Perhaps I am being too hopeful, but I am hoping to lose not just the baby weight after this pregnancy, but I was a little overweight before that so another 20 pounds on top of what I gain would be nice... maybe I am being too hopeful? LOL Part of it is because I will be going to Cuba next october, so I want to at least feel decent in a one piece bathing suit.
In the event that I don't lose the weight, I really think I need to learn how to accept and love my body not just for me, but to set a good example for my soon to be daughter. I would welcome tips on both learning to love my body, and losing weight! Anyone else feel similar/have similar goals?

hi there,

i don't know if i have any magic tricks for self acceptance but i definitely share similar goals and aspirations as you. Its a battle I face all the time as I was very aware that with this pregnancy i started out 28lb heavier than when i had my 1st daughter 12 years ago. I want to say that in between my weight has gone up and down, and 3 years ago i actually had it back to the same weight i had those 12 years ago. so believe me, yes it is possible.

I think be realistic with yourself, you have around 8 months from birth to Cuba? so i say a realistic goal is pre-pregnancy weight, if you get into that 20lb then consider it a bonus, and do NOT beat yourself up about it!! Also I want to be fair to you and say that, yep that weight can be got rid of but things may not be as tight as they were before. i noticed that no matter how hard i tried I couldnt get a flat belly. I want to scream sometimes when i see pics of halle berry or JLo and go whoop for you gggrrrr i dont have the nannies or the money to have time for working out every day or having a personal trainer. its great for them but most of us live in the real world. I think my point is DO NOT compare yourself to any celebrity mom you see, it will drive you crazy!

I think my biggest battle was beliveing my partner loved me the way i was. I mean, at the end of the day, he found me attractive enough to get me pregnant right? and even with this extra weight hes still here. so there must be a degree of physical attraction. i tried to see myself through his eyes. he didnt see the stretchmarks, the bumps etc. he saw my sparkly eyes, my smile, and he loves my tush oh and he doesnt mind that some of those lb happen to fall in my chest area. so my tip there would be focus on the positives. when you look for a one piece, find something that draws attention away from the middle and to the areas you dont mind quite so much. I love my halterneck style, great cleavage and distraction from the tummy

I think i'll stop this essay now, so sorry i went on, but hope some of what i said helped xx

ooh yeah, tips for losing weight!

3 main things worked for me:
1) is portion control, basically putting less on my plate cos if it was there i would just eat it, and looking back those servings were large!
2) only eating when i am genuinely hungry, instead of being bored, walking past the fridge and cutting off a piece of cheese. I had to be harsh and decide if i was really hungry or not. and the same as i made my way through a meal, was i full or was i stil;l going cos i just liked the taste?
3) keep a food diary! if you write it down and have to read it back it makes you think twice about that chunk of cheese, that candy bar, that can of coke (yep include drinks cos soda can be shocking)

I have the same goals!! I dont want to pass my emotional eating and constant dieting onto my kids like my mom did with me. I eat when im bored and know once baby is here i wont be bored!! I hope that alone will help.

Same goals lol.

Pregnancy weight and 20 pounds on top of that!

I'd like to lose pg weight + 50 as I'm very overweight, though only up 5lbs on pre-pg weight at 19wks, so we'll see. I havent got a goal date in mind, but ideally before having another baby (if we decide to)

I too would love to lost this pregnancy weight and then some! I dont know how realistic that will be with a husband who works 14 hour night shifts, having a newborn, and a 23 month old though. =( Hopefully something will be possible.

I am hoping to lose baby weight plus about 40 lbs. I know that breastfeeding can help you burn up to an additional 500 calories a day.

It took me 5 years to lose the weight I gained with #1, so I'm not being too ambitious this time, though it's great incentive to not eat crap, and walk more. I'll be joining the gym once I've recovered from my babyectomy and hoping to get back to pre pregnancy - 57kg/125lb