After I had Owen, I lost 20 pounds within the first month, but then nothing. I gained and lost the same 5 pounds over and over until I got pregnant with Noah (still weighing in 15 pounds above where I was pre-Owen - and pre-Owen I was at the heaviest I had ever been). My body was determined to hold onto the weight while breastfeeding - I counted calories and stayed within my allotments and I exercised a little, but I just didn't lose the weight. And every time I started to cut calories a little more or exercise harder - I saw a significant drop in my milk production, and as I was barely pumping enough at work for Owen's bottles - I just couldn't risk doing anything that might diminish my supply, so I sucked it up and accepted my new weight.
Then during my pregnancy with Noah, I gained another 35 pounds (the same amount I gained during my first pregnancy) - except this time - that meant I was up 50 pounds from my pre-Owen weight - and up 80 pounds from my goal weight - eek!
Here I am just before and after Noah was born.
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| the day before I was induced, 2 days postpartum, and 3 days pp. |
By the time Noah was 1 month old, I had managed to lose 30 pounds! Woohoo! And we decided to start working out (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred - and Couch to 5k, C25K) at about 5 weeks pp. We took before pictures and measurements and weight and all that. Ready to go!
Before:
(sorry, it's not pretty, but I want to be real here and I want to hold myself accountable - because it isn't ok for this to become the new normal!)
July 5th Measurements:
Waist (smallest point): 35"
Hips (largest point): 45"
Arms: 12"
Thighs: 25"
Chest: 40"
Weight: +4.9lb (49.9lbs from goal weight)
Now, over the last month, I have been counting calories using the MyFitnessPal app, tracking activity with my Fitbit, and using other apps to track runs/walks. We only managed to do 5 days of the 30 day shred over the last 22 days (haven't quit, just haven't been consistently able to fit it in) - and we've done 2 runs and about 5 walks. I've had a few days that I've gone over my calorie goal, but for the most part I have been consistently under my goal, but with the inconsistent exercise and my hormones, I haven't seen much success, so I knew it was time to put this out here and give myself the kick in the buns to get motivated and to be consistent enough to see the changes I want and need! I don't want to go too crazy because it is my goal to nurse Noah for at least a year (probably longer) but since I'm at home this time and not trying to rely on the pump we should be able to control my supply a little bit better (at least I'm hoping) - but it is already clear that I'm going to have to do a little more this time to make things happen.
July 27th Measurements:
Waist (smallest point): 34 1/2"
Hips (largest point): 44 1/2"
Arms: 12"
Thighs: 25"
Chest: 40"
Weight: +4.7lb (49.7lbs from goal weight)
That's right, in 3 weeks, I only managed to lose .2 pounds and 1/2 an inch in my waist and hips with no changes elsewhere! Boo! In actuality, I have gained and lost the same four pounds about 3 times over the last 3 weeks with my weight ranging from +4lbs to +8lbs. So, I'm currently .7lbs higher than my lowest weight in the last few weeks, but that is a fairly small fluctuation.
So, here is my current plan - which may change - First, to help myself stay motivated I need to have small reachable goals with tangible (non-food) rewards.
Reach 0 point (post-Owen/pre-Noah weight): Get my eyebrows done
-5 pounds: Massage
-10 pounds: Manicure/pedicure
-20 pounds (pre-Owen weight): New woven wrap - a shortie
-30 pounds: Haircut/color
-40 pounds: Overnight date/mini vacation
-50 pounds (goal weight): New wardrobe (I'll need it!)
My rewards get bigger/more expensive as we get farther, because I'm assuming it will get increasingly harder to lose the weight as I go, and I need something to look forward to...to help myself keep pushing - in the past I've always given up when I hit a plateau and I don't want to do that again!
Second, how do I plan to do it:
Activity Goals:
1. Workout/video 3x/wk
2. Run/walk 3x/wk - we just got an awesome double jogger!
3. Stay under calorie goal 6x/wk (allow one "bad" day but don't go too crazy)
4. Reach 10,000 steps 4x/wk
5. Reach 10 flights of stairs every day
6. Drink 100oz of water/day
I'll update these goals as I make progress to make them harder or easier as needed. I've played with the idea of joining a gym, personal training, heart rate monitor, and/or joining Weight Watchers (how I reached my lowest adult weight) - but as of right now I want to try to do this for free, although I'm willing to invest money into it if I determine that doing it on my own isn't going to work. So, here we go - it took 5 years of teaching and two babies to put this weight on - but this time I'm going to make #operation9monthsoff work. 9 months on - 9 months off - so, I'm giving myself one more month to get the last of the baby 2 weight off and then 9 months to get to my goal weight. That means I should be there by Noah's first birthday! I'm planning on weekly accountability updates to show how I'm doing on my activity goals and to weigh in - we'll see how often I do the full measurements and photo updates, maybe monthly? Hold me to it, friends! It is more than time to make this happen!
