My Battle With…
Before I became pregnant, I was an active adult. Working out was part of my daily routine and eating healthy was easy. I loved going to the gym to lift weights and to scamper around in the neighborhood on evening runs. I joined numerous group fitness classes because I loved the gym atmosphere. Since staying fit was natural and easy for me, I thought I’d be in my pre-pregnancy clothes weeks after giving birth. I thought it would be easy to lose weight! Little did I know that sleep and snacks would become my best friends. Life with a newborn was extremely challenging for me. I’d comfort myself with food and binge watch seasons of television shows on Netfix while the little one was sleeping. Just taking a shower became my big personal accomplishment for the day.
I am discovering that maintaining weight loss is more challenging than ever. Not only is my lifestyle completely different, but the stress of motherhood takes a toll on my efforts to succeed. For example, I took my little one to the gym and kept her in the stroller while I attempted an unsuccessful workout. Plagued with failure I decided I had to do something to get the weight off. I joined a local mommy and baby fitness group. I absolutely love working out in a group setting and taking my little one with me is a necessity. Unfortunately, I often reward myself post-workout by going to lunch, offsetting whatever positive gains came from the workout.
Month after month I tried and failed to lose some weight. I tried numerous fad diets and I was unsuccessful. Never once did my husband comment about my new “mommy body” or make me feel ashamed about my failures to lose weight. Honestly it has been the opposite, he is amazed that I carried a baby inside of me for nine months and was able to feed her with my new “mommy body”. I need to remember that sometimes acceptance is the first step to defeating my battles. I am not saying that once I accepted my new body the weight loss came easily. I still struggle every day to lose weight. I still have that cloud of failure over my head. I try to make good choices and to remember that being healthy should be my number one priority.
More than a year has passed and I am not fitting into my pre-pregnancy pants nor am I close to the weight I was before I became pregnant. However, I am the happiest I’ve ever been. My little one melts my heart when she comes to cuddle with me. Eating dinner with my husband and talking about our day, followed shortly after by family story time, is the best part of my day. When I look back to my battle with weight loss (baby edition) I want to remember the time I spent with my little one and the adventures we had together. It doesn’t matter what the scale says or if I ever fit into my pre-pregnancy pants. What matters is the love I have for my family, being healthy and making as many memories as possible.