One year ago I found out I was indeed pregnant! There are so many directions I could take this post, but today I want to talk about weight. In the past year I gained 45 pounds and lost 44 pounds, that's a total weight shift of 89 pounds! When your weight changes that dramatically it's easy to feel the affects acutely. Whereas average weight gain is 5 pounds a year, it's easy to simply dismiss the increase in aches and pains as age related.
Weight is not something we women like to talk about--but I feel like the things we don't want to talk about, are exactly the things we should be talking about! There are 10 pounds that I never lost after Hudson was born, plus the 45 pounds in pregnancy put me in the overweight range. As tough as that was, I can't imagine the physical strains of being technical obese. I hope to never see those numbers on the scale again in my life! (Unless we have another child, in which case I will welcome them!) I know, I wasn't really overweight since I was pregnant, but I do think many of the hardships would be about the same.
Let's look back; if you were following my posts over the summer, you remember my feet swelled up and I couldn't wear my rings or watch from about 5 months pregnant on. (I STILL can't get my wedding band on!) The parts of weight gain I didn't talk about but that were certainly hardships include; struggling to turn in bed, getting down and up from the floor, getting in and out of non-handicapped bathroom stalls, feeling squashed in a restaurant booth, my favorite stores seemed enormous, overwhelming and exhausting, I struggled carrying the laundry and myself up the stairs, the list could go on. All of this has dissolved now that I'm back to a normal weight I am so grateful to say!
Throughout my pregnancy I thought for sure I was having a 'big' baby. I gained weight so quickly and aggressively despite eating really healthfully, eating healthier than in my previous pregnancy, and drinking water pretty much nonstop. I now believe our weight gain is somewhat predetermined and perhaps the type of weight you gain in pregnancy will help determine how quickly it is lost. Much to my surprise; only 7.1 pounds of my 45 gained was sweet Sadie--leaving 38 pounds of "other." Five days post-partum, I was down 22 pounds, and 14 days, I was down 30. That tells me it was a whole lot of water! I'm now within two pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight and I swear my pants are looser than they were before, and my rings still do not fit so hopefully I'll balance out soon!
Below are some of the factors that I think helped me loose weight, maybe some of them could help you reach your goals as well!
Ah nuts
I buy the mixed unsalted nuts at Costco and measure a 1/4 cup into ziplock bags. This helps me know that I'm getting one portion size and I keep them in my work bag, desk and car. Nuts are fatty but oh so healthy, filling and I notice I stay away from sweets when I have my daily fix of them.
Oatmeal
I started eating oatmeal last winter and really notice the difference in how I feel. I have one packet of instant with about an 1/8 of a cup of nuts and it keeps me full for about 4 hours! From a convenience standpoint oatmeal can't be beat! I set out the mug, spoon and packet at night. The morning, heating the water in a hot pot takes 30 seconds, then I carefully eat it while feeding Sadie. On the weekends usually indulge in muffins, pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc., but I'm always glad to get back to oatmeal come Monday.
Water
I've posted about water before and probably will again. Basically everyone is dehydrated and it takes A LOT of effort to drink the suggested amount of water. I keep a case of bottles in the garage and make sure the car is always stocked. I try to keep one in each of the door cup holders so I always have some water when I'm out and about or running behind. I know I drink more water with straws so I try to only use straw cups and straw water bottles, find what works for you, it really makes all the difference! Find what temperature works for you too. When I think I'm hungry, but suspect I'm thirsty I tell myself I can't eat anything else until I drink 16 oz or so of water.
Smoothies
Ted makes us smoothies everyday and I love him even more for it. My current favorite is banana, spinach and strawberries. The smoothie serves as my mid-morning snack, and I love knowing I'm getting some awesome vitamins, fiber etc in one sweet gulp. It helps that it is so convenient to consume in the car when I'm driving between appointments. You need a super power blender for this, and you need some patience tinkering with the right combos, consistency and ratios of the ingredients. There's definitely been a few that I couldn't stomach but it just takes practice!
Purge the pantry
I didn't have any cravings this pregnancy and ate pretty healthy so there wasn't any shift in how I ate during pregnancy and how I'm eating now. Ted is very health conscious which definitely helps us keep our house free of temptation. We'll celebrate, and indulge but not on a daily basis. Usually if there are sweets in the house, I'll put a large portion of it in the freezer so I can enjoy it in the future, but not feel the need to "take care of it" all at once! This has helped me tremendously, because try as I might, I still have a sweet tooth and love baked goods especially. We also want to show our kids that cookies and treats are for celebrations, and not an everyday thing.
It's only in recent times that I've been able to throw away food. I've now come to value my health more than the price of a food item treat. If I feel something is too tempting, I've learned to throw it away.
Get paranoid
Remember way back when I said my cholesterol was crazy high?! Well that was two years ago, and I haven't had it checked since but I also have not been able to medically correct it with a Statin. Due to my love of life and wanting to see my children grow, I've avoided red meat, fried and heavy things pretty religiously for the past year or so. I really don't miss them which helps too. As soon as I'm done nursing I'm going to address this, but I'd guess that my body will have a hard time breaking down those heavy fats after so long (mostly) without. Obviously I don't recommend becoming paranoid about your longevity but I do think it's helped me, and for the better!
No free ticket!
When you're pregant it's easy to feel like you have a free ticket; "eating for two," "you deserve it," "there's so many things you can't do, just indulge." I did take advantage to a small degree with some dessert outtings, but for the most part, I ate normally, and if I felt more hungry, I ate more. I follow the same philospohy nursing. When I was post partum with Hudson I literally ate every time I sat down to feed him because I thought I needed that many more calories. I stocked up on tons of snack foods like animal crackers, graham crackers, string cheese, cereal bars. These items aren't terrible, but they are not great either. I gained weight, and ended up in maternity clothes for over six months post partum! This time I'm eating what seem like normal portions and I do have snacks, especially during the middle of the night. Otherwise I'll eat when I'm hungry and don't even think about "needing" 500 extra calories a day because I'm probably getting it without trying! My favorite snacks right now; carrot sticks, small yogurt cup, an apple, banana, or nuts.
Maternity Clothes
Speaking of maternity clothes, they are oh so comfy! Obviously, they are made for you to grow in, and grow I did! I made the mistake with Hudson of wearing them for so long as they are so forgiving, and their forgiveness can make you oblivious to weight you may be gaining. This time around, I tried on my pants 2 weeks postpartum, and about every two weeks after that. I knew that was too early, but I wanted to know what I was working with. I gradually phased out the maternity pants and at 2 months I said, "no more!" and put them all away! I would rather only have a few pairs of pants that fit than keep wearing maternity pants. Granted I've incorporated leggings into my wardrobe but still, I know having (mostly) solid waist bands helped me stay focused!
Daily weigh-in
Starting when I was pregnant, I weighted myself nearly everyday. Then it was more out of curiosity, now I do it to stay on track, even if three weeks go by and it feels like my weight hasn't changed at all, I'll look back a month, or two months and see progress. If I don't like what I see on the scale I just don't record it in my little pocket calendar I keep in the bathroom. I hope to keep this up even after I reach my goal weight, which is 10 pounds less than pre-pregnancy!
Sleep
I've talked before about sleep, but I really notice the difference in my eating when I've gotten less sleep. I'm still not getting enough, but I try to make it a priority as much as Sadie allows. This helps me make good food choices during the day, and I get my energy through rest rather than calories.
OK I've been working on this post for several months now, so I'm posting, even if I might think of more later. What has helped keep you on track? What are your motivators? Be healthy everyone!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
 |
| June 2013 |
 |
| July 2013 |
 |
| September 2013 |
 |
| September 19, 2013 |
 |
| September 19, 2013 |
 |
| July - September 2013 |
Below are some of the factors that I think helped me loose weight, maybe some of them could help you reach your goals as well!
Ah nuts
I buy the mixed unsalted nuts at Costco and measure a 1/4 cup into ziplock bags. This helps me know that I'm getting one portion size and I keep them in my work bag, desk and car. Nuts are fatty but oh so healthy, filling and I notice I stay away from sweets when I have my daily fix of them.
Oatmeal
I started eating oatmeal last winter and really notice the difference in how I feel. I have one packet of instant with about an 1/8 of a cup of nuts and it keeps me full for about 4 hours! From a convenience standpoint oatmeal can't be beat! I set out the mug, spoon and packet at night. The morning, heating the water in a hot pot takes 30 seconds, then I carefully eat it while feeding Sadie. On the weekends usually indulge in muffins, pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc., but I'm always glad to get back to oatmeal come Monday.
Water
I've posted about water before and probably will again. Basically everyone is dehydrated and it takes A LOT of effort to drink the suggested amount of water. I keep a case of bottles in the garage and make sure the car is always stocked. I try to keep one in each of the door cup holders so I always have some water when I'm out and about or running behind. I know I drink more water with straws so I try to only use straw cups and straw water bottles, find what works for you, it really makes all the difference! Find what temperature works for you too. When I think I'm hungry, but suspect I'm thirsty I tell myself I can't eat anything else until I drink 16 oz or so of water.
Smoothies
Ted makes us smoothies everyday and I love him even more for it. My current favorite is banana, spinach and strawberries. The smoothie serves as my mid-morning snack, and I love knowing I'm getting some awesome vitamins, fiber etc in one sweet gulp. It helps that it is so convenient to consume in the car when I'm driving between appointments. You need a super power blender for this, and you need some patience tinkering with the right combos, consistency and ratios of the ingredients. There's definitely been a few that I couldn't stomach but it just takes practice!
Purge the pantry
I didn't have any cravings this pregnancy and ate pretty healthy so there wasn't any shift in how I ate during pregnancy and how I'm eating now. Ted is very health conscious which definitely helps us keep our house free of temptation. We'll celebrate, and indulge but not on a daily basis. Usually if there are sweets in the house, I'll put a large portion of it in the freezer so I can enjoy it in the future, but not feel the need to "take care of it" all at once! This has helped me tremendously, because try as I might, I still have a sweet tooth and love baked goods especially. We also want to show our kids that cookies and treats are for celebrations, and not an everyday thing.
It's only in recent times that I've been able to throw away food. I've now come to value my health more than the price of a food item treat. If I feel something is too tempting, I've learned to throw it away.
Get paranoid
Remember way back when I said my cholesterol was crazy high?! Well that was two years ago, and I haven't had it checked since but I also have not been able to medically correct it with a Statin. Due to my love of life and wanting to see my children grow, I've avoided red meat, fried and heavy things pretty religiously for the past year or so. I really don't miss them which helps too. As soon as I'm done nursing I'm going to address this, but I'd guess that my body will have a hard time breaking down those heavy fats after so long (mostly) without. Obviously I don't recommend becoming paranoid about your longevity but I do think it's helped me, and for the better!
No free ticket!
When you're pregant it's easy to feel like you have a free ticket; "eating for two," "you deserve it," "there's so many things you can't do, just indulge." I did take advantage to a small degree with some dessert outtings, but for the most part, I ate normally, and if I felt more hungry, I ate more. I follow the same philospohy nursing. When I was post partum with Hudson I literally ate every time I sat down to feed him because I thought I needed that many more calories. I stocked up on tons of snack foods like animal crackers, graham crackers, string cheese, cereal bars. These items aren't terrible, but they are not great either. I gained weight, and ended up in maternity clothes for over six months post partum! This time I'm eating what seem like normal portions and I do have snacks, especially during the middle of the night. Otherwise I'll eat when I'm hungry and don't even think about "needing" 500 extra calories a day because I'm probably getting it without trying! My favorite snacks right now; carrot sticks, small yogurt cup, an apple, banana, or nuts.
Maternity Clothes
Speaking of maternity clothes, they are oh so comfy! Obviously, they are made for you to grow in, and grow I did! I made the mistake with Hudson of wearing them for so long as they are so forgiving, and their forgiveness can make you oblivious to weight you may be gaining. This time around, I tried on my pants 2 weeks postpartum, and about every two weeks after that. I knew that was too early, but I wanted to know what I was working with. I gradually phased out the maternity pants and at 2 months I said, "no more!" and put them all away! I would rather only have a few pairs of pants that fit than keep wearing maternity pants. Granted I've incorporated leggings into my wardrobe but still, I know having (mostly) solid waist bands helped me stay focused!
Daily weigh-in
Starting when I was pregnant, I weighted myself nearly everyday. Then it was more out of curiosity, now I do it to stay on track, even if three weeks go by and it feels like my weight hasn't changed at all, I'll look back a month, or two months and see progress. If I don't like what I see on the scale I just don't record it in my little pocket calendar I keep in the bathroom. I hope to keep this up even after I reach my goal weight, which is 10 pounds less than pre-pregnancy!
Sleep
I've talked before about sleep, but I really notice the difference in my eating when I've gotten less sleep. I'm still not getting enough, but I try to make it a priority as much as Sadie allows. This helps me make good food choices during the day, and I get my energy through rest rather than calories.
OK I've been working on this post for several months now, so I'm posting, even if I might think of more later. What has helped keep you on track? What are your motivators? Be healthy everyone!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Comments
Post a Comment