The Wild Things Are.

I have always been a big believer that you don't have to get fat just because you have a baby. While this sounds great in theory, in practice, it can be a little difficult, especially once you're talking about having baby #2 (or3)! All was going well for a while. I had been doing pretty good with my gym time, and the weight was melting off quite nicely. Then it just stopped. I hit a plateau, as they say.

Well, I was actually kind of okay with this, because I realize that I'm not really fat or anything, and with all of the energy it takes to run a business, keep a house and chase after 3 kids, I just didn't have any left over to worry about losing 17 more pounds. Then I looked at the calendar and realized that it was May 7. Only 2 months till Jamie's wedding, and only 2 months until my goal to have lost all the baby fat!!!

There's that saying, "nine months on, nine months off." As in, it takes 9 months to put on the baby weight, so you it should take about 9 months to get rid of it! Well, Norah will be 9 months old in July, coincidentally the same month that Jamie is getting married on the beach! This made July a perfect goal for me, but if I am going to get there, it is time to get serious, people.

Part of that getting serious was having a reality check. I have always been very embarassed and secretive about how much I actually weigh. I think this goes back to when I was in early high school, to my friends Rachel and Melissa.

One day, they were weighing themselves in Rachel's bathroom, and they pestered me to weigh myself too. Well, they both got on and weighed somewhere in the vicinity of 112 pounds each. I knew how much I weighed, and I REALLY did not want to play this game, but they bugged me and manhandled me until I finally relented and got on the scale. It said 136. They then proceeded to crack up hysterically and ponder aloud how on earth I could weigh so much. This moment stands out as my first ever real moment of shame about my weight. There would be many to follow.

Ever since then, I have avoided telling pretty much anyone how much I actually weighed. My sister knew the truth, but that was about it. I had taken great pains to see that Jason never even knew. Well, somehow, on May 7, I decided I had enough. I asked him to guess how much I weighed. He, realizing this to be a trick question under normal circumstances, refused to give me any kind of realistic answer. Then I told him it was 147, and felt very free all of a sudden. You might say a weight was lifted off me. ; )

Then I went to Wal-Mart, bought some posterboard, made a chart, and hung it up in the middle of the kitchen. It has my current weight on it, along with my goal weight and date, and spots for me to fill in my progress along the way:

I also decided to take a cue from the inspiring blog of my long-lost friend Jessica and post my stats and goals over to the right of my blog. I have decided to follow her lead and go public with my plan. I am hoping this will help me get serious about losing the rest of this baby weight! I want my old clothes to fit again so bad, and I want to feel good about myself again. Not just okay (I feel okay now), but good. Really good. Great, even. I miss the feeling of my thighs not touching!

A few comments, particularly directed at my mother, who is convinced that I am starving myself any time I lose half a pound (only kidding, love you Mom!)

1. Yes, I am still breastfeeding, and I am aware that I need to take in plenty of healthy calories to make good milk for Norah.
2. I will be aiming to eat about 2000 calories a day.
3. I will be working out 3-4 times per week.
4. I know it is shallow to want my thighs not to touch, but I will only be in my 20's once, and I figure I might as well enjoy it while I'm here!

Now if I can just manage to get somewhere close to an "After" by July 7, we'll be in business! Wish me luck...