Starting Back at Square One

I have been thinking a lot about how I want to approach postpartum fitness and nutrition and also how I want to share my progress with you. I have debated whether or not to post body pictures and stats and ultimately decided that while sharing this information may make me feel vulnerable, being honest and open with my readers (which also keeps me honest and accountable to myself) is more important.

As women, I think we have these grandiose ideas about what our bodies will look like post-pregnancy which are fueled by the feature stories we see about celebrities who are back to their perfect bodies within days or weeks of giving birth. We also compare ourselves to other women and believe that we are the only ones who have problems. Everything seems so storybook for everyone else. Hopefully in following my progress you'll see that things aren't always rainbows and butterflies. We may not all have the same challenges but we all have some barrier that is standing in our way.

During this pregnancy, I gained 30 pounds (from 115 to 145) and have noticed that I lost some muscle tone in my arms and legs. I honestly don't know how much I lost in delivery because I haven't stepped on a scale, but I will admit that most days I feel pretty positive about my post-pregnancy body. About one week after delivery, I felt incredibly optimistic and tried on my loosest pair of pre-pregnancy jeans. Needless to say they didn't quite make it over my rear end! So I am working on a postpartum routine that includes eating well and exercising that will help me get back in shape and return to my running.

September 2010 pregnancy weight gain at 25 pounds

The first part of my plan is to track what I am eating and counting calories to make sure that I'm not going overboard. I will say that I am hungrier now that I'm breastfeeding than I ever was pregnant! Just for the record, I am not dieting because my caloric needs are greater than they have ever been in order to maintain a strong milk supply, and I know I'll need some additional calories as my workout routine picks up. My goal is to simply keep my appetite in check and ensure that I'm getting the proper nutrition to take care of Phinn and myself. Did I mention that I got a Wellness Journal from my in-laws for my birthday?! Talk about perfect timing! It has a whole daily food journal section that will be perfect for tracking my progress. From what I have read, I have seen recommendations for breastfeeding moms to consume anywhere between 1,800 - 2.500 calories. It seems a lot of it depends on your weight, exercise habits, and metabolism. Pre-pregnancy, I aimed to consume around 1,500 calories, so I'm going to start off trying to keep my calorie count between 1,800-2,000 per day, see how it goes and adjust from there.

The second part of my plan is to get back to my exercise routine and most importantly RUNNING! I'm sure some of you (myself included) are surprised that I have been able to hold out this long, but I am really trying to do things right and take care of my body by letting it recover before I go diving back into a strenuous running routine. I plan to start where I left off with my pregnancy workouts- walking or doing the elliptical for 30-45 minutes at least four days a week. Once I have mastered that, I will begin with some light jogging. It is my goal to run my first post-pregnancy half marathon in March, but more on that later. My first day back at the gym will be tomorrow. I decided that it will be my reward for surviving my first full day with Hunter back at work.

2 weeks after delivery and sporting the tired new mom look!

Each week I am going to post check-ins that discuss my exercise routine, nutrition, and provide you with pictures and stats. Currently, I do not own a scale. I have never been a fan of weighting myself and figure that if I'm looking good, my clothes fit and I'm happy what does a number mean. I'll weight myself once a week at the gym but other than that I do not want my weight in terms of pounds to become my focus.

I know that this weight was not gained overnight and it will not disappear overnight, so I will try to keep my attitude positive and my goals realistic but challenging.

Check-in with me tomorrow for my first weekly update...