2007 – At My Ideal Weight of 135 lbs
As I prepare myself, emotionally and physically, for the arrival of our new baby I'm also taking into consideration post-partum health. Part of that includes managing my weight and returning to a size that is comfortable and healthy for me. I must admit I fell into a trap with my first pregnancy. At my first prenatal appointment, just 13 weeks pregnant with Chase, I weighed 135 lbs. I felt good about my weight at that size – I didnt have a regular exercise regimen but, living in NYC, I walked a lot and also ate with an appropriate degree of restraint. Prayerfully, the pregnancy was an easy one – my OB did encourage me to continue with some form of regular exercise throughout the pregnancy (which I foolishly scoffed at) but other than that I felt free during the pregnancy to eat as I pleased, so long as I could justify to myself that it offered some nutritional value (ie, pint of ice cream in one sitting = I/the baby needs the calcium). I actually enjoyed the pregnancy that much more because I wasn't worried about "watching my figure." You see, starting at a "normal" weight of 135, I was allowed to gain 25-35 lbs and I was confident I wouldn't exceed that.
Fast forwarding 9 months later…. at my last OB appointment, a few days shy of giving birth to Chase, I weighed in at 178 lbs! Blood pressure was still normal and everything else looked good. Sure, I had gained 43 pounds, which was far more than recommended, but at that point I was so delirious with happiness to be having a sweet, healthy, plump baby that I wasn't worried about it. Besides, I naively resolved, I was going to be a breast feeding mommy and those pounds would shed themselves.
At my 6 week post-partum appointment I was surprised to discover that I weighed 148 pounds. Derek and I actually both thought I was already back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 135. I guess after carrying a small person inside you for 42 weeks – you're going to feel much lighter and even appear "slim." However, I wasn't worried and figured that if I had lost 30 pounds in the first 6 weeks (without even trying) those remaining pesky pounds would melt off in the upcoming months. I've never had a serious problem with weight-control and, in fact, there have been times in my life where I bordered on being underweight, due to the stress/hectic life of a busy graduate student and forgetting to eat.
I returned to work feeling optimistic and under the assumption that the pounds would continue to melt off. I continued to eat as I pleased (as I've done most of my life) and, it wasn't until after I did a blog post about my Mommy and Me swimfant class experience that I realized that… my weight was actually climbing up! When Chase turned a year my weight had reached a whopping 160 – and could no longer be blamed on post-partum/baby weight. I look back at that time now with a mixture of shame and confusion. In retrospect, I believe it was a culmination of returning to a sedentary desk job at the hospital, indulging in fast food lunches, and enjoying old, sugary favorites I had given up while pregnant (mountain dew and coffee laden with sugar/cream). But after I saw myself in those pictures I knew I had to pump my breaks – and quick! Derek and I were beginning to talk about expanding our family, and I didn't want to start this next pregnancy out on the wrong foot, health-wise. So at that point is when I began to be more mindful of my dietary choices, both at home and work.
I recently read an article in Washington FAMILY Magazine called "The Diet Traps Every New Mom Faces." Gosh, I wished I'd discovered this article sooner after having Chase! The article takes a realistic look at that extra weight that lingers after your child's first birthday… that can no longer, in good faith, be called "pregnancy pounds." At this point, the article says, you need to be taking a serious look at your lifestyle habits! The article then names the ten most common mommy diet traps to look out for. I realized that, upon returning to work after maternity leave, I had fallen into 7 out of those 10 diet traps! *Yikes*
I will say that it's been a humbling experience for me, having entered this second pregnancy now from the "overweight" standpoint (161 pounds at my first prenatal appointment). Sadly, I took my good health and weight for granted the first time – and, as a result, I've landed myself in the category of women who should only gain "15-25 pounds" during pregnancy. However, instead of preoccupying myself with this, I've just resolved to be more responsible about the decisions I make around food and what I put in my mouth. I try to drink more water now, limit my sweets, and center my meals around a protein or vegetable. At this point, over halfway through the pregnancy, I've gained only 8 pounds, which I'm really excited about. My blood pressure is normal and the baby is developing fine. I have my glucose test (for gestational diabetes) this Monday and will have an updated weight at that time. This is quite a far cry from my level of awareness during the first pregnancy – but the lesson I've learned is that taking care of myself, post-partum, is just as vital as taking care of yourself while expecting. This time I plan to be serious about managing my health and weight once Chase's little brother is here – because I want to be around for a long time, for my husband, my two boys, and the other folks in my life who love me.
a great post! my new baby is almost 4 weeks old and I have 8kilos to lose…….and I ate half a packet of chocolate biscuits today! I might need to read that article and get on the right track!
love your blog, I just found it today
corrie:)
I like your perspective on this! My son is almost 8 months now and I am still working hard to lose all the weight I gained…all 80 pounds of it. I’m down 50 but I still have a long way to go.
I want to have another baby in a year or so but I want to avoid doing what I did during my first pregnancy. I exercised nearly until I was due but I made the mistake of indulging in sweets and also still eating like I was still training for a marathon! There was also a part of me that wanted to just not obsess over my weight for once. Like you, I figured it would be bad but not 80lbs bad. Well now I know!
I am glad to see that you are able to manage your weight gain this time around without obsessing over things. I hope to do the same when the time comes.
Thank you for sharing! This is a very timely topic for me, and I’m encouraged to know I’m not the only one struggling. I’m 29 and it’s my first pregnancy and I was married last summer weighing in at 120lbs and I’m 5’6″. I’m usually around 135 lbs as well, but the stress of the wedding made me lose weight. Well, now at 27 weeks pregnant I’m 167lbs and everyone around me can’t believe I weigh that much and my dr. chides me monthly. I blame it not on overindulging, as my usual sweet tooth disappeared during my pregnancy, but on my inactivity. I’m lucky if I can get to the gym 2 or 3 times a week and because of all the extra weight I get winded and lightheaded easily so it’s a never ending cycle.
The dr. keeps telling me to slow down with gaining weight but I can’t help that – my body’s just holding onto everything I eat! My mother (who had 4 children) and my previously pregnant friends tell me that the dr.’s weight guidelines are bogus and not realistic. So I just let the dr. talk each time and know that once this baby is outta me I gotta hit the gym hard before baby #2 comes.
I wish every other day to be my pre-pregnancy weight again. LOL! I have always been “healthy” but not overweight…Being pregnant gave me the “green light” to indulge as long as I could justify the nutritional value!! <== I had to giggle when u said that!! ! I can’t wait to read that article. Its not too late for me to get it together!! LOL!
Well..if it makes you feel any better..I was 178 lbs and hadnt had a kid released from my loins. I was just fat (LMAO). With that being said…you look great and despite what they say..you can still call it “baby weight”. You look great at any size really. Heck..I’d like to be 130 my daggone self!
Oh, ok! I knew you had to be pretty short, you look really petite in that (gorgeous) picture! Im 5’8″ and, that 150 that the charts say would have me looking like I had been sick, lol.
Many thanks ladies, for the support & validation. Its always good to know you’re not alone in this.
Christina, I’m 5’4″. Not exactly sure if 135 is my REAL ideal body weight, per a BMI calculator. It’s more like my “ideal” in my mind. LOL
Sheliza, Renee is my motivation too!!! And Kristina (Mom On The Rise) as well. They’re both doing the darn thing!
I totally know what you are going through. I have beaten myself up over the fact that I weigh more now than when I was pregnant!! I am working on it slowly but surely. I know you will get back (or at least close to) your ideal weight. If you stay determined and focused you can do it! Renee Ross has been the person to motivate me. Everyday on FB she asks “have you exercised today?” I have vowed to stick with it so I have a positive answer to her daily question!
BTW, that is a smokin’ hot photo of you
Ah, sweets and carbs, my personal downfall, lol. I can make myself go to the gym, practice portion control, and all of that, but if you put a cookie or a grilled cheese in front of me, I HAVE to eat it. Diet is what gets me every time.
If you don’t mind me asking, how tall are you? I ask because my ideal(according to the charts) weight is in the 150-155 range, and my personal “angels singing, perfect world” weight is 160!
this is a good post, that’s great you’re being more assertive about changing your health habits! i know you’ll get back on the right track. drinking water is definitely a good thing. may i suggest taking walks around the neighborhood as your exercise, maybe with the babies in the stroller. exercise has always been my thing, i don’t think i’m the dieting type b/c i like to indulge in what i want as well!
echoing sibo’s sentiments….as u and i have talked about time and time and time again (i swear i could have written this post word-for-word), it is toooo easy to fall back into bad habits. to give urself some credit, though, when chase turned 1, u were already pregnant with baby #2, so it’s not like that was ur current “pre-pregnancy” weight.
i keep thinking about how u had whipped urself into shape when u ran for that Miss NY pageant. that pretty picture of u in the pink jacket and pastel striped scarf is one of my faves of u. u did it then, and u can do it again. derek isn’t gonna know what hit him! watch out now!!
and speaking of derek…i might as well approach the other part of this taboo topic….and that is that our menfolk tend to hop a ride on the “fat train” right along with us. fortunately for women, we naturally shed some of the weight postpartum, but our fellas dont have that anatomical luxury.
shahid has come to grips with this unfortunate reality, and time-permitting, has been spending lots of time in the gym (me a little less, since my schedule is more hectic), and the results are finally starting to show. obviously we want our husbands to be around and be healthy for our kids (and us) just as we intend on doing the same for them.
wow, such a great post! i can’t believe you were so candid about your weight and diet habits…as topics like this can be very sensitive to talk about! by being so honest with yourself, i think you are totally on the right track, as that is the very first step. and centering your meals on protein and vegetables is a GREAT idea, because those carbs are the killer!! lol, the best foods are carbs in my opinion–but hey, it’s all about portion control and sacrifice! i’m confident that you’ll get back to where you want to be.
in the meantime, continue to enjoy that pregnancy glow! (and hey, maybe a lil haagen-dahz every now and then to keep you and chase’s lil brother’s calcium levels up is not necessarily a bad thing, LOL