As a SAHM having no car IS the weight loss plan. Put baby in pram and go walk an hour + a day. Any inclines you can include is a serious bonus. Good for you both. Buy a good raincoat and clear rain cover for pram. Concentrate on protein based foods.
I get what you're saying, but I can't walk in my area. It's not the best area and off main roads. I would not feel safe walking by myself and especially not with my baby.
Is there a parenting group you could join? Or a walking group? Bonus - people will love to have a baby come along and they’ll be so happy to see you, you’ll feel good about going.
I noticed that in your post. Then I saw that you didn’t feel comfortable walking in your neighbourhood alone. So the suggestion to find a parents and tots group or a walking group was intended to help you find a solution. You’d be outside active, but not alone.
I’m an outside wild kids up parent, grandparent, and teacher. Outside is so good for them, at all ages and stages, in many, many ways. I was just trying to help.
Oh gotcha, I didn't realize you meant try to have a group come to my area. I do appreciate your advice!
I'm on the spectrum and can struggle with social gatherings and reaching out to people. I'm not sure where I would even look to do that. I don't really know anyone anymore. I'm hoping at some point to get my car fixed. I totally agree with you about outside being good for them. I would love to take my little one out to parks and creeks.
Regarding the coffee, you don’t have to completely cut it out, but it might help to reduce the amount of milk in it. Also know that it will take a while—likely a year or more at a healthy pace—to that much weight. Make sure to stick to your calories. The treadmill will be great for activity, but activity is not required as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit.
First, weightloss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.
You say you don’t eat much but youre 100lbs overweight.
Im sorry but you definitely are overeating.
Not an issue; just begin tracking with an app like Myfitnesspal
You will find that the things you think aren’t that much are actually a lot!
Hope this helps and best of luck!
I was pregnant and had a c section surgery and then a gallblafder surgery 2 weeks after, it really messed me up. I think most of my problem calories are coming from my coffee.
Totally understandable! In that case, it will be important to be graceful with yourself. Having a baby is no easy feat! Take small coordinated steps and be consistent.
I believe you, a coffee can easily be 5-700 calories
Take the next 5 days, and just track everything you eat. Be mindful of what the serving sizes say.
Then next week try to eat 500 calories less a day.
I also love iced lattes (with vanilla syrup). It's just such a waste of calories though. I tried to make it work without giving them up, but even cutting back to one per day I couldn't do it. Now I drink coffee with a splash of whole milk and a few packets of Splenda. It's definitely not the same but it's good enough.
If your goal weight is around 130 then aim for 130g of protein per day. Carbs and fat don't matter as much. I find it easiest if I get the vast majority of my carbs from low or non fat dairy, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and potatoes/yams. I also occasionally have rice but potatoes and yams are more filling (and also more nutritious). I avoid bread and pasta since for the calories they are just not filling at all.
Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt is a game changer. It's high protein and pretty low in calories. For fat and taste, add in your own fats like cashews, hemp hearts, etc. And for sweetness add in berries (and Splenda if you want it even sweeter). You have a lot more control over your macros that way than if you try to eat sweetened or full fat yogurt. I started out eating honey flavor full fat yogurt and my breakfast was 3.5x the calories of what it is now. 2x if I add cashews, but I don't always.
edit to add: I'm 5'2", currently 198, down from 262. Also walking on the treadmill will be great for you! I do some moderate intensity cardio now, but not very much. I lost my first 40 lbs just by cleaning up my diet and walking more. (I also lift weights, but I've lifted weights forever, including when I weighed 260+ pounds. It wasn't a factor in my weight loss.)
I really love the honey flavored greek yogurt by The Greek God's. I could totally have that for breakfast sometimes.
Congrats on your progress- thats a big difference! I feel like additional weight shows so easily on us short folks
I’m 5’2”. I was 285lbs, I’m currently 155 and still working on it. I’m a sahm and I don’t drive or have a car. I would suggest downloading a calorie tracking app. I like MyNetDiary. It will tell you how many calories to eat. Track everything. Your coffee, any oil used to cook, and condiments. Track it all.
I’ve mostly used YouTube for working out. There’s endless free workouts on there. Find some you like and stick with them. I wake up before my kids to get my workout in, and then during nap I use a walking pad to get in my steps.
It’s simple, but not easy. You have to really stick with it
I'm going to ask a few questions to get a better understanding of your position:
You say you only eat breakfast and dinner, how accurate is this actually? With an 8 m old baby is most likely eating solids at this point yes? Are you snacking on baby's meals also or eating what they don't finish?
What about mindless snacking?
How is your vegetable and fruit intake?
How much water are you drinking in a day?
How much sleep are you getting? Sleep is a huge factor for me- if I sleep crappy I tend to eat even crappier the next day.
I would start by tracking everything and I mean everything you put in your body. Don't take away anything yet or adjust, but do this for 5-7 days (include a weekend on any of those to see if calories go up) and be fully honest with yourself. If your not honest with yourself the only person you are cheating on is you, and you are your biggest and best investment.
After that see where you can make adjustments. Starting cutting 200-300 calories a day, and increase the amount you are cutting each week, until you get to your goal calories. The main focus on these days will also be trying to get your protien in check, and I would do about 130g a protien no matter what. But still cut the calories somewhere else (carbs or fats).
Someone mentioned greek yogurt and I can't emphasize this enough. It can be used for so many things. A marinated for meats, a sub for sour cream (my kids and husband don't even notice the difference), in smoothies, parfaits, a topping for pancakes or oats (I sweeten mine with honey because I can't stand the taste of artifical sweetness and they give me a headache).
While your coffee is super calorie dense, if it is a non negotiatable after all and trying different things, try making it into a protien coffee! I mix my protien powder with my milk then add my coffee. And then adjusting elsewhere.
This is also coming from someone who is also a sahm, who used to be 230lbs and is 5'1. I'm currently 195 and still losing. You got this!
Train your taste buds. Start out by switching to lowfat milk with your half and half. A week later, increase the amount of lowfat milk and reduce the half and half. In another week, lower the half and half even further.
In another week, switch to skim milk with the new ratio of milk vs half and half. Finish out your carton of half and half, and switch to 100% skim milk for your coffee. After the past month, you won't even miss the taste of what you were originally doing.
This is similar to my own story 5’3” had baby 11months ago and was 173. Currently down to 124.
For me I had to start small, weight watchers works great for me and as you lose weight you get less points and no food is off limits including your iced coffee 🙌
Then I bought a peleton tread which is a game changer for a while I walked to Netflix to build stamina and now I do a class 6 days a week some days all I have are 15 minutes others it’s 30 but consistency is key.
With 2 under 2 you just need to be creative I do it when they nap or after bed time usually
I have an iced coffee addiction and in particular I love thick, frothy coffees.
I make a version that makes me very happy for around 110, 120 calories depending on the milk.
Very simply,
1 cup skim milk
1 -2 tsp instant coffee, or 1-2espresso shots, to taste
Sweetener to taste- my favourite to use in Australia is Natvia, which is an erythritol/Stevie mix
Then the magic part: get one of those tiny battery powered milk frother sticks from Amazon. Less than 20 bucks. Sit it deep to mix for a bit, then slowly raise it out of the milk until it's bringing in air and whipping it up. You'll be shocked how thick and frothy the coffee can be once you've got the hang of it. The golden standard is a kenwood/bamix with the whipped cream aerator attachment but the budget option is more than passable.
If it's still not tickling that thick mouthfeel craving, buy some xanthan gum and add to the recipe avout 1/4 teaspoon.
Happy caffeinating!
1) what was your pre pregnancy weight?
2) if you’re a SAHM, walking is free. Push-ups are free. Doing HIIT is free. You need to reframe your attitude. Put the baby in the stroller, shield them from the sun, and start walking and pushing.
3) your coffee sounds like a ton of calories. How much are you using of each? A cup of half and half is 300 calories. A cup of whole milk is 150. If you’re really making 3 cups of this, that could be 600+ calories right there. Given you only need roughly 2000 calories to maintain your weight, this is a huge problem.
4) the rest of your food isn’t well tracked. Two eggs, that’s good. What’s for dinner? How much are you eating?
Fortunately, it’s quite easy to fix the biggest culprit; stop the coffee. If you’re eating at maintenance, you may immediately start to lose weight. More than likely, though, you’re eating too many calories and this will just get you in a small deficit or at maintenance.
You’ll also need to really pay attention to your diet. Focus on eating 1 g of protein per goal body weight in pounds, that’s 130 for you. If you aim for 30-40% of your calories from protein, that’s 1300-1733 calories per day. And try to get 15g of fiber for every 1000 calories that you eat.
You’re right it really is all about reframing your attitude. We can all find excuses not to workout, I have a million right now. The people who actually succeed in their weight loss goals are the people who hear all the excuses in their head, but practice self discipline anyway.
My pre pregnancy weight I was overweight - I think around 200.
I can't really walk outside in my area, it's not the safest place. I feel like I would be endangering myself and my child by walking around. I ordered a treadmill so that will be a great alternative. I'm definitely open to ideas for exercise indoors, which is why I posted for advice.
Yeah my coffee is definitely calorie dense, it's something I struggle with. I think most of my calories are coming from that. Iced coffee has been a really happy routine for me, but also poison for my health. I switched to oat milk today, but even that is still calorie dense. I'm trying to find a better alternative.
For dinner I've been eating usually something like half a cup of brown rice with something like pork chops or tofu. I was previously eating more at dinner several months ago but have been eating better for several months.
It's at least 300 potentially more. Ive been getting a large mason jar and add 2 cups of milk and then mix my instant coffee and then follow it to almost the top with half and half.. I switched to oat milk today and that's a lot less calories.
Can you try to drink it black? Or buy a higher quality coffee that has better flavor?
Mind me for being insensitive, but is it really so dangerous that you can’t walk around at 11 am on a Wednesday afternoon? If so, that sounds like an awful neighborhood and priority #1 should be to leave. Even when driving around the worst neighborhoods in my city, I see people walking around in daylight in relative safety. There’s definitely areas that I feel good walking around at noon that you couldn’t pay me to go to at 11 pm.
But really, the main priority is diet. You simply need to eat less calories.
‘Grow with Jo’ is a YouTube channel with workouts. She’s amazing. And is deeply passionate about post partum moms - as that’s where her journey with fitness started. She has some super easy workouts in there for beginners, you don’t need equipment and you don’t need a lot of space.
I’m 5’4 and I’ve lost 70 lbs in the past year and a half with CICO. Check out r/cico . I calculated my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and found out what my maintenance calories were and subtracted 500 calories from that to start. The first month is rough, not going to lie. But it’s so worth it. I didn’t weigh myself at all for the first month so I wouldn’t get discouraged and quit if I wasn’t quickly losing weight. At the end of the first month, I had lost 10 lbs. and I was only doing 30 minute walks for exercise.
I learned that you have to track your calories and be vigilant. If you eat it or drink it, track it. Calories can be sneaky, surprising and add up fast.
For your coffee, I recommend ditching whatever milk and syrups you are using and switching to protein shakes. So take like a premade protein shake (I use premiere) and mix it with your coffee and ice. This will drastically cut the calories and still give you the iced coffee fix with a bit of sweet flavor. Plus it’s good for your protein intake!
I’m 5’3 and started in January at 184lb but likely higher before. I’m currently down to 143lb. Purely caloric deficit. Don’t drink your calories or graze on snacks. Plan ahead what you’re going to have. Smaller portion sizes. I started with 25-30 min YouTube workout. I know do those on top of a daily 2 mile walk.
Take that treadmill, put it at the highest incline and go at 2.5 speed at least. Do that for an hour everyday and eat in a calorie deficit and the pounds will melt away!
I burned about 100 pounds myself just walking on a treadmill everyday for an hour and then just watching my calories.
Wow that's a lot of progress!
My treadmill was a cheap one (Mobvoi AE 3) so it doesn't have an incline mode unfortunately, but it does go up to 7.6 mph.
Thank you for your input! I'm really excited to start it. I ordered No Mans Sky so I'm planning on playing and exploring space worlds while I'm on the treadmill lol
advice for your coffee since i really love my coffee as well
i dont know if there's a walmart in your area but their store-brand "Great Value" has a fat free half and half and it tastes pretty good !, and for the milk you can use the fat free fair life, it tastes pretty good as well
i dont know if you use any sweetener but i find sweet n low (basically Saccharin) to not have that sugar free gross after taste that off puts people and its pretty good
Try unsweetened Oatmilk in your coffee! I find it creamier than unsweetened almond/soy/cashew milk. Also, I highly recommend breastfeeding. My baby weight fell off by breastfeeding. I know your baby is already 8months but if you are still breastfeeding keep it up!
I had to stop breastfeeding completely by 3 months PP, no matter what I did I just couldn't get my milk supply up enough to feed my baby enough. When I stopped breastfeeding I started gaining more weight. I really wish I could! I don't even know if it would be possibly to get milk to come in again at this point.
I use a teaspoon of date sugar in my coffee. I occasionally use sugar-free vanilla syrup but that doesn't have any calories. The problem is all the milk / half and half I've been using so I'm trying to cut the calories there.
The problem is half and half converts to sugar and spikes your insulin in the morning, then it will gradually taper down. While it has spiked and tapering down it won't be possible to burn body fat, it needs to be low to start doing that. The reason why you might enjoy this coffee in the morning is not only the caffeine but the sugar hit you get activating reward pathways.
I know it sounds counter intuitive, but the lower the fat in milk the more sugar it will convert to. I don't have milk in coffee in the morning, only black coffee and sometimes with MCT-8 oil which converts into ketones to get energy in the morning without spiking insulin. In the afternoon I will have a dash of full fat whole milk, but I am on a low carb diet.
Why not try this routine instead:
Morning
- black coffee or iced black coffee - just to get your caffeine fix.
- no breakfast
After 12pm
- eat what you would have eaten for breakfast eggs etc
Dinner finished before 8pm
This is the routine of 16:8 intermittent fasting. An 8 hour eating window and 16hrs not eating and consuming only black coffee/ mct-8 oil / water
You can also try cutting back on carbs which will lower your insulin levels and make body fat burning possible. Lots of wholefoods meat fish veg eggs etc, stay away from ultra processed foods, microwave meals, baked treats etc
That's interesting, I didn't know it converts to sugar.
I really hate black cfooffee. I've tried switching to it and I hated it so much and ended up going back to my original coffee, so I need to find something I can enjoy but thats not crazy unhealthy. I could definitely push having my coffee to later though to IF. What do you think about unsweetened oat milk instead of milk? I also get really sick if I have coffee on an empty stomach, so I'd have to wait until breaking a fast with food.
Carbohydrates = Sugar so oat milk will have higher carbs than cows milk. 13grams in oat milk vs 10grams in cows milk.
Look at the back of the pack of the milks you will consume. You can check the carbs/ sugar but also look at the fibre. You can minus the fibre off the carbs / sugar for an actual final number.
A good alternative would be almond milk if we compare:
Cows Milk Semi Skimmed 200ml glass
Carbs 10g
Sugars 10g
Fibre 0g
Total net carbohydrates 10g
Total 10grams sugar per 200ml glass. If you are having a large iced coffee made fully with milk and shot of coffee that is probably 20-30grams sugar per cup. So x3 you are having 90grams of sugar at the start of your day. This is more than enough to prevent fat burning through the insulin spike.
Almond Milk
Carbs 1g
Sugars 0.7g
Fibre 1g
Total Net Carbohydrates 0gram
It will basically make your coffee carb free.
I really appreciate your breakdown and all of your responses to me. I get really overwhelmed with all of this stuff and have mostly just been looking at calories.
I'm gonna get some almond milk and switch to that. Coffee has been my struggle for a few years now. The calories really add up quickly in the different milks.
Expect to be hungry in the morning as you wont be getting the sugar fix, but know that after a couple of weeks or so it will pass. It is just your body throwing a tantrum that it's not getting its quick fix, eventually it will stop crying and just start burning body fat instead in the morning
Weight Watchers really has changed the way I view food. The way I thought it worked was a complete misconception prior to me trying it and I never thought I’d give it a chance.
I broke my leg very seriously and couldn’t walk at all for 8 months and couldn’t walk well for an entire year and a half. I gained 60 pounds and was able to lose it in 8 months. Once you get momentum going it’s so exciting to look at your progress and how quickly the time goes by. I now make such better decisions with food and it feels easy because you can literally eat anything on it as long as you stay in your points. You can also scan food products to see how many points there will be and there are most items from restaurants included.
Some people have made some truly delicious Weight watcher recipes and there’s so many small things you can cut out that add up SO Quickly! There’s a ton of great people that creat ww content on YouTube.
Hope this is helpful
There’s a lot that goes into sustainable weight loss. As someone who has lost (and kept off) over 100 pounds, it’s all about changing your day-to-day habits.
Don’t worry about macros until you’ve got a good structure in place when it comes to your eating and exercise habits.
Have a listen to The Weight Loss Podcast. It was incredibly integral in my weight loss success. They got me to start strength training and I learned a lot about good eating habits, sleep habits, how & where to start making those changes, etc…
I also had a health coach early on who brought me through a 12-week holistic program. It was super helpful and a lot of the content overlapped with what The Weight Loss Podcast covers.
My DMs are always open, too. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.
-Peloton treadmill workouts. They’re fun and easy on beginners.
-Replace your ice coffee with pre-workout, it’d be one scoop with all the energy and way less calories.
Slate Protein Shakes makes a few coffee style protein shakes and they’re really good! They’re 100 cals each and 20 grams of protein with caffeine too. Can pour over ice and add milk + creamer or whatever you like!
What you eat is more important than how much you exercise. I cut out added sugars and fried foods from my diet. I also stopped eating anything that was ultra processed and focused on real foods. I also stopped drinking anything with calories. I also avoid most artificial sweeteners as those are just as bad for weight loss. Switching to black coffee was hard so I will occasionally add a splash of milk to my coffee, but never sugar. I do also try to walk an hour a day 4 days a week. I was only looking to lose 25 lbs and I did that within 3 months just by doing what I listed.
There is great advice here for weight loss IF you are in a good mental space. Depression and stress can make it very difficult to lose weight and it’s a piece of the puzzle that so many people miss. Make sure you are in a good place in your head. Being a mom can be lonely, stressful, and depressing. If your insurance allows therapy, you may want to consider this as part of your weight loss plan. Just putting this out there because so many people don’t consider the mental aspects of weight loss- and the mental aspects are huge! Most overweight people know how to lose weight - but don’t know how to get there mentally.
Good luck!!
I'd like to suggest an ancient, tried-and-tested formula that has worked for me.
It involves strictly adhering to three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at fixed times.
Here’s the plan:
Breakfast: Between 9 AM and 10 AM. Enjoy a hearty meal without worrying about calorie intake.
Lunch: Between 1 PM and 2 PM. Keep it light.
Dinner: Between 7 PM and 8 PM. Make it very light.
While portion size is not a concern for any of these meals, it is crucial to avoid carbohydrates during lunch and dinner.
Additionally, ensure you walk for at least 11 minutes after each meal.
Finally, refrain from drinking any liquids, including water, with your meals. You can drink water or other non-sugary beverages 1.5 hours after eating.
Avoid all sodas and sugary drinks, and eliminate sugar entirely for six months to see the transformation.
**This is a personal suggestion based on my own experience.
Exercise alone will not get you down 100 lbs. If your that overweight what your eating is almost definitely the main cause. Milk won't really make you fat, but he sure to not use a ton of creamer or sugar. Snacks are a massive part. I lost 30lbs pretty much from not snacking. It seems hard but once you start to lose some weight you actually do feel less hungry. Honestly I would just say if you don't feel like measuing calories or anything eating 2 moderately sized meals a day would help lose weight, but no snacking unless it's something actually healthy.
You don't need to do exercises at that weight it would be damaging to your joints, instead go on OMAD. Weigh yourself every day - this is the most important thing.
As a SAHM having no car IS the weight loss plan. Put baby in pram and go walk an hour + a day. Any inclines you can include is a serious bonus. Good for you both. Buy a good raincoat and clear rain cover for pram. Concentrate on protein based foods.
I get what you're saying, but I can't walk in my area. It's not the best area and off main roads. I would not feel safe walking by myself and especially not with my baby.
Is there a parenting group you could join? Or a walking group? Bonus - people will love to have a baby come along and they’ll be so happy to see you, you’ll feel good about going.
I currently don't have a car, so I'm stuck at home.
I noticed that in your post. Then I saw that you didn’t feel comfortable walking in your neighbourhood alone. So the suggestion to find a parents and tots group or a walking group was intended to help you find a solution. You’d be outside active, but not alone. I’m an outside wild kids up parent, grandparent, and teacher. Outside is so good for them, at all ages and stages, in many, many ways. I was just trying to help.
Oh gotcha, I didn't realize you meant try to have a group come to my area. I do appreciate your advice! I'm on the spectrum and can struggle with social gatherings and reaching out to people. I'm not sure where I would even look to do that. I don't really know anyone anymore. I'm hoping at some point to get my car fixed. I totally agree with you about outside being good for them. I would love to take my little one out to parks and creeks.
Regarding the coffee, you don’t have to completely cut it out, but it might help to reduce the amount of milk in it. Also know that it will take a while—likely a year or more at a healthy pace—to that much weight. Make sure to stick to your calories. The treadmill will be great for activity, but activity is not required as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit.
First, weightloss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. You say you don’t eat much but youre 100lbs overweight. Im sorry but you definitely are overeating. Not an issue; just begin tracking with an app like Myfitnesspal You will find that the things you think aren’t that much are actually a lot! Hope this helps and best of luck!
I was pregnant and had a c section surgery and then a gallblafder surgery 2 weeks after, it really messed me up. I think most of my problem calories are coming from my coffee.
Try cutting out the half and half since that’s just cream and fat. You can try fat free milk.
Totally understandable! In that case, it will be important to be graceful with yourself. Having a baby is no easy feat! Take small coordinated steps and be consistent. I believe you, a coffee can easily be 5-700 calories Take the next 5 days, and just track everything you eat. Be mindful of what the serving sizes say. Then next week try to eat 500 calories less a day.
I also love iced lattes (with vanilla syrup). It's just such a waste of calories though. I tried to make it work without giving them up, but even cutting back to one per day I couldn't do it. Now I drink coffee with a splash of whole milk and a few packets of Splenda. It's definitely not the same but it's good enough. If your goal weight is around 130 then aim for 130g of protein per day. Carbs and fat don't matter as much. I find it easiest if I get the vast majority of my carbs from low or non fat dairy, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and potatoes/yams. I also occasionally have rice but potatoes and yams are more filling (and also more nutritious). I avoid bread and pasta since for the calories they are just not filling at all. Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt is a game changer. It's high protein and pretty low in calories. For fat and taste, add in your own fats like cashews, hemp hearts, etc. And for sweetness add in berries (and Splenda if you want it even sweeter). You have a lot more control over your macros that way than if you try to eat sweetened or full fat yogurt. I started out eating honey flavor full fat yogurt and my breakfast was 3.5x the calories of what it is now. 2x if I add cashews, but I don't always. edit to add: I'm 5'2", currently 198, down from 262. Also walking on the treadmill will be great for you! I do some moderate intensity cardio now, but not very much. I lost my first 40 lbs just by cleaning up my diet and walking more. (I also lift weights, but I've lifted weights forever, including when I weighed 260+ pounds. It wasn't a factor in my weight loss.)
I really love the honey flavored greek yogurt by The Greek God's. I could totally have that for breakfast sometimes. Congrats on your progress- thats a big difference! I feel like additional weight shows so easily on us short folks
I’m 5’2”. I was 285lbs, I’m currently 155 and still working on it. I’m a sahm and I don’t drive or have a car. I would suggest downloading a calorie tracking app. I like MyNetDiary. It will tell you how many calories to eat. Track everything. Your coffee, any oil used to cook, and condiments. Track it all. I’ve mostly used YouTube for working out. There’s endless free workouts on there. Find some you like and stick with them. I wake up before my kids to get my workout in, and then during nap I use a walking pad to get in my steps. It’s simple, but not easy. You have to really stick with it
I'm going to ask a few questions to get a better understanding of your position: You say you only eat breakfast and dinner, how accurate is this actually? With an 8 m old baby is most likely eating solids at this point yes? Are you snacking on baby's meals also or eating what they don't finish? What about mindless snacking? How is your vegetable and fruit intake? How much water are you drinking in a day? How much sleep are you getting? Sleep is a huge factor for me- if I sleep crappy I tend to eat even crappier the next day. I would start by tracking everything and I mean everything you put in your body. Don't take away anything yet or adjust, but do this for 5-7 days (include a weekend on any of those to see if calories go up) and be fully honest with yourself. If your not honest with yourself the only person you are cheating on is you, and you are your biggest and best investment. After that see where you can make adjustments. Starting cutting 200-300 calories a day, and increase the amount you are cutting each week, until you get to your goal calories. The main focus on these days will also be trying to get your protien in check, and I would do about 130g a protien no matter what. But still cut the calories somewhere else (carbs or fats). Someone mentioned greek yogurt and I can't emphasize this enough. It can be used for so many things. A marinated for meats, a sub for sour cream (my kids and husband don't even notice the difference), in smoothies, parfaits, a topping for pancakes or oats (I sweeten mine with honey because I can't stand the taste of artifical sweetness and they give me a headache). While your coffee is super calorie dense, if it is a non negotiatable after all and trying different things, try making it into a protien coffee! I mix my protien powder with my milk then add my coffee. And then adjusting elsewhere. This is also coming from someone who is also a sahm, who used to be 230lbs and is 5'1. I'm currently 195 and still losing. You got this!
Train your taste buds. Start out by switching to lowfat milk with your half and half. A week later, increase the amount of lowfat milk and reduce the half and half. In another week, lower the half and half even further. In another week, switch to skim milk with the new ratio of milk vs half and half. Finish out your carton of half and half, and switch to 100% skim milk for your coffee. After the past month, you won't even miss the taste of what you were originally doing.
This is a good idea.
This is similar to my own story 5’3” had baby 11months ago and was 173. Currently down to 124. For me I had to start small, weight watchers works great for me and as you lose weight you get less points and no food is off limits including your iced coffee 🙌 Then I bought a peleton tread which is a game changer for a while I walked to Netflix to build stamina and now I do a class 6 days a week some days all I have are 15 minutes others it’s 30 but consistency is key. With 2 under 2 you just need to be creative I do it when they nap or after bed time usually
I have an iced coffee addiction and in particular I love thick, frothy coffees. I make a version that makes me very happy for around 110, 120 calories depending on the milk. Very simply, 1 cup skim milk 1 -2 tsp instant coffee, or 1-2espresso shots, to taste Sweetener to taste- my favourite to use in Australia is Natvia, which is an erythritol/Stevie mix Then the magic part: get one of those tiny battery powered milk frother sticks from Amazon. Less than 20 bucks. Sit it deep to mix for a bit, then slowly raise it out of the milk until it's bringing in air and whipping it up. You'll be shocked how thick and frothy the coffee can be once you've got the hang of it. The golden standard is a kenwood/bamix with the whipped cream aerator attachment but the budget option is more than passable. If it's still not tickling that thick mouthfeel craving, buy some xanthan gum and add to the recipe avout 1/4 teaspoon. Happy caffeinating!
1) what was your pre pregnancy weight? 2) if you’re a SAHM, walking is free. Push-ups are free. Doing HIIT is free. You need to reframe your attitude. Put the baby in the stroller, shield them from the sun, and start walking and pushing. 3) your coffee sounds like a ton of calories. How much are you using of each? A cup of half and half is 300 calories. A cup of whole milk is 150. If you’re really making 3 cups of this, that could be 600+ calories right there. Given you only need roughly 2000 calories to maintain your weight, this is a huge problem. 4) the rest of your food isn’t well tracked. Two eggs, that’s good. What’s for dinner? How much are you eating? Fortunately, it’s quite easy to fix the biggest culprit; stop the coffee. If you’re eating at maintenance, you may immediately start to lose weight. More than likely, though, you’re eating too many calories and this will just get you in a small deficit or at maintenance. You’ll also need to really pay attention to your diet. Focus on eating 1 g of protein per goal body weight in pounds, that’s 130 for you. If you aim for 30-40% of your calories from protein, that’s 1300-1733 calories per day. And try to get 15g of fiber for every 1000 calories that you eat.
You’re right it really is all about reframing your attitude. We can all find excuses not to workout, I have a million right now. The people who actually succeed in their weight loss goals are the people who hear all the excuses in their head, but practice self discipline anyway.
My pre pregnancy weight I was overweight - I think around 200. I can't really walk outside in my area, it's not the safest place. I feel like I would be endangering myself and my child by walking around. I ordered a treadmill so that will be a great alternative. I'm definitely open to ideas for exercise indoors, which is why I posted for advice. Yeah my coffee is definitely calorie dense, it's something I struggle with. I think most of my calories are coming from that. Iced coffee has been a really happy routine for me, but also poison for my health. I switched to oat milk today, but even that is still calorie dense. I'm trying to find a better alternative. For dinner I've been eating usually something like half a cup of brown rice with something like pork chops or tofu. I was previously eating more at dinner several months ago but have been eating better for several months.
How many calories are you estimating your coffee to be? And how many are you having?
It's at least 300 potentially more. Ive been getting a large mason jar and add 2 cups of milk and then mix my instant coffee and then follow it to almost the top with half and half.. I switched to oat milk today and that's a lot less calories.
2 cups of whole milk alone is about 300 calories.
Can you try to drink it black? Or buy a higher quality coffee that has better flavor? Mind me for being insensitive, but is it really so dangerous that you can’t walk around at 11 am on a Wednesday afternoon? If so, that sounds like an awful neighborhood and priority #1 should be to leave. Even when driving around the worst neighborhoods in my city, I see people walking around in daylight in relative safety. There’s definitely areas that I feel good walking around at noon that you couldn’t pay me to go to at 11 pm. But really, the main priority is diet. You simply need to eat less calories.
‘Grow with Jo’ is a YouTube channel with workouts. She’s amazing. And is deeply passionate about post partum moms - as that’s where her journey with fitness started. She has some super easy workouts in there for beginners, you don’t need equipment and you don’t need a lot of space.
I appreciate it, I will check her videos out!
I’m 5’4 and I’ve lost 70 lbs in the past year and a half with CICO. Check out r/cico . I calculated my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and found out what my maintenance calories were and subtracted 500 calories from that to start. The first month is rough, not going to lie. But it’s so worth it. I didn’t weigh myself at all for the first month so I wouldn’t get discouraged and quit if I wasn’t quickly losing weight. At the end of the first month, I had lost 10 lbs. and I was only doing 30 minute walks for exercise. I learned that you have to track your calories and be vigilant. If you eat it or drink it, track it. Calories can be sneaky, surprising and add up fast. For your coffee, I recommend ditching whatever milk and syrups you are using and switching to protein shakes. So take like a premade protein shake (I use premiere) and mix it with your coffee and ice. This will drastically cut the calories and still give you the iced coffee fix with a bit of sweet flavor. Plus it’s good for your protein intake!
I’m 5’3 and started in January at 184lb but likely higher before. I’m currently down to 143lb. Purely caloric deficit. Don’t drink your calories or graze on snacks. Plan ahead what you’re going to have. Smaller portion sizes. I started with 25-30 min YouTube workout. I know do those on top of a daily 2 mile walk.
Take that treadmill, put it at the highest incline and go at 2.5 speed at least. Do that for an hour everyday and eat in a calorie deficit and the pounds will melt away! I burned about 100 pounds myself just walking on a treadmill everyday for an hour and then just watching my calories.
Wow that's a lot of progress! My treadmill was a cheap one (Mobvoi AE 3) so it doesn't have an incline mode unfortunately, but it does go up to 7.6 mph.
That's fine too! The incline just helps a bit but walking will definitely shed some pounds for you :) Just be patient and trust the process!
Thank you for your input! I'm really excited to start it. I ordered No Mans Sky so I'm planning on playing and exploring space worlds while I'm on the treadmill lol
advice for your coffee since i really love my coffee as well i dont know if there's a walmart in your area but their store-brand "Great Value" has a fat free half and half and it tastes pretty good !, and for the milk you can use the fat free fair life, it tastes pretty good as well i dont know if you use any sweetener but i find sweet n low (basically Saccharin) to not have that sugar free gross after taste that off puts people and its pretty good
I will check it out!
Read the start guide https://www.reddit.com/r/WeightLossAdvice/s/61GeihMhIg
Try unsweetened Oatmilk in your coffee! I find it creamier than unsweetened almond/soy/cashew milk. Also, I highly recommend breastfeeding. My baby weight fell off by breastfeeding. I know your baby is already 8months but if you are still breastfeeding keep it up!
I had to stop breastfeeding completely by 3 months PP, no matter what I did I just couldn't get my milk supply up enough to feed my baby enough. When I stopped breastfeeding I started gaining more weight. I really wish I could! I don't even know if it would be possibly to get milk to come in again at this point.
Do you have sugar in your coffee? That could be the problem. eating 2 eggs then nothing till dinner doesn't sound too bad.
I use a teaspoon of date sugar in my coffee. I occasionally use sugar-free vanilla syrup but that doesn't have any calories. The problem is all the milk / half and half I've been using so I'm trying to cut the calories there.
The problem is half and half converts to sugar and spikes your insulin in the morning, then it will gradually taper down. While it has spiked and tapering down it won't be possible to burn body fat, it needs to be low to start doing that. The reason why you might enjoy this coffee in the morning is not only the caffeine but the sugar hit you get activating reward pathways. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but the lower the fat in milk the more sugar it will convert to. I don't have milk in coffee in the morning, only black coffee and sometimes with MCT-8 oil which converts into ketones to get energy in the morning without spiking insulin. In the afternoon I will have a dash of full fat whole milk, but I am on a low carb diet. Why not try this routine instead: Morning - black coffee or iced black coffee - just to get your caffeine fix. - no breakfast After 12pm - eat what you would have eaten for breakfast eggs etc Dinner finished before 8pm This is the routine of 16:8 intermittent fasting. An 8 hour eating window and 16hrs not eating and consuming only black coffee/ mct-8 oil / water You can also try cutting back on carbs which will lower your insulin levels and make body fat burning possible. Lots of wholefoods meat fish veg eggs etc, stay away from ultra processed foods, microwave meals, baked treats etc
That's interesting, I didn't know it converts to sugar. I really hate black cfooffee. I've tried switching to it and I hated it so much and ended up going back to my original coffee, so I need to find something I can enjoy but thats not crazy unhealthy. I could definitely push having my coffee to later though to IF. What do you think about unsweetened oat milk instead of milk? I also get really sick if I have coffee on an empty stomach, so I'd have to wait until breaking a fast with food.
Carbohydrates = Sugar so oat milk will have higher carbs than cows milk. 13grams in oat milk vs 10grams in cows milk. Look at the back of the pack of the milks you will consume. You can check the carbs/ sugar but also look at the fibre. You can minus the fibre off the carbs / sugar for an actual final number. A good alternative would be almond milk if we compare: Cows Milk Semi Skimmed 200ml glass Carbs 10g Sugars 10g Fibre 0g Total net carbohydrates 10g Total 10grams sugar per 200ml glass. If you are having a large iced coffee made fully with milk and shot of coffee that is probably 20-30grams sugar per cup. So x3 you are having 90grams of sugar at the start of your day. This is more than enough to prevent fat burning through the insulin spike. Almond Milk Carbs 1g Sugars 0.7g Fibre 1g Total Net Carbohydrates 0gram It will basically make your coffee carb free.
I really appreciate your breakdown and all of your responses to me. I get really overwhelmed with all of this stuff and have mostly just been looking at calories. I'm gonna get some almond milk and switch to that. Coffee has been my struggle for a few years now. The calories really add up quickly in the different milks.
Expect to be hungry in the morning as you wont be getting the sugar fix, but know that after a couple of weeks or so it will pass. It is just your body throwing a tantrum that it's not getting its quick fix, eventually it will stop crying and just start burning body fat instead in the morning
Weight Watchers really has changed the way I view food. The way I thought it worked was a complete misconception prior to me trying it and I never thought I’d give it a chance. I broke my leg very seriously and couldn’t walk at all for 8 months and couldn’t walk well for an entire year and a half. I gained 60 pounds and was able to lose it in 8 months. Once you get momentum going it’s so exciting to look at your progress and how quickly the time goes by. I now make such better decisions with food and it feels easy because you can literally eat anything on it as long as you stay in your points. You can also scan food products to see how many points there will be and there are most items from restaurants included. Some people have made some truly delicious Weight watcher recipes and there’s so many small things you can cut out that add up SO Quickly! There’s a ton of great people that creat ww content on YouTube. Hope this is helpful
There’s a lot that goes into sustainable weight loss. As someone who has lost (and kept off) over 100 pounds, it’s all about changing your day-to-day habits. Don’t worry about macros until you’ve got a good structure in place when it comes to your eating and exercise habits. Have a listen to The Weight Loss Podcast. It was incredibly integral in my weight loss success. They got me to start strength training and I learned a lot about good eating habits, sleep habits, how & where to start making those changes, etc… I also had a health coach early on who brought me through a 12-week holistic program. It was super helpful and a lot of the content overlapped with what The Weight Loss Podcast covers. My DMs are always open, too. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.
-Peloton treadmill workouts. They’re fun and easy on beginners. -Replace your ice coffee with pre-workout, it’d be one scoop with all the energy and way less calories.
Slate Protein Shakes makes a few coffee style protein shakes and they’re really good! They’re 100 cals each and 20 grams of protein with caffeine too. Can pour over ice and add milk + creamer or whatever you like!
Get the Noom app ($$) or the Noom book ($)
What you eat is more important than how much you exercise. I cut out added sugars and fried foods from my diet. I also stopped eating anything that was ultra processed and focused on real foods. I also stopped drinking anything with calories. I also avoid most artificial sweeteners as those are just as bad for weight loss. Switching to black coffee was hard so I will occasionally add a splash of milk to my coffee, but never sugar. I do also try to walk an hour a day 4 days a week. I was only looking to lose 25 lbs and I did that within 3 months just by doing what I listed.
There is great advice here for weight loss IF you are in a good mental space. Depression and stress can make it very difficult to lose weight and it’s a piece of the puzzle that so many people miss. Make sure you are in a good place in your head. Being a mom can be lonely, stressful, and depressing. If your insurance allows therapy, you may want to consider this as part of your weight loss plan. Just putting this out there because so many people don’t consider the mental aspects of weight loss- and the mental aspects are huge! Most overweight people know how to lose weight - but don’t know how to get there mentally. Good luck!!
I'd like to suggest an ancient, tried-and-tested formula that has worked for me. It involves strictly adhering to three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at fixed times. Here’s the plan: Breakfast: Between 9 AM and 10 AM. Enjoy a hearty meal without worrying about calorie intake. Lunch: Between 1 PM and 2 PM. Keep it light. Dinner: Between 7 PM and 8 PM. Make it very light. While portion size is not a concern for any of these meals, it is crucial to avoid carbohydrates during lunch and dinner. Additionally, ensure you walk for at least 11 minutes after each meal. Finally, refrain from drinking any liquids, including water, with your meals. You can drink water or other non-sugary beverages 1.5 hours after eating. Avoid all sodas and sugary drinks, and eliminate sugar entirely for six months to see the transformation. **This is a personal suggestion based on my own experience.
Exercise alone will not get you down 100 lbs. If your that overweight what your eating is almost definitely the main cause. Milk won't really make you fat, but he sure to not use a ton of creamer or sugar. Snacks are a massive part. I lost 30lbs pretty much from not snacking. It seems hard but once you start to lose some weight you actually do feel less hungry. Honestly I would just say if you don't feel like measuing calories or anything eating 2 moderately sized meals a day would help lose weight, but no snacking unless it's something actually healthy.
You don't need to do exercises at that weight it would be damaging to your joints, instead go on OMAD. Weigh yourself every day - this is the most important thing.
What’s OMAD ??
One meal a day (intermittent fasting).