Hello to everyone. I am new to this site, and am here for general support and chit chat about something we all have in common, life and desire to lose weight.

I have not always been overweight. I was quite large six years ago after the birth of daughter number one. I was 230 pounds wearing a size 22. Before pregnancy i weighed 156. Quite a jump. I then got pregnant again, learned i had a gallbladder filled with stones and had to tough it out because i was pregnant. For nine months i ate fat free and lost 45 pounds. After the baby came i stayed on the diet and reached 150 pounds. I felt wonderful and decided to never get pregnant again. Well life changes and I just had a baby four months ago. I am up to 195 pounds and am looking for ideas to trim it off. I have been to the Atkins website, and other sites and just cant seem to decide which diet to do. The fat free worked before but i am so impatient. Atkins is fast, yet so restricted. I am not a huge meat lover....so i am going to try the fat free.
What i do not like about fat free is that the constant worry of counting calories and fat. Before i never counted calories, i ate anything that was fat free. Entamines fat free goodies, ice cream cereal...sugar stuff. And still lost, now i fear i wont be so lucky..
any tips or suggestions?

Welcome to diettalk. Nice to meet you. I went thru the same gall bladder problems.. and had mine out right after my first child was born. I eat low fat..not fat free. We do need some fat in our diets. I would recommend eating more natural foods...fruits and veggies, lean protein, lowfat dairy, whole grains,etc...

The problem I find with the FF stuff is that it is loaded with sugar and other stuff and that will cause you to want to eat more and have more cravings. For me to get my cravings under control, I cut out that kind of food and added fruits and veggies first.

We have a low fat forum with the Back to the Basics challenge in it. It is set up in stages..it may be helpful to you.

If there is anything I can help you out with , let me know. :x

:D Hi Lindaheath! I'm also a new mom with weight to lose. I have the advantage of being a personal fitness trainer though to. Tanya is exactly right! If you eat healthy in moderate portions combined with exercise, you'll lose your weight and keep it off. Try and eat 4-5 SMALL healthy meals a day to boost your metabolism and keep your blood sugars from rising and falling...giving you more energy. Switch from white pasta and rice to whole wheat. Get your fruit and veggies in. Don't forget to drink enough water and allow yourself to have a treat every now and again in moderation. As for exercise, start waliking at a pace where you can talk with out gasping for air for 45-60 minutes, 3-5 days a week. This is a fat burning zone. When you do this, your body looks to stored fat to give you the energy for the work out. When jogging (more of a cardio) Your body looks to readily available carbs for the work out. Eventually, you can start adding in a light weight toning routine. Hope this Helps You!!