Mother’s Day Challenge Reveal
So? Did you do it? Did you take the challenge? Did you reconnect with your long lost self? *Which in my case happens to be 20 pounds thinner yet far more insecure*. If you did take the challenge, I want to know about it. Tell me you all did something? Play along and save me from feeling sheepish! Oh, and I took my own challenge in case you were wondering. Here’s my scoop:
Four months ago I started exercising. I started very slowly, as in 2 or 3, twenty five minute cardio sessions per week. For two months I did this, knowing it probably wouldn’t lose me any weight but wanting to feel more fit and build stamina. Two months ago I upped it to four days per week and began adding some target specific toning sessions (ah, but the stomach will never be the same again no matter what I do). I also began substituting the majority of my sweet cravings with low fat vanilla yogurt.
You can imagine my disappointment then, when with the addition of exercise and slightly better diet in my life I saw the scale staying at 140. I pondered how this could be, very discouraged. But then it came to my attention that sometimes nursing mothers have a very difficult time dropping the pounds. I don’t know if there is scientific fact behind that, but most of the nursing mother’s I’ve talked to say they really couldn’t lose all the weight until after they had finished nursing. So I decided to wean the Angel girl.
WAIT! Lest you think I’m a truly selfish mother, I’ll have you know that Angel girl is 13 months old and I had been wanting to wean her for a few weeks prior to learning that weaning might help me achieve my weight loss goal. It was more than I ever hoped for to be able nurse her for a full year, but it was definitely time for us. I knew that when I realized she was using me more as a pacifier than as a source of nourishment. ;)
So on May 12 I cut out one feeding. On May 14 I cut out another feeding. On May 15 I cut out another feeding. On May 16 I nursed my darling baby for the last time and it was so bittersweet. But the adjustment for both of us has gone remarkably well. She loves her sippy filled with whole milk just fine and I’ve had very little discomfort in the way of engorgement.
In addition to weaning this last week, I put on a little bit of make up every day. I also upped my workout to 5, thirty five minute cardio sessions (plus I’m still doing the target specific toning). Even though I haven’t lost weight I feel fantastic and have so much more stamina than I did four months ago. But here’s hoping I am finally on the way to a slimmer me!
Click on and sign the Mr. Linky below to tell me about what you did this last week to reconnect with the woman inside.
:heart: 
Well its been 17 days since my son has swallowed his quarter and not out yet. We...
Life has been so chaotic that I haven’t specifically done anything, though I was inspired by your post and I’ve been trying to do one small thing just for me each day. Lotioning up my feet before bed…plucking my eyebrows…shaving my legs…those things that make me feel more feminine but never get priority, you know? Thanks for the inspiration!
Plus, email me if you want a handful of weightloss tips. I’m down 45 pounds now and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Most important thing though? Water! It’s hard to incorporate it into a busy day, but 8 cups isn’t nearly enough! When I’m drinking my full daily water quota (nearly a gallon), the weight just melts off, seriously!
The basic challenge was to do something for ourselves. So, while I am always learning new things, I have been wanting to “home-school” myself in certain areas. Geography being one of them. So for the past week I have been studying and memorizing maps. At this point, if given a blank map of Europe or South America I can fill all the countries easily. Even the European countries like Serbia, Moldova, Estonia and the like whose exact locations seemed to eluded me before. It has been really fun, and I’m tackling Asia & The Middle East next.
Sorry, the first link-up wasn’t to the actual page, I don’t know if you can delete the first one.
Oy, I totally forgot! I did start excercising a few months ago, when I found out I was pregnant. I was determined to be all toned up for delivery this time. And I’m still doing it, 5 days a week. I didn’t think I was actually seeing any difference, though I’ve definitely been feeling a difference. But I did notice that this baby is a lot higher than the other two were. I was wondering about that, and I read that the better shape a woman is, the higher she will carry her babies, because her ab muscles are strong and taut. Unfortunately that also means that I’m getting new stretch marks, much farther North than before. You win some, you lose some.
I took your challenge after I read your awesome post. Seriously, you are one of the best people…in the whole world. I decided to take up a hobby, and it just about killed me, but…(drum roll please)…I’m a blogger! You can check out the big reveal at micnnat.blogspot.com.
congrats on the weaning !!!
and all the exercise is awesome!!
Congrats on working out so consistently! I know I need to, but I have lots of excuses, of course. I did just buy a Pilates DVD and am determined to use it once I’m back home in June.
I’m glad the weaning went okay for you. I am in a constant turmoil about when to do it with my 13-month-old, knowing that it’s about time as Esmé gets more and more obviously demanding in public (:>() but not wanting that bittersweet feeling you described of the “last time.” I’ve given myself a hiatus of sorts - I’m not going to do it while on vacation this month!
My biggest problem lately that’s been keeping me from doing anything about this is how just plain tired I am all of the time. So I took myself into the doctor today and adjusted a few things and got on an antibiotic for the sinus infection that I apparently have, so hopefully I can ‘wake up’ and get motivated to start losing some weight this summer. :)