I gained a bunch of weight during pregnancy and I can’t get into my clothes. This is not a vanity issue; it’s an economic consideration. I refuse to buy all new clothes. So, it’s time to get my weight back to something close to what it was pre-pregnancy. Before pregnancy I weighed 113 but that was a little thinner than I want to maintain, so I’ve set a goal. I’m at 141.6 now and I’m going to get back down to 120lbs, then reevaluate. Rhett gained sympathy weight during the pregnancy. He got up to 232, and he’s decided to get back down to his pre-DSS weight of 200lbs. We’re a great team so I have faith that we’ll be able to do this together.
Defining the approach is the first task for anyone when they undertake to lose weight. “Just eat right and exercise” is what some would say (and likely, will say), but for me it’s just not that simple. You see, I am EXTREMELY finicky. I don’t like foods that touch each other (with a few select exceptions); I don’t like vegetables (with a VERY few exceptions); I don’t like foods that smell strange, look strange, or have strange sounding names. And when I say “don’t like,” I mean that I have a post-traumatic stress-like reaction when I try to eat them. I gag, choke, and might even cry.
I tried to force myself to “eat right” for the first 25 years of my life. The result was that I felt awful about myself for failing, didn’t eat enough of the healthy stuff and then ate gobs and gobs of junk food because I was so freaking hungry from my attempts at “will power.” I also weighed more than I wanted to. At 5’3, a good weight for me is probably about 120. Between ages 12 and 25 I tended to oscillate between 128 and 135. I went to countless nutritionists, several shrinks, an occupational therapist, and a hypnotist. All failed.
Finally, I gave up. I decided that I was going to leave myself alone and eat whatever I felt like whenever I felt like it. I got rid of my scale and my exercise bike. Nothing in my space reminded me of something that I “should” be doing or eating or not eating. I felt an enormous weight lifted off of me. My emotional attachment to food disappeared and my fears about food were lessened. I became interested in cooking for the sake of enjoyment and chose recipes based not on their nutritional value, but on the probability that I would enjoy them. When people invited me to dinner I accepted but when they served things I was nervous about I just told people without shame that I am permanently weird when it comes to food, and I trusted them to love me anyway (they did!). I even started trying foods I would previously have been afraid to try because I had given myself permission not to eat any more if I didn’t like them. I even like asparagus and tomatoes now, if prepared right or in the right recipe.
All of this was complicated by the fact that prior to giving up on my weight and my corresponding desire to eat what the world calls “healthy,” I was competing in the Miss America Organization (I know, I know; it was a bizarre time and I certainly wouldn’t anyone else to do it, but that’s a different story for a different day, and I trust you not to judge me unless you know the whole story). The MAO, as you know, had a “physical fitness” competition, aka “swimsuit” competition. At 5’3 and on the curvy side, that wasn’t an easy area for me. I worked with a trainer who sought to reduce my body fat by having me do absurd amounts of low-impact cardio. One summer I did some kind of low-intensity cardio for 85 minutes per day. I enjoyed the exercise, but the fact that it was “expected” of me meant that as soon as the state pageant was over, I returned to the couch. I never got under 128.
After I surrendered to my idiosyncratic eating desires and an utterly sedentary lifestyle, the strangest thing happened. I lost about 15lbs - down to 113. I certainly wasn’t looking for that result. In fact, I didn’t even know about it because I’d gotten rid of the scale. I didn’t find out till our preconception counseling doctor’s appointment.
I have stubbornly refused to adhere to any food expectations or to judge my appetite, even throughout pregnancy as I watched my weight climb to 175. But as I said above, it’s time to get my weight back to something close to what it was pre-pregnancy because I’m not willing to replace my entire pre-pregnancy wardrobe. So how do I go about losing weight. Yikes. I don’t know!! So I’ve decided on a few things that I’m willing to do, and if they don’t seem to be working in a couple of weeks, I’ll revisit this. Here are my goals:
(1) Drink 8, 8oz glasses of water per day. Don’t drink anything other than water until I’ve had all the water.
(2) Don’t drink more than one Sprite per day.
(3) Do some form of low intensity cardio for 40 minutes per day, four days per week.
(4) Eat a bowl of cheerios before 10am each day.
Rhett is a little more zealous than I am. He’s already walking/running 5 miles per day, every day. He’s also reduced his carbs and sugar intake and is eating more fruits and veggies. Go Rhett! I don’t want to do that much. But starting tonight I’m going to try to meet the above four goals and I hope they help. In the meantime, I’m going to go to the thrift store and pick up just a few things to tide me over as I prepare to go to the State House in Columbia, SC next week and to begin work the following week. I can’t expect myself to fit into much of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe before then.
4 COMMENTS:
Grace said...
What are some examples of low-impact cardio? I'm interested!
Em said...
Low-impact cardio: Cleaning the house vigorously enough to get the heartrate up a bit; walking a little fast; walking a normal pace up hill or while carrying a big baby; etc.
MisTrish said...
I am a new mommie (11 mos in to it) I went from 130 to 180 during pregnancy. and gained 8 more lbs after. i just started my 30 min walking, 8 glass water, smaller portion diet today. i'm looking 2 lose 50 lbs. but i know this will take time and i will do what i need 2 do. I would like 2 know how you've progressed since last year and i will keep you up to date on my progress. Like u i refuse to by a post preg wardrobe! wish me luck!!!
mrsdixon247 said...
HI I JUST READ YOUR BLOG AND IT WAS REALLY ENCOURAGING IVE BEEN REALLY DOWN ABOUT MY WEIGHT THIS PAST WEEK, I HAVE A NEW BORN WHO IS ALMOST TWO MONTHS OLD AND I NEED MY BODY BACK SO TOMORROW I WILL START MY WATER AND MY CARDIO WISH ME LUCK!!!!!!
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