so i had my daughter june 23rd and a week after she was born i had already lost 20 pounds. i gained 40 during the whole pregnancy. so i was all happy the baby weight was just falling off but then Hanna(my daughter) went into the hospital for two weeks so with the combination of sitting the whole time, stress and eating crappy hospital food i gained some weight back and now since school has started and im working ALL THE TIME. i've gained it all back....im soooo huge i hate myself...im 201 right now and i hate it...i didnt really realize how big i was until i got my hair colored and for the two hours that she was doing my hair i was just staring in the mirror on the verge of tears...i hate myself....i wanna lose the weight but i cant!
has anyone done something they had success with? i need to get this weight off and soon! i hate being unhappy...
i just need help...

Hey hey hey....calm down...You are a beautiful young girl, you just had a baby, it is so normal to fluctuate for a while. Trust me I hate it too. I have had 3 and the chances of you being a skinny minnie again are way higher than mine. Just avoid looking in the mirror in concentrated amounts of time, I force myself to not pick my appearance apart. You have the "battle wounds" and "scars" of a mommy, that is what you are, be proud of it. The important thing is are you breastfeeding? If so then just eat healthy and you will find that your waistline and weight will milk its way out slowly over time...portion control is the best way to go...if you are not breastfeeding then you can cut your portions back a little bit more but don't over do it...you need to stay healthy. Also the weight can be muscle tone from all the carrying and lifting you do as a busy mom. Don't look at weight, look at health and inches...it can take a full year to get back to a comfortable size...give yourself a break...you are beautiful...ok?? You will make it...wear your "proof of motherhood" proudly...cover your mirrors and get the "images" of what you "should" look like out of your head...J Lo and Brittany and Branjolina can afford tummy tucks, we can't, it doesn't mean that under the airbrush that they don't have stretch marks and cellulite and flab. At least we don't have people following us with a camera waiting to catch us at our worst like they do...LOL...hang in there girl...you are beautiful!! And little Hannah was worth every pound, wait till she starts running, it will melt away!! Love you and take care...Meg

It's so difficult to be a teenage mother because of self-esteem issues. Meg is so right! Just realize that you're not alone, and you are totally and completely normal. Let the important things take control of your life, not the insignificant ones. Look at the positive things about yourself and just let it be. Maybe take a jog for 30 minutes a day with baby. Just eat healthy and everything will fall into place.

And I am the prime example of muscle weighs more than fat. I have very muscular legs and I weighed a little more than most girls because of that, but I had the same flat stomach as them.

If you need any advice or help on eating healthy, go to mypyramid.gov. It was really helpful to me and less stressful with getting all the nutrients that I needed daily. I think that they even have a breastfeeding pyramid, if you're doing that. You can even customize it!

Hang in there sweetie! It is hard, I had complications during my pregnancy and I gained a total of 80 lbs! About 40 of it came off pretty quick but the rest has come off slowly over time, with exercise, even just making a point to walk around the house more will help, and try to be aware of the foods you're eating. Having a baby is a big change and I don't know many new moms who don't struggle with how they look afterward, but remember you're not alone on this and we'll be here for you!

Meg is soooo right. Please listen to her!
If you want suggestions here are a few...
My cousin lost 10 pounds recently just from not eating icecream at night, so cutting down on sugar would be good.
Also if you can manage to eat some fruit (like an apple or a peach) in the mid morning and then again in the mid afternoon that can help.
Eating whole wheat bread instead of white and cutting down on the amount works for my Mom...
But try not to stress about it... and don't be too critical of yourself!
Hugs!

Your not alone most mom's gain weight and struggle with getting it off initially. Like they said just breastfeed, walk or jog when you can (the baby will probably love it). This too shall pass.........