So I’m going to get a little personal here, I sure hope you don’t mind. Everyone always talks about their body and the changes they go through when pregnant, but what about afterwards? What about that postpartum body? What about all the excess rolls and fat and love handles that appear in places they never were before? What about all the pre-pregnancy clothes and pants especially that still don’t fit 6 months in or even 11 months for that matter?
Yes, I know everyone’s pregnancies and everyone’s bodies are different. And everyone has a different post partum story …this one just happens to be mine.
I have never been one to diet – yes, my weight has fluctuated over the years give or take 15 pounds or more, so when I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t too concerned about the weight gain or how my body might change. Probably because I didn’t really know what to expect, and I just figured the weight would come off after LB arrived. And as Little Buddy grew in size, so did my baby bump. The numbers began to creep up on the scale, but I was okay with that considering it was perfectly normal and expected, and God was using me to grow a baby, how cool is that? But I must admit, there were definitely times where I was frustrated with how out of control I was in regards to the weight gain. I mean regardless of what I ate or how much I exercised, I gained weight. And yes, a pregnant woman is expected to gain weight, and if she doesn’t, people begin to question how she’s eating, if she’s eating at all, if she’s exercising too much, is there something wrong with the baby or with the mom, is the baby not growing well? Etc, etc – you get the point.
I wore skirts and dresses nearly the entire pregnancy and I didn’t buy a pair of maternity pants. In retrospect, I probably should have – I think I would have enjoyed them tremendously considering I did get tired of dressing up all the time, but it simply meant I didn’t buy any maternity clothes. However, it was a sad day when certain items no longer zipped, and thus they were banished to the back of the closet until those postpartum days arrived.
Well let’s just say those postpartum days are here, and they have been here for 11 months, and my jeans still aren’t too comfortable on me, but if I’m honest, they weren’t all that comfortable even before I was pregnant. So I suppose those aren’t a very good marker of the weight loss considering I didn’t wear jeans all that much even prior to being pregnant.
Anyhow, I lost at least 10 pounds before I left the hospital – 4 lbs baby and 6+ lbs water weight. But what about the rest of the weight, you ask? The weight has slowly been creeping off the body…very, very slowly. Breastfeeding has this magical effect on some people, and I wish I could say it has the most magical effect on me, but I would be lying if I said that. When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't even recognize the body staring back at me. The post pregnancy body is a tough one for me. Everything is a little soft, and nothing fits the same. And yes, I know everyone says give yourself 9 months… “It took you 9 months to put the weight on, so give yourself 9 months to take the weight off.” Well, I’m 11 months in, and I still have a few lbs to lose. Discipline has never been my strong point, and discipline is what it’s truly going to take.
So guess what I went and did? I signed up for a half marathon with only eight weeks to train, and it was hard. It was hard setting aside time to train. It was hard actually getting out there and running. But it was so worth it, especially when I crossed that finish line!
My husband has been a dream, and I’m so thankful I married someone that treasures health and fitness and cares enough about both to spur his wife on toward certain goals she sets for herself.
Here are some things I am finding helpful in trying to loose weight:
- Sign up for something - a half marathon, a gym membership, a bar method class.
- Set goals for yourself so that you have something to work toward - I'm terrible at this, like I said discipline definitely isn't my strong suit.
- Celebrate the little changes! A month ago I pulled out a skirt that was banished to the back of the closet pretty early on in my pregnancy. And I put it on...and it zipped!!! I thought about taking a picture to document this beautiful moment, but instead I just shared that moment with the husband.
- Workout videos on youtube! I love this Barre Video - plus the instructor has an accent and any Jillian Michaels video is always good. Best part - you don't even have to leave your house!
And so I ask...How did you lose your baby weight? What worked for you?
xoxo,
Malia
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