Let's face it. We all have friends who can eat whatever they want and seem to get thinner with each bite. I am definitely not one of them...
I have struggled with my weight going up and down since I was a little girl. I remember coming home and crying at the age of 7 because I was much bigger than the other girls in the neighborhood.
In high school, all of my friends were skinny and I felt like the token big girl. They'd say... "if you aren't happy with your weight, do something about it." As a high schooler I didn't even know where to begin... I was a cheerleader, so I was exercising 5 (sometimes 6) days a week. It's not like you can get a gym membership when you are a full time high school student and are involved in extracurricular activities before and after school every day.
Then I went to college. The summer going into my junior year, I joined Jenny Craig with my parents and lost nearly 40 pounds. I had never felt better about myself. I was confident not only in who I was
on the inside, but also what I looked like on the outside... That was pretty much a first in my life.
Over the next several years, my weight went up and down a few pounds but nothing drastic. I still felt pretty good. When I met Luke (my husband), he made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world!
As our wedding date drew nearer, I started Jenny Craig again and lost about 15 pounds. I wasn't as "small" as I wanted to be on my wedding day, but I was the happiest girl in the world and it really didn't matter to me.
In January 2012, two years after our wedding, I found out I was pregnant! I had already gained almost 20 pounds since our wedding. I don't even know how it happened. It was like the "freshman 15" of being married. After the excitement and anxiety set in a little, I started to think about how I would inevitably gain a substantial amount of weight over the next 9 months. I did really well through my first trimester. I only gained 6 pounds until I was 20 weeks...I thought for sure I wouldn't gain more than 25 pounds, which was my goal. Then I started craving Dr. Pepper, Lucky Charms, and Ice cream on the daily.... Let me tell you, that does not equal a solution for healthy weight gain during pregnancy. It was like those cravings consumed me, and I ignored the number that went up at every appointment.
I ended up gaining 40 pounds. When the scale went over 200, it's like I couldn't even think about it anymore because I knew how hard it would be for me to lose the extra weight once my bundle of joy was here. And was I ever right...
To make things more challenging, I had to have an emergency c-section. So as I've found out, it's even more difficult to lose belly fat when you've had major surgery that cuts through 7 layers of muscle and tissue right through your abdomen. This makes things extremely difficult for a new mommy who has been fighting the battle of the bulge since...birth.
Nearly three months ago, I finally decided that I had to do something about the extra weight. More so, I realized I had to change my lifestyle for good. And I knew that because I was truly doing this for my health, to live longer for my son, and to feel more attractive for my husband, I knew I was really going to be successful. Nobody can make you change your diet and exercise habits. You have to be fully committed and truly want to do it. The driving factor for me is that I want to have more kids, but if I'm not even at the weight I want to be to begin with, it will only be more difficult to lose the weight the second time.
So... with the amazing support and participation of my husband, we changed our eating habits. Then I cut out soda. I purchased the Zumba Exhilaration system, and started doing it 5 days a week. I started taking 2 mile walks, pushing my baby in the stroller, with a girlfriend and her baby.
I'm SO excited to say that today is the day I have finally hit my pre-pregnancy weight. My first goal was to have lost the weight by Lincoln's first birthday. I reached that goal with 15 days to spare!!! So in 3 months, I've lost 24 pounds (40 since Lincoln was born). I've done it the healthy way, with diet and exercise (and even many cheat days where I allowed myself to have my favorite foods!)
The war is not over. My true "goal weight" is still 36 pounds away. I don't know if I'll make it that far, but I'm one step closer with every pound I lose. My clothes still don't fit the way they used to, and even though I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight, the pounds shifted around. But I've won a huge battle. I got to my first goal weight, and I'm so proud of myself because when I started this journey, it felt extremely overwhelming. Now I know that I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars a month to lose the weight. I just have to keep focused and do what's truly best for my body.
I encourage all moms, or anyone out there, who is fighting this same war to remember that it is possible to win... it may take months, years, or a lifetime for some of us. But every war has battles...and the first battle you'll win is the first step you take.
