I gained 50 lbs. And I gained that while maintaining my very healthy lifestyle. Granted...I had a ton of extra fluid than the normal pregnant woman thanks to my messed up circulatory system- but, I had no further control other than the food I ate and the activity level I maintained over the weight I gained. I gained what my body needed to healthfully grow little Ellie.
But, I still want to care for my body to maintain excellent health especially of my heart. I want to know and be confident in doing all I can to spark attraction and interest from my husband ( though he would tell you he always finds me beautiful.) Though scripture tells us beauty is fleeting, I do think it is important and respectful of your spouse to want to look good for them! It means I care about his attention even if he does give me the same loving attention when I have unwashed messy hair, no makeup on, glasses, wearing his workout clothes, and my retainer in! Haha!! I want to have confidence in my own self and I see nothing wrong with that so long as it does not consume me or become an idol. Healthy body- healthy lifestyle- these are my consistent goals even before I was ever pregnant and didn't have a new "mom bod" to work on. And for the record let me state...yes...I am thankful and blessed to have had the chance to obtain a mom bod. A blessing for sure!
I do NOT believe in dieting. I actually believe it is one of the most detrimental things you can do to your body. It is so deceiving. It ruins the metabolism amongst other things. I do not diet and I never have and I never will. Even a "safe" diet is a bad diet. To "Go on a diet" is not good- to have a healthy diet is an entirely different thing. Your diet is what you eat. Not necessarily restricted eating as most people think when they first hear that word, "diet." Going on a diet is the perfect way to actually help you gain more weight than when you first began the diet. Sure, you may lose a lot of weight in the beginning, and there is something to be said for getting unhealthy weight off- but nobody maintains that kind of eating. It takes them months to lose "X" amount of pounds, but nearly the moment the timeline of that diet is completed, the weight jumps right back on.
This is why a healthy diet must be a lifestyle choice. I have been practicing this since college as I began studying nutrition. And all my friends know that I do love to occasionally indulge in my cheese fries, mac and cheese, and hibachi. Everything in moderation. I don't eat these types of food, fast food, or out of the house often at all. When I do- I save it for a fun date night with Eric. And the type of food I do regularly eat on a daily basis is yummy! I am not eating miserable food or small tiny little pitiful amounts of food and suffering like I think most people believe of me. I have a hearty southern girl appetite! I get full fast and enjoy the taste of the foods I prepare. And they are all very healthy! I'll be happy to share recipes any time if there is interest. I love knowing what is in the food I cook.
I maintained this lifestyle of course with pregnancy sans the first trimester where I needed way more carbs than I would normally take on as my morning sickness (aka all day sickness) was severe. Once I began feeling better I went back to the veggies that weren't cutting it the first 14 weeks. It was my goal and desire to not eat anything and everything I wanted just because I was pregnant. I've seen the result of women doing that and it is much harder to get that weight off--it doesn't all just magically go to the baby as the media would have you believe. My goal was to feed Ellie in my tummy the healthiest foods I could per the usual and when I had a big strong craving for hibachi or ice cream--I indulged. Because it was in moderation and very uncommon. Usually a craving could be remedied by just having some fruit or greek yogurt. I knew that pregnancy called for only a few extra calories that basically more or less added up to apple slices with almond butter or an extra serving of veggies. Not an extra meal altogether! I also only ate when hungry as was recommended by my cardiologist. I didn't (nor do I ever) count calories.
You all know I prepared 32 healthy dinners for post partum that should last about 2 months. 1 month down and still half a freezer to conquor! They taste good too, by the way! This has really helped with the ease of not giving in to any eating big unhealthy carby casseroles or having fast food because it is quick and simple. I have had my meals ready every night and it is going great!
I gained 50 pounds. It has been 4 weeks since I delivered Ellie. In less than a week of delivering Ellie, I had lost 34 lbs. 75% of that was water. I finally could see my leg muscles, tendons, bend my toes, my neck and arms weren't so swollen. It felt so good to lose all that excess puff of water. I have been walking since day 2 post partum - thanks to Eric's help. It was hard but it helped me recover quickly. Now I am back to a 5k walk daily and I cannot wait for clearance to run again in 2 weeks!
I currently have only 6 lbs left to lose to be back at pre-pregnancy weight. I am focusing a lot on cardio as always but also strength training to help rebuild and tighten up muscles. I feel like all my muscles melted away.
While continuous healthy eating and exercising are what has helped me most, I also believe in the power of a post partum belly band. I have been using the Rose Belba brand and I LOVE it! It targets helping to heal my mild diastasis recti and helps my uterus to also shrink back quickly and brings good circulation to the stomach. I did get a mild 1.5 finger gap in the abs (diastasis recti). Therefore, I am also focusing on slowly training the abs back in tight before I can safely continue my usual exercises that include things like planks and push ups and burpees. This is a journey of continuing good heart health, overall health, a healthy lifestyle, and utilizing my passion for health nutrition. I want to encourage others towards this lifestyle...because it is actually easy...but mainly it makes you feel good and keeps your body healthy and performing at its best. I believe the body is a temple with which we serve God and we are to care for it well! I also want to be an example to Ellie not of vanity, but if strength, endurance, and health. Not dieting or counting calories but of just taking care of her body.
40 weeks preggo to 4 weeks post partum
Lots of toning back up to do but it is a slow and steady process!
I am thankful for this journey to see what my body can do-especially due to a healthy lifestyle. Never underestimate the power of your fork and plate!
Thanks for letting me share my passion and my journey!
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