The Start of my Post Partum Weight loss Journey

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In the last post I shared about the birth of my newest baby bear. Today, I wanted to share about a struggle of mine and the on-going journey I am on. It is my hope that this post will encourage you that you are not alone and that weight loss is achievable with hard work and effort!

Where did this flab come from?

It was about a week post partum. I was feeling great overall! My milk had come in strong in spite of struggling with a severe tongue and lip tie. I was happy and excited as our family welcomed this newest little gift… then one look in the mirror and it all changed.

I was shocked as I stepped on the scale and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I hadn’t realized how BIG I had gotten… even as I write this, I feel some of the shame and sadness. Were did this FLAB come from? What had happened to me? When did I gain all this excess weight?

I remember breaking down in angry tears… I felt hate towards my body… I knew it was beautiful and powerful- just look at pregnancy… but this? I was overwhelmed.

First Step to Recovery

My husband held me lovingly as I cried my heart out. He listened to me sob and share my sorrow. He comforted me and encouraged me to make a game plan and break the cycle. Recovery starts with admitting there is a problem and with recognizing where that problem started…

After much reflection, I realized that my weight gain had happened over several years and multiple pregnancies. While I had always struggled with my weight, I was not always this big. Back in college I lost over 50# to get myself back down to 145 and to stay there!

I got married and gained a little bit more weight, but still stayed in the healthy range… then I got pregnant, had a baby, miscarried, and got pregnant once again… Add in Lyme disease, two more miscarriages and a few more babies… several moves, intense life stress, and unhealthy stress eating… it was a disaster waiting to happen.

There wasn’t a huge even that caused my gain… it was a series of events that stacked on one another… and a lack of me taking the time to recognize what the changes were doing to my body.

The Resulting Weight

As a result, I had gained over a hundred pounds… and was at 272# before the birth of my son. While I lost 20 pounds overnight with his birth, I was still two hundred and fifty-two pounds! My target weight is 165… so I had a long way to go… and I still do!

The Plan

My husband helped me to create a plan and we discussed it with my midwife. I would start counting my calories- making healthy food choices and decreasing my carbs from 50+% of my diet to 25-30%.

Exercise was also key. I started walking 4-5 times each week. I wore baby on my front and pushed my two toddlers in a stroller. The other littles held the side of the stroller wagon… and we walked… slowly building to walking 1-2 miles each day. In addition to walking, I started working out during my children’s afternoon quiet time. I am currently doing Jillian Michael’s Banish Fat Boost Metabolism three days a week and Suzanne Bowen’s Long and Lean Prenatal work out two days a week…

I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night, stay hydrated, and take my daily vitamins…

Little By Little

And little by little, we are seeing improvement. As of my last weigh in at the beginning of the week, I was at 239 pounds. I am only 6 weeks postpartum… 5 weeks into my weight loss journey… and so far I have lost 13 pounds.

Not a lot when I have a hundred or so to lose, but it is a start… 80 more to go! I don’t know how my journey will end up, but I am not going to quit. This is more than an attempt to lose weight. This is my journey to get healthy and fit… to be in shape… and to find ways to help my family become healthier in the process. It is a life change and one I will make… little by little!