body after bump: month 6
Besides running a half marathon, Sunday was a big day. Over a year later, I finally saw my pre-pregnancy weight when I stepped on the scale before the race. Guaranteed, I haven’t seen that number on the scale since Sunday (I’ve overindulged a bit on sweets lately… oops?), but it was still a pretty exciting number to see.
In 6 months, I have gone from being pregnant with a 30-pound bowling ball attached to my body, to having a baby and losing half of my pregnancy weight right away, to finally reaching my pre-pregnancy weight after months of hard work. It definitely hasn’t been easy, but I couldn’t be happier with how I look and my new mom body.
I had 14 pounds to lose of the 30 I put on while pregnant. There were months where I hardly lost any weight and got frustrated. But, I worked hard to get to this point. I’ve focused on eating as clean as possible, which is difficult at times, given my sweet tooth, and continued to run + lift weights consistently. It’s not will power. It’s determination. And if you really want to lose the weight, then you have to be willing to work hard to do it. I think that I’m the prime example of that. The weight didn’t just fall off – I worked my rear off, literally, to get to this point. Had I not put any effort into trying to get back to where I was before Mac came along, I’m sure I’d be sitting around 14 pounds (or more) heavier than I am right now. You can’t just sit back and think you’ll get there without even trying. It does take work!
It’s really interesting to think back 6 months ago. While I was in the hospital, I would have a nurse come in every few hours to check my C-section scar. Anytime I had a new nurse, they would always ask me where my tummy was. Honestly, I felt thin – skinny even – and I still had 14 pounds to lose!
I can’t tell you how much pregnancy changed my perspective on my weight and body image. I know I mentioned it while still pregnant, but even now, it’s different. Before MacKenna came along, I used to stress about every little thing that went into my mouth and every quarter of a pound above my normal weight the scale would read. Now, I am no longer counting calories (which is HUGE for me) and even being 2 or 3 pounds above my “goal” weight, I could care less. The numbers just don’t matter anymore. I think I’ve finally come to the realization that I will be loved no matter how skinny I am, and I hope that I can instill that same attitude in my little girl.
Don’t you just love my tan lines? I look like I have socks on permanently…
So, where does that leave me now? I’m not really trying to lose weight anymore, even if I do still have a few pounds to lose (I know I’ll get there). I’m still struggling to keep my diet clean but I’m doing much better and happily not counting calories. I’m listening to my body to tell me when it feels full (for the most part) and not stressing if I overindulge a bit on the chocolate.
My biggest goal right now is to get faster. After I had an awesome run earlier this week pushing MacKenna in the jogging stroller at a faster pace than I ran my race in one Sunday, I’m going to strictly focus on shorter distances. I’m just built for that – or so Matt tells me. And since we live 45 minutes outside of the city, I’m going to run pretty much all my races close to home, which are mostly 5K’s and 10K’s anyway. It’s too much stress having to plan around breastfeeding/pumping/driving/sleep. I’m excited for how well running has been going for me and I’m hopeful that I’ll eventually be able to break my 19:58 in the 5K.
All that being said, this will be my last Body After Bump post for awhile. Since I’m basically at my pre-pregnancy weight, I don’t really feel the need to keep updating each month – I just don’t think there will be many changes. I will do a 9 month update and then a year update (if I remember), just to keep you posted on how I’m doing.