Back (and into Week 3)
I started trying to eat better about two weeks post-partum, not dieting, just not stuffing my face with every starch in sight the way I was doing the last leg of my pregnancy. She turned four weeks old last Saturday and to my great surprise, I weighed in at just under my pre-pregnancy weight of 239 on the same day. So that's 28 pounds gone and the trick is to keep going. I am 237.6 today, Another 100 or so at least to go.
What I'm doing differently this time:
- Weighing myself daily and really, truly not letting the number get into my head but just to track fluctuations.
- Really really not trying to be perfect - I got too caught up trying to be perfect with my online tracker, putting in every bite, every calorie, every carb gram and I got tired and it was too time-consuming, and oh boy did it contribute to my OCD.
- Keeping a food journal - actual pen on paper - it keeps me accountable by putting down everything I eat and yet not too crazily so by not worrying about the micro of everything but keeping track of the big picture,
- Walking every day I can - Not always possible every single day but I'll try. I can't lift weights for another 8 weeks, I can hop on the elliptical in only another 4 weeks but in the mean time at least I can walk.
I'm also trying to see things as an experiment - like tracking the fluctuations of my weight; if I eat pasta on this day, I gain so and so pounds the next day, if I eat wheat, I can bet I'll be wheezing by bedtime. This keeps me interested without feeling like I'm agonizing overy every food decision - if that makes sense. Plus the most important part is sticking to it! I need to make it easy because most of my mental energy is now devoted to being a mom of a preschooler and newborn and I'm still floundering at last 23 hours out of every 24!
But I'm happy to be back and tracking and reading on everyone's progress and commenting and just being here, being present.
What I'm doing differently this time:
- Weighing myself daily and really, truly not letting the number get into my head but just to track fluctuations.
- Really really not trying to be perfect - I got too caught up trying to be perfect with my online tracker, putting in every bite, every calorie, every carb gram and I got tired and it was too time-consuming, and oh boy did it contribute to my OCD.
- Keeping a food journal - actual pen on paper - it keeps me accountable by putting down everything I eat and yet not too crazily so by not worrying about the micro of everything but keeping track of the big picture,
- Walking every day I can - Not always possible every single day but I'll try. I can't lift weights for another 8 weeks, I can hop on the elliptical in only another 4 weeks but in the mean time at least I can walk.
I'm also trying to see things as an experiment - like tracking the fluctuations of my weight; if I eat pasta on this day, I gain so and so pounds the next day, if I eat wheat, I can bet I'll be wheezing by bedtime. This keeps me interested without feeling like I'm agonizing overy every food decision - if that makes sense. Plus the most important part is sticking to it! I need to make it easy because most of my mental energy is now devoted to being a mom of a preschooler and newborn and I'm still floundering at last 23 hours out of every 24!
But I'm happy to be back and tracking and reading on everyone's progress and commenting and just being here, being present.