Part of being knocked up and down ( life speak, not pregnancy speak) is having highs and lows. Highs are generally a good thing. Except when we are talking about weight.
I never was heavy as a kid, or as a teen. I couldn’t donate blood in the drive I helped organize my senior year because I wasn’t 110lbs. If I couldn’t find the clothes I liked at The Gap, I’d pop into Gap Kids and see what was available in an XL or XXL.
College came, and so did the beer, the pizza, and the frozen yogurt machine in the dining hall that we were all told was fat free froyo (it wasn’t).
Dating and then living with a chef after college didn’t help. Wistfully I remember those vintage 501s, a thrift store gem, that fit like Levi himself made them for me. I was wearing them when I met that chef. Those jeans are sadly gone.
A desk job, rich ingredients in meals, too many dinners out, new medications and a health issue, and two pregnancies in two years. I was never really bothered enough to do anything about it. I stayed active off and on, but had long dormant periods where I consciously chose to do nothing.
After my second pregnancy, I worked out a bit- tennis matches, some weight training, and had a fling with the erg. Never consistent. I had a baby, a job, was postpartum, and was nursing.
Flash forward to six months ago. I decided I wanted to be healthy. For my family, for my daughter, for me.
I got a Fitbit. If there is one thing I am, it’s competitive. Friends would push me and keep me accountable for exercise. I tracked everything I ate. The weight came off.
So, here I am. Almost 30lbs lighter. I logged ten miles yesterday. I see a nutritionist, who helped me break through a long weight loss plateau. I’m down two (soon to be three) pants sizes. My closet looks entirely different than it did a year ago. I take barre classes, I cycle, I do a ton of walking, and I think I may start P90x next month, which I’ve done before and loved the results. My ultimate goal is to be a certain weight or size by my birthday. Happy 35th! I’m right on track to make it.
I still have off meals and off days (cue the meatball parm for dinner this week, and the chocolate chip cookies after dinner). This weekend is my dads birthday AND Easter. No excuse to gorge. I’ll eat a little of everything and exercise. Moderation.
My mind is different than it was a year ago. My goals are different than a year ago. For the first time I’m allowing myself to search online for vintage 501s. I may even get my original pair back– imagine that.
Things are new, blooming, restarting. In a lot of ways, I am too. I’m feeling like being down is amazing.
