Baby Weight or NOT Baby Weight?

My son is 2, is it still considered baby weight?  Maybe it’s “I had kids and they take up all of my time” weight!

After my 1st I was great about going to the gym, eating healthy and getting adequate rest.  I think I was in better shape at her first birthday than I was when I got pregnant.  Then my son was born…

I kept asking everyone when I was pregnant, How much more work is 2 children than just one?  Double the work?  Not as much as double?  No one would give me a straight answer.  I’ll tell you the truth- it’s one hundred times more the work!!!!!!  One child is a cute accessory.  Add another child and your life is consumed by non stop, never ending work!  Good bye coffee dates with friends and Hello sweatpants!  Between running the kids here and there, errands, laundry, cleaning, cooking, dishes, working part-time, raising children that act like wild animals into decent human beings, who has time for the gym?!?!  Every time my kids start screaming and fighting with each other I grab a pint of ice cream and start shoveling cookies in my mouth!  At the end of the day I want some wine and dessert to help me unwind, or to celebrate the great day I just accomplished.

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And here we are, it’s been 2.5 years since my son was born.  Everything seems like one big blur, all my days blend together, and I still have my “baby weight”.  I tried to lose it over the summer.  That should be easy right?  We are all outside, more active; the weight should just fall off.  Oh wait, I’m not 23 any more!!  Is it me or is the summer filled with one cook out after the next?  They usually start around 3:00.  You graze all afternoon while drinking cocktails, have a huge burger for dinner, and don’t forget about the delicious dessert being served right before you leave.  Tons of fun!!!!  I definitely gained 10 pounds this summer!  With the Holidays coming up, forget it!

So where does it end?  For me it ended Monday!  I got on the scale and I weighed my all time high at 156.5, and that was it for me!  I may not always have control over my time and whether I can fit a work out into my schedule or not.  But I do have control over what I put in my mouth.  I have to break the cycle!  First thing I did, think of my body as a machine and food is fuel.  What is the best things I can put into it?  I also started thinking about my kids.  Do I want to continue eating unhealthy and have health problems that my kids have to worry about when they are my age?  Next thing was grocery shopping.  I stocked up on veggies and got a dip made from beets to dip them in.  It’s actually really good.  Then I got friendly with the butcher.  I had no idea my grocery store has chicken burgers with spinach and feta, delicious!!

I’m 4 days in and have already lost 4.5 pounds!  It hasn’t been easy, but I’m pushing thru it and happy to be seeing results so quickly.  Last night I had something worth celebrating with my husband.  All I wanted was to open a bottle of wine and get some chocolate cake.  I was really struggling!  Then my hubby said to me “Celebrate by having the best body of your life”.  He is so encouraging and amazing to me!!

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In the event of an absolute melt down of cravings, I have 1 of these cookies and it’s all better. 1 cookie is 40 calories and soooooo delicious!  The best part, I can eat it guilt free!

9 thoughts on “Baby Weight or NOT Baby Weight?

  1. I’m trying to get healthy and it’s soooo hard. I lost 122 lbs about 3 years ago and have gradually gained almost all of it back. This blog post was so encouraging and has given me the motivation to start over again. THANK YOU!!!!!

    1. It is very hard! But everything good in life takes hard work. I always think about all the wonderful, healthy foods I get to eat instead of the foods I don’t get to eat. And have a back up plan for those sweets cravings. Get the frozen greek yogurt bars. It’s a nice substitute for ice cream. You can do it!

  2. I love this post. Losing weight requires discipline and sacrifice and there is NOTHING easy about it. But nothing feels better than to be healthy and in shape. Diets are great at kick starting weight loss but to keep it off you have to make a lifestyle change…that’s the truly difficult part! Ugh! but it is so worth it. I tell myself to stop eating the things that temporarily make me happy but in the long run make me unhappy. It usually works for me but sometimies I just have to eat ice cream! Btw….I noticed those cookies are gluten free ; )

  3. great motivation! I just went back to tae kwon do after a 4 year hiatus, and I feel really good. I keep asking myself, if my baby is 11, can I still I am working on losing baby weight too? LOL honestly, I lost it all after her, I looked great, I was down to a size 4, and then my 30’s hit and i was like professor clumps from the nuttty professor, it bulged out everywhere!!! How do you go from 135lbs to 170lbs without having a baby?!

    I am so disappointed in myself, so I decided to take action and get back to a healthy weight. I am in week 3 of my return to tae kwon do, and i feel great!

  4. I would love to hear more about your weight loss journey and what you eat! Losing 4.5 pounds in 4 days is incredible! Loved the skin care post too! Keep it up Rachel :)

  5. Hey Rachel, I love your blog. Have you tried the Dole dark chocolate covered bananas or strawberries…..They are yummy and 100 calories or less. You always look beautiful :)

  6. You could check if there is a local Stroller Strides in your area! I have been overweight my whole life and joined SS last February. It was one of the best things I have ever done in my life!

  7. I feel like I’m reading my own post! Except I’m a stay at home mom to 4, yes 4 kids. At Christmas time I hit 156 and I decided “enough was enough!”. I have never been this heavy without a person growing inside me. My youngest is almost five months. I stopped eating most sweets, my major downfall, have been eating more veggies and have been logging my calories. Not really “dieting” per say since I am still nursing but just really keeping an honest log of what and how much I eat. As of today I’m 148. Taking a hard look at my diet and eating healthier has made me loose 8lbs in about 3 weeks. I still have quite a ways to go but I will say don’t deprive yourself of things you love, just eat them modestly. I’ve tried to diet before and would cut out every “bad” food, I would just be miserable, hungry and craving those food all day long, which would eventually cause me to give up and gain it all back. It’s about changing your life style and eating habits for the long term.

    1. Keep up the good work! Just starting is the hardest part. Good look with all those kiddos!

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