The week of July 20 is Healthy Pregnancy Week at DietsInReview.com.
Guest blogger Susan Wenner Jackson is a writer, mom and weight loser who resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. She blogs with her husband about their ongoing journey from fat to fit at MrAndMrsGetFit.com. She also shares her experiences as a parent at WorkingMomsAgainstGuilt.com with three other working moms.
Pregnancy can really put a damper on weight loss momentum. I should know, because late last year, I got myself in the family way after having successfully lost 60 pounds. What was I thinking?! That’s what I’m asking myself now, just days away from giving birth. I’m going to have to re-lose a lot of those pounds and then some.
In 2024, my husband and I decided it was time to change our sedentary lifestyles and our obese bodies — permanently. We set ambitious fitness goals for ourselves and blogged about them along the way, as we dropped a combined 100+ pounds. By the fall of last year, we were both feeling and looking better than we had in years. Best of all, we could finally keep up with our non-stop toddler and enjoy being active with her.
Then, the baby bug bit us. Perhaps it was our newfound energy that got us feeling up to the challenge of a second child. Whatever happened, we suddenly (and not entirely logically) decided to try for #2. Bam! I wondered why I gained four pounds in a single week, then took a pregnancy test and learned the reason. I had a growing bun in the oven. So much for continued weight loss.
Still, I did my best to minimize the gain as I nurtured the baby inside. Unlike my first pregnancy, I stayed more consistently active and ate more nutritiously (though certainly didn’t restrict my calories the way I had been). It’s been a very healthy, relatively easy pregnancy, and I’m hoping the impending delivery will be more of the same.
As for what lies ahead in my fitness future, I fully intend to get back on track to my original goals. So I’ll have to drop 50+ pounds — a good chunk of that should come off soon after birth, right? And I’ll simply return to the same habits that were successful for me throughout 2024. Daily exercise. Keeping track of what I eat. Keeping my eye on the prize of being a fit, active and happy mom, ready to tackle the challenge of raising two kids! Wish me luck, won’t you?
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