It takes a few days to get into it but then it's easy, especially if you have the app (you can even use it to scan the barcode on foods and many of them are already in the database!).

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:03 pm

Hi!

I am nursing my 2 year old and always starving.

I make a huge pot of soup and eat it twice a day.

I plan my daily menu in advance to keep track of the calories.

I eat wholesome, don't waste calories on cake and fried foods.

I snack on rice cakes and bit of peanut butter.

I eat loads of fruit and veg between meals and it seems to do the trick.

Don't get me wrong, I am still hungry some of the time but I don't think I need more calories.

I just accept that that's what it's like to nurse a baby.

amother

Daffodil

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:04 pm

Going to be honest, you might not be able to lose much while nursing. Many women can't. Definitely try to fill up on protein and good fats, it does help with the hunger. But still, if you need to eat a lot, you need to eat a lot. I would focus on not gaining for now, you'll lose in a few months when baby is on solids and nursing less.

Ema of 5

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:16 pm

amother Aubergine wrote:

What kind of soups do you make? I love soup, that could totally work.
I really need help with planning a menu. If I have a menu I will just stick to that, but when I have to decide what to eat….

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:29 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

What kind of soups do you make? I love soup, that could totally work.
I really need help with planning a menu. If I have a menu I will just stick to that, but when I have to decide what to eat….

Chicken soup, watery butternut squash soup or zucchini soup, tomatoe soup, lentil soup is great for milk supply.

I eat:

Yogurt and granola
apple, clementine or pear.
bread and tuna/eggs/cheese slices/cream cheese/hummus and salad.
Banana
soup
chicken, rice, veg. or turkey, sweet potato.

Also snacks such as crackers or rice cake.

amother

Celeste

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:47 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

What kind of soups do you make? I love soup, that could totally work.
I really need help with planning a menu. If I have a menu I will just stick to that, but when I have to decide what to eat….

My menu for weight loss:

For breakfast I usually just have a protein shake. I'm not a big morning eater

Lunch: salad with protein or wrap with protein - use leftover chicken or tuna and put lettuce tomatoes etc

Dinner - I do a lot of stir fries with veggies. So chicken cutlet/pepper steak/ground beef cut up in small pieces with broccoli or string beans
I'll also bake chicken or salmon and make roasted potatoes and veggies.

Snack - I make a big plate of cut up cucumber, peppers, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, fruits, nuts, yogurt, low fat/skim string cheese, popcorn

Try not to eat after dinner if possible

DRINK TONS AND TONS of water. This will help you feel fuller and eat less

amother

Cognac

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 1:54 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

Can you give an idea of what you eat on an average day?

Ema of 5

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 6:16 pm

amother Cognac wrote:

Can you give an idea of what you eat on an average day?

Today I had:

- A cinnamon bun for breakfast (I was on the run most of the morning, and didn’t get home until about 11:00. That wasn’t the plan though)
- Salad for lunch, and I put in an egg and avocado. The dressing was olive oil, salt, and garlic.
I’ve been out of the house most of the afternoon as well, and didn’t have any snacks. Last night I have homemade schnitzel for dinner- two small/medium dark cutlets. I also had a bowl of clear chicken soup at around 10:00 last night.

amother

Cognac

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 7:12 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

That's not a lot of food honestly.
Obviously, it wasn't the ideal breakfast, especially, the fact that it was eaten when you were famished I'm assuming....
When I was nursing, I started my day with a plate of quick oats. Or a Greek yogurt mixed with peanut butter and banana slices.
Do yourself a favor and eat within an hour or two of waking. Dont wait till you're so hungry that you want to eat whatever is in sight.
Make sure to eat often. And get into the habit of drinking 2 cups of water before any meal or snack.
Green apples, almonds, string cheese, baby carrots are all good snacks.
If you have a sweet tooth, bake some low carb sweets using xylitol.
Salad with protein for lunch, which you're already eating.
Soup is a great filler as another poster mentioned. Cabbage soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup, split peas soup etc.
Try baked salmon or grilled cutlets instead of schnitzel. With roasted veggies to it.

I know this is hard with a newborn, but sleep is a huge contributing factor in weight loss. Try to go to sleep early. Or nap whenever you can with your baby.

And exercise. Consistency is key. Even 7 minutes a day is ok if you are doing it every day. There are loads of 7-10 min workouts on YouTube you can try. Find one you enjoy.

Hatzlacha!

Ema of 5

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 8:06 pm

amother Cognac wrote:

Yea, today wasn’t a great day because I was out of the house way more than expected, and therefore didn’t plan for it.
I am willing to pay someone to sit with me and make a menu for a month, if that’s what it takes.
I’m also going to make a list of all the suggestions posted here and try to make a menu that way.

amother

Taupe

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 8:43 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

My baby is seven weeks, I am also so hungry while nursing!
I found this lunch so filling (I order it at a bagel store but you can do the same at home)

omelette (three eggs)
Whole wheat bagel (scooped and toasted)
hash browns (I don't eat the whole portion)

I find this keeps me full for hours...
I tried a pita and omelette with a salad and it just didn't keep me full enough...

If you have a big lunch that really fills you, you can have a smaller supper and light breakfast...that's what I'm trying to do so far...

amother

Taupe

Thu, Jan 19 2023, 8:45 pm

amother Violet wrote:

I have 5 kids and also married 15 years.
I do weight watchers and I lose the weight quickly every time.
You must track every bite . If you cheat then you’re not going to lose.

I tried weight watchers and gained Sad

I think because I ate too many "free" food, but then how is it a plan if "free" food isn't free?
and if you're nursing, they give you an insane amount of points, so I can't imagine losing on that..