I weighed 20 pounds more than I wanted to when I became pregnant with Hutchy.
And then during my pregnancy I gained 60 pounds. SIXTY POUNDS.
The enormity of that statement is not lost on me.
It was so easy, gaining that weight. I barely did a thing, really. Which of course is my problem. I started out my pregnancy with the best of intentions for my health. I was determined to eat perfectly according to all the charts and pyramids, and buy all organic food, and go on regular walks and maybe even take up jazzercise. But none of that happened and by the time I was halfway through my 40 weeks I’d become lazy to such a pathetic degree that even trimming my toenails became a chore.
All of my good intentions fell to the wayside as I watched the numbers on the scale climb up and up. Every week I thought I couldn’t get any heavier, but I didn’t really do anything to keep it from happening. Oh sure, I’d take the odd walk here and there, but it wasn’t enough to combat the devil-may-care approach I took to my diet (consisting mainly of Rice Krispy Squares).
The funny thing is, for the first few weeks after giving birth I actually walked around feeling skinny! I mean, I’d been so huge for so long that when I no longer had a watermelon in my stomach I really felt like I could be a supermodel.
Hutch weighed 10 pounds 2 ounces when he was born (which is a surprise to no one, considering the aforementioned Rice Krispy Squares), so that was a dime down right there, plus I lost about that much in blood and guts when the delivery nurses violently attacked my stomach during those first few minutes post-delivery. I literally remember looking down at my stomach while I was still laying on the delivery table and Hutch was getting checked out and exclaiming, “I’m so skinny!”
By the time Hutch was one week old I’d already lost 25 pounds, and by two weeks I’d lost 40 by doing practically nothing but nurse my baby and cry all the time.
Which is good news, to be sure.
But the bad news is that my magical do-nothing weight loss has plateaued and I haven’t lost any since then, which means I’m still 20 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant and 40 pounds heavier than I would like to be. (Remember how I was up 20 before I even got pregnant?) Those days of walking around feeling like a whale are a pretty distant memory, as are the days of rejoicing for their passing. I don’t feel huge anymore, but I don’t feel thin either. I look lumpy and frumpy and I don’t fit well into clothes, period.
So it’s time to get serious. Hutch is 3 months old now and I’m feeling good enough to exercise, even though I really hate to do it. I’m also going to start eating right, keeping in mind that I am still nursing (but supplementing with formula because my body has decided it simply won’t create enough milk for my child to live on, and there’s a whole nuther blog post) so I can’t go too crazy with cutting calories—but I can change what calories I do eat to be more healthy ones.
Starting today I am cutting out all soda from my diet. I will miss it, but I miss wearing my old jeans even more.
I am drinking at least one freshly-squeezed veggie juice a day (think Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead).
I am eating oatmeal for breakfast (good for the ol’ milk-makers) and a salad of some sort for lunch (I’m looking at you, Olive Garden Salad Dressing of which my sister gave me a year’s supply last Christmas [best gift ever BTW]).
I’m staying far away from sweets. If they aren’t in my house I won’t eat them, and so I won’t let them in my house. I’m exterminating them. DIE, SWEETS.
And—the hardest part—I’m going to exercise to the point of sweating at least 5 times a week.
Anybody care to join me? I’d love to hear your pregnancy weight-loss success stories, or your favourite healthy snack, or how long it took you to get back into your non-stretchy jeans, or anything inspiring at all.
Also, have you ever had any sort of success with those fitness tracker things like a FitBit or a Jawbone or a Nike device that you wear around and pair with your iPhone? If so, did you like it? Poor Kyle and I are looking into getting a pair. I’m pretty sure they’re a bit gimmicky and I can’t see myself wearing one long-term, but if it motivates me to lose even 10 pounds it would be worth it.
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