Getting Back to "Me"

Anyone who has ever been pregnant can relate to the emotions that arise as your body changes. Personally, I couldn't wait for my "bump" to show! I was one of those people that showed really early and I loved it! I started wearing maternity jeans at 11 weeks and I took countless pictures of my belly.

The beginnings of a bump, 9 weeks pregnant!

I was also one of those people that looked at pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted and however much of it I wanted! I gained weight FAST! I can't remember the numbers exactly, but I think that by the end of my first trimester, I was up 15lbs. My "bump" continued to grow and the number on the scale continued to rise. For the first 6 months of my pregnancy I exercised regularly and continued to lead fitness classes. When I moved home at the end of June (I was 29 weeks at that point), I got lazy and did lots of sitting around and eating. Due to high blood pressure, I was put on partial bedrest (I think around 35 weeks). I wasn't allowed to do anything...so, I sat on the couch and ate. Before I got pregnant I weighed 156 lbs (I can't believe I'm actually posting my weight for all to see) and on the day Grace was born, I weighed in at a whopping 201 lbs! I had gained a solid 45 lbs. The funny thing is that everyone kept telling me how big I was and we were all anticipating a HUGE baby! Imagine our surprise when dainty little Grace weighed in at 6lbs 11oz!

Needless to say, I was not one of those women that has a baby and gets back to her pre-baby size within weeks (if you are one of those women, I TOTALLY envy you)! At my 6 week check-up, I still weighed 180lbs and felt discouraged - none of my clothes fit, I still looked 5 months pregnant and the skin on my belly was loose and covered in stretch marks. However, I didn't feel like I had the time or energy to do anything about it. I continued to eat like crazy and focused every waking minute on my new daughter.
 


34 weeks pregnant

 

38.5 weeks pregnant

I remember a low point in November, when Grace was about 2 months old. I still hadn't lost any more weight and I remember saying, "I think I'm just going to be this size forever now. I don't even care if I lose any weight. I just want some of my clothes to fit again." I had just tried on my winter jackets and none of them would zipper. Essentially, I had given up when it came to weight loss. As a last resort, I convinced my best friend Sherri to sign up for Ufit bootcamp with me (Sherri's son, Harrison is about 6 weeks older than Grace). We were both terrified, but thought it would be good for us. That's where it all began....bootcamp lit a fire in me that is still burning! The moment that I signed up, my attitude changed and I got my motivation back. I didn't want to be fat forever, I didn't want to hide in sweatpants anymore and I sure as heck didn't want to see 180 on the scale for the rest of my life.

I could talk all day about how much I love bootcamp and how it has changed my life, but this post is long enough already! I will simply say that bootcamp gave me back my confidence, my energy and my drive. For my first 5-week bootcamp session, I continued to eat poorly, so my results were not that great. However, like I said, it started me on my weight loss journey and got me excited about what I could do!

Sherri and I after a very sweaty bootcamp session in December!

Also, in November, some other Mommy friends and I decided to get together twice/week to exercise. We did it during the day, so we could bring the babies. I planned the workouts and led the group. When we started in November, there was usually 4-5 of us doing this. We have grown immensely over the last couple of months and there are now 100 members on our Facebook group (with an average of 20-25 Moms and babies at each workout). Planning these workouts means that I can't skip out when I don't feel like going. I am held accountable and that's what I need! I look forward to these workouts, because I love seeing other Moms reach their goals. It's not just about weight loss - it's about getting back to yourself. Those first few months as a Mom, you don't even think about yourself; your life revolves around your baby. It takes a long time to improve your fitness level and to get back to where you were before pregnancy. I'm not a professional trainer, but I do know how new Moms sometimes feel. It's hard to find time to workout, you feel guilty spending money on yourself and most importantly, you're TIRED (who wants to workout when you've only gotten a couple hours of sleep?)! Our little fitness group has played a huge part in my journey! Thanks girls!

A station at our Mommy fitness class!

In January, I decided it was time to buckle down and start eating better! I eliminated the fast food visits (well, most of them) and I started eating 3 meals a day (well, I try)! I was determined to lose that baby weight! I started to notice big changes, which made me even more driven! On January 1st, I weighed in at 171lbs. The pounds started to drop as my eating improved. I will never forget the excitement I felt when I saw 156 on the scale again (my pre-baby weight)! Last week, I dropped below 150 for the first time in a couple of years! My ultimate goal is 140. This is what I weighed at my wedding in May 2008. I'm hovering around 149 right now and I know these last 10 pounds are going to be the hardest to lose. I am confident that I can do it though! :)

Here are some before and after pics! :)

These are my inches/weight stats since starting bootcamp in November:
Weight - Lost 26lbs
Chest - Lost 6 inches
Waist - Lost 8.5 inches
Hips - Lost 5 inches

If I could offer advice to any other new Moms struggling with their weight, I would say:

• Don't settle for unhappy. If your confidence is low and you don't like where you're at, do something about it!
• Set goals for yourself and write them down! I weigh myself each Monday and write down my weight. I have a goal for myself each week...sometimes I reach it, sometimes I don't. If I only lose 1/2 lb one week, I'll aim for 2 lbs the next week!
• Celebrate your success (but not by binging on junk food)!
• What worked for me was eliminating all junk food for the first little while until my weight loss was on a roll. Then, I slowly started eating some treats again (since I know it's unrealistic to think that I'm going to go the rest of my life without eating anything unhealthy)!
• Get a workout buddy (or 10)! This was CRUCIAL to my success!
• Your body is going to be different. Even though I weigh less now than I did when I got pregnant, I carry weight in different places than before and I still have loose skin. Again, this depends on the person. Some people get their old body back, others don't!
• Remember that it took 10 months for you to gain the weight, so it could take that long for you to lose it again.
• Out of sight, out of mind! Don't keep tempting foods in the house (I know this is hard if you have a husband who lives off of junk food, like mine, but do your best)!
• Make sure you're eating enough calories (especially if you're breastfeeding). Many times, new Moms don't eat enough and it backfires and messes with your metabolism!
• It's not all about weight loss! Celebrate your other successes (doing push ups from your toes, running for the first time, going to fitness class when you didn't feel like it, choosing to go through the Subway drive-thru instead of McDonald's, squeezing into those old jeans, drinking water instead of pop, etc).
• Fad diets don't work (at least not for me)! It has to be a lifestyle change.
• It will not be easy to find time for exercise, but it's possible! I try to workout 5 days/week now. You can do it if you set your mind to it!

If you have any tips for new Moms, please share them!!! :) I am by no means completely "back to me", but my confidence and energy has returned for the most part. I can fit into my old jeans (even if I do have a fat roll hanging over the top, lol) and those winter jackets zipper no problem. I have so many people to thank for their support and encouragement - I couldn't have done it alone! My next goal is to train for a 5km run! My journey continues...I will keep you up to date!

As promised, here is my "Moment full of Grace" for today: Most nights when Grace wakes up in the middle of the night, I try rocking her and soothing her (instead of feeding her). This sometimes works and it sometimes doesn't (that's a whole other post)! Anyways, last night, I was rocking her and singing quietly to her. She just laid there, staring up at me with those big beautiful eyes. Then, out of the blue, she spit out her soother and started "singing" with me. I can't even explain what it sounded like, but it was like a continuous little mumbling in her high pitched little voice. SO CUTE!!! I've been singing my whole life and in that moment, I couldn't help but think that she's going to be a singer someday! :) Instead of popping the soother back in and forcing her to go to sleep, I let her mumble and "sing" with me and she eventually fell asleep doing it. My heart was melting...that's my "Moment full of Grace"! :)