My first post? Post-baby weight loss. Why? Do not tell me there exists a woman in the U.S. of A. that doesn't think in the back of her itty-bitty socially influenced lady-brain about getting her "pre-pregnancy" bod back. I don't care if you're the Dalai Lama of feminists, every woman that exists within this ridiculous conundrum we call society wants and yearns for familiarity after their long, arduous time being pregnant, going into labor, and finally delivering their little bambino; even if this consists of their former physical self. There, I said it, ladies want their forms back! Let us have that, we give EVERYTHING else to our small human productions, why not want for a some small semblance of normalcy? So, let us proceed.
The photo above is the last photo I took prior to going into labor. I'm 39 weeks and ready to explode. My SI joint, which was injured in a car accident the previous year, was in killer mode and had caused me to leave work a few weeks early. I limped around and prepared for the baby to arrive. Throughout the pregnancy I was very conscious what I ate and the amount in which it was consumed. I gained 25.6 pounds. Yes, very precise, but this mindset allowed me to gain within a healthy range, thus making it easier to lose after the infant was born.
Let's skip ahead.
My little angel was born. After over 24 hours of labor Mirabelle Lake entered this world in 29 minutes. Super push! This bean weighed 8 lbs 10 ounces, which threw the midwife for a loop. They weighed her again to make sure the machine had given us the correct information. Yes, this large infant had come out of a 5'2 vegetarian lady! Much to the nurses and midwife's surprise. Women = strong, even if their favorite meal is baked tofu and peppers.
While caring for this little honey bun I really needed to focus on what I was eating and drinking, and strengthening the muscles that went into hibernation the final few months of my pregnancy when I could barely use the elliptical without my heart racing well above a comfortable level.
1. Introduce egg whites back into my daily diet. Meaning they would be breakfast and snacks in between meals. How snacks? I bake the whites in muffin tins. Yes bland. Yes filling. Yes satisfies my need to graze. Hrm...sometimes...damn you Goldfish.
2. Remove Goldfish from the home. I have COMPLETE control over eating all other forms of food, including ice cream, pizza, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, anything! But not Goldfish. I can consume bowls upon bowls until my stomach feels ill. So, goodbye Goldfish!
3. No carbs for dinner unless in the form of squash. The end.
4. Workout whenever I can. If Rick is off, I go to the gym or track. If he isn't off I do some minor tummy muscle strengthening exercises: planks, leg lifts, etc. I could truly do a lot more, and it would probably speed the process, but meh, I don't.
These 4 little disciplines has allowed me to lose all of the pregnancy weight within 2 months. I'm not back to the form I wish to be. I have not hit my goal weight, nor has my body returned to its original shape. But I am confident that it will get there soon. Why? Because I'm a strong-willed individual that does not settle for anything less.
