[rachie]

I am discouraged... before I had my baby (9months old) I was very fit... 5'8 135 pounds, brown belt in aikijitsu, and a lifeguard... I ran almost every day...
I have been having a terrible time shedding my post pregnant pounds. I don't understand it. I am working out, I eat healthy, I have returned to martial arts. But I am 155 pounds and the scale isn't budging. I just started my running program 2 weeks ago and am up to running 25 minutes non stop 5 days a week, with martial arts training in between.
I stepped on the scale this morning and I actually GAINED a pound!
I never had this problem before. It is enough to make me give up. Why drag yourself out of bed every morning to run if it isn't going to make a difference?
Does pregnancy change the way your body loses weight?
I have considered starting to fast, because I am so desperate to just feel like ME again.
Anyone?

[N0help4u]

Fasting isn't the answer because you won't lose that much and then you will gain it right back.
Breastfeeding helps you burn calories. You will lose weight faster

Weight Loss After Pregnancy, Postpartum Weight Loss & Control

Some little things I have learned about why people can't lose weight

Eating and drinking junk food and fast food with lots of preservatives

Instead of table salt use sea salt, celtic salt or himalayan salt

Avoid artificial sweeteners and diet foods and diet soda. Your brain can't be fooled and still craves calories for energy. Artificial sweetners can stimulate your appetite and increase your carbs cravings also. Which translates into, you will evenutally eat more, thus ruining any healthy diet. --Lovelesspa https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/weight...t-55142-2.html

Drink plenty of water (not tap)

Don't drink anything 1/2 hr before eating to 1 hr after eating because it dilutes your digestive enzymes so your food sits on your stomach longer. (really hard to do)

Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and yogurt.
Fresh squeeze them for juice or even make smoothies
The juice in the juice aisle at the grocery stores are not all that good for you

Don't use the microwave it kills all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes necessary to aid in digestion within a matter of seconds. Microwave ovens destroy the nutritional value of your food

[asking]

You sound very motivated and I have no doubt you will shed this weight, but it will take some time. A crash diet is not a good idea. But you knew that. :)

The easiest time to shed pregnancy pounds is right after you give birth and while you are still nursing. I gather you are not nursing anymore. (But if you have another baby... )

You almost certainly gained a pound because you are gaining muscle, which is normal when you start exercising. That's good, because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more fuel (food) you'll burn. Don't worry about that pound; you probably have more muscle and less fat already.

Keep exercising, be patient, and pay attention to what you are eating. You might keep a journal for four days--being very honest--to find out what you are eating and drinking. You might be surprised because people often are eating more food or more sweets than they think.

Your diet should be a diet high in fiber, especially soluble fiber, as well as a medium level of fat (like 25% to 30% of calories). As much fruit as you want because the fiber will fill you up. Also nuts, vegetables, roots (beets, carrots, potatos), fish, lean meat, and eggs are all good.

Consider going on the "Paleolithic diet," in which you eat as little as possible of the following:
1. Dairy,
2. all Cereals and grains (rice, wheat, corn, barley, bread, and pasta) and
3. Added Oils and fat (butter, margerine, and cooking oils).

Don't drink juice or sodas; stick to water if you are thirsty. The fruit and vegetables are full of water, too.

Here are some good sources of soluble fiber.
Soluble Fiber Tipsheet
If you really feel like you can't give up cereal completely, have oatmeal for breakfast and otherwise avoid grain products.

Here's another good fiber site:
Dietary fiber: An essential part of a healthy diet - MayoClinic.com

If this is really far from what you normally eat, make small changes at first.

Good luck!

[lovelesspa]

It just takes awhile to lose body fat, don't get discouraged! Your exercising and it will work! Stop checking the scale at least for awhile. Make sure you have cut out all fast foods, fried foods and excess fats. Along with snacks that are sugary, like cakes and junk food or have excess sodium like chips. Also watchout for high fructose corn syrup it's hidden in a lot of foods, like soda, it's a sugar that is full of calories and won't allow you to lose weight as quickly. Really get familiar with the nutritional labels on the foods you eat, It give you the proper serving size (portion) for that food, stick to what one portion is! If the DV (daily values) of this food is over 20%, choose another food, especially if the 20% DV is in, fat, sodium or sugars. Try and eat at least 3 servings of lowfat/skim dairy each day, people who eat this amount of dairy tend to lose more weight and body fat. Calcium regulates energy metabolism, which increases fat breakdown and decrease body fat. Lowfat/skim dairy like cheese, yogurt and milk increase fat breakdown in fat cells. The more calcium you store in your fat cells the more calories your body will burn, the reason: calcium seems to increase the body's core temperature which causes it to burn more calories faster. Just remember smaller portions of healthy natural foods, like lean meats (3 oz. of skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, loin type meats and fish) You need veggies with each meals and fruit. Drinks lots of water and 100% fruit juices through the day. Cut out processed foods, like processed cheese, hot dogs, luch meats. And eat a good breakfast, whole grain cereals or oatmeal, with fruit and lowfat/skim milk, yogurt or fruit, this is the best way to get your metabolism working and keep your energy level up. Don't fast, it's too hard on your body, and you're a new mom, you need all the energy you can get! Remember, Portion control, healthy food choices and keep the exercising going, you are doing great, just give it some time!
It is possible to gain a little weight in the first few weeks when you start exercising because you gain muscle mass, (2-3 lbs), And when we first begin to lose weight at first we lose fluid, which can come back rather quickly. SO... don't be so hard on yourself.