So, I am a DietBet Hall-of-Famer. I joined in the Fall of 2014 and lost 70 pounds over the course of 6-7 months. I maintained a healthy weight and continued to exercise for a year, and then decided I wanted to have a baby. Part of losing the weight and getting healthy was so I could have a healthy pregnancy when it was time.
I had every intention of exercising and eating right while I was pregnant. I wanted to be one of those 9-months-pregnant women I saw in my spinning classes every once in a while. Yeah, that did not happen. Morning sickness was a bitch, and my daily breakfast of eggs turned into pop-tarts. Are pop-tarts every once in a while a bad thing? Of course not. Daily? Yes. But when you find something you can keep down when you are throwing up all the time, you tend to stick with it.
The exercising was a whole different story. I had NO idea how exhausted I would be in that first trimester. And after I started getting some more energy, I couldn't even walk from my hips and tailbone slipping out of place.
I gained 80 pounds in my pregnancy. Fortunately--but also unfortunately--about 30 pounds of the weight was from my baby and swelling. I had severe edema and preeclampsia and ended up delivering my sweet baby boy six weeks early. BUT, he was as healthy as could be and only needed to spend 10 days in the NICU. He has had zero problems, and I am so grateful.
Recovering from a c-section is hard. My son is 8 months old and my scar is still tender. I'm sure it always will be. I do feel as though my surgery was "by the books" and I was able to recover well and within the normal amount of time. I was able to start exercising again after six weeks.
C-section recovery aside, who knew trying to find time to workout when you have a baby would be difficult? That was clearly sarcasm. Now that my husband and I are both back at work, we are fortunate to have his grandparents watch him at home through the day. I could definitely go to the gym in the morning, on my way home, or even at my work because I work at a university and we have an effing recreation center ON CAMPUS. There are no excuses. There rarely are. If you want it badly enough, you CAN make it happen. I've been there. This is just a curve ball I haven't figured out how to hit yet.
I JUST WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH MY BABY! I work all day, and by the time I'm off, I only really have just a few hours before it's his bedtime. Our house is small, so I really can't do home workouts. Trust me, that really isn't an excuse. I do have a spin bike I can hopefully start using again a few times a week, provided the ass pain doesn't get too intense.
2-3 days a week on the spin bike at home and one day a week at the gym would be such a perfect start. BUT, because I am a Hall-of-Famer and have already seen this movie, I think my expectations are so high for myself that I often get frustrated or overwhelmed and decide to do nothing.
Anyway, I've already joined (and quit) three Kickstarters since my child was born. I'm going to try my hardest to win this Transformer. Even if I don't lose the 20lbs (which is totally doable), any weight lost and new habits gained will be a win in my book. Plus, as a mom, I really don't want to burn $125 without at least getting the money back. That could be college money and groceries.