Invaluable Support for My 44 Pound Weight Loss

For many women there is no greater joy than giving birth to a healthy baby boy or girl. Sadly, for many new moms theres also no bigger dilemma than figuring out an effective way to shed the dreaded "baby fat!"

Mom-of-two Angelina Wallent has been there, done that... with the help of eDiets, the leading online weight loss and fitness website. During each of her pregnancies, Angelina gained 70 to 80 pounds. After the birth of daughter Peri four years ago, our 5'6" featured dieter struggled, but managed to drop the extra pounds. The weight loss proved even tougher when her son John came into the world two years ago.

“It was really scary having gained so much weight being pregnant,” she tells eDiets from her Washington home. “That’s a lot more than you are supposed to gain. It was terrifying with both kids. I would think, ‘what if it doesn’t go away?’

It was so unattractive and so unhealthy. It would have been really easy not to do anything and just become obese. Im sure it happens to a lot of women. You hear about it all the time. Its a hopeless feeling to have a baby and youre enormous.

Well, this lady is no longer singing the blues. Angelina now weighs a svelte 126 pounds -- she's 44 pounds lighter and a lot healthier than she’s ever been. Although she reached her goal weight last April, Angelina has remained an eDieter. Why hasn't she cut the cord? She's grown too attached to the support, guidance and accountability that helped her lose those pregnancy pounds and keep them off!

After she had her son (see Mom and baby in BEFORE picture), Angelinas weight leveled out around 170 pounds. Quite a jump for a gal who had hovered in the mid-130s for most of her adult life. It was the fear of remaining overweight for life that drove Angelina to link up with eDiets.

“I didn’t want to go to Weight Watchers after they moved their franchise," she says. "I needed some kind of support and wanted to read about what other people were doing. I also wanted to have a place where I could record my weight and be accountable.”

In July 2000, she clicked with eDiets.

With resources such as a healthy meal plan, support boards, experts, and a fitness option at her fingertips, Angelina was on her way to weight loss glory. Even if she didn’t use all the available tools, she found comfort in knowing they were there at her fingertips 24/7.

The nursing mother was in a precarious situation: she sorely wanted to lose weight but she couldn’t "diet" because that could sabotage her milk production. She turned to her fellow eDieters for help.

I visited the support boards and read what other ladies who were nursing were doing," she notes. "They would talk about it on the different bulletin boards. Its a unique situation to try and lose weight while breastfeeding.

An exercise plan proved to be the answer. She started with a cardio and weight training mix (a few days of each over the course of the week). With the help of a trainer, she stepped up her efforts and put her weight woes to rest for good.

After her workout habits were forged, she dropped the trainer and went solo. She now runs twice a week -- inside on a treadmill or outside in the open air. She has also become a spinning enthusiast. She devotes two days a week to weight training.

Angelina has progressed to where she recently completed a 5K race! It was a monumental occasion for a gal who grew up a non-athlete.

A regular exercise regimen doubles as a mood booster for Angelina... even in the toughest times. It has also helped stave off emotional eating binges. Now when the going gets tough, Angelina gets going.

“Emotional eating was a very big struggle for me," she tells eDiets. "It’s been helpful to read the support boards and see that other people struggle with the same issues. People need to look at what’s wrong inside -- to look at why they are eating emotionally -- and try to fix that.”

Angelina found her fix in fitness. Not only is she using exercise to benefit herself, but she’s also setting a great example for her children.

“My daughter wants to go running with me. She puts on her sneakers and we run to the mailbox and back," she says. "It makes me really proud that she sees fitness as something that is cool... something that she wants to emulate. I am so proud of her.

“I have to think that if she’s athletic that maybe she will be able to avoid the stuff I went through growing up. Feeling strong and liking your body are great feelings for somebody growing up.”

One of the biggest challenges Angelina now faces is maintaining a healthy weight. Although her weight sank as low as 118 (which for a woman her height and build was too low), she is happiest and healthiest at 126 pounds, her current weight.

“This weight is a good place for me to be," she says. "I have a good amount of muscle. I love being able to buy size 2 or size 4 clothes. I feel cute. I have a lot more self-confidence and I think it shows.

“I tuck my clothes in. I wear a belt. I’m not hiding myself. When I was pregnant or right after I had my kids, I was wearing really loose clothing that made me look bigger than I was. I felt uncomfortable and tried not to draw attention to my body.”

Today, Angelina is on a good run, happy she's been able to stick with a program that is helping her go the distance.