Life has been a little crazy the past few days. Both boys had some kind of stomach bug and I've spent my time cleaning, wiping, and washing everything in our house. I lost count of the loads of laundry I've done. I've never dealt with sick kids before so it was quite an experience and I am exhausted both physically and emotionally. They seem to be fine today so I'm thankful for that!
Yesterday I had a check-up with my "woman" doctor...always a fun time. I won't bore you/gross you out with the details but learned something really exciting...I have lost 2 more pounds! It is a long journey but I am slowly and steadily making progress (hence the blog title...clever, I know). I wanted to blog about this so I can look back and remember where I came from and also in case any of you need some encouragement or inspiration.
I want to say that weight issues have been a lifetime struggle for me. In 7th grade I weighed 155 pounds. That's 7 more than I weigh right now. That's a lot of weight for a little girl. I don't like to talk with many people or in large groups about my weight/food issues because so many people around me just look at me and think I have nothing to complain about. Yes, compared to the average American I don't have anything to complain about, but I don't compare myself to the average American. I have standards I've set for myself to be fit, healthy, and live a long happy life. I don't want to just be average. I hope this blog doesn't offend anyone but if it does, you certainly don't have to read it.
I'm just gonna come right out with the numbers because numbers don't lie. Even if you want them to.
On my wedding day, I weighed 125 lbs. I worked my behind off (literally) working out twice a day and watching what I ate to get to that weight. I think my body's "set weight" is between 130 and 135. Pregnancy has thrown me on a weight journey I never expected to be on, especially since I did it twice in a row. When I was 8 weeks pregnant with Jeremiah, I weighed 127. I count that as my start weight. At my heaviest with Keegan, I weighed 176. That's a 49 pound difference. That's a lot of weight. Broken down, I gained 32 pounds during my pregnancy with Jeremiah and only 25 pounds with Keegan but I started out way heavier than with Jeremiah.
About 5 days after Keegan was born when I took him to the pediatrician, I weighed myself. 165. Far, far away from my beloved 130's. Even further away from my more-beloved 120's. Six weeks after I had Keegan, I went for my check up with my OBGYN and there I weighed 161. At that point I knew I had lost all of the water weight from pregnancy. 161 was my official weight. That day I left her office feeling so defeated. Not depressed, because I have these two beautiful babies to show for it, but just defeated. It felt like I had such a huge task before me. I didn't know where to start. I was the queen of working out before I got pregnant. I ran on the treadmill up to the 24-week point when I was pregnant with Jeremiah. I would've ran longer but that would've required an adult diaper. I figured I'd switch to the elliptical. After Jeremiah was born, I had tons of breastfeeding issues (see here for more info) so I ate everything in sight trying to make milk. The only thing that did was make me gain weight back. After his birth (biggest weight being 160) I got back down to 141 before I started eating like a pig. Because of this, when we found out I was pregnant again I weighed 151. During the first 22 weeks of my pregnancy with Keegan, I lost some weight and gained it back so I weighed 151 still at 22 weeks. The next 19 weeks (yes, 19 not 18 because somebody wanted to stay in my belly over his due date) I gained 25 pounds. I was eating healthy but didn't exercise. All of my energy went into taking care of Jeremiah and growing a baby. I knew I should, but honestly I just didn't want to. I was so tired.
So that's the back story. I made a deal with Brad that if I could get down to 135 by the time my sister-in-love and her family came home on home assignment (December 2015), he would treat both her and me to a massage at the spa we went to the last time she was home. That's a pretty good incentive. I love massages. So there it was: my goal to lose 30 pounds (counting down from 165).
It has been a long, hard road but it is happening. Using my knowledge of exercise and weight loss, I knew I only wanted to lose about 1/2 lb per week. This is the best way to lose and keep it off (the steady slow turtle wins the race). I could have easily gone on some crash diet and lost 20 pounds in a hurry, but I would've just gained it all back when I started eating normally again. I didn't want to start anything I couldn't keep up. I started eating less and cutting way down on my sweet intake. Seems like everyone around me is doing low-carb, and that's fine if it works for them but I LOVE LOVE LOVE carbs and am not willing to part with them. My philosophy is everything in moderation. It works for me and I like it. I can eat pretty much whatever I want, just a little bit. I treat myself to sweets every now and then. I hate feeling restricted so I feel like this is the right plan for me.
That being said, yesterday at the doctor I weighed 148. That is 17 pounds down! Only 13 to go to reach my goal. I can't describe how I felt leaving her office compared to the last time I left. I went from feeling completely defeated to feeling like I was winning this weight battle. I treated myself to a hazelnut latte. It tasted like success. I am even more motivated now that I am really seeing results. I have been taking pictures of myself every 4-8 weeks-ish and posting them to a private Facebook album. I won't post them because I'm not covered enough and now I wish I had covered up a little more so I could share my results with everyone. I did manage to find some pictures that show some difference so far, so here we go:
When Brad and I met, around 140ish pounds
In March before our wedding, around 130 lbs
Wedding day May 7, 2011, 125 lbs
4 weeks pregnant with Jeremiah
Biggest point with Jeremiah, 160 lbs
Even bigger biggest point with Keegan, 176 lbs
About a month after Keegan (holding baby Shiloh St. Clair), about 162 lbs
About a month ago, 150 lbs
I have a good bit to go but I am feeling better and better every day, physically and mentally. It also helps that I see a support group every day. I'd do it all again to have my boys, and I plan on doing it again!
My support group
Until next time,
Hannah Elise
