Sick of it :(

Help me Mummas, I'm stuck in a rut!

I'm sick of being unhappy with what I see in the mirror. i started putting on weight when DD was born. i guess i got caught with going from quite an active, physically demanding job to sitting on my arse for 8 hours/day feeding her.

I'm carrying too much weight, none of my clothes fit, I eat too much of the wrong foods and I don't exercise. I went back to work (full time) when DD was 6mo but am taking LWOP for 12 months from Xmas when DD will nearly 9mo.

I gave up smoking when I found out I was pregnant and I miss it.

I've had success in the past with dropping sugar and white flour out of the diet but couldn't sustain it.Since being pregnant I constantly crave chocolate and biscuits and pudding etc and always feel hungry.

I've been really fit in the past, I quite like some exercise (weight training) but I really doubt DD will let me get an uninterrupted 30-60 mins exercise/day to get back to "race fit".

I know what I'm doing wrong and I know what I need to do right... but I feel alone and unmotivated and like I've failed already :( Where do I go from here?

Hi ML, you are not alone in being unhappy with your appearance! I find that exclusion diets (cutting something out of your diet completely) are too hard to maintain. I end up craving whatever it is I have excluded! I work on the theory of 'everything in moderation' and try to control my portion sizes, which tend to be far too big.

Exercise is difficult with a little one, you're right that they are unlikely to give you uninterrupted time for exercise. If you would consider it, may gyms these days have childcare facilities where your DD would be cared for on site, very near to where you are and the staff will come to get you if she needs you. Otherwise, I would suggest putting her in the pram and just getting out and about and walking. There are plenty of good running prams on the market if you like to run.

As for the smoking, as an ex smoker I would have to say 'don't doooo it!!!'. You've done the hard yards, don't take it up again! Maybe replace the fags with something else you like to do, such a taking a walk, eating an apple, chewing some gum...

Good luck, you can do it!

My advice is to start with the exercise and don't worry about the diet just yet. Exercise will help you to feel fitter and more energetic, and will help you to realise that you can do it. If you think laterally you can think of some alternatives to the traditional exercise regimes. For example, aerobics DVDs are good - you can do them in your own time and own space and kids are usually hypnotised by the crazy moves. You can get a weeride for your bike (front seat child carrier) and take them for a long ride - they usually love seeing everything move past them. Go for along walk with the pram or a carrier. You can jump on the trampoline, dance to music, take them swimming, do weights at home. You might also be able to join a team sport at nights (like indoor netball, volleyball or soccer) if your partner can look after her for a little bit. I think it is great for kids to see their parents exercising as it then becomes a normal part of life for them.