Pre-TTC Weight Loss, Part Two (Day 36 of 83)

Posted on March 14, 2016

It's kind of remarkable how much time flies once you pass age 30. I remember the summer that I was 28. I felt like that summer would go on forever! Every day seemed longer than the last. At 34, I'm not only aware that there really are limits to what one can do in a day, but I'm aware that I won't be blessed to wait until I'm 50 (as I wish that I could) to have my first child.

Almost a week ago, I realized that it would be best for the future baby and for my post-baby self if I make a big push to lose weight before conception. I skimmed through some of the more recent studies about the effect of being overweight on pregnancy, the baby's mental capabilities, the baby's chances of becoming overweight as a child... I ended up coming to the conclusion that the correlation between a mother's high BMI at the point of conception and the risk of pregancy complications was solid enough that I must make every attempt to get down to "normal weight" before we start trying.

SIGH. I'm going to be 35 in May. It seems like everyone from OB-GYNs to lay people use 35 as a line of demarcation between youthful carefree fertility and old lady last ditch baby making. I really wasn't in a place in my life to have children before now, so there's really no point in me regretting having waited. I'm glad that I did.

Because I did wait, though, I can't spend the next year or two trying and failing to get down to my goal weight. I have limited time to make this happen.

I'm 5'6" and at 189 lbs. (I 205.3 on Feb 1st!) I have a BMI of 31.4. My goal is to get down to 160 lbs. (BMI 26.6 - still overweight, but on lower end of the range) by summer solstice on June 20th. I just chose summer solstice because it's a non-arbitrary date in June and is also mid-year. That gives me 14 weeks and one day from today to meet my goal, which is a loss of a hair over 2 pounds per week. I CAN DO THAT!

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PDXJael

03/15/2016 7:54AM

I've had similar thoughts to those above. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend this long form Atlantic piece on age and fertility. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-long-can-you-wait-to-have-a-baby/309374/

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TrixieCatLAX

Thanks! That was a great article :)

Kay

03/15/2016 4:07AM

I'm trying to figure out my plan...What is your plan as far as eating? Are you doing low carb/ sugar or ? Are you exercising daily?

TrixieCatLAX

Hi, Kay - Something that is really working for my husband and I is calorie counting combined with about 80-90% whole foods/clean eating. It's very common sense, which is the best part! I recommend heartily a book by Tom Venuto called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It sounds like it's aimed at body builders, but really it is for everyone and has very good information regarding estimating how many calories you need to eat in order to lose weight. It's much more thorough than the online calculators.More on our diet:Sort of low carb. Unless we're making smart choices while eating out once a week, we only eat bread that I've made. I make a loaf every week and tortillas if needed. We only eat a small portion of pasta as a side dish once in a blue moon, and I try to make sure it's the kind that has more protein/fiber/hidden veggies. Lots of greens! We eat a lot of salad for our lunches - less so for dinner. When I make scrambled eggs, it's two whole eggs + two egg whites and one tiny piece of toast with the lightest dab of butter... Calorie counting is the big thing, I think.

TrixieCatLAX

More on exercise:I exercise 6 days a week. I use Sunday as my rest day. I try to exercise an hour to an hour and a half every day and do cardio about two thirds of the time. I try to break it up into two sessions, AM and PM, so that I can give my body a bit of time to rest during the day. I have a rowing machine (great investment!) and do intervals on that, I go on a steep 4 mile hike once per week, do dance cardio workouts (Cize!). I just started adding in bodyweight exercises like glute bridges, table push ups, kettle bells damn resistance band exercises.On my weight loss doing this:If I weren't working so hard, I'd still be happy with my weight loss. I started on Feb 1st at 205.3 lbs. and have since lost 15.7 lbs. and inches all over the place. While I have lost more than 2 lbs./week, it's been about 4-5% of my bodyweight per month, which is another way to measure whether or not your weight loss is a reasonable amount. I hope that I've helped!

Kay

03/15/2016 3:45AM

I too am 5'6" and have goal to be 160. I Now weigh 200. I want to get down by mid August which is average 2 lbs a week also. I am 57 yes old so I know it may be slower or harder possibly but I'm determined. Thanks for your post. Would like us to encourage one another and others through this very hard but rewarding process.

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Cabfranca

03/14/2016 6:28PM

Yes you can do it! I just met a nurse (who is now a full time mom)and her baby Olivia at a yoga and beer party (yes, you heard that right). She did yoga throughout her entire pregnancy, until the very end. She had good things to say, and her baby doll Olivia, was simply a doll!!! I held onto her for a very long time, can't wait to see your baby doll. She ended up having a c-section after all that exercise so she couldn't verify if it helped with delivery.

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AmyLynnCar

03/14/2016 10:20AM

I just had a friend who is 38 that had a perfect baby girl about 6 months ago. OB-GYNs definitely use that as a guideline only. You can do this!

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