Monday, February 7, 2011

Oh, those baby weight blues.

So I'm sure you thought it was Jayme about to write this post, and you were all, "Oh, you just had a baby a month ago!"  But no, it's not Jayme.  She's already back to pre-prego weight...maybe even less.  It's me, Amanda, just 4 days away from Aurora's first birthday and wondering why those pounds didn't just "melt off."

I breastfed for six months.  I exercise (not as regularly as I'd like).  I wasn't eating great--I was eating for comfort and convenience, which is really all a new mom can do until you figure out how to make a dinner with vegetables and lean meats and take care of feeding a child at the same time.

I started Weight Watchers a little before Thanksgiving.  The weight loss was steady at first.  Then, I had a pretty icky holiday gain.  Then it's been up and down, in little increments.  I feel like I'm in pudge purgatory.  It's too cold to motivate me to do the exercise I want to do (jogging, biking, longer walks).  But slow is better than nothing, I guess.  I am down 13 pounds as of Sunday.  The slowest 13 pounds ever.  My initial goal was to lose 19 pounds by this birthday (and my own 29th birthday next week), but I'll be happy with 15.

I know I've made progress based on my clothes.  I can wear some pre-pregnancy jeans and fit into things I couldn't.  I am trying to look at these photos and see the progress, but I'm blind to my own body (I thought I looked "okay" 15 pounds ago)...can you see a difference (besides the obvious haircut)?


I still have a long way to go.  I haven't talked a lot about it with anyone because...it's kind of embarrassing.  Embarrassing to say I let myself go.  Embarrassing not being able to eat or wear whatever I want.  I believe women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful, but for me, my body and self are not comfortable where I am.  So I work...and look to y'all to encourage and hold me accountable!  Hopefully, my struggles can motivate you to stick with those goals you have for your physical health post-baby as well.

Thanks for listening,
Amanda

6 comments:

jamie said...

I have not checked your blog in a few weeks and am going to respond to something you wrote ten minutes ago!

I'm finally sitting at pre-pregnancy weight and my son is 15 months old. That includes losing 13 pounds the first 12 months of his life and 11 in the last 3. Something in my body clicked over at a year, I didn't try particularly harder, but I did finally start to feel like me again, with motivations beyond getting through the day. That combined with chasing him around now that he walks were my keys to success.

Keep to it. You didn't let yourself go. You handled things as best you could.

Miskabelle said...

Jamie-
Thank you so much for the encouragement--that's good to hear! I don't think I've felt that "click" yet. I keep waiting for it. I've always been an emotional eater, and being that raising a child is quite emotional, I had to do WW just to keep track of what was going into my mouth!

I will keep you posted...and thanks so much for reading.
-A

Brooke LaBouve said...

I'm new to your blog. My sister is actually the Etsy shop owner at Six Little Hands. BUT, I do want you to know, I honestly do not believe hormones were back on track for me until about a year after. I got preggo the second time just as I was starting to feel sane again. Who cares for sanity anyway? Hang in there girlfriend! You look great, and more importantly I'm betting you're a good momma.

Crystal said...

First of all good job on the weight you have lost. You look really cute and I also I can tell a big difference in your pictures. Keep doing what you are doing. Just because you aren't at your desired weight doesn't mean you're letting yourself go. It is just a difficult thing and can be stressful and a little one sure makes things take a little longer. And if you still feel bad my baby is almost 3 and I'm still not at my prepregnancy weight but I'm working at it:)

p.s. your hair cut is really cute.

Katy @ Wiggle Wagon Blog said...

I can definitely see a difference! You look much thinner. Mommy weight can really stress a girl out and make her feel down. Do something fun! Then you can lose weight, feel happy, and be less stressed about how you look. My sister lost weight by starting a garden and I went without a car for 3 months and walked everywhere.

Jayme/Miskabelly said...

ahhh jeez... ya had to call me out!
just so you know, I have definitely gained a few pounds back now that I'm eating for convenience (sitting with a bag of cheese curls that I can eat with one hand and holding a baby with the other).
I definitely see a difference in the pics! Your face even looks thinner! You are beautiful whether you lose 5 lbs. or not! Can't wait to see you FRIDAY!!!!