Weight Loss While Nursing

Is that an oxymoron I see in the title? I guess that depends on who you're talking to. My aunt would swear that not one ounce of fluid is taken off the scale while she's nursing. Other people shred it like it's their day job. I've been on both ends of this spectrum.

I've said before that the pounds seemed to fall off after I had Claire. I'm not kidding that I would eat at least a dozen snickerdoodles a day and still lose weight. Cruel? Maybe. Insane? Positively. I ended up at 140 lbs before I got pregnant again. Not the 130 lbs where I wanted to be, but close to it.

Once again, this second time hasn't been all flowers and candy. After I had Jared a little came off, but I plateaued at 10 lbs more than my pre-pregnancy weight. I've never been the skinniest girl, nor have I ever wanted to be. I want to fit into my clothes and feel confident. That's all. I don't think that's too much to ask.

I decided to take the "big plunge" (at least for me it was) at get a gym membership. I never really wanted to go to the gym, mostly because I lacked the confidence to go. I decided that I wasn't getting any lighter staying at home with the intention of going running every day, so I signed up for Gold's. It was scary. I don't like walking into somewhere I'm not familiar with and feeling like all eyes were focused on my love-handles.

Paper signed. Card given. A breezy experience.

I was now the proud owner of a Gold's pass. Proud because I had gone in there and signed the paper....not even because I worked out. Actually I looked at all of the machines and just knew I was going to look like an idiot wandering aimlessly around the first time there. Not knowing how any of the weights even functioned. I'd feel stupid.

I met with a personal trainer to get me started, just to talk goals and walk me around the facility. It was just what I needed to gain a little confidence. He told me that if I came the 3 times per week I said I was, I would be able to get down to 120 lbs in a year. I actually laughed at him and he looked quite perplexed. He looked even more puzzled when I told him that I didn't want to be that skinny. "I still want to have boobs and some curves when I get done with this place" is what I said next. He just smiled and said, "Alright then. I guess that makes sense." He just doesn't know that I'm married to a man who tells me - all the time- that he's glad I don't look like a boy (flat chested and pencily).

We went over the 'What to eat' category and I knew that wasn't going to happen. I'm a nursing mother. My priority is feeding the kiddos and having them be healthy. I was hoping that some small weight loss was possible while still eating the extra calories I was supposed to. If it wasn't possible, at least I'd get toned. There have been days where I don't eat enough and I can definitely tell the difference. Jared is hungry ALL DAY LONG (not kidding). When I start eating more and indulging in a little ice cream, my milk supply goes way up and he's a content little kid. That's more important.

Now, after 3 months of going to the gym, I've lost 6 pounds. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm pretty happy about it. It can be done: nursing and weight loss. And I'm not even counting calories. I keep losing about a 1/2-1 pound every week now that I'm going consistently. It's nice to know that my muscles are burning something and my clothes are fitting better.

I haven't had chocolate in 6 months other than a bite here and there. It's a wonderful, new relationship that i have with my no-chocolate eating.

Did I ever say that I love the gym? I do.