So last I checked in, it was Sept 2015. I shared that I'd just had a baby boy and was hoping to get back on track with my weight loss and would writing another post again soon. Yeah, that didn't happen. And now it's January of 2019, so about three and a half years later and a bit has changed. I managed to lose almost all of my baby weight ... and then got pregnant again. We welcomed our daughter in April of 2017. I gained all of the weight back... and then some. After I delivered her, I lost a good chunk, but I'm still about 100 pounds over where I want to maintain. I'm pretty close to where I started out when I first started this whole journey in 2008.
Things have settled with the kids. Our son, Wyatt, is now three and a half and (mostly) potty trained. Our daughter, Penny, will be 2 in a few months and is learning about 20 new words every day and never stops talking, lol. It's been more of a struggle to transition from one kid to two kids than it was for me to go from no kids to one kid. Self-care has not been a main priority, but I'm ready for that to change. I am still dealing with some back pain from my second pregnancy. I've seen a chiropractor for about two years, but haven't made a whole lot of progress. I'm hoping if I can drop some weight and get back into working out, it will help strengthen my body and get my back in place too.
My plan is to try to do what I did the first time. I'm going to start with counting calories and maybe even do Weight Watchers again. I also have a Beachbody On Demand account, so I have access to all of my favorite workouts and will be able to pick and choose depending on what will work best for my back.
This time around will be more of a challenge because I now have to cook and plan for not only myself, but my husband and two little (semi-picky) eaters. They eat a decent variety, but when I lost the weight the first time, I stuck to a very simple rotation of foods and kept any tempting food out of the house. I still try to keep the tempting food out of the house, but it's hard when your kid comes up to you and says, "We should make cupcakes today!!!" I almost always have the ingredients needed for homemade sweets, lol. And my family is not as ok as I am to eat the same few meals over and over without getting tired of them. When I first start out, "less is more", so I find a few meals that work for me and stick to that. As I do better, I branch out. But it's harder when you're cooking for others. So that will be a new challenge for me. Also, as many moms will tell you, kids wear you out. A lot. So I don't have as much enthusiasm or time for standing in a kitchen for an hour making a delicious home-cooked meal like I used to. I prefer something I can get out in fifteen minutes. The natives get a bit restless if I take too long, lol. And nowadays, cleaning is an all-day job. Over and over. Because 1 and 3 year olds make messes. It's basically their main job, lol. So the longer I cook, the bigger the mess they make. And after a day of working and playing and cleaning, I don't always feel up to making a big dinner.
So I've got a few more challenges, but I also have some things working in my favor. I have the kids now, which means that I am up and active more often. I can play with them and when it's nice out, we like to go to the park or go for walks or bike rides. I also have to be a better example for them. They learn from me and what they see me do. I want to give them a healthy lifestyle now so they can continue it when they get older. So that means I need to get my butt in gear. Our family is complete with the four of us. I won't be getting pregnant again. I am still nursing, but just once a day and that will probably be done soon too. I feel like I'm getting my body back. If I can get my back fixed, I should be good to go.
I think 2019 is going to be my year to get back to feeling like "me"! I took a picture back in 2009 when I had lost all of the weight the first time. I want to try to recreate this photo in November as a 10-year comparison. So ... wish me luck!
Oh, I forgot to mention. We also added a fur baby this year. Her name is Lucy, Lu for short, and she's about 7 months old. We don't know much about her background, but she is a bit nervous around the kids. When we first got her, right after Christmas, she was constantly between our feet, trying to hide under us. We've had her for a month now and she still gets a little nervous around the kids, but she also plays with them now. She's eating and drinking normally, she loves to play outside. She is the sweetest girl and she loves her squeaky toys. She's a bit of a bed-hog, but she also keeps my feet warm, so I'm ok with it. We are happy to have her be part of our family!
