I had a baby in June 2016. The pregnancy was normal and relatively easy except for exhaustion, food aversions, and some intense fluid retention in the 3rd trimester. I have always been an active and fit person but during my pregnancy, I was so TIRED! It was all I could do to get up and go to work as a rehabilitation specialist at an assisted living facility. I did not expect that I would also have food aversions to anything healthy like vegetables, lean chicken and fish. (uh huh, blame the pregnancy. Burritos and Ice Cream what-what).
I put on 70lbs during pregnancy.
I was 240# when I gave birth to a healthy and beautiful 8lb baby girl! My husband and I were so happy that everything was normal, I didn't care about the number on the scale. Our family returned home and began the adjustment period of having a newborn.
About 10 days after I delivered, I noticed how skinny my ankles were! Holy moly! I hopped on the scale and was down to 209# so all that fluid I'd retained was gone and I could actually see just how out of shape I was. I started to feel bad and made up my mind that I would set a good example for my daughter by being happy with my body, and making healthy choices to support that.
By the end of September I was down to 203 and made a commitment to start lifting weights in the gym. Fortunately, there is a great gym with free child care across the street from me so I'd have no excuse. I started slow and focused mostly on building my cardio endurance and core strength. I also needed to be gentle as I was dealing with a knee and lower back injury right before I found out I was pregnant.
By the time the holidays rolled around, I was down to 195 or so, and that is exactly where I have been since then. When I look at myself in the mirror, I can see that my body has undergone some extreme changes: my face is thinner, my legs and arms are more definied and my belly is starting to flatten. My hips are defintiely wider, and there is some droopiness where there wasn't before too.
Also, am I WAY stronger now! I went from 10 mins on the treadmill walking, to 25 mins on the elliptical at level 13 (I started it at level 10). I can now hold a good form plank for 45 seconds, I can do single-leg pelvic raises. I also now can do 120# on the leg press and am squatting 45# which is the long weight bar with no plates on it. I deadlift 45# with good form and my posture is better too! All of these things are fantastic!
That having been said, it is still disheartening to get on the scale and see the same numbers since the beginning of December. Even worse is that the number has a tendency to go up rather than down. I knew I needed something to kick my butt and clean up my diet. My girl, Maria, posted about this game I thought, I never thought that I would do anything like this but here I am! And, man am I excited!
I am the maid of honor in my BFFs wedding at the end of May and I would love to lose 20# by then. I think that this game is a great way to kick off my journey towards being healthier and setting a good example for my little girl!