Please Hold

To any loyal readers who are still checking in here, bless your heart! I haven't been updating in the past few weeks because, well, I'm pretty much devoting every waking second to my baby boy and my family. Once in a while, I take a "break" to shower and brush my teeth.

Needless to say, I haven't had time to update the blog or really devote myself to getting fit. I'm just trying to get through the day. All I can ask is that you hang on, check back in a few weeks. I really want to get back to getting fit and rededicate myself to this blog ... I just need a little more time to get my baby boy bulked up (he's still awfully tiny) and maybe get a little more sleep.

Thanks for your patience and see you back here soon, I hope.

Weekly Weigh-in: The Post-Baby Numbers Are In

And the moment I've been waiting for since my pregnancy began last fall ... where am I restarting this weight loss journey from? The first time, back in January 2008, it was 238 lbs with a goal weight of 150. Because I was able to keep my baby weight gain from ballooning out of control, this time I won't have to go quite as far. Check it out:

Jay (currently on a "break")
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: ??? pounds
Pounds lost this week: ? pounds
Total pounds lost: ? pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 192 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 15 pounds (!!!!)
Total pounds lost: 46 pounds

Hooray! I love dropping 15 lbs in just a couple of weeks. That's like Biggest Loser numbers, minus the hellish 10-hour workouts (though I'm sure I burned a few calories in my 18-hour labor).

So now I have 42 lbs to lose in order to reach my goal weight. Yes, it's a lot to lose and a bit intimidating. But I've already lost more than that, so I know I can do it again. I'm just waiting a few more days for my body to fully recover from childbirth, and I'll be getting back to the exercise. Meanwhile, breastfeeding my boy every 2 hours or so is helping me burn, burn, burn those calories!

Next step: Getting Mr. to join me in this fit journey, take 2.

We Had the Baby!

After all these months (9, or maybe 90?), we have something to show for this big ol' pregnancy: a beautiful, healthy, perfect little baby boy. Please say hello to the newest member of the Get Fit family, James.

We're all doing well after a relatively easy birth (not that any birth could really be called "easy," could it?) Resting at home and adjusting to our new family life.

I will post my postnatal weigh-in soon. Just give my body time to recover a bit and maybe get rid of all the extra fluid.

Pregnancy's Easier When You're Fitter

We all know there are many pluses to not being plus-sized. For me, one of the benefits of losing weight was experiencing a much easier pregnancy.

With my first child, I started out my pregnancy around the same weight I am now (at 9 months along!) I had gained approximately 40 pounds by the end, and was feeling every bit of it. From the first few months, I was already out of breath doing the littlest amount of activity (like walking up a slight incline in a parking lot).

My back killed me -- and not just the sciatica pain I'm experiencing now. It was that general, overall lower-back pain that flared up whenever I started doing chores like laundry or cleaning. Seriously limited my ability to get things done, let me tell ya.

I also swelled up like a balloon. My ankles, hands, face, everything just got so tight as the fluid collected in my body. It was so uncomfortable. My shoes didn't fit. I just felt awful being in my own skin.

Finally, the heartburn. Oh, the heartburn. It was probably in part due to the baby's positioning, but I'm guessing it was also the crap food I ate and all the extra fat in my body exacerbating it. I popped Tums like candy for most of my pregnancy. Everyone knew I was good for them if they had a twinge of their own heartburn -- I was the "Tums lady" at the office.

I realize none of these symptoms are unusual for a pregnant woman. And they're all considered "normal" -- no need to call 911 when back hurt or I got breathless. Still, during this second pregnancy I've been spared all of these things. Surely being fitter and thinner helped? I've been so much more active without getting out of breath or back pain (other than sciatica, which is a bitch, but what can you do?) No swelling, very little heartburn and less weight gain.

I appreciate how much easier this time around has been, and I attribute it to starting out at a much healthier weight. Highly recommend it to all you ladies thinking about getting knocked up!

Fat Parents and Fat Kids

One of the major reasons Mr. and I wanted to get fit in the first place was to be healthy role models for our children. We didn't want to be the "fat mom" or "fat dad," and we didn't want to raise kids who became the "fat kids" either.

We've been very glad that our daughter, so far, shows no signs of becoming a "fat kid." She's only 3, but at her recent annual checkup, she placed in the 50th percentile of weight for her age group. No surprise, since she is quite active (of her own accord) and eats like a bird. We try to emphasize with her how tasty nutritious foods are and how treats like ice cream and cookies are a "sometimes thing." Also, we give her plenty of opportunities to run around and do her kid thing (though I must admit, she also watches some TV most days -- we're not perfect).

Anyhow, I found this article from Reuters Health interesting because of my vigilance about fat parents/fat kid issues. It basically says heavier moms tend to overlook their own child's overweight status, probably because of their own emotional weight hangups. I can see that.

But I wonder, when the doctor says your child is "off the charts" for weight, how do you explain that away? I guess there are always excuses handy -- but it's sad that your own weight problems as a parent can negatively affect your child's well-being too. Mr. and I don't want to let that happen, so we're going to continue working hard to keep our kids healthy -- and ourselves, too.

Weekly Weigh-in: I'm Down?

We're in the home stretch of my seemingly neverending pregnancy, and I feel every bit of it. Especially all that wriggling around in my belly. It is so weird to see your child shifting and moving and squirming while inside your body. There's just nothing else like it, except in alien movies.

But guess what? The scale has been kind to me this week. And for that, I am sooo grateful.

Jay (currently on a "break")
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: ??? pounds
Pounds lost this week: ? pounds
Total pounds lost: ? pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 205.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 2 pounds
Total pounds lost: 32.5 pounds

Yeah, that's right. I LOST 2 lbs! Baby boy is steadily gaining though, according to my ultrasounds (which I have to get weekly because of my chronic hypertension). Maybe it's all the crazy nesting I've been doing. For instance, today I steam-cleaned our upstairs carpeting. That surely burned some calories. Each day, I try to knock more tasks off my "before baby arrives" to-do list.

People tell me I look good and the pregnancy weight gain is all in my belly. My doctors always say "Your weight looks good" each week when I go in for a checkup. (They also say my pee looks good -- how often do you hear that?) I take every compliment as a blessing and focus on the moment as much as I can.

Also, I am making plans in my head for after the baby arrives -- how I'll be able to get in workouts, cut out the ice cream (boo hoo) and get back on track to being Mrs. Get Fit. Maybe I can even haul Mr. along for the ride? As always, I'll keep you posted.

Weekly Weigh-in: It's Hot, I'm Not

Nothing like being 9 months pregnant in late June in the Midwest. It's gettin' hot in here! I'm just trying to stay in the AC as much as possible. Would be nice if these 90s-plus highs would go away, at least for a few days, to give me some outdoor walking time. Oh well.

So the weekly weight report is blah.

Jay (currently on a "break")
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: ??? pounds
Pounds lost this week: ? pounds
Total pounds lost: ? pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 207.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: (1.5) pounds
Total pounds lost: 30.5 pounds


I don't have much to say about it, except 3 1/2 more weeks till baby! Let's get this party started.

In other news, I found this MSNBC article about "phantom fat" kind of interesting. It's about people who lose a bunch of weight but still feel like they're fat. Like they're so used to their bigger bodies, that can't quite adjust their mental image of themselves to a new, slimmer person.

To be honest, this hasn't been a problem for me. I absolutely loved the feeling of my body getting fitter, whether I was shopping for smaller sizes of clothes or just enjoying a little extra room in seats. But I can see how phantom fat could be an issue for some folks.