Featured community question with accompanying forty-five pounds
Today's featured question comes from user Brookelyn Bridge:
I don't know if every pregnant woman feels this way, but during the last month of my pregnancy with Marlo I was always thinking, what if I never lose these extra forty-five pounds? What if this pregnancy has changed my body forever? And then I'd follow up that thought with, I'm going to be pregnant for the rest of my life. And if by some miracle I do give birth, it'll be a hermaphrodite alien who votes Republican.
Mind you, at that time I was more at peace then than I've ever been in my life. Can you imagine the thoughts I have now? Don't answer that question, JON.
It took a little longer to lose the weight this time, but only because this time I didn't wake up every day contemplating suicide. I cut way back on the donuts, kept an eye on bad carbohydrates, and breastfed the baby for seven months. And then one day I didn't have to perform a series of gymnastic maneuvers to get my jeans over my thighs. Add to that a case of shingles, the stress of bullying a multi-billion dollar corporation into fixing my broken washing machine, the death of my Granny Boone, and a bevy of other catastrophes that our lawyers say I can't talk about publicly, and there goes an extra five to ten pounds.
Stress is very effective when it comes to losing weight! However! It's not fun! And can result in divorce!
A few months ago I committed myself to a vigorous workout routine wherein I hit the gym five days a week. Mainly to help cope with the stress. I had to take a bit of a respite when I broke my tailbone, but now that I've been back at it for a month I can honestly say that I've never been in better shape. The thing is, I know I'm lucky to have a naturally thin frame. I'm the five-foot-ten daughter of an incredibly thin-framed father whose father was naturally thin-framed. Our legs start at our shoulders, and scientists would have a hard time locating our butts.
I don't take it for granted, though, and my diet consists mostly of veggies, lean meat, and whole grains. I snack on fruit and raw almonds. And at the gym, I really push myself to the limit. And I do it because it feels incredible. Which I guess is a really long and winding answer to the question. I love my body after Marlo. Because I've worked really, really hard to get here. And the work continues to fulfill me.
More accurately, I've really enjoyed and learned so much through this journey.
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FM Living
kayakgrrl said:
Plus, you are the epitome of fabulousness.
04.28.10 - 12:24 PM / 1janthony said:
As someone who lives and works practically 'round the clock in front of the computer, you'd think I'd weigh 500 pounds. Not. Stress does wonders as a appetite supressant :)
04.28.10 - 12:32 PM / 2edgyveggie said:
This post really made my day, I was in a slump about losing weight, but if Dooce can do it with a million other tasks in the day, I could, too, right?
04.28.10 - 12:33 PM / 3ahensley0024 said:
What about the hotdogs?!?! Marlo has to learn to make mama a hotdog!!
04.28.10 - 12:37 PM / 4ooophelia said:
I love you, I really do, but this post makes me want to throw a turd at you.
04.28.10 - 12:47 PM / 5TexasKatie said:
We must be related - I am 5 foot 11 with legs that start at my armpits, too. Naturally skinny, and hope I look as awesome as you after two kids!
04.28.10 - 12:57 PM / 7Coyote said:
I have 4 kids, and my post-pregnancies body is just fine. No one can believe I'm a mother of many. I attribute it to healthy eating, nutritional supplements, and a modicum of exercise.
Awhile back, I started gaining weight, then my naturopath put me on bio-identical hormones, which definitely helped. However, eliminating gluten from my diet has made the pounds fall off like crazy! I've made no other changes. It's amazing!
04.28.10 - 01:00 PM / 8Brookelyn Bridge said:
I feel like I won the lottery! Featured question AND Dooce responds?! Wow.
Heather, you have a rockin bod!
04.28.10 - 01:01 PM / 9mommica said:
Also feel lucky to have a naturally thin frame, which seems to be getting thinner as I age - much like my mother's has. Any day now people will be accusing me of drug-use and anorexia. I digress...
Anyway, mostly I'm OK with how my body has changed. Except I really, really, really miss my boobs.
04.28.10 - 01:10 PM / 10dooce said:
Yes! Agreed! I miss the boobs terribly!
04.28.10 - 01:14 PM / 11Blahggy said:
I'm 8 months pregnant and have been wondering about my post-baby body. (And, more so, my post-baby vagina, but that's not where we're going here.) I've got a naturally thin frame, too, with a 6' dad who has never weighed more than 163. So that's helpful. And I've been going to the gym doing yoga and weights for the last bit of my pregnancy.
I may *kind of* miss the boobs, but there are some implants hidden WAAAAYYY under there, so I know they can't shrink past a certain point!
04.28.10 - 01:23 PM / 12undecidedlyso said:
Heather, would you be willing to give us an idea of what kind of vigorous workouts you do that are so badass? I'm getting bored with my gym routines and it's always great to hear how other people workout. Especially one that works like yours does!
04.28.10 - 01:29 PM / 13ErikaMSN said:
I'm with ooophelia. Affectionately, of course.
04.28.10 - 01:25 PM / 14Blahggy said:
UNRELATED: I love that Heather's photo is totally early 90s headshot style. When, if you didn't have a B&W headshot to submit to agents or bring to auditions, you were considered uber green crap.
04.28.10 - 01:25 PM / 15Schnauzie_Mom said:
I have tried all different kinds of workouts and I am a firm believer that nothing sheds the pounds like running! I taught kickboxing through college and lost weight when I picked up long distance running after I graduated. It sucks at first but there is truth about getting a runner's high!
Heather- I'm a mostly healthy diet person but be honest, you still have the occasional hot dog too right? Or ice cream? Or giant bowl of cinnamon toast crunch? Please tell me I'm not the only one who will follow up a salad and apple with a crunch bar on occassion:-)
04.28.10 - 01:41 PM / 16Schnauzie_Mom said:
Side note- Your jeans feeling tight has to be one of the worst feelings in the world. Definitely top five!
04.28.10 - 01:44 PM / 17dooce said:
@Schnauzie_Mom, oh yes I will indulge every now and then. I'm a sucker for salt, so instead of reaching for chocolate I go straight for the chips. And once a week I have a full-on cheat meal. Something full of bad calories.
The thing is, working out this hard makes it easier for me to eat healthier because I know the two go hand in hand. If I want to keep up at the gym, I can't feed my body crap and expect to see results.
04.28.10 - 01:54 PM / 18marialoo said:
You go on with your bad self, Heather! It's great to see mommies who care for themselves, too.
I definitely try to eat right, but am having a hard time with the working out lately. It's sad to me, because pre-baby I ran and taught Spin. Now, I have time to work out at 8:30 at night...so it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Weekends I still run, though! Yay for the jogging stroller!
04.28.10 - 01:56 PM / 19tngator said:
As a good friend of mine says, I don't understand these people who say stress makes them lose weight. All of my problems seem a little smaller on a full stomach.
04.28.10 - 02:06 PM / 20Diva said:
I'm keen to know what your workout routine is!! Been struggling to get those pounds gone, after a baby and debilitating injury!
04.28.10 - 02:07 PM / 21kajomo said:
Yeah, I am having to agree with ooophelia! In a nice way of course.
From a shortlegged, saddlebagged girl who no matter HOW much she works out can't get rid of the thigh fat.
04.28.10 - 02:12 PM / 22marialoo said:
I agree with tngator, too! Stress makes me want to EAT. It's a behavior I have to actively combat.
04.28.10 - 02:16 PM / 23misheru said:
Oh, all you thin people! I come from a long line of obese people, and smelling a chocolate chip cookie makes me gain 5 pounds. I gained 45 pounds my first pregnancy, and quickly lost 30 of it but couldn't get that last 15 off. I gained 30 my 2nd pregnancy, lost 15 and couldn't get the next 15 off. Luckily I'm done, and hanging in at 30-35 pounds overweight, which is tough for a small-framed 5'4" person.
On the bright side, the boobs stayed. I was a C cup, which ballooned to DD, and I'm still DD. My husband doesn't complain, but it sucks to run these days.
Oh yes, and I am a runner, but I've been plagued with hip/knee problems since having kids, so mostly I do elliptical training and swimming. Yeah, I do work out, try to eat healthy food and lead an active lifestyle, but I'm still overweight. I look at my 5'0" 275 pound cousins and thank heaven I'm not at that weight, but still. It sucks.
I still hope to lose 35 pounds and get back to my running weight, but since my daughter is almost 4 years old, this seems more unlikely every year. /sigh
Have a depressed you all yet? Just a shout out here -- I breast-fed for 13 months and 2 1/2 years respectively, and it does really help with the weight. I don't think I could have lost as much as I did if I hadn't breastfed. Oh, and @tngater and @marialoo -- when I'm stressed I both stop eating AND gain weight. I'm not sure how that's possible, but that's what the scale says.
04.28.10 - 02:27 PM / 24caughtinlimbo said:
I admit it, I've never had a baby. But I love reading about your experience having two. I could talk about my mom's body, how it was after me and how it is now, after two more, but I don't think I know well enough how she feels about it to speak for her.
Really, I'm commenting because of something you said in your entry that was (I'm sure unintentionally) insensitive. I'm about to become one of those people, the ones who create a community account so they can tell you you've offended them.
I don't intend on procreating (this could change), and it's highly unlikely that it would happen by accident, but were I to choose to give birth I, too, would be less than pleased with an alien/Republican baby. But if my baby was intersexed (a "hermaphrodite"), I would not be disappointed. I would never fear that my baby wouldn't have one of two sets of genitals our society has deemed "correct". Intersexed people suffer so much discrimination and intersexed babies are so often mutilated so their parents can have "normal" children.
I consider myself an ally to intersexed individuals. I'm speaking out because, as a member of the queer community, I hope my allies would speak out for me.
This is not intended as an attack. My hope in posting this is that you become educated on the matter. There are several documentaries on the subject of intersex abuse and discrimination, and it would be worth it to learn more. I feel as though you are an ally to my community, and as such might be open minded to the idea of being an ally to theirs, too.
04.28.10 - 02:36 PM / 25poopinginpeace said:
I mostly just hate my boobs now. I used to have such nice perky small C's. Now they are down to my belly-button B's. If only I had the money to get them a little lift!
04.28.10 - 02:37 PM / 26dooce said:
I do a ton of weightlifting for an hour two days a week, and the other three days I do a running/sprinting routine on the treadmill for an hour. And then I make sure to get a ton of protein to help my muscles recover.
Ultimately, I'd love to run a marathon, but I don't know yet when I can fit the training into my schedule.
04.28.10 - 02:40 PM / 27dooce said:
Also! Important! I wear a heart rate monitor and try to keep it between 120-165, with lots of up and down.
04.28.10 - 02:42 PM / 28pyjammy said:
Just be glad it's only one baby, not three. My body (not that it was great to begin with) will never be the same without surgery. Sigh.
04.28.10 - 02:48 PM / 29slappyintheface said:
What about boxed wine? Are you allowed to have that? Use the boxes as weights and I bet it would be allowed.
04.28.10 - 03:09 PM / 30Diva said:
Thank you Heather! I am getting my workout groove after being able to walk again. I reckon that heart monitor is a great plan.
Also, I was literally two minutes from you when you were at Ben's Chilli Bowl! Too bad I didn't run over to see you. Sniff.
04.28.10 - 03:12 PM / 32