Weight Loss Advise

I gained a lot of weight during my pregancy and had only assumed that it would be easy to get rid of it. Now I am finding it near to impossible to lose the weight simply because I do not feel full. Are there any ways I can feel full for longer? Any tips or useful information would be much appreciated

the short asnwer is.....eat less & exercise more.

Tips for killing hunger urges.......what always works for me.....is chugging a pint or two of water....and eating raw carrots.

I'm in the same situation. Almost a year later and I'm still not at my pre-pregnancy weight. I've got about 10 more pounds to lose of the 60 pounds I gained. It can be more frustrating when you see other women who lose all the weight before their 6 week check up. Cash said it right though. You just need to stop eating so much and exercise more. I drink smoothies a lot. And if I get the munchies hardcore I'll eat something like mixed nuts to help get rid of cravings for sweets. Stop eating bread. That helped me a lot. Don't expect you can lose the weight fast though. It takes will power and time. Good luck!

eating more soups and fruits/vegetables can help--foods that are high in water content. if you eat a big bowl of soup, you get lots of volume without as many calories. staying hydrated can help as well--drink lots of water, or at least low-calorie juices, and even diet soda.

for me, it was also important to break the habit of eating every time i felt like eating. for a while, any time i felt hungry, i'd get on my exercise bike for half an hour (working from home hath its privileges). i stopped stocking snack foods; if i really, really wanted a snack, i had to walk my ass up to the store for it.

also....eat slower. I tend to wolf my food down...thereby throwing off the ratio of fullness to food eaten. If you slow down your eating....take drinks of water between bites.....and in general....enjoy your food......less food will make you feel full.

Do ramadan.

Breastfeeding is one way, since you're using the food you stored to make the milk in the first place.

Beyond that, I've found that the best ways are similar to what's been said above: eat less, exercise more, and drink lots of water/eat lots of food high in water content for extra weight and mass. It requires a great deal of willpower at first, but the more you stick with it, the easier it gets. The more I exercise, for instance, the less that sugary foods really appeal to me.

This worked for me (until I gave up on taking care of myself). I found a salad at the beginning of every meal or a bowl of a homemade vegetable soup, and then a brief break before the main course, would help keep my calorie intake down and feel full.

The soup I would make was simple:
1 large can of chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium preferred)
1 medium onion sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 stalks of celery chopped
5 cans of veggies (or one bag frozen veggies). I would usually use a can each of carrots, crushed tomatoes, corn, green beans and chickpeas - all drained and rinsed (except tomatoes).

Saute onion, celery and garlic in a tablespoon of oil in a stock pot until the onions start to become translucent. Add rest of ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until veggies are cooked to your liking. Cool and portion out into tupperware containers, so you can just quickly toss one in the microwave when you need it and freeze a couple.

Walking is simple exercise that a lot of people just overlook. Find a friend who you can chat with and mark out a fixed length route. The condo complex I used to live it was one mile around in a loop. A few of us would meet at 8pm, walk the loop and chat. We started at 1 lap and after a few months, we were up to 5. When I had to do it alone, my iPod kept my mind occupied so I could still walk the 5 miles. Combining the eating better and walking, I lost 35 lbs.

Walking and bike riding really works wonders. Drink lots of water and cut salt and calorie intake.

The weight loss group is pretty great! I enjoy sifting through the new and old threads for tips.