It's been over 14 months since baby. I can't believe how quickly time passes. It's been quite the adventure learning how to adapt to life as a working mother. I really do not know how so many women do this--and with more than one child! I am an aspiring stay-at-home-mother and find solace in the hopes that someday (and hopefully soon), I will have the opportunity to stay home. Funny how I day-dream about being able to stay home to scour a tub or organize a closet! I wonder how long that will last once I actually have that opportunity.
In January, I was super-mom, super-wife, super-Amber. My house was clean--every day! I even found time to organize several of my closets and de-cluttered most of the rooms in my house. I planned menus and grocery lists and made healthy, home-cooked meals. I also had a consistent work-out routine. I was motivated. Amazing, this was all during a terrible period of a vitamin D deficit (which is so exhausting it feels like pregnancy!).
But something happened. And I don't know what. But I couldn't push myself anymore.
Two months later, I'm wondering why I burned out. I am particularly anxious to lose the baby weight. I always considered myself active and athletic. But I can see that's not really accurate anymore. I'm wondering how to actually get motivated. How do I care enough to make it stick?
During pregnancy I felt bad that I gained so much weight and so quickly (I gained about 40lbs). I wasn't totally consistent in working out (do you want to hear excuses about feeling exhausted or nauseous?) but I did not feel like I ate that much. Looking back, I realize that most of that weight was water-retention. I was sooo swollen nearly my whole pregnancy--my eyelids and nose were even swollen and my hands were so swollen I even got carpel tunnel. Ultimately, I got really sick in the end and I think the swolleness was perhaps related to my illness. Still, I fluctuate between 5-10lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight and I was 8-10lbs heavier than I should have been at that point.
The following photos are motivation to get back to my old weight. I often think that's unrealistic, but I also know the longer I wait and the more babies I have, the harder it will be. This post is an attempt to get myself moving again and watching my food intake. Here's to hoping it sticks this time!
**Oh, the good ole' days when we all thought we were so fat! ha ha