Post Partum Pooch

Ugh... bitchfest time.

 

I am 10 weeks post-partum and I'm still wearing my maternity shorts. And that does not make anyone feel good about themselves.

 

OK... let me back up. At the end of it all, I gained 53 pounds this pregnancy. That's a shit ton of weight, people.

 

 

 

I can't believe I am sharing this photo, but here I am 3 days after giving birth. It's just a sweet photo of me, my girls, and my dad. I was still in the hospital. I had been pumped full of fluids. I am not a fan of hospital photos of the mom. I'm not the mom who can look like a super model right away. I sure wish I was though!!!

 

 

 

Then a really amazing thing happened after I got home... the weight started falling off. Insanely fast. Like a few pounds a day some days. I was occasionally drinking an Herbalife shake as a meal supplement, and my appetite was drastically smaller than it had been during the pregnancy, but obviously, I could barely move some days because of my c-section recovery, so there wasn't any exercise happening. I was so pleased with my results and by the time a month rolled around, I was down to only needing to lose 16 pounds. I was still wearing maternity bottoms, but could fit into some of my non-maternity t-shirts and looser fitting other shirts. I still wasn't keen on having photos taken of myself (especially my face - I hate that my face gains weight) but I was getting there.

 

 

 

But then it happened... I hit a wall. After that point, I lost no more weight. I came to 7 1/2 weeks post-partum and realized I was *STILL* griping about needing to lose 16 pounds. I needed to get serious. I needed to find time to exercise and the will power and motivation to alter my diet. Going back to work is lingering... and I cannot go back to work wearing maternity clothes. And I absolutely will not go and buy an entire new wardrobe either. Those 16 pounds... had to GO!!!

 

It was time to start exercising. I started doing crunches and planks and leg lifts (or whatever they're actually called) every day. I would do squats and lunges while holding Healey during her fussy-need to be held spells. And I finally got Puff to agree to keep both girls for a little while so I could hit up the gym. I didn't want to purchase a membership yet, at this point, since I wasn't sure which gym I wanted to commit to. I had wanted a personal trainer... I was talking before this pregnancy that if it ever happened, I would absolutely NEED a trainer. (And a different one from my last one - which meant a new gym.) Still no trainer yet, but I'm not completely ruling out the possibility.

 

I managed to go to the gym twice that first weekend I committed to losing. I even surprised myself because I had been thinking ten minutes would kick my ass, but I managed to do 20 minutes on the elliptical both times - and at a speed I used to maintain pre-baby. Unfortunately, Puff isn't the best motivator and convincing him to take time to keep the girls so I could exercise was hard.

 

But after 3 days of trying to eat better and 3 times to the gym, I lost a pound. ONE POUND. But you know what? That was a pound that I hadn't been able to lose in the entire previous month. I also found a 12 week diet challenge that I have convinced Puff to join me on. I will update you once I am into that - or finished. Here's hoping it helps!