Now that the baby has arrived, I figured it would be a good idea to get a log started here. I managed to gain 33 lbs during the pregnancy, but I've already gotten 23 of those lbs back off again. I'm hoping to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the time I hit my 6 week check-up (though I'm not restricting calories right now since I'm nursing). Then I can focus on getting the real weight--the 100 lbs or so that I've been carrying around for years--off of this body.
Why:
I've spent too much time making excuses for myself. It was through bad habits and bad diet (ok, plus a little bit of influence from medication and side effects, but just a little) that I managed to eat myself to this weight, and I'm sick and tired of it. I have three beautiful girls who deserve to have a mommy who is healthy and happy. I have arthritis already, and the extra weight only makes that worse. The best thing that I can do for myself and my family is to get this weight off and start living the life that I'm meant to live. Imagine what getting the weight off could mean--I could end up going into remission and not needing the biweekly injections of Humira. I could go shopping in a regular store and not be embarrassed about picking up the big sizes. I could go swimming with my girls and not be embarrassed about the size of my ass. I could run around and play with the kids because I'd have more energy since I was carrying around less of myself. My kids deserve better. My husband deserves better. Heck, I deserve better!
How:
Well, before I found out I was pregnant with Miss Molly, I was following Leigh Peele's suggestions from
FLTS. I stopped the insane 2 hr workouts in the gym, I stopped working out every day of the week, and I stopped pushing myself too hard and aggravating my arthritis. Instead, I focused on my food and on getting that right. I started weighing and measuring everything and eating at a little over 1000 calorie deficit. Instead of lifting heavy and running on a treadmill (which only served to screw up my knees more), I took lots of walks and increased my NEAT. I'd love to get back to lifting again, and hope to, but I need to get some of this excess weight off first to make life easier on my old arthritic joints.
The Plan:
For now (until the end of June and my 6 week post c-section checkup), I am going to focus on eating good healthy food. I am going to start tracking my food again so that when I'm cleared to start back with the deficit (which can't be as extreme since I'm nursing), I'll have a good handle on what I'm already doing. Once I get the all clear from the doc, I'll have a conversation with Leigh about what I need to do next.
So there you go. I'm making myself accountable to myself and to anybody who happens across this. I've got a long road ahead of me, but I know that this time I'm armed with the knowledge to do it right and reach my goal!