Eating Disorder

[bellyjelly]

I had an eating disorder in college....gaining weight durning while pregnant was not a big deal. However, I gained 8 pounds on fertatility drugs and then 30 pounds while pregnant. I have lost all but the 8 pounds. I want to be 120 again. I am at 128 now. I feel so down about the way I look. It stinks and I just want to lose the weight and more. I am doing 30 mintues of cardio about 4 times a week and try to do abs when I can fit them in. I look at my sweet baby girl though and I know it was worth all the weight. I just want to feel pretty again.

[littleboyblue]

I don't think you should be so hard on yourself. I used to be a bartender and I had a nicer body then I do now. (Probably 15 pounds difference and things were harder and my boobs were higher and not as flat.) I got a babysitter last week and I went to that same bar, and I had a customer tell me that I am far sexier now than I was before I had the baby. He told me it is the new mom glow and that I looked happier than I did before.
Take joy in being a new mother and you'll be the beautiful mother that your daughter deserves.

[jennasmom]

I struggled with my weight and body image throughout high school and college as well. I still have 15 lbs. to lose and wearing bigger clothes and looking at my flabby belly gets me down a lot. The hardest thing for me about having a baby wasn't the pregnancy, the labor, or the sleepless nights, it's the way my body isn't really my own anymore! My husband (who became my boyfriend when we were 15 - 11 years ago!) was very supportive throughout that time period and is continuing to be supportive. He told me the other day when I was feeling self-conscious that this is just like what we went through years ago. We'll get through it. It helps to have someone else in it with me. I just try to keep my spirits up. I get out and push Jenna around town in her stroller. I look at myself in the mirror and say "You look good!"

[Dr. Maria Rago]

Hi! I don't know how long ago you had your baby, but you only have 8 pounds left, and then you will be at the same weight you were before your pregnancy. That is awesome! One important issue to keep in mind is how we set our expectations. If you expect that you must lose all of that weight and get back to your original pre-pregnancy weight, you will need some time to make this happen. Working out 4 times per week is excellent, and if you could give this some more time, you should continue to see more results. What if you lost all but 2 pounds? That is what I mean about expectations. Some people freak about 2 pounds, but who would EVER be able to notice such a small amount? I am sure you look great now, and try not to be rigid about what you demand from your body. You have just been through so much physically and emotionally with your pregnancy, so be sure to be extra kind to yourself, and think of all of the ways you look awesome, too. Sometimes we focus only on the negatives of our body image, and the imperfections. Please try to also give yourself credit for things about you, and the way you look, that you love.

It is also really wise of you to be aware of your previous eating disorder. You will need to be extra vigilant to make sure you are not getting too caught up in losing weight, or go over the edge in how much to focus on weight, eating and exercise. You sound like you have been doing a good job of keeping everything in your life in perspective. Because, as you know, when eating disorders are involved, the drive for thinness becomes so important, that other things really suffer, and that would not be good for you and your family.

Enjoy motherhood, appreciate your body for its beauty and what it has does for you, and continue to be good to yourself! Dr. Maria Rago.