Before our son was born I used to
be an avid gym enthusiast. Throughout my pregnancy I’d go regularly to the gym
for a quick 20 minute walk and try and find exercises that would accommodate my
growing belly. The day before I had the caesarean section, I still went to the
gym and did a good long walk on the treadmill and came off feeling so
energetic. For me the plan seemed simple, I’d have a baby, take six weeks off
and then get back to my usual gym routine and shed off all the baby weight such
that in no time I would be back to my pre-pregnancy weight!
I had heard so many stories that
breastfeeding would help me lose weight so this was a plus for me as I had
planned to breast feed our son and even planned to extend breast feeding so it
all seemed simple that I would be ‘back to normal’ in no time, after all the
celebrities seemed to do it in a month or two so I was convinced I’d do the
same. As it turns out the joke was on me! 20 months later, a few or perhaps
several wardrobe changes and email notifications from my local gym notifying me
of membership cancellation here I am documenting my journey, my journey to lose
weight and get fit. This is the real deal account with no sugar coating of a
regular mother just trying to lose weight.
When I found out we were pregnant
I was in between a size 10 and 12 if I was really stretching it. My weight then
was on average 68kgs, not bad for a person of my height and I was just in the
right body mass index range. In the ensuing months, as my body began to change
I gradually gained weight as to be expected, I was particular about my food
intake and ate healthy most of the time except for the random cravings for
chocolates, hot chocolate and my favourite pork pies! I wasn’t about to be
policing myself about my food choices as after all I was pregnant so I did have
an excuse to eat what I wanted plus with my regular pregnant gym routine I was
fine. At the height of my pregnancy I weighed a whopping 85kgs, that was a good
16kgs gain to which my gynae agreed was normal and was an acceptable weight
gain.
The problem….20 months later I
still weighs 85kgs and this time round I’m not carrying a baby! Initially I
thought it was all the food I was consuming while I was breastfeeding but alas
after 14 months of breastfeeding I eventually weaned off my son and there was
no sign of any weight loss at all! That is where my journey begins.
So earlier this year I decided
I’d claim my body back and while I did not make any new year’s resolutions out
loud my secret resolution was that I would shed off all the pounds (*Laughs out
loud to self*). I bought all the necessary gear, running shoes, headbands, gym
gear the works, I had it all, I even downloaded the Endomondo sports tracker
app to keep me company and to monitor my workout plans.
It started off well and thanks to
a good support system, I even running in the mornings and going to the gym
regularly……..until winter came along. I slowly began giving into my cravings,
chocolates, sweets, cakes, muffins, chocolate mousse, my favourite potato chips
and the healthy food crept out of my meals like a joke! With added work
pressures I had to work late and cut out gym hours and went from regular gym to
no gym at all! Thus that weight crept up again.
It was upon a dinner invitation
in the last week that I decided enough was enough, I had at least an option of
10 dresses and not a single one would
fit (*wails*), my clothes were much smaller! I went onto the scale and BOOM
86.8kgs! My heart sank and I knew I had to do something; my initial thought was
that our son usually fiddles around with the scale so maybe it was giving me a
false reading to which my husband hurriedly defended confirming it was working
accurately. It was then that I decided immediate action was required and so
began my journey, this time a serious journey which I hope will yield results
that I want!
I’m sure that there are many moms
out there who have gone through the same experience and struggle to lose weight;
I hope that my blog posts will give them encouragement to get back into shape
and let them know that they are not alone in their weight loss journeysJ
