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Author: katy
Date: 07-30-02 12:59
I am 36 years old and the mother of 2 beautiful daughters. After my second daughter was born I lost all of the baby weight right away (don't be too impressed, it was only 18 pounds). at my 6 week checkup I was 170 pounds. It is now 2-1/2 years later. I went through some pretty serious post-partum depression which left me lethargic and unwilling to excercise (which I usually did on a regular basis). I got treatment for the depression and felt better emotionally, but the medication left me lethargic and unwilling to excersise. So here I am, 2-1/2 years later, off of my medication, feeling great emotionally, but 205 pounds!!! What have I done! I made a decision the other day to get back on the horse. I joined the ymca, started excercising, and threw out all of the junk food in my house! Maybe, just maybe I can someday soon, look in the mirror and say hey, there you are, where have you been!! good to see you again :-) I know I'm not alone. Anyone out there with any great ideas to keep me motivated!
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Author: Michelle
Date: 07-30-02 14:42
I do not think you have done anything else other than cope as best as you can with what life has thrown at you. Depression is a very serious illness, and at the time you had it, it certainly had to be the priority. I'm sorry that you gained all that weight during that time, but if you did not combat your depression with all that can be possibly done (medication side-effects included), you would be stuck with not only weight gain (anti-depressants sometimes make it worse, but depression usually is pretty good at doing it on its own), but with goodness-only-knows other problems with your health and other aspects in your life.
In other words, we all need time to heal when we get struck by illness. It's wonderful to see that you've obvoiusly past the worst of it. The trick is not to look back and think of what could have been, but to move forward instead - just like what you are doing!
Michelle
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Author: Dee
Date: 07-30-02 16:20
Hi Katy,
I'm 46, and the mother of 6 year old triplets. I'm sorry you suffered through postpartum depression, and through the side effects of the medication you took, but it's great that you're feeling great now! Congratulations on making your recent life-style changes...way to go!!! As melanie said, you need to forget the past -- since you can't change it -- and go onward and outward towards fitness and fun! As for motivation, I too have had to devise methods that work to keep me eating healthy and working out each day. I was 150 lbs when I first started to seriously try to lose weight, and I got down to 135 lbs, then ate my way through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year, and a spring vacation, and ended up at 145 lbs...the result of eating too much, and not exercising enough! I am determined not to be on a diet roller coaster for the rest of my life, so I have redone what I consider to be a good healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, added 3 healthy snacks (mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and about 9 PM-ish) so that I don't get too hungry. Hunger is what causes me to dip into the junk snacks, so I forestall that with healthy snacks in between meals, and end up eating about every 3 hours all day long, with either a meal or a snack. The healthy snacks keep me from overeating at main mealtimes, so they are a very GOOD thing! Sometimes when we pass an icecream store, or a bakery, I find myself looking and longing, but I say to myself -- like a mantra -- "nothing tastes as good as having good health", and go on my way!!! To keep me from feeling deprived, I allow myself a few extra calories on weekends, so, although this makes me sound hard up, I might split a cream eclair with one of my kids, or have a child size cup of frozen yogurt while we are out for a walk, or have pancakes and sausage for breakfast with my kids, instead of the bowl of oatmeal and blueberries that i fix for myself every day. As for motivation to exercise, I workout every day Monday through Friday, and I've found that to keep up with it, I have to exercise early in the day (before other things get in the way.) In addition, I have to exercise long enough at one time that I get that "feel good" feeling that comes from being sweaty and energised!! For me, sweat works, since I feel that I have achieved something if I am a sweaty mess!! Another thing that motivates me is to make lists of SHORT TERM goals (so that I can reach them quickly, as I love to check things off as "done"), make lists of long term goals (and tape them to the fridge), and keep a daily journal where I jot done my thoughts about how my day went. Sometimes my journal entries are short and not much more than "jogged as usual, did a Kathy Smith tape for fun, and had half a toasted waffle with apple sauce on", and at other times, I write what amounts to a conversation with myself. Finally, a strong motivation tool for me is "mental imagery"...I imagine myself swimming (learning to swim is my goal for August and September), and imagine how good the water feels, and I imagine myself in a light summer dress with a swingy, twirly skirt, walking in Santa Monica (where everyone is young, slim, and in a bikini)!!! I also imagine myself winning a long distance race (when I'm jogging"), imagine myself saving someone from under a heavy weight (when I'm weight training), and so on!! I also think a lot about doing things with my kids -- swimming, bike riding, hiking -- when I'm at an age when my friends all have grown up adult children. I sound like a nutcase, I suppose, but I have to think about something while I'm exercising, and imagining a stronger, healthier, slimmer version of myself is a powerful motivater for me!! Best of luck with your new lifestyle, and best wishes from my family to yours! Cheers, Dee
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Author: Willa
Date: 07-30-02 18:15
sounds like your on your way to a better life...congrats, me im trying as well...unfortunately i allowed myself to balloon to over 415 pounds (thats where i stopped weighing) and its been very hard, but im down to 351 now... and im trying to keep on going. This site has been pretty interesting, i just found it today and ive read almost everything on it.... im definately going to start exercising even it its just parking further out... i exercise some, but i need to do it more regularly.
I noticed alot on walking and weight training, but nothing on swimming or water areobics... what do you think about those? me im so heavy more than a slow walk is painful....but i keep trying.
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