post baby bodies?

[toomuchchocolate]

Pilates. Pilates Pilates - can't say it enough.

Other than pushing baby around the park - sometimes for 1-2 hours in those early days of only sleeping in the pram. Walking and pilates is ALL the exercise i've done this past year. My body won't allow me to do much other exercise unfortunately.

My stomach is almost as flat as it was before pregnancy and my hips and bottom are actually slimmer (please don't hate me!!). I haven't dieted at all since i don't believe in diets, however like most new mums i did have days when i would forget to eat until 4pm except for biscuits and cups of tea! But the pilates has made my core muscles strong and that has pulled in the flabby bits or something - i put on 4 stone in my pregnancy so i did have a lot of weight to lose.

[The Nappy Lady]

I did the interval hill training that (Powerpramming) Liz suggested on Saturday, and it was great....but boy have the back of my legs ached since. Did a gentle run today to ease myself back in. Great stuff to 'feel it' again though.

Thanks Liz for the tip. :))

Molly

[Goodliz]

Well done Molly. You are welcome. I am sure you did a good stretch afterwards. Those sessions require a bit more stretching than normal. By the way hold stretches for 30-40 seconds each. Glad you enjoyed it.

[ryedalema]

I got my 10% weight watchers thingy today - yee ha! I've lost 1.53 stone, with about 2 to go, well maybe 1.75 - so almost half way there and feeling soo much better.

I'm finding it really tough to find exercise time now I'm back at work though. I get up before 6 for the morning routine which doesn't stop until I get to work (15 minutes quick walk to the station included) and in reverse I don't finish until 8pm (including anther 15 minute station>nursery dash) when the girls are in bed and I breathe a sigh of relief and flop onto the sofa. There's no chance of exercise after that.

Anyone got any good ideas?

I'd like to do a bit of walking in my lunch hour but I've lost half of it due to flexible working so that I can have a bit of leeway at 9 and 5 in case the nursery run doesn't go to plan. I guess I could still get in 30 mins of quick walking in the city (don't laugh).

Weekends are a right off to with loads of kiddie related stuff.

How do other people fit it all in??

[Belle]

re pilates - just started doing that and really enjoy it.

ryedalema - obv i know nothing about fitness given this thread, but i do love wii fit, might suit you in terms of trying to fit it all in?

guess the other thing - if you can bear to run which i'm not sure I can right now - would be to do a quick run at lunchtimes? though can imagine it's the hassle of changing, poss showering after. sigh. no idea how people do fit it in! I do entertain ideas of doing wii fit during my son's naptime but as his naps are unreliable it's never really come off. plus which I usually end up either doing the chores or sneaking in something I've recorded on sky plus when he does sleep.

[chantelle]

ryedalema - any chance of getting off the train a stop earlier to get some extra walking? your schedule sounds tough. otherwise I would just try to get a quick jog in on the weekends.

[Pickle]

Ryedalema - when I worked in the city and was at the height of trying to lose weight I used to go for a brisk walk at lunchtime, every little helps. I would then eat my lunch at my desk while I worked afterwards.

I know you say weekends are out, but if you're really determined I'm sure you could fit something in? We've got a busy weekend ahead which initially I thought would mean exercise was off limits, however have now decided that I'll run to the kid's Little Kickers session on Saturday morning (we drive there as go to the West Dulwich one), so will meet hubby and kids there. I'll look a complete mess, but at least I'll get to fit in a run.

Congratulations on getting your 10%, fantastic - and 1.5 stone off is amazing, you must feel and look great!

P x

[ryedalema]

Ah great idea Pickle and Belle - I'll walk/run in my lunch half hour...look out city types 'fat bottomed girl' coming through.

Chantelle - fab idea in theory..in practice though it's E&C the stop before Denmark Hill - huuuuge run. The other side I'm cutting it really fine re work start times and nursery pick up times (no wiggle room here).

But lunchtimes and random weekend time it is. I've just signed eldest munch up to little kickers too, so can jog down there.

Does Wii fit really work? I'm a little dubious but will give it a go if others praise it.

Oh for time and no dependents - I'm sure I used to have time at one point - why wasn't I doing this then?

xxxxx

[The Nappy Lady]

ryedalema, I feel your pain. It is getting easier to fit stuff in now, but I've been wanting to get fit since No2 was born, and only now (she's nearly 2) am I actually doing it....I think you are AMAZING to have achieved what you have already. I can understand that you don't want to let things slip just because you are back at work now, but equally I think you need to be careful not to totally knacker yourself out...so easy to do this at the stage you are at.

It sounds like your week days consist of a LOT of rushing around, and I'm sure that is going to help to keep the weight you have already lost off, and the rest will shift in time. If you can set aside 30 to 60 minutes at the weekend for YOU time I think that would be really good. Sometimes it is so hard to do that I know - I'm awful for not asking my hubby to take the girls so I can do stuff, and it was only when he sat me down and literally told me that he'd take them while I went to have a massage/do a run/get a pedicure or whatever that I realised that I just didn't ever think to do that, and only used his help to allow me to get jobs done, rather than have time for myself, which is really so important.

Sorry, going off on a bit of a tangent I know, but totally empathise with your situation, I look back on the past couple of years and have NO IDEA how I've crammed in all I have!

Molly

[BellendenBear]

Can anyone recommend a good pilates class in the evenings?

[Belle]

Tuesday nights at esph gym are v gd.

[BeccaL]

Yes, Heather Brannen ([email protected] or http://www.pilatesclub.co.uk/) does beginner and intermediate classes on a Monday night in Sydenham or on a Wednesday night in a church just off Barry Road. Good classes - have helped me a lot.

[Teresam]

I can help! ...

I teach Mum and Baby Pilates classes in Forest Hill and Crystal Palace and I'm looking for a new venue in East Dulwich. Would be grateful to hear from anyone who knows of anywhere and - of course would love to hear if you want to come and join the class.

Please go to - www.teresamalins.com

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Is it bad that this photo made me feel a bit better about my lardy self?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1296669/Was-Clare-Nasirs-bikini-workout-photo-forget-Or-big-opportunity-GMTV-weathergirl.html

[sillywoman]

Not me HH - I recognise those wobbly bits from the mirror in my room each morning! Right, must cut down on the ben&jerry's (especially as my last 'baby' is now 6!).

[ryedalema]

That was what I looked like..and worse!

Thank goodness no one took any photos of me like that.

Mind you I don't tend to wear a lot of green spandex in public..or in private...hmmmm

Fashion Police??

[helena handbasket]

She's not even really that overweight, couple of stone maybe? It's the stretchy skin thing I can relate to (where all of your stretched out skin looks a bit like a shar-pei!) Nobody told me that having a baby while being a bit long in the tooth means that old skin is lower on elastin and doesn't bounce back the way young skin does, and in my "total body pregnancy" I gained weight absolutely everywhere. All that skin stretched out and when the weight came off, surprise! Saggy baggy elephant skin. It's so much worse if there's a bit of extra weight jiggling around in those wrinkly bits. The same amount of fat on a 20 year old doesn't look at all like that. I doubt I'll ever show off my "matronly upper arms" again! Several of my friends have had post-baby tummy tucks to get rid of all the stretched out wrinkly tummy skin....... not something I'm up for but I can see what why they might want to. Pilates can't help you with that.

Poor thing has her work cut out for her. And clearly the hormones and sleep deprivation have got the best of her because that green lycra is something else.

[The Nappy Lady]

Hmmm, have to say the cynic in me suspects it was a put up job in preparation for the Christmas Get Fit DVD, but she's a better woman than me, even the promise of a few grand wouldn't have got me to go out in that outfit.....well...OK....maybe I would for about 100K....or less....hmmm off to ponder just how low I would sink LOL.

Molly

[IrishDancer]

Well I hear what your all saying,im another one not happy with my body after kids. DD IS 3 and DS is 9 months,i just seem to be putting on weight at the moment,im currently 1.5 stone heavier than I was after DD was born. I was at my slimmest when I had DD,and I am at my heaviest at the moment.

After reading the posts Ihave decided to pull my fingerout!! Well I have myself psyched up to the hills to get in shape for Xmas,I think im going to start with weight watchers,there is a class on a Mon evening at 19:00 in East D ulwich Community Centre,the question is does anyone know if you can just walk in???

Anyone fancy starting on Mon?? Lets get rid of the Jelly bellys

[Pickle]

You can just turn up to a WW class. There will be membership forms there to fill out, make sure you stay for the meeting to have a chat to the leader at the end of the class - there is generally a separate short session for new members right at the end. Good luck!

[IrishDancer]

Thanks Pickle:))

[ryedalema]

Morning - I know, I know I should be posting this on a weight watchers board. But I know some of you do weight watchers (and some are experts!), also I feel like I know you guys and won't be talking to 'strangers'.

Is anyone else doing weight watchers now and is confused by the whole new programme thing? As far as I can make out fruit and veg are all now no point and you can't carry over points from day to day? But what do you do about activity points?

I'm less than 2lbs from my goal and it's all now changed - and I'm so near.. aagh. Yes I know this is totally minor in the scheme of topics we talk about here but does anyone have any sage words? (Or words about sage - yumm!)

Also - I'm not sure I had the right 'goal' to start with - but can't find any advice online to help with this.

I know I should probably go to a meeting - but that's easier said than done with kiddies pulling at your trouser legs at the most crucial times.

Any thoughts or advice would be really appreciated.

[buggie]

Well done on being so close to your target!! I'm not familiar with ww, but, with you being so close why don't you stick with what you've been doing?!

[Pickle]

Hey Ryedalema,

I'm doing a couple of weeks of tracking just to get my head round the new system - feels a bit strange to suddenly be back in the world of having to read the books after having been a leader and knowing the old system inside out!

I like it, feels healthier, forces you to think about your protein and fibre intake rather than just focussing on calories and fat.

You're right - fruit and veg are free (with a few exceptions in the veg department like before), you get a set number of points every day which you can't carry over. You then use the weekly points as/when you want to over the course of the week and earn activity points as you did before and use them at your discretion.

Are you signed up to WW online? If so you should have all the calculators/database etc. that you need to do it successfully.

Give me a shout if you need anything else clarified.

P x

[Smiler]

ryedalama, can't help on the WW front as I haven't tried the new thing, but as buggie says you are obviously doing really well, congratulations! I have been using my old WW books and doing it myself at home, but is great when breastfeeding as you get so many extra points!

When I last did WW I never used to carry over activity points or eat them, I tried to still stick to my points most days, with the odd splurge at weekends, which worked well.

I have got a stone and a bit to lose, DD2 is coming up to three months, did my Davina McCall workout DVD for the first time last night and enjoyed it, didn't feel like it at all beforehand though.

For those into pilates but with no time to go to a class, the Darcey Bussell DVD is OK and has really relaxing piano music, always made me sleepy but felt it the next day.