This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
Melynda wrote a series of guest posts about pregnancy and weight loss and weight gain when she was pregnant with her third daughter. Four months have passed and Melynda has agreed to write some follow up posts about getting fit again.
'Letting yourself go' is a phrase I have often heard that refers to a woman…usually a mom…who has stopped doing her make up, wearing nice fashionable clothes and doing her hair more than putting a brush through it. If you have ever watched 'What Not to Wear' you know the type of person I am referring too. There was a time that I couldn’t understand why those women would do that to themselves....but then I became a mom....and then a mom with three children and a business to run....
I have never been one to wear much make up or wear nice clothes every day. I love rocking my yoga pants and see nothing wrong with that. Recently I have found where the slippery slope starts. For me it is lack of time and energy. Some days getting dressed doesn’t happen or not until lunch time. The other thing that takes me one step closer to letting myself go is my body. My body has changed drastically in the last 5 years. You may remember that 5 years ago I was the skinniest I had ever been for my wedding. Since then I have been pregnant and/or nursing continuously, which means major changes.
My body image is very poor and it saddens me that I can’t look in the mirror and not appreciate the amazing things it has done. That sadness distresses me and I do my best to change my thoughts in regards to myself because I want to my daughters to love themselves and I know that starts with me. I am trying to turn things around, I am trying to eat better and actually get dressed. As hard as it was I discovered that having clothes that fit, even if it is in a size that makes you cringe, helps your body image. I had to buy plus-size for the first time but I am comfortable and I look good and thus feel good. I have also bought some make up and I am trying to put it on more to feel good and so I can hide how tired I look. I am discovering that each small thing for me is a treat and makes me feel good.
Georgia was born 4 months ago. She is wonderful and a delight. Her sisters love her and would kiss her all day long. I love her and surprisingly enough…I would love to have another…I love being pregnant and giving birth that much.
For the past 4 months I have been struggling with how to lose my pregnancy weight, eat right and some days even to eat. Managing three kids has been hard but that is the one piece that I manage fairly well…it is the other things that are hard cleaning, laundry and I have stepped in to run our publishing business while my husband has gone back to work full time. So there is not a lot of ‘me’ time. I am doing a bit of a diet. I am counting my calories and focusing on high protein meals. Some days I slip and eat lots of sweets and chocolates, but I keep going. The nice thing about having my third child is I know that the sleepless nights and chaotic sleep habits will be gone soon. Things get easier every week. We are falling into a nice routine.
I am also beginning to think about exercise. I can not wait for spring when I can take the kids out for a walk. My girls also love to exercise with me and when we can, we turn the Wii on and exercise. I have also set up some support and encouragement. Shannon has been wonderful, she and I email twice a week to keep both of us on track. I have another friend who has set up a Facebook group that has been helpful.
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Monday, February 07, 2011
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Part Four: Up – A tale of 3 pregnancies and weightloss…err…gain.
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
The conclusion (for now) of Melynda’s story:
The rest of 2009 was a wash when it came to diet and exercise. I tried Weight Watchers again but not long enough to see any results. The move had gone well and we are living in the perfect house. The fall was extremely stressful for me and probably the hardest time ever for me. I had an ectopic miscarriage and the recovery took a couple months.
In January I got pregnant again! I was incredibly sick this time around and I lost about 5 lbs in the beginning. I started the pregnancy at about 205. This being my third pregnancy I knew that I needed to work on eating and exercising. I honestly did not have the energy or desire for healthy food until close to 16 weeks. I could barely cook for myself let alone the girls and Mike. So I ate out a lot and just tried to get some food in to me because if I didn’t eat I would feel even worse.
I kept thinking about exercising and eating better and I would go in waves of doing well. I started to gain weight about 20 weeks it was slow but I knew I needed to crack down. I wasn’t exercising and I knew that I needed some muscles for birth. At my 24 week appt, my midwife and I were talking about my weight gain and she was so impressed with me. She told me that I had started at 199lbs and I was at 208. I hadn’t realized that they counted my weight from the lowest point and not my beginning weight. I didn’t like that I had actually gained 9 lbs instead of 3lbs! That is when I decided now was the time to start exercising and eating well. I consulted another friend who was counting calories while pregnant and I decided to do the same. I also set a goal that I would exercise a minimum of 20 minutes a day with hopefully much more. It almost feels lame to say just 20 minutes but I really wasn’t doing anything and I console myself by saying 20 minutes is more than nothing. I am aware that the third trimester is weeks away and I need to have a manageable goal or I will just give up.
I am currently 27 weeks and I have kept my weight down and I am about 209 lbs. I have been working out with my WII because it has some good strength training exercises and I am walking more. I am also eating about 1900-2500 calories a day. I am focusing on eating when I am hungry and if I eat more calories it isn’t a big deal because I am growing a baby. I just try to make really good choices when I go over the calorie mark. I have been finding that in the evenings I really want to snack so my rule is I have to drink a litre of water before I can eat. That sounds like a lot but I am trying to drink about 3 litres of water a day and for some reason it is easier to drink the water in the evenings than during the day.
*Melynda wrote this a few months ago…the next update we get from her will be announcing the arrival of baby number three!
The conclusion (for now) of Melynda’s story:
The rest of 2009 was a wash when it came to diet and exercise. I tried Weight Watchers again but not long enough to see any results. The move had gone well and we are living in the perfect house. The fall was extremely stressful for me and probably the hardest time ever for me. I had an ectopic miscarriage and the recovery took a couple months.
In January I got pregnant again! I was incredibly sick this time around and I lost about 5 lbs in the beginning. I started the pregnancy at about 205. This being my third pregnancy I knew that I needed to work on eating and exercising. I honestly did not have the energy or desire for healthy food until close to 16 weeks. I could barely cook for myself let alone the girls and Mike. So I ate out a lot and just tried to get some food in to me because if I didn’t eat I would feel even worse.
I kept thinking about exercising and eating better and I would go in waves of doing well. I started to gain weight about 20 weeks it was slow but I knew I needed to crack down. I wasn’t exercising and I knew that I needed some muscles for birth. At my 24 week appt, my midwife and I were talking about my weight gain and she was so impressed with me. She told me that I had started at 199lbs and I was at 208. I hadn’t realized that they counted my weight from the lowest point and not my beginning weight. I didn’t like that I had actually gained 9 lbs instead of 3lbs! That is when I decided now was the time to start exercising and eating well. I consulted another friend who was counting calories while pregnant and I decided to do the same. I also set a goal that I would exercise a minimum of 20 minutes a day with hopefully much more. It almost feels lame to say just 20 minutes but I really wasn’t doing anything and I console myself by saying 20 minutes is more than nothing. I am aware that the third trimester is weeks away and I need to have a manageable goal or I will just give up.
I am currently 27 weeks and I have kept my weight down and I am about 209 lbs. I have been working out with my WII because it has some good strength training exercises and I am walking more. I am also eating about 1900-2500 calories a day. I am focusing on eating when I am hungry and if I eat more calories it isn’t a big deal because I am growing a baby. I just try to make really good choices when I go over the calorie mark. I have been finding that in the evenings I really want to snack so my rule is I have to drink a litre of water before I can eat. That sounds like a lot but I am trying to drink about 3 litres of water a day and for some reason it is easier to drink the water in the evenings than during the day.
*Melynda wrote this a few months ago…the next update we get from her will be announcing the arrival of baby number three!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Part Three: Up – A tale of 3 pregnancies and weightloss…err…gain.
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
Another installment from Melynda:
The transition from one to two went so much easier than I ever could have imagined. Zoe was an easy baby and she slept well too. About the beginning of February I began itching to figure out some kind of exercise and diet plan. I had ‘graduated’ from my breastfeeding doctor, Zoe was gaining well and my supply was doing great, especially since I was nursing two! The doctor had said I could slowly wean off of the medication if I wanted to but I was too scared and I enjoyed the peace of mind it gave me. I think the reason the transition from one to two went so well is that I wasn’t stressed out like I was with Ally.
One night I was sitting and thinking about exercise and I decided I wanted something big to focus on. I wanted it to be exercise and not weight related. I wanted to accomplish something and weight was a bit unreliable. I decided to walk a half marathon. Mike and my mom had done a couple half marathons and I knew that it took about 16 weeks to train. I counted the weeks until the Calgary Marathon which was at the end of May. I had about 18, if I recall correctly. So I established a walking plan with weekly or biweekly motivators. I find treating myself really keeps me on track and having a short term goal helps me to get through the work out. My plan had me walking a certain time or distance about 5 days a week.
Now you may ask how did I do this with a toddler and a 2 month old? Mike was incredibly supportive and would take Ally when I needed to walk. It was also winter time so I did most of my walks inside on my treadmill and if it was nice I would go outside. I don’t know how safe this is but for most of my walks I would carry Zoe in a carrier. She loved it and would usually sleep the whole time. I carried her for most of my walks up to about May it got a bit harder because my walks were longer and she was 5 months old and didn’t want to be contained for too long. I bought a jogging stroller and I started taking both kids for my walks. I would try and plan my route with Mike beforehand and I would leave just near the end of his work day so he could meet us at the half way mark and take the girls.
I did the marathon and I was so proud of myself! I had done it and stuck to the goal the whole time. I actually loved the training more than the marathon. The marathon is hard work! I was a bit annoyed near the end that I didn’t lose any weight but on the other hand I didn’t gain any.
Unfortunately around the time of the marathon we decided to move. Having two kids and keep a house show ready was incredibly difficult and something had to go. Unfortunately it was my exercise routine.
Another installment from Melynda:
The transition from one to two went so much easier than I ever could have imagined. Zoe was an easy baby and she slept well too. About the beginning of February I began itching to figure out some kind of exercise and diet plan. I had ‘graduated’ from my breastfeeding doctor, Zoe was gaining well and my supply was doing great, especially since I was nursing two! The doctor had said I could slowly wean off of the medication if I wanted to but I was too scared and I enjoyed the peace of mind it gave me. I think the reason the transition from one to two went so well is that I wasn’t stressed out like I was with Ally.
One night I was sitting and thinking about exercise and I decided I wanted something big to focus on. I wanted it to be exercise and not weight related. I wanted to accomplish something and weight was a bit unreliable. I decided to walk a half marathon. Mike and my mom had done a couple half marathons and I knew that it took about 16 weeks to train. I counted the weeks until the Calgary Marathon which was at the end of May. I had about 18, if I recall correctly. So I established a walking plan with weekly or biweekly motivators. I find treating myself really keeps me on track and having a short term goal helps me to get through the work out. My plan had me walking a certain time or distance about 5 days a week.
Now you may ask how did I do this with a toddler and a 2 month old? Mike was incredibly supportive and would take Ally when I needed to walk. It was also winter time so I did most of my walks inside on my treadmill and if it was nice I would go outside. I don’t know how safe this is but for most of my walks I would carry Zoe in a carrier. She loved it and would usually sleep the whole time. I carried her for most of my walks up to about May it got a bit harder because my walks were longer and she was 5 months old and didn’t want to be contained for too long. I bought a jogging stroller and I started taking both kids for my walks. I would try and plan my route with Mike beforehand and I would leave just near the end of his work day so he could meet us at the half way mark and take the girls.
I did the marathon and I was so proud of myself! I had done it and stuck to the goal the whole time. I actually loved the training more than the marathon. The marathon is hard work! I was a bit annoyed near the end that I didn’t lose any weight but on the other hand I didn’t gain any.
Unfortunately around the time of the marathon we decided to move. Having two kids and keep a house show ready was incredibly difficult and something had to go. Unfortunately it was my exercise routine.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Part Two: Up – A tale of 3 pregnancies and weightloss…err…gain.
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
More from Melynda:
Mike is 7 years older than me and because I want lots of kids, we decided to have our kids close together. We started trying in January and got pregnant with Zoe in March. It was funny, I took at test on Ally’s birthday. I was determined to not gain 70 lbs during the pregnancy because I didn’t want to keep 35 lbs on each time – that would be disastrous. I realized that pregnancy is not a free for all and that the weight didn’t just magically disappear after birth. I also knew that if I had a hard time fitting exercise in with one kid that it probably wouldn’t happen with two.
With Zoe’s pregnancy I was fairly sick for the first 8 weeks and that helped with my weight efforts. But after that I found that if I didn’t eat regularly that I would feel sick. I found that it really helped to focus on protein and vegetables and to try and stay away from my favourite carbs. I really focused on eating well and minimizing unnecessary calories. I also incorporated what I had learned from my diets. I think I was pretty lucky because I didn’t gain weight until about 12 weeks. I vaguely remember from my first pregnancy that by the end of the first trimester I was up about 10 – 15 lbs.
I didn’t starve myself or do anything crazy, I still wanted to grow a healthy baby. I just really cut down on Starbucks and hot cross buns….haha…those were my main indulgences from my first pregnancy. I also became wrapped up in having a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) and fixing my supply problems – I had a herb regimen that I followed. As my pregnancy progressed I relaxed about food a lot because I was getting tired and trying to parent my toddler. Oh! That reminds me of what I was doing that really helped my weight gain! I was still nursing Ally. I also would step on the scale every day and if I was up I would try and eat better that day. All in all I ended up gaining about 30 lbs…I am horrible and near the end I just stop weighing myself and I lie a bit to my midwife about the numbers on the scale.
Zoe was born December 1, 2008 and she was born at home in a birth pool. It was everything I wanted and more.
More from Melynda:
Mike is 7 years older than me and because I want lots of kids, we decided to have our kids close together. We started trying in January and got pregnant with Zoe in March. It was funny, I took at test on Ally’s birthday. I was determined to not gain 70 lbs during the pregnancy because I didn’t want to keep 35 lbs on each time – that would be disastrous. I realized that pregnancy is not a free for all and that the weight didn’t just magically disappear after birth. I also knew that if I had a hard time fitting exercise in with one kid that it probably wouldn’t happen with two.
With Zoe’s pregnancy I was fairly sick for the first 8 weeks and that helped with my weight efforts. But after that I found that if I didn’t eat regularly that I would feel sick. I found that it really helped to focus on protein and vegetables and to try and stay away from my favourite carbs. I really focused on eating well and minimizing unnecessary calories. I also incorporated what I had learned from my diets. I think I was pretty lucky because I didn’t gain weight until about 12 weeks. I vaguely remember from my first pregnancy that by the end of the first trimester I was up about 10 – 15 lbs.
I didn’t starve myself or do anything crazy, I still wanted to grow a healthy baby. I just really cut down on Starbucks and hot cross buns….haha…those were my main indulgences from my first pregnancy. I also became wrapped up in having a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) and fixing my supply problems – I had a herb regimen that I followed. As my pregnancy progressed I relaxed about food a lot because I was getting tired and trying to parent my toddler. Oh! That reminds me of what I was doing that really helped my weight gain! I was still nursing Ally. I also would step on the scale every day and if I was up I would try and eat better that day. All in all I ended up gaining about 30 lbs…I am horrible and near the end I just stop weighing myself and I lie a bit to my midwife about the numbers on the scale.
Zoe was born December 1, 2008 and she was born at home in a birth pool. It was everything I wanted and more.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Introduction and Part 1: Up – A tale of 3 pregnancies and weightloss…err…gain
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
I have been asked to be a guest blogger on this site and to talk about my pregnancies and my weight loss and gains. To do that properly I feel like I need to start from the beginning.
The beginning of my weight journey started the summer before my wedding, June 2005. Having a boyfriend, then fiancé and co-habitator really expanded my waistline. I had always been on the bigger side but I was active and worked in a fairly physical job. At the beginning of 2005 I noticed that my weight had slowly crept up to 200lbs. I was astonished because I felt and thought I looked pretty much the same. I like to think that I am fairly lucky that I gain weight and carry weight well. I didn’t like the 200 number at all and with the thought of my wedding less than a year away. I needed to do something.
My fiancé, now husband, Mike has done several diets and had done Weight Watchers before and liked it. So we joined and I slowly got most of my family to join. It actually was a lot of fun going to meetings together and we would usually celebrate with dinner afterwards…maybe not the smartest choice when on a diet but hey you need to have fun. I lost about 40 lbs and I looked and felt great!
After my wedding in February 2006 we decided to start trying for a baby. I got pregnant in June. (I actually just celebrated my 4 year anniversary of growing children.) I have been pregnant and or nursing for 4 years straight. I was so excited to be pregnant and as soon as I could I dove into the maternity clothes. They are just so comfy! I love being pregnant and with my first pregnancy I enjoyed the cravings and Mike was very indulgent. I was also working at the time and I travelled around the city all day and didn’t really have a lunch break so I ended up eating out a lot. I didn’t worry too much about my weight gain because I figured that I would have lots of time to work out and nursing would help me to lose the weight. And after just losing 40lbs so well I was confident in my ability to diet. My midwives weren’t too concerned but near the end they did caution me. I had no negative side effects from gaining the weight like gestational diabetes. By the end of my pregnancy I had gained about 70 lbs. Amazing!
I quickly realized that a newborn is hard work. I also had significant breast milk supply problems. Ally was born by c-section, but I had hoped she would be born at home. I was okay with the c-section because it was really needed. But the low supply really threw me for a loop and I became a bit obsessed with figuring out why.
Over about 6 months I saw and did everything to ‘fix’ my problem. I was on domperidone, and several weird diets to help with supply. One diet had me eating full fat everything and the other was no white flour or red meat.
I dabbled in going to Weight Watchers again but then something would set us back and I would quit dieting for my milk supply. In January 2008 I also did Body For Life and lost about 10lbs. I somehow managed to get down to 200lbs before thinking about getting pregnant again.
One of the things I’m supposed to be blogging about (when I actually remember to blog) is my journey to get fit(ter) again since the birth of my little girl almost two years ago (ACK!).
Anyway being a mom (or a mom-to-be) means you talk about all kinds of crazy things with other moms and moms-to-be. I won’t even start to tell you some of the things we talk about…just know that poop is on the tame side! A friend of mine, Melynda, is pregnant with her third baby and she has been working very hard to minimize her weight gain in this pregnancy. She has chronicled her journey in a four part guest post. She has promised to write an update or two as times allows (she will very soon be the mother of three, all aged three and under!). You can read more about Melynda and her pregnancy and life as a mom at It Doesn’t Fall Off.
- Shannon
Here’s Melynda:
Anyway being a mom (or a mom-to-be) means you talk about all kinds of crazy things with other moms and moms-to-be. I won’t even start to tell you some of the things we talk about…just know that poop is on the tame side! A friend of mine, Melynda, is pregnant with her third baby and she has been working very hard to minimize her weight gain in this pregnancy. She has chronicled her journey in a four part guest post. She has promised to write an update or two as times allows (she will very soon be the mother of three, all aged three and under!). You can read more about Melynda and her pregnancy and life as a mom at It Doesn’t Fall Off.
- Shannon
Here’s Melynda:
I have been asked to be a guest blogger on this site and to talk about my pregnancies and my weight loss and gains. To do that properly I feel like I need to start from the beginning.
The beginning of my weight journey started the summer before my wedding, June 2005. Having a boyfriend, then fiancé and co-habitator really expanded my waistline. I had always been on the bigger side but I was active and worked in a fairly physical job. At the beginning of 2005 I noticed that my weight had slowly crept up to 200lbs. I was astonished because I felt and thought I looked pretty much the same. I like to think that I am fairly lucky that I gain weight and carry weight well. I didn’t like the 200 number at all and with the thought of my wedding less than a year away. I needed to do something.
My fiancé, now husband, Mike has done several diets and had done Weight Watchers before and liked it. So we joined and I slowly got most of my family to join. It actually was a lot of fun going to meetings together and we would usually celebrate with dinner afterwards…maybe not the smartest choice when on a diet but hey you need to have fun. I lost about 40 lbs and I looked and felt great!
After my wedding in February 2006 we decided to start trying for a baby. I got pregnant in June. (I actually just celebrated my 4 year anniversary of growing children.) I have been pregnant and or nursing for 4 years straight. I was so excited to be pregnant and as soon as I could I dove into the maternity clothes. They are just so comfy! I love being pregnant and with my first pregnancy I enjoyed the cravings and Mike was very indulgent. I was also working at the time and I travelled around the city all day and didn’t really have a lunch break so I ended up eating out a lot. I didn’t worry too much about my weight gain because I figured that I would have lots of time to work out and nursing would help me to lose the weight. And after just losing 40lbs so well I was confident in my ability to diet. My midwives weren’t too concerned but near the end they did caution me. I had no negative side effects from gaining the weight like gestational diabetes. By the end of my pregnancy I had gained about 70 lbs. Amazing!
I quickly realized that a newborn is hard work. I also had significant breast milk supply problems. Ally was born by c-section, but I had hoped she would be born at home. I was okay with the c-section because it was really needed. But the low supply really threw me for a loop and I became a bit obsessed with figuring out why.
Over about 6 months I saw and did everything to ‘fix’ my problem. I was on domperidone, and several weird diets to help with supply. One diet had me eating full fat everything and the other was no white flour or red meat.
I dabbled in going to Weight Watchers again but then something would set us back and I would quit dieting for my milk supply. In January 2008 I also did Body For Life and lost about 10lbs. I somehow managed to get down to 200lbs before thinking about getting pregnant again.
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