The Beginning...the hard part

Yes, the beginning is always the hardest part about change.  I should know--after 14 1/2 months, I'm finally making a real effort to shed this baby garbage that accumulated during my 2 pregnancies!  Love my babies, love being a mom...HATE the weight problem it has caused!  So, after reading a very inspiring blog of this amazing lady who worked very hard and lost all 60 pounds she gained during her pregnancies, and reading her recommendation that blogging was how she found success, I decided I must give it a try.  I'm generally pretty private about this aspect of my life, but if this is what it takes to get my very big derriere in gear, then so be it!


Before babies, I loved...yes, truly LOVED working out!  My husband thought I was a bit over-the-top, but I found so much satisfaction in it.  Then I got pregnant (expectedly, thank goodness), and my work outs ceased almost immediately.  I think I went to the gym maybe 3 times the entire pregnancy, which would explain the 50-pound weight gain!  Yikes!  After my baby girl was born, I slowly started doing a few things, but it wasn't until she was about 5 months old that I started getting to the gym again.  Finally started losing some weight, but after 18 months, I still had 15 pounds to go before getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  


Then I got pregnant with my 2nd!  This time, I decided I would make more effort during the pregnancy to continue to exercise...I even joined a new gym with a huge pool, thinking I could at least do water aerobics near the end when I feel too big and clumsy to trust myself around a step!  In reality, I went sporadically at best, and still managed to gain 55 pounds!  Yes, I was OVER 200 pounds after my little guy was born...very scary.  At my 6-week postpartum doctor's appointment, my doctor was concerned that I'd only lost 6 pounds from before my baby was born.  Hmmm...baby was 7 1/2 pounds...so, I actually GAINED some weight in that time!  (Well, truth be told, he was born the beginning of December, so Christmas happened during that time...we all gain weight that time of year, right?!)


And, this time the weight has hardly budged.  Baby Boy is 14 1/2 months old right now, and I am still weighing 189...only 17 pounds lost since that 6-week appointment.  Exercise is my biggest weakness right now.   I feel too exhausted to workout (my baby is STILL waking at least once during the night).  I'm in the middle of having my thyroid monitored by my doctor, as there's a very strong trend of hypothyroidism in my family.  So, we will see what turns up from that.  But truth be told, I am simply not eating well along with no exercise.  No wonder I'm stuck...and fat!


I am going to follow the Weight Watcher's program, though not actually joining.  Money is tight, so I am going to have to use the materials from years past to help me on my quest!  I am also going to start walking the mall a couple of times a week (until the weather warms up nicely) with my two kiddos in a double stroller, and do 3 days of strength training/toning at home.  


I will report on my progress each week!  Here's to a healthier, stronger me!!


So, here is my first official weigh-in:


WEIGHT:  189 lbs