Moms rock!!

M

meow

Cathlete
I am amazed when I found how many moms on Cathe forums! YOu rock!

I remembered that my mom always tells me that she never had time to do anything when my brother and I were born, and the only reason she stayed slim was because we kept her busy. So believing there will be no time to workout after I have kids, it is a nightmare for me to have them. Plus that many many, and I mean MANY, moms I know tell (or scare) me it is extremely hard to lose baby weight, and even if I do, my skin will look saggy. It also takes years to lose all the baby weight. Only celebrity moms are able to lose weight fast and still look great. Therefore, kids are my nightmare.

But after joining Cathe forums for a few weeks and getting to know you all, I found making time for yourself, working out, losing weight and feeling great even after having children isn't impossible!!

Big applause to all the fitness moms!! :7
 
Wow Meow! You are so sweet! I am posting to tell you that you don't have to be a celebrity mom to lose your baby weight. I was 168 lb (size 10) pre-pregnancy. The day I gave birth I weighed 204. After 10 months of working out really hard and eating right I was 140 lb and a size 4. I am a military wife/mommy-- a far cry from a celebrity! What I believe is that it takes sheer will, motivation and consistency to get where you want to be. I was determined to be in the best shape of my life post-pregnancy. I have never been a size 4 (well maybe in 3rd grade!) Hopefully other moms on here will tell you the same. As far as finding the time. I workout during naptime. In my mind working out is just another part of my day that I cannot go without, like eating and sleeping. It's just the way it is.

As far as the stretched out skin. Well, unfortunately, I do have a bit of that. My c-section wasn't pretty either. However, it really isn't so bad. A little loose skin is way better than a lot of fat in that area! Thank you again for acknowledging us moms! If and when you decide to be one, you will get yourself back to where you were really quickly. Good luck!
 
Meow, you are very sweet.

Never let anyone tell you that they do not have time to work out or eat right,etc...where there is a will there is a way.

:)
 
You are so sweet! :) This is the only place I can go to be around people who are interested in fitness, too. I was able to lose weight without this forum, but now I have the support of others and feel like I am in a network of people who really do care about what we are accomplishing together. I hate to say it, but those many, many, many moms probably didn't stay healthy during pregnancy or even try to lose weight. At least not the right way, so don't listen to them. I was a lard butt my first pregnancy and didn't eat anything healthy my first pregnancy and had 50 pounds to lose AFTER DD was born. I did it. :)

I have found that if I take a little time for myself, I am much happier person, and my children get the best care possible when I am healthy and happy. :D It is a commitment for sure(before long, I will be getting up 2 hours before the sun even peeks over the horizon to work out!), but it is one that is well worth it because everyone benefits. My kids have a mom who can keep up with them because she has energy, I feel good about myself, and my husband gets a hot babe :+ for a wife. Everyone is happy!

Missy
 
What a nice post!
I totally agree Missy. When I'm happy, everyone around me is happy.
And when I'm taking care of myself and feel good, everyone does get the best from me. Even if DH doesn't like me becoming a hot babe!LOL:7

My younger son is going to be 6 in Sept. and I am just starting to lose weight from 2 pregnancies. And since coming in this forum I have found that NOTHING is impossible. I heard on FitTv one day, "If the mind can imagine it, the body can achieve it" and that is the truth. With some hard work, and motivation (which you can get by the truck load in here),:7 we can reach our goals!
Kali

www.PictureTrail.com/kkali
 
Missy said it all. When mommy is happy.... Mommy just isn't happy without her workouts! :) I am in better shape than I was before having my oldest kids. Number three took a little work but that's what I got for gaining 38 pounds! You'd never know that to look at me now. :)
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
 
Curious...do your husband's help to make this time available? If that's the case, then both the Mom's and Dad's rock big time! I ask because when my daughter was young, I worked full time and then came home and worked full time because my ex-husband added more work than help. I never even attempted a regular work out schedule. I just did what I could when I could.
 
Hi Meow,

Boy, you struck a nerve in me! First, THANKS so much for the sweet words, the moms here really do ROCK. You know Cathe has 2 boys, right. She filmed the Intensity Series 6 months after delivering her son!

Anyway, onto my struck nerve...YES, it is very hard to lose the baby weight when you sit on your arse all day! Saying that the kids don't allow time for workouts is the biggest excuse I have ever heard! Not to mention, the most, it has to be the most common excuse!!

I think we OWE it to our kids to workout. They need to learn that exercise is not a chore and every day activity is critical. Our job is to teach these kids how to function as adults in a constructive manner and that includes teaching them how to take care of themselves and how to work it into everyday life.

The other reason we owe it to our kids to workout is because they NEED us! What good am I if my cholesteral level is causing heart attacks, I'm having strokes, diabetes, I'm tired all the time, I'm looking in the mirrior and criticizing myself...that's not good for my kids and they deserve the best!
 
WOW! Great thread and THANKS for coming right out and saying MOMS ROCK! It is very true. Everything that each of you have said really struck a nerve with me too! I could go on and on!

I have always been active, and really enjoy working out, but when (late) DH was diagnosed with leukemia back in 2003 I saw FIRST HAND what an unhealthy lifestyle can do to you (and your family). He has since passed away, and everyday that I don't feel like getting out of bed, I repeat a quote I read somewhere on this (or another) forum..."when I think I don't WANT to move, I think of those that CAN'T".

I want to be healthy for me AND my kids. And THEIR kids, and THEIR KIDS!

Gayle
 
What a sweet post. I have to say that I am in better shape now than I ever was before I had a baby. And if anything, having a baby (at least for me) made it a lot easier for me to get in a routine of getting up at 4:45 in the morning to workout, since when she was a newborn I was pretty much up at that time every morning anyway. So basically having a baby made working out easier for me.

Katie
 
This IS a great topic. I find it awful that women would scare you about the weight loss when you're considering having a baby. The way I look at the weight issue is, if you are a bit active and watch what you eat during your pregnancy, loosing the "pregnancy pounds" should not be extremely difficult. It just takes a little time.

If me, my husband travels quite a bit for his company. So, I don't get help at home. He does do "his share" when he's around though.
What I've found that works for me is getting up very early in the morning and workout then.

I lost all the added weight within a couple of months of my first pregnancy. I'm now pregnant again.

Here is a photo taken almost six months after my son was born. (Sorry it's a little small).
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/susancm/familyonboat.jpg
 
I can certainly understand your fear of the weight gain, etc during pregnancy. I was very afraid also. Especially after working so hard to lose weight and keep it off in the years prior to becoming pregnant. If you pay attention to your eating DURING pregnancy to limit your weight gain to begin with, you will be much better off afterwards. Also, if you are exercising, please do not stop during pregnancy unless you are advised to by your doctor! Ofcourse, consult your dr as to what your limits should be but please continue with the physical activity as that will also help you a great deal!:)
 
What a sweet thing to say :) Moms do rock! They are superwomen with their time!

In terms of babyweight, I agree w/ fitmom that if you are pretty healthy and exercise throughout your pregnancy it will not be hard at all to lose the weight. I had a c-sect and my weight all came off in the first 6 weeks after my son was born. He is now 16 months and I am in the best shape of my life! Fitting in time for exercise with young children can be tricky, but it is doable. I do my working out now while he naps in the morning but it will change as he gets older. It's all about being flexible & realizing you can do it :)


"you miss 100% of the shots you never take"

Debbie
 
Another Mom here that lost the baby weight. For me, my kids helped me stay active aside from my regular work outs. For instance, taking them for walks, taking them to the park and playing on the equipment with them, taking them swimming at the public pool-in Waukesha :)

I kept my girls very active which kept me active.

Nice thread.

Joanne
 
Cathe, as you probably already know, is a mom herself. She has two boys, and look at her.

Skin has a certain amount of elasticity, so it will spring back. How well it does that depends on genetics. Most of my tummy went back to almost-original shape except for the area under my belly button, which is easily hidden by clothes.

It doesn't take years to lose the baby weight. I lost mine in 4-5 months, and I know people who lost it sooner. It can be hard but not "extremely" hard, that's an exaggeration.

Remember that celebrity moms have personal trainers and chefs as well as nannies who can take care of their babies so they can make time for the gym. They also have designers and stylists who can disguise their flaws. What you see isn't always what IS.

I had no time to work out after the baby so I made time. I trained my son very early on to play independently while I worked out. It was very tough going for a while, but I did it. Yesterday at Costco, as I put two 36-packs of bottled water into the cart, my son told me he wants to exercise like I do when he grows up so he can be strong like me. That made all the tears (his and mine) during those years of training him to allow me time to work out all worthwhile.

Don't let horror stories from other moms scare you into not having kids if you want them. Kids can be major headaches, as mine is, but I wouldn't call them nightmares. I believe nobody will ever love you as fiercely and as unconditionally as a child can.

Pinky:)
 
On the subject, I just wanted to add to all the new moms or women about to become moms...start back to exercising as soon as you are allowed to by your doctor. For me, that was 3 weeks because both pregnancies and deliveries were text book perfect.

The reason I say get back into it asap, it makes it part of BABIES routine, too! Make it habit for you and for the kids. Mine don't know of a day when mommy didn't work out. At first, it took longer to get through the workouts because I had to stop to nurse, change diapers and basic appeasing. My attitude was "If it is the only thing I accomplish today, it will be my workout". After 5 months, I was in better shape than I had EVER been...back down to college weight, just much better shape!
 
What a cool thread! Moms DO rock!

I agree with everything that has been said here. I do believe I am in better shape than before I had my son despite the stretch marks and loose skin. (Which IS from both genetics and gaining so much weight in a short period of time.) It wasn't until after I had my son and had gained so much weight that I took an interest in exercising.

Anyway, I wouldn't give up the stretch marks and extra skin if it meant not having my son around. The joy he has brought me far outweighs the changes in my body. ;-)
 
What a wonderful topic and a great group of women!
I agree with what all of you have said about staying fit during and after your pregnancy.

I've had two toddlers (ages 4 and 2). After my first pregnancy, I hardly did any exercise and as a result, felt awful. After the second pregnancy I made a committment that I would dedicate myself to consistent exercise and better eating habits. As a result, I not only lost all of my pregnancy pounds (I gained 75 with the first baby and about 50 with the second), but find myself in THE BEST shape of my life at the age of 31! I'm very proud of that, and also agree with the others that working out and staying active makes me a better mom because I have the strength and energy to keep up with two active kids.

Also, like another mom said, it's helpful to get your kids used to seeing you work out, as it provides a wonderful role model of physical activity. My kids know I work out, and my 4 year old who is starting to grow out of his naps, is wonderful about doing other activities while I work out. I also have a very supportive husband too, which has been wonderful.

We plan on trying for baby #3 this Fall, and I find myself very excited to go through my next pregnancy with a very health and fitness minded approach. As I'm new to Cathe, I plan on purchasing her beg/int level workouts to do during my next pregnancy and alternate those with some prenatal dvds (fitmama and a couple others I've found), and my elliptical.I must say I'm very inspired by all of you ladies. So glad I found this forum:) :)
 
I gained 60 lbs when I was pregnant with my daughter and I was a bit overweight to begin with. At 9 months pregnant, I weight 208 lbs.

I lost all my pregnancy weight plus another 20 lbs. And I'm in better shape than I ever have been in my life. As far as I'm concerned, there are no excuses. You can always find time to work out and look after yourself, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO. You just have to commit to making exercise and healthy eating an integral part of your life, no excuses:)
 
Hi Meow

Another mom here who lost the baby weight and then some, thanks to our favorite task master, Cathe}( }( .

I've posted on this before, but with my 4th child, I had a difficult pregnancy and gained 80 lbs (at 5'4"-scary). I topped the scale at 215. At 2 weeks post partum, I weighed 186. I had never been obese before and was completely out of shape and demoralized. I felt that being fat was now a part of my life and for a while I accepted it, because for the first year of baby #4's life he had so many medical problems.

When he was about 15 months old, I was down to 155, but tired of being overweight and tired,and having discovered Cathe I began to exercise again. I had to modify everything, but I kept at it. I soon discovered that I was pregnant with baby #5. Instead of being discouraged, I kept at my exercise program through the entire pregnancy, actually making fitness gains. At 2 weeks post partum, I weighed 175, which seemed like so much to lose. I was a size 18.

But I started exercising (lightly) at 2 weeks post partum, and 18 months later had lost 43 lbs (down to 132) and was a loose size 6. I was so happy to be in normal sizes again. And I had so much energy! I hardly had to modify anything.

Now hubby and I are expecting our 6th child and I am working out almost as hard as I did before I was pregnant (although at 18 weeks, some modifications are coming into play). I am eating the healthiest I ever had during a pregnancy and although I gained too much in the first trimester, it has leveled off. My goal is to gain 40 lbs or less, which would leave me with less than 20 lbs to lose, which for me is not much.

I do have more loose skin around my belly, but no one sees that except my husband and he likes the softness of it:p. My breasts are also more droopy :-( , but other than that, child bearing in itself has not changed my body much. I think that gaining such large amounts of pregnancy weight did more "damage" than the pregnancies themselves.

On another note--Daddies who help moms find the time to exercise do rock! I have one of those. Also, I homeschool and the big kids help watch the toddlers while I work out. I also work out at the expense of housework and occasionally even making dinner:eek: ! But 6 days a week, its going to get done or I'll lose my sanity.

Sorry this is so lengthy. Started typing and could not stop.

Maggie:)
 
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