An Unexpected Resource for Weight Loss

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you all to a new blogger and a dear old friend of mine.  She goes by the name of FoodLove Girl and her blog is about her love/hate relationship with food.  FoodLove Girl writes inspirational posts several times a week that are guaranteed to help you in your journey to find your "happy weight". She also reminds you to love your self just the way you are right now. I hope you will read more about her journey on her blog, www.foodlovemefoodhateme.com.

Expecting Happiness – 
An Unexpected Resource for Weight Loss

Most people come to this blog to read about the latest and greatest newborn and toddler products as well as to get a dose of living in Kristi’s fabulous world.  And that is great.  But as I approach pending pregnancy, I find myself not only very grateful to have a friend that has already done all the research and shopping for the best products but I am also super grateful for her earlier posts where she documented her actual pregnancy.

My favorite post thus far on Expecting Happiness was, “I Lost 50 Pounds and You Can Too! ”
This post really gave Kristi’s readers insight into her relationship with food, particularly her past relationship.  For those of you who don’t know Kristi pre-baby, she comes from a background similar to mine of being overweight most of her teenage and early adult life.  When Kristi finally lost the weight, I was thrilled.  Seeing her lose the weight really made me believe, for the first time ever, that I might be able to do it too.  I watched her intently for 5 years hoping and praying that she would keep it off.  Her maintenance was my proof that we, as overeaters, can overcome.

And then seven years later, she tells me she’s pregnant.  What emotions was I feeling?  Happy, excited………but also terrified.  She was about to live out one of my most hidden fears.  I am terrified of being pregnant.  One reason is just that I have some 1920’s fears of dying during labor. I know most people think that’s ridiculous but hey, what can I say? It’s my fear.  But the second fear is much more real and much more complicated.  I don’t understand how to “do” pregnancy as an overeater.  How can a woman who has battled weight and portion control handle a 9 month period where she is supposed to gain weight on purpose? The concept is so foreign to me.   And over the last 5-8 years it has manifested into a very real and troubling fear.  I started writing about it here - Pregnancy Weight Gain Fears

Kristi’s news made me sad.  I thought of how hard she had worked to lose the weight and I was terrified that she would gain it all back.  Please understand, I was happy for her that she was moving into the next stage of her life.  The two thoughts were completely separate.  But I was terrified to watch the next 9 months.  I prayed she’d figure it out because once again: here would be my proof that it was possible.

If Kristi had just done a blog post at the beginning of her pregnancy to announce that she was going to have a baby and then one in the middle and one at the end welcoming Keira into the world, then that would’ve been okay and it would’ve probably sufficed for most.

But Kristi did so much more than that, she chronicled almost every single week, and every single check-in with the doctor. She documented her weight gain, her diet, her mood, her lifestyle in detail throughout the entire pregnancy. You can read about her journey on her "Pregnancy" page.  And it is for that detailed blogging, that I am eternally grateful.  Seeing her pregnancy as it was happening made it that much more real and every time she gained weight and explained that it was the normal weight you are expected to gain – I breathed a sigh of relief.  I watched, I took note, and I learned. 

I especially loved this chart from the post, “The Weight of the Matter”: 

Pregnancy Weight Gain: Average Distribution

7 1/2 pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy.
1 1/2 pounds is how much the placenta weighs.
4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume.
2 pounds is the weight of the uterus.
2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue.
4 pounds is because of increased blood volume.
7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients.
2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.
Total: 30 pounds

I am an engineer and I love numbers.  Numbers are black and white. They don’t have emotions and footnotes.  They are what they are. The numbers don’t lie.  I was able to look at this chart and start to be logical about this whole “weight gain on purpose” situation.  I was able to see where reasonable amounts of weight gain might make sense.  Might.

Today, I am working very hard to still lose the weigh but I’m also working on not waiting.  I’m trying to live my life in the moment and stop waiting for this day when I am completely healed from overeating and can begin to live my life.  Right now, for me, living in the moment means getting ready to try to have a baby.  And it is such a relief to be able to go back and re-read Kristi’s old blog posts and remind myself, “oh yeah, she did it.  She was okay. Maybe I will be okay too.” 

I wanted to write this post in part to highlight to all of Kristi’s loyal blog readers that she has so much to share in addition to resources and tips for being a new mom.  Expecting Happiness started before Keira even took her first breath of fresh air. It started with her mother.  It started with a woman who learned how to put her health first and care for her body before pregnancy.  Now the story has evolved to explore the life of a woman growing into motherhood and setting an example for her daughter of what a healthy lifestyle looks like.

If you are looking for inspiration and guidance during your pregnancy, especially if you have a history of being overweight, then Expecting Happiness is a great resource.

I write about my weight loss journey on my blog in hopes that people can learn from my failures as much as they can learn from my successes.  I am trying to build a community of like-minded individuals who can relate to my struggle.  If my story can help even one person figure out their life one day quicker – then that spells success to me.

I read other blogs, like Expecting Happiness, to find support when I’m feeling lonely and to remind myself that success is possible.  I am not looking for a “misery loves company” sort of vibe but more of a “this too could be you” type of support.  Kristi provided that support when she shared her pregnancy with the world and she continues to do so as she shares her new experiences in motherhood.

I encourage anyone who has a story to tell to share it with as many people as possible.  If you think that no one cares about your story think again.  There could be someone like me out there, scared to take the next step in their life and all they need is to hear your story.  Think about that.  Your bravery to share what you did, what went wrong, what went right, could be the story that makes me say – okay, I’m ready.  I can do this. 

This post was written by FoodLove Girl.  
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