Hi there! I thought I’d introduce myself here, and tell you a bit about myself, my life and my battle with post pregnancy weight loss.
I’m 43 years old, with a 20 year old stepson at university and an 11 year old daughter. I work from home with my husband, and have done since my daughter was a year old. I know – and we’re still married! We have two dogs and two cats, so it’s a full house!
When I was younger – or at least before I had my daughter – my weight would fluctuate a bit, but never more than a few pounds up or down. It seemed a lot easier to get my weight back down in those days! Now that I think about it, my hubby and I used to go mountain biking every weekend, and I went to gym at least twice a week. Then along came baby – and everything went out the window.
We couldn’t go biking together anymore, as there was no-one to look after baby. My daughter was prem, which meant she drank plenty, but after 8 months of breastfeeding I was still carrying in excess of 15 pounds extra weight. Over the next 9 years, I did very little exercise, giving up gym, and the pounds slowly but surely piled up. When my daughter was 3 years old, I started Tai Chi. In the next two years I got back into shape – in fact better shape than I’d been in for years, but still not my pre-pregnancy size. Then my daughter started school, I joined the PTA, and eventually left Tai Chi. Again, the weight crept back on. It seemed to happen quite slowly – within 4 years I had gone up yet another dress size, and then last summer, that size wasn’t fitting any more either.
The buttons on my pants wouldn’t close. If I ate lunch in some pants, I’d have a sore stomach after because the pants were cutting into me. Seams were stretching, and I couldn’t wear fitted tops because of the rolls. I certainly couldn’t afford to buy new clothes – and quite frankly refused to anyway – I’d be wearing the same size as my mother!!
So, I went where we all go when we want to find something, and searched high and low – there are a lot of weight loss programs available online! I avoided the DIY ones where you join up for free and regulate yourself – I need a bit more guidance than that. When I came across Strip That Fat, I was impressed with the fact that this was a diet that could become a lifestyle, not just a once off thing.
Within a month, I was fitting comfortably into my pants. Within three months, I was wearing clothes I hadn’t fitted into for years – it was like having a new wardrobe without spending a dime! And even better for me is that I’ve maintained that weight for four months, with no major setbacks.
So, I’m now slimmer and trimmer than I’ve been in years. I will admit to slacking off on the exercise, and that means I’m not as toned as I should be, but I’m at least exercising more, and working towards a toned body!
I’m hoping to get back into mountain biking, now that my daughter’s old enough to come with us and we’ve acquired a third bike, and eventually I would love to go back to Tai Chi. In the meantime though, I’ll stick to my new, healthy eating habits, and work at the rest!