9 Months On - 9 Months Off and Other Myths of Being a New Mom

 (Breastfeeding does not equal weight loss... whoever started that deserves to be smacked!)

I've spent a lot of time (almost 9 months, to be exact) feeling sorry for myself and feeling down on my body. My resolution this year is to have a healthier attitude because in the end, the way I treat myself will have a direct impact on my daughter. And let's be real, she's pretty important! She's already watching me and listening to me. She smiles when I call us "pretty girls" in the mirror and she frowns when I'm complaining about (insert complaint here).




 When I ran (stumbled/walked/tripped/cried through) the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January, things hit me pretty hard. Despite my pants fitting well, a semi/fake positive attitude, and feeling physically strong, the extra weight does slow me down. I can feel it in my back and knees. I can feel it when I try to stand up taller when I run. I could certainly feel it when I hit mile six and realized that I was screwed. (I didn't get swept, thank goodness! Though I am pretty sure I came close)

I've been working out regularly since August and the number on the scale has not moved. We all know my love-hate relationship with the scale is heavily on the side of hate and how much it psychs me out. I have solid proof that my body has positively changed in the last nine months but damn it if the scale ruins everything. I feel stronger than I've felt in a long time but my scale continues to groan every time I stand on it.

So what does it come down to? It comes down to TIME. I have very little of my own time. I spend a lot of wonderful, happy time with my family. When my family is blissfully asleep and I am wide awake, I don't think about meal planning or prepping. I relax, read, drink wine, and play silly games on my computer. Then right as I'm falling asleep, I think to myself, "Shit, Melanie! You should have made lunch for tomorrow!" And then what happens in the morning. You guessed it, I have no time! Every millisecond of sleep I can squeeze into a night is being squeezed in. My wallet and my waistline have paid the price.

My solution? To eliminate the excuse of not having time. I decided about a month ago to purchase a Groupon for Personal Trainer Food. A week ago, when I realized my milk supply is dropping anyway, I finally ordered my food and decided to jump in. Pre-packaged, pre-cooked, frozen meals that I can pop right into the microwave. Easy peasy! Right?