Weight Loss After Two

Plateau.

That's what happened to my weight loss around the time Hudson was five months old. I extended myself some grace, because my hands were full, and I tried to have patience remembering the whole "nine months on, nine months off" thing. I kept waiting for the same super metabolism that I had after Phinn to kick in.

And I kept waiting, and waiting...

Still waiting actually.

However, I'm not waiting so passively any more. 

While I was being pretty good at working out and pretty good at eating healthy, I was being pretty terrible about snacking. During my second pregnancy, Hubs and I got into a bad habit of eating ice cream way too often, and that  habit has lingered - along with my love of dark chocolate and baked goods. 

But, I read something the other day: "abs are made 30% at the gym and 70% in the kitchen." BAM! It hit me. My eating habits are sabotaging all the hard work I'm doing. All of the results I was hoping to see from my running, Tracy Anderson DVDs (still loving her post-pregnancy DVD!), and Baby Boot Camp classes were being ruined by over indulging. 

I am working to change my eating habits, and luckily I have a great program called the Mother Love Fitness Challenge (MOLO) to help me get started. MOLO is all about setting goals for yourself and making little changes each week to help you not only reach your goal, but to change your habits for the long run. 

This first week, we started by giving up our BIG daily vice. Mine was chocolate. This isn't a permanent break-up, but I am hoping to get our relationship under control. I did find myself taking a bite of my son's cookie the other day. It was a chocolate chunk cookie that he had gotten after school, and I had only given him half of it. As soon as it was in my mouth, I remembered the challenge and spit it out. And all I could think of was the episode of Sex and the City where Miranda eats cake out of the trash. That's how bad chocolate and I have become. I am eating it without even really thinking about it.

I have read about some ways to set boundaries for yourself. If you're anything like me, the minute you deprive yourself of something, there is nothing you want more. For me, being completely restrictive would only set myself up for failure. 

One suggestion that I liked was to plan your indulgences into your week. For example, I know that Friday nights at our house are usually homemade pizza night, so I make sure my other dinners that week are healthy. That means doing things like skipping take-out and subbing spaghetti squash for noodles. 

Another tip I picked up was if you are going to indulge make it count. Skip the store-bought cookies and candy, the handful of chocolate chips, or in my case, the bite of your son's cookie, and wait for the opportunity to have something that you really want, something that is really worth the fat and calories like a homemade chocolate doughnut or your favorite dessert at your favorite local restaurant or a chocolate from Gearharts' on Valentine's Day (hint! hint!). 

Changing my eating habits is not going to be all about restricting what it is that I can eat, but it's also going to be about finding new ways to enjoy fruits and veggies more. When I started eating a vegetarian diet (well...pescatarian, because I do have seafood every couple months), I became aware of a lot of vegetables that I hardly noticed before; squash, kale, chard, fennel, beets, radishes - and I learned how to use them to make some really delicious (and some not so delicious) meals. 

These last five pounds have not gone anywhere, despite how hard I feel like I'm working. My pre-pregnancy clothes mostly fit, however, they're not nearly as comfortable as they once were. 

While there are some numbers I am trying to hit on the scale and tape measure, there's also a bigger reason. All the weight I'm carrying is lower abdominal fat, which can play a big role in health problems such as diabetes and breast cancer - both of which run in my family. Nothing can quite snap me into action as quick as the thought of having to fight cancer or even worse not being there for my boys.

So I'm going to be sharing more about my workouts, some recipes (even a few of my own!), and any other useful tips I pick up along the way. I'm going to work hard to find the balance between eating healthy, exercising, and indulging - because let's face it, life is too short not to have chocolate ;)  

Running Postpartum Round 2

After Phinn was born, it was pretty easy to fall back into running. I tried starting back around six weeks postpartum. Although I was mentally ready to run again, my body just wasn't. I tried again a few weeks later and my body was ready to go.

Once my body was on board, I was able to make time to hit the gym in the early morning or evenings, and Hubs would give Phinn a bottle. I could also do a long run on Saturdays. As Phinn got older and the weather warmer, I would strap him into the BOB, and off we would go together. I was a happy runner and a happy mama.

After Hudson was born, I started to ease back into running around seven or eight weeks postpartum, and everything was going beautifully. I still had pretty good endurance. My speed was picking up. Hudson was taking a bottle, and I was sneaking in early morning runs. I also had been hitting the treadmill during nap times.

But then, running started to become really uncomfortable about a month after resuming. Not to go into too much detail, but after running, I would have debilitating discomfort. It was as if I had a bladder infection, but I knew that was not the case. I saw my OB/GYN and she confirmed that it was not an infection and couldn't pinpoint any source for my problem, but I was still in pain after running.

Luckily, my mom is a nurse and she spoke to a urologist friend to see if he had any recommendations for me. He advised cutting out alcohol, caffeine, and spicy food, making sure I eat a clean diet, and remembering to do kegels to strengthen muscles that had been weakened by in utero baby punches and kicks.

Cutting out the spicy food I could handle. It was summer though, and who doesn't love to eat Mexican food, but I felt like I could forgo it. Giving up my coffee and wine was much more difficult, but at least it was only temporary. Once I gave my body some more time to heal, I would be able to resume enjoying my vices.

A few weeks into my new regimen, I was able to increase my distance without discomfort. I successfully trained for the Charlottesville Women's 4 Miler (a great race to run if you're local or semi-local) in August. I was able to set a new PR of 32:22. Not too shabby for someone who had a baby four months prior and had a few training set backs!

Next up was the Richmond Half Marathon in November. I had my training plan, and was ready to go. The first few weeks went well - I was meeting my mileage and still feeling strong.

As the weeks went by, and my runs were increasing in distance, I was finding it more difficult to make them happen. Hudson had started refusing bottles, so early morning runs were out. The boys were only content in the double BOB for about 3-4 miles (okay, Phinn's complaining usually started around 2 miles in, but I was usually able to distract / bribe him with animal crackers in order to make it to 4!). The only run I could reliably count on was my long Saturday run. Thank you Hubs for helping me make that happen!

Two days before the Richmond Half, I woke up with another bout of the "toddler virus" that cycles through the house every few months. My head was stuffy, my body ached, and my ears felt like they were going to explode from all the pressure. I made the call the morning of the race not to run. I was disappointed, but I knew running this race would set back my recovery from toddleritis, and I couldn't do it. Being sick as a mom makes your job exponentially more difficult.

As I reflected on my training experience, I decided to take a break from long races. It is just not feasible for me to train properly at this point in my life. It causes me to feel unnecessary stress, and it was really robbing my favorite hobby of a lot of its joy.

So, what am I up to these days?

I try to enjoy 2-3 runs during the week. They're short 2-3 mile runs, and I can easily squeeze them in during nap time or while the boys play.

On the weekends, I am still getting in my long runs - they just aren't as long as before - usually about 5-7 miles. I find these are necessary, though. It gives me an hour or so of freedom to stretch my legs and mind. It gives me an hour of silence where I can think about nothing (or everything). Even though the last few weekends have been pretty darn cold, I find myself bundling up and looking forward to feeling the cold air on my face and the invigoration I feel when I am finished.

As for my race schedule, I currently only have two races on it. The first is the Four Courts Four Miler, which is a bit of a family tradition and the second is the Monument Ave 10K.  I have been thinking of doing other races, but I'm going to take it as it comes and just enjoy my hobby and the invaluable mental and physical benefits it provides me.

Time Out - One Step at a Time (Almost Literally)

About nine days after Phinn was born, I came down with a pretty bad case of cabin fever. I was beginning to feel as if I was becoming a part of the couch or bed or rocking chair because let's face it, I pretty much rotated from one to another depending on the activity (watching TV/reading, sleeping, or feeding Phinn). I had not been out of the house besides the two visits to the pediatrician's office and was desperately needing a change in scenery. After a little convincing, I talked Hunter into going to the outlet mall and walking around under the pretense that Phinn needed a couple newborn size onesies. (Who knew that you go through at least three of them a day?!)

I started off feeling great. It was wonderful to breathe in fresh air and feel a little bit of sunshine on my face! I was walking at a decent pace but shortly after perusing the Christmas section at Pottery Barn, my stitches were killing me and my rear end felt like it was on fire. As we moved on to a few more stores, my pace slowed to that of a crawl. I think I might have even given in to using a rascal, if it had been offered. I will say that while I was managing some physical discomfort, mentally I was in heaven. It felt so good to just be out and about, see other people, and remember how it feels to wear clothes (not pajamas) with a little bit of make-up and my hair straightened. I managed to stumble through the last few stores, but needless to say I was very excited when Hunter offered to go get the car and I could wait on a bench for him.

Since Friday, I have managed to squeeze in a little trip out of the house each day. We went to Purcellville Marketplace (cute little store in town that has a year-round Christmas section) on Saturday and Church and Target on Sunday. I think getting out is important not only because it gets me up and moving, but my little field trips also provide me with sanity! As I've mentioned before, I hate to feel chained to the couch. I'm not good at vegging out or sitting still. It just leads to more restlessness, not to mention it also lengthens my "to-do" list as I stare at piles of clutter, baby gear strewn about the house, dirty floors, and I could go on about the ten things I see that need cleaning right now as I type...

I'm still optimistic that I will be back at the gym - at least walking or using the elliptical - before Thanksgiving. This week I am going to start formulating my plan to get back to "me" which will include both exercise and nutrition, and I will share my progress with you. I am doing my best to be patient and give my body some recovery time, but I also think that I'm going to have to manage some level of discomfort as I reenter my exercise routine. As long as my two best friends - Motrin IB and heating pad - are nearby, I will survive.

Prepping for Postpartum Running

So I am getting very anxious to start running after Baby Smith arrives. I have high hopes for what I am going to accomplish. I have been planning to start marathon training after he arrives as soon as my midwife gives me the green light. I even used one of my race shoes as my focal object during our childbirth class. The instructor did have to ask why I brought a shoe to focus on, and it made me excited just to talk about running out loud!

However, after talking to my cousin (a seasoned marathoner and mother) and doing a little research, I have learned that running is not going to be quite the carefree activity it used to be. Instead it is going to be a whole new experience! One of the major changes being a shift in my outlook on running from "I want to run" to "I need to run." Every new mom's (according to what I have read) experience is going to be different, and it even differs from baby to baby, but there are certain aspects of being a new mom that every runner has to work around.

In trying to conduct some online research about postpartum running, I have found that there is very little out there. I do commend all the mommy bloggers out there who write about their experience getting back in the running game after giving birth. There are actually two women professional runners- Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher- who were both pregnant this year and wrote about their experiences (Shout out to my cousin Laura for sending me these articles!!). Hopefully they will continue to discuss their experience and tell me how they are getting back in the game. If it weren't for this small group of blogging mommy runners, there would be hardly anything out there for me.

Here are some of the challenges that new moms returning to running will most likely encounter:

Challenge #1: Sleep (or should I say lack there of!)

Sleep deprivation- I cannot fully comprehend it now, although I think have been given a small dose of what it will be like since I have been struggling with sleep for months and seem to have developed new sleeping patterns. However, it probably won't hold a candle to sleeping with a new baby. A lot of the running moms out there that I have read about site lack of sleep as one of the big challenges to getting back into the running game. It is hard to find the motivation to go run ten miles when you have had three hours of sleep.

Challenge #2: Nursing

This seems to be the BIGGEST challenge. If you are a breastfeeding momma, which I plan to be, there are a lot of other things you need to work around. First, I'm going to have to figure out when to feed the little guy. Everything I've read says to feed the baby as close to your run as possible that way he is happy and you can at least begin your run on empty. If the baby is not hungry, then pump. But as moms out there know and I will learn, babies don't always work on your schedule so this is where flexibility comes in. I am going to have to be okay with readjusting my schedule from time to time. Some of the blogs I have read say that it seems like the best time to get runs in is either EARLY in the morning (5 AM) or LATE at night (10 PM). Side Note: If I had a larger house, I would invest in a treadmill. I think it would be worth its weight in gold!

Another challenge with breast feeding that some running moms have encountered is having their milk dry up. It seems like if you are running too much (or maybe it is pushing your body too much), your body does not have the extra materials necessary to produce milk. Also some times the lactic acid that your body produces while running can cause your milk to taste funny and the baby may turn his nose up at it.

The other challenge that I read about that relates to breastfeeding and running is that you must find a SUPER-HUMAN, BULLETPROOF sports bra. As someone who was never really well endowed (just average), this will be something new to me. I have had some recommendations for Title Nice Sports Bras, so I'll have to give those a try.

Challenge #3: Bladder

I have not had too much experience with this while being pregnant probably because my workouts have been 45 minutes or less and I have been doing lower impact exercise (walking and the elliptical). A lot of moms have cited that your bladder, similar to the rest of your body does not magically go back to normal after the baby is born (Shocker, I know!), so plan to have your runs interrupted by bathroom breaks.

I am sure that there are more challenges out there but these seem to be the most common.

I will admit that reading about these things and others' experiences does have me a little discouraged. I don't want these challenges to stop me from trying to get back in the running game or even offer me an easy excuse when things get rough (because unless I just get plain lucky, running is definitely going to be hard work!). I just hope learning about them before Baby Smith is born will help me prepare to better face them and have back-up plans for when something isn't working.

I know not many of my readers are mommy runners, but maybe this entry will come up on some pregnant or new mom's Google search and will help them as other articles and blogs have helped me prepare for postpartum running. It seems the big key to being successful as a new mom getting back into the running game or any other type of physical activity is listening to your body.