Let's Start Over, Shall We?

If my activity on my blog is any indication of how active I was during my pregnancy, well it's no wonder I gained 50 pounds. Let's rewind a bit.

I had sworn that I would remain active during my pregnancy. And I did. Kind of. I did the Tinkerbell 10k and 1/2 marathon and the Glass Slipper Challenge, all before 20 weeks pregnant. So what did I do after 20 weeks? I ate Pop Tarts. A lot of Pop Tarts. I also ate everything else. I took full advantage of eating for two and I ate for two...small third world countries. What was supposed to be my most active and healthiest pregnancy turned out to be the largest amount of weight I've put on while carrying a child.

I was doing well, really. Here I was at 25 weeks. All belly, weight gain looking good, still thin everywhere else.

And then weight gain picked up. Big time. By 30 weeks I wasn't just all belly. I was belly, love handles, thighs and arms.

This only continued. The new baby girl ended up coming a day late(my longest pregnancy) and I was tipping the scales at well over 170 pounds, the most I have ever weighed before. All the hard work and weight loss I'd managed after my 3 year old, gone. Now, this isn't the end of the world. I grew 8lbs and 10 oz of the sweetest little girl, the perfect addition to our family.

Her birth was amazing. Thanks to the past couple of years of running and accomplishments, I learned that life outside of my comfort zone was the cool place to be and I finally got the nerve to chase after the birth I'd always wanted. I wanted a natural birth, outside of the hospital, but I was afraid to make the switch, for fear of something going wrong. After pushing through the Glass Slipper Challenge and knowing how strong I was, I took the leap and made the switch to a birth center at 21 weeks. It was an amazing decision and after just 3 hours of labor, I gave birth peacefully and naturally in the water to the most calm little pudge of a baby girl. It was my perfect birth.

Now that that perfect birth is over, here I am. 3 weeks after delivery, I am down about 25 pounds. I still have 25 pounds to lose. I am nursing so drastic diets aren't an option and I have to pay close attention to my diet, calorie intake, amount of exercise and the water I drink. There's a pretty fine line to walk, I have to maintain enough calories to keep my milk supply up but I still need to manage a net calorie loss in order to lose weight. Obviously none of this has started yet, since I'm still technically supposed to be recovering. I have cleaned up my eating. I broke up with Pop Tarts. I watch what I eat as not to take it 3000+ calories a day. I have started walking here and there, short distances. I'll increase my activity when I get the all clear from my midwife in 3 weeks.

But until then, it's back at square one. I started this blog back when I started running and losing weight the first time around. Here I am again.