desperate

[moka]

hello there
well, im 26years old, had a baby in april 2006, i wont be taling in lbs nor pounds cause we use centimetres and Kg, so, i gained about 25kg or more with the pregnancy and after a year and 5 monts i have only lost about 15, so im currently 82kg and 1.67 cm tall ( im miserable) im too embarassed of my weight to go to the gym and i love eating (so does my husband) and the all diet thing freaks me out.
anyway im willin to change, and decided to start gym and (sort of ) diet, and was wondering if anyone would be willin to gimme sum tips.
as in if walkin after work would help, how many times should i try to go t o the gym, what sort of exercises should i make, things like that.
the truth is that i have been feeling so miserable that i can barely socialize, feel embarassed of myself when i have to go out and lost sexual interest cause i think im too ugly and fat...
HELP....

 

[deschain]

Having a baby can do crazy things to your body, wt gain being one of them.

First of all, don't be so hard on yourself. You had a baby about 17 months ago - that is still a pretty young baby there. It's not like you have a 13 year old kid, and are trying to blame being overweight on baby-weight.

Second, one of the big reasons it can be hard to lose baby-weight in particular, is the drastic change in lifestyle. It's very hard to re-establish how you do everything in life. Having a baby means more than changing diapers, it means that every minute of every day revolves more around what that baby needs, then what you need.

Now, as for walking after work - that is an excellent idea. If your weather permits, walking is a great way to get in some exercise, get out and enjoy the outdoors, and expose baby to stimulating environments (the real world is a much better brain stimulator than all those fancy toys). Fresh air and sunshine are also linked (as is exercise) to having a positive influence on serotonin levels in the brain (which can help with depression).

Strength training is an important part of an exercise program. It would be good to try and do this at least 2 days a week. Full body workouts are my personal pref, and are good for overall fitness and help with weight loss. Another reason they can be good for someone in your situation is that if it so happens that you aren't able to get to the gym for that second workout (as in the baby gets sick, etc) - you have already worked all the muscles of your body. Ideally, this wouldn't happen and you get in both of your strength training workouts every week, but life is life, and we do the best we can.

As for what exercises, aim for dumbbell, barbell, compound type movements that don't just isolate one muscle (pullups or wide-bar pulldowns instead of bicep curls). Now, I don't think it's a bad thing for you to start out using the machines. They can be a good place for a beginner to get a feel for the gym. learn some of the basics of movement, and prevent injury b/c the range of motion is fixed (as in, you don't risk dropping a dumbbell on your head). However, I would truly aim for gravitating towards free weight exercises and away from machines once you get your bearings in the gym. For proper form and technique, you can speak with a trainer in your gym and ask them to show you, and you can look around online (there are sites that show little videos of exercises).

I know this is long, hope it helps.