Thoughts on My Weight

11/04/2007

Well, since Caleb was born I’ve been a bit self-conscious of my weight. I put on about 10 pounds before I got pregnant (called trying to finish a master’s degree while working full time). I figured I’d lose it all this summer by playing volleyball and surfing. But, God had other plans. Instead, I added an additional 40 pounds during pregnancy, 22 of which I lost after Caleb was born. So, now I still have another 28 to lose.
My doctor told me not to lose weight any faster than 1 pound a week while breastfeeding. I’m going to follow her advice since I don’t want to get all obsessed with dieting and exercise at the risk of losing milk production or breaking the bond with my baby (I heard some women grow to resent their babies for making them heavier…). The only thing that stinks about losing weight at that rate is that it will take me until around May 18th to be back to my goal weight. That seems like forever.
Of the many things I’ve learned about motherhood, one of the prominent themes is that you never accomplish things on your own timeline anymore. I suppose that accepting my weight and being willing to do a slow, healthy weight loss is the smarter way to go. I’ve already shared before about why weight gain is so hard for me. I hope that I can learn to maintain a healthy attitude about myself while being heavier and not let it get to me.