Weight Cycles

I mentioned on my last quick takes post that I seem to be stuck in a weird weight gain / loss cycle.  This pattern has repeated itself with my last three babies.  I start with pregnancy, which I gain very little weight (I totally acknowledge that it is not from anything I do).  I just have been very blessed with good genes in that department.  I usually feel great when pregnant after the first trimester morning-all day sickness passes.  I tend to eat much healthier and drink more water than I do not pregnant, which is probably why I feel better.  I make a great pregnant person (maybe that helps explain why I've done it five times).

After the baby is born I am usually back down to my pre-pregnancy weight by my 6 week check-up.  Again, the loss is thanks to the genes, dropping water weight, and breastfeeding and not from anything I'm doing beyond that.  I usually lose a bit more, maybe 5 to 10 lbs. beyond my pregnancy starting point.  Then my weight stabilizes and holds at that number.  About the time the baby turns a year old I start gaining weight, probably because I continue to eat like I'm nursing a newborn when I'm now nursing a one year old.  Within the next 8 or 9 months I will gain back everything I lost plus 5 to 10 lbs. more than my original starting point!  Yuck!  Of course, I feel horrible and frumpy and finally get fed up with the extra pounds and decide to get with the program and lose weight.  I start exercising more, join some gym classes and cut back on my food intake.  I start to lose the extra weight, dropping 5 or 10 lbs. and putting me near my original weight.  I start feeling much better, fitting into smaller clothes and I'm getting more sleep at night because the newborn is now one going on two years old and is usually not doing many nighttime feedings.  Around the time the new baby turns two I find myself expecting again and the cycle continues...

Since Toddler Boy is 18 months old I find myself in the disgusted-with-the-extra-weight-definitely-going-to-do-something-about-it phase.  Lucky for me, Doug is also wanting to start a new diet so we'll be able to do it together, which is what we did three years ago.  Last time around I lost about 20lbs. before my pregnancy.  Toddler Boy doesn't have all his immunizations so I don't really want to go the route of joining a gym, which means putting the little ones in daycare because my oldest aren't old enough to babysit quite yet.  I love going on early morning walks but I need to bump up the calorie burn so I'm considering doing one of those couch to 5k programs to take it up a notch.  Mind you, I've never, never considered myself a runner (or jogger, for that matter).  This should be interesting.  Learning how to run has always been one of those things on my bucket list.

Too bad I don't live anywhere near a beach

I'm thinking this picture will probably be more true to life for me:

Laying on ground, gasping for air and
calling for Doug to come pick me up in the van!

I'm praying that's not the case, we'll see how it goes.  I figure the first thing I need to do is get more into the routine of walking every morning.  I'm a morning girl, so I love going on early morning walks in the neighborhood but I've gotten out of my schedule.  I'll blame it on the two younger ones getting up earlier and not the fact that it's a bit darker and colder in the mornings.  So starting this week I'm going to get back into setting my alarm and laying out my workout clothes the night before so I can just get up and go.  I'm posting this to hold me accountable.  I figure if I put it out there on-line that should make me somewhat more likely to do it than not.  Right?  Right.