Baby Weight
Perhaps because it's a condition in which dramatic physical changes signify even more momentous metaphysical ones, pregnancy seems to open you up to lots of barely concealed speculation, much of which has to do with weight gain and loss.
The single advantage to four months of morning sickness was that I didn't gain much weight in the first trimester, which meant that by the end of the pregnancy, I had gained a fairly modest amount (23 lbs. See, you were wondering, weren't you?). But I can see how easy it is to gain a lot more weight during pregnancy because you're hungry all the time, and if large quantities of good food aren't available all the time, well, there's always a vending machine. And chances are it isn't vending fresh fruit.
So, anyway, I was a little disappointed that immediately after giving birth, I had only lost 11 lbs, but as it turned out, a good chunk of the rest just sort of dropped off in the first week. Over the next couple of weeks, the numbers came back into line until I was within a few pounds of my normal weight (I wanted to lose 21, since I started the pregnancy a little below normal). Unfortunately, returning to close to my goal weight led to my discovery, to my great and abiding dismay, that while I might be the same mass as I had been, I was not the same shape: everything did not settle back to the same place it had been. However, I was heartened by how much had taken care of itself, so I waited to see what would happen. After all, I was not going to exercise before 4 weeks . . . then 6 weeks . . .
My baby is now 4 1/2 months old. A friend here said that her post-baby body didn't really feel completely normal until a year later, but I noticed the gym tag on her keychain and doubted that it was a year of being absolutely sedentary, which was what I had had in mind. Of course, nursing a baby burns a whopping (and enjoyable) 500 calories a day, and pushing the stroller up the very steep hills in our town is something of a small workout.
But still. I decided yesterday, after pants shopping, that things were likely not going to get any more toned without at least some exertion on my part, and I wanted to do something while I still remembered what my old body looked like at least. So I'm taking the small step of putting my faith in a Woman's Day article that described Six Easy Steps to Tone Your Tummy. It says right there in black and white that "you should see results in about four weeks." Hm . . . I'll keep you posted.
The single advantage to four months of morning sickness was that I didn't gain much weight in the first trimester, which meant that by the end of the pregnancy, I had gained a fairly modest amount (23 lbs. See, you were wondering, weren't you?). But I can see how easy it is to gain a lot more weight during pregnancy because you're hungry all the time, and if large quantities of good food aren't available all the time, well, there's always a vending machine. And chances are it isn't vending fresh fruit.
So, anyway, I was a little disappointed that immediately after giving birth, I had only lost 11 lbs, but as it turned out, a good chunk of the rest just sort of dropped off in the first week. Over the next couple of weeks, the numbers came back into line until I was within a few pounds of my normal weight (I wanted to lose 21, since I started the pregnancy a little below normal). Unfortunately, returning to close to my goal weight led to my discovery, to my great and abiding dismay, that while I might be the same mass as I had been, I was not the same shape: everything did not settle back to the same place it had been. However, I was heartened by how much had taken care of itself, so I waited to see what would happen. After all, I was not going to exercise before 4 weeks . . . then 6 weeks . . .
My baby is now 4 1/2 months old. A friend here said that her post-baby body didn't really feel completely normal until a year later, but I noticed the gym tag on her keychain and doubted that it was a year of being absolutely sedentary, which was what I had had in mind. Of course, nursing a baby burns a whopping (and enjoyable) 500 calories a day, and pushing the stroller up the very steep hills in our town is something of a small workout.
But still. I decided yesterday, after pants shopping, that things were likely not going to get any more toned without at least some exertion on my part, and I wanted to do something while I still remembered what my old body looked like at least. So I'm taking the small step of putting my faith in a Woman's Day article that described Six Easy Steps to Tone Your Tummy. It says right there in black and white that "you should see results in about four weeks." Hm . . . I'll keep you posted.
posted by Tara | 7:35 PM
2 Comments:
Good luck with the toning efforts. I plan on taking a shot in a bathing suit or sports bra a week to 2 weeks after delivery to motivate me. There is the risk of spiraling into hopeless despair with such an approach.
It is very depressing; however, I content myself with the fact that most of my jeans fit (perhaps not quite as well, but I can get them on), and the numbers on the scale resemble those that I had pre-baby. Still, these legs don't look like they used to. I think I'll blog about my pre-baby and post-baby exercise plans.
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