Hellobee Boards

I did it through Weight Watchers which is no gimmicks. It is just healthy eating, portion control, and exercise. But it was also my environment. My roommate and I both worked out constantly, prepared healthy meals, and had plenty of time and money to do both of those things. And I was 20. I think all of those things played a part, but there was no diet pills or short cuts involved. It took over a year of consistent effort to lose 50 lbs.

I'm only 9 weeks postpartum and BFing, so I haven't gotten serious about losing weight yet, but about 4 years ago I dropped 30lbs in 3 months. It really wasn't hard after the first week and I allowed myself little cheats (like dark chocolate) after the first few weeks so that I was still happy.

Basically, I just dropped all carbs and sugar. It's only hard for a week or so, and then you really stop craving for it. I ate all protein at breakfast ( or added some veggies to an omelet), a protein and veggie at lunch with a serving of fruit as a snack, and then another protein and veggie at dinner. I'd usually have fruit for dessert, as well, and maybe a sugar free jello. Sometimes i would also snack in almonds. After I got to my happy weight, I slowly added back in healthy carbs like whole wheats and grains. And I allowed myself to eat the things I liked in moderation, as long as the weight wasn't coming back. If it started sneaking back on, I'd just do a couple of weeks of dropping carbs again.

One of the tricks I had for keeping it off was to have a number of lbs gained back that would be the magic number for me tightening back up. I chose 6 lbs, which I knew I could drop in 3 weeks. I kept the weight off until I got off BC to get pregnant, and the hormone changed caused me to gain 15 lbs in a matter of weeks. But as soon as I'm feeling up to it, I'm going to start back up soon.

Also, I worked out at least 3 days a weeks, but really, my weight loss is like 90% diet and 10% exercise, so it doesn't do much for weight loss for me. I just enjoy working out and toning up.

Set a daily calorie goal, and then track everything you eat. Download a free app like Fitness Pal to make life easier. Being accountable for all my calories is the only thing that ever works for me.

I know breastfeeding has helped a ton, but yes I was able to do it with watching my diet and exercise. I went in to the hospital about 248 and came home (about 2 weeks PP) about 220. I am down now to about 192 and my goal is 182. I am really having to kick the diet in high gear right now to loose this last 10 lbs.

I'm in the same boat. Last week I went to the store to try on a shirt, and it was the first time I saw myself in a full length mirror in so long. I freaked out. My body up top and on the bottom look normal, but my stomach and waist do not resemble my former body.

I don't have any great advice because I just assumed that the extra weight I was carrying would melt away after I stopped pumping (it didn't). I'm trying to eat better, but I'm finally able to enjoy foods with no restrictions... so it's really difficult. Exercise... do I even have time for that? I tried to make time for it last week but then gave up. Oye.

I'm sure it'll be different for me post-partum (hormones, recovery, etc) but after my wedding last July I dropped 20 lbs. I had gained it all over the course of a year stress eating in prep for the wedding.

I only drank skim milk (always have drank skim anyway), water, and once in awhile orange juice. Only whole wheat grains (pasta, bread, even pancakes), and ate when I was hungry instead of 3 main meals. I had cereal and milk for breakfast (typically cheerios), and carried snack foods with me throughout the day. My problem before was falling back on frozen pizza for dinner or fast food if I got the least bit hungry during the day.

That last part was a serious work in restraint on my part - I *wanted* certain things so bad, but did my best to avoid them. That said, I didn't totally deny myself, because that led to binging - if I was craving, say, frozen pizza..I got one, but only had 3 pieces instead of the entire thing. I paired it with something else.

In my case, it was much more mental than it was a specific diet - I had to train myself to want healthier options!

i know weight watchers has worked for everyone i know that's tried it.

for me, diet is way more important than exercise. i used to work out really hard, and with a trainer, but i didn't lose a single pound until i completely changed my diet. lots of chicken, fish, and veggies!

I was able to do it in the past, but I always fall off the bandwagon, haha.

I've lost 15+ pounds by following Weight Watchers and working out (doing Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30) and I've also lost 15+ by just counting calories (www.caloriecount.com) and working out (doing work-out DVDs). My problem is after 4-5 months, I fall off the band wagon and stop doing both and then I gain it all back. But I've lost 15+ twice with diet and exercise, so it's definitely doable!

Yes, but it was not after having a baby. My weight has fluctuated from a high of nearly 140 to about 115. Normally I can maintain in the low 120's comfortably, but if I'm slacking it will sneak back up. I spent many years in the mid-130's and it was an effort to get to where I was before I got pregnant. Even at 28 weeks, I'm not at my highest ever weight.
I find when I want to lose weight that watching what I eat makes a bigger difference than heavy exercise - to a certain extent. I try to eat healthy foods most of the time and if I'm going to indulge, I just have a small amount or do it just once in a while (ie either have a tiny piece of cake every day until it's gone or have a big piece and bring the rest of it to work so I'm not tempted to eat it all). Limiting snacking and not eating late at night make the biggest difference. Also, I find that being active in general - walking a lot, taking the stairs, not just sitting on the couch after work - makes a much bigger difference than going to the gym for an hour. Using a pedometer to make sure you walk 10,000 steps is a great way to ensure you are being active.
Good luck!

About 8 years ago I did. I sort of did the opposite of what put my weight on.
I cut out all sweets (which was tough because I worked at Starbucks....and speaking of SB, I went to just plain tea with milk or americanos or black coffee....was also tough because DH (boyfriend at the time) ate dessert every night). And at dinner time I plated myself a smaller portion than normal. And I tried to make sure I got protein at every meal (and again, no added sugar!)
For exercise, I started running 'most days'. I would walk for 5 minutes, run 10 minutes, then turn around and run home. Or if I had time i would go for a walk as long as I could....hours sometimes.
This was a lifestyle change that I stuck with for years to lose and then keep off the weight. Now my body is regulated and I can have some sweets sometimes, but I still try to watch it. And I go for a brisk 30 minute walk every day instead of running.

I'm 4w pp, and not looking forward to doing this again--BUT
way before I was pregnant, I lost 24 pounds with diet and exercise.
I got a personal trainer, once a week for 13 sessions. That only helped with the first 5 pounds, but also 5% body fat!

I second @LivsMama re tracking your food . . . *ABC* (all bites count) is HUGE to making your goal.

Clean, unprocessed foods with limited processed carbs combined with interval training (combined resistance and cardio training) helped me drop 10+ pounds (and maintain the loss) until I put some weight on while TTC (it was a conscious decision to improve my chances). You can *so* do this!

last year i lost over 20 pounds on weight watchers and exercise

I exercised a ton pre-baby (not so much now) and really focused on building muscle rather than solely doing cardio to 'burn fat.'

I also found that cutting out grains and limiting sugars did wonders.

Definitely. Lost about 25 lbs one summer in college, by limiting my portions and doing about an hour a day of cardio and some light weights. I will admit I was a little obsessive about it, but just because I finally reached my breaking point after spending my whole adolesence overweight.

More recently I was able to lose 10-15 lb and maintain my happy weight by focusing mostly on the kinds of food I ate. I exercised regularly, but more like 30 min cardio 4-5 days/wk. The big thing for me was cutting out dairy in all but tiny amounts. Doesn't work for everyone, but I have a mild allergy, so I think it reduced inflammation, etc. Also cutting back on processed foods, and eating a lot of produce is a biggie that others have mentioned. By doing that, I could still go out to eat, have celebratory desserts, etc, but because the bulk of my eating was clean, the splurges didn't set me back.

FWIW, I've never been long term successful with calorie counting type programs.

Good luck!

Yep, I did. I ate nothing but salad (literally), cut out all cards and drank nothing but water. After a while my body got used to eating this way and I actually enjoyed it!! I also worked out every single day, sometimes twice. I know it is a crazy lifestyle but it worked for me because I was living on campus at a college. I went from a size 4 to a size 0....not exactly a weight I could maintain once I graduated. It was nice while it lasted.

I did Zumba twice a week and cut out all white food (sugar, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc) and lost 15lbs over about 2 months.