219 Days Later...

I did it! Today, I am officially under my personally mandated "fat limit" of 170 lbs. I weighed in at 167.7 and I'm pretty thrilled. Now, I know, to many of you this still probably seems like a ridiculously high amount, but I'm 5'9" and to me, it's getting back into normal range. Even my BMI is now officially "normal" instead of "overweight."

During my pregnancy I put on more weight than is recommended. I began the journey at 158 lbs and ended at a whopping 217 lbs. At no point during the pregnancy did my blood pressure become an issue and my midwife reassured me every time I asked that my weight gain wasn't a problem.

I think in retrospect that at least part of my weight gain was psychological. I carry additional weight pretty well and because I have a large frame, I really did not look pregnant for a LONG time. I cannot tell you how many times people asked incredulously, "You're how far along?" or "You're due this July??" No, next July, genius, I have the gestational period of an elephant. Come on! After so much of this, I think subconsciously I began to eat more just to try and puff up a bit. Also I think there was a bit of, "well, I obviously don't look pregnant, so a little Ben and Jerry's shouldn't hurt..."

The road to getting back into shape, or at least something resembling it, has been a long one, and I know next time around I will try much harder to not put on as much weight. I'd still like to lose about 15 lbs, but I feel a real sense of accomplishment today! Yay!!