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!