My life has, literally, been thrown upside down since the birth of my son. There aren't enough words to describe the miracle of a new little person while also describing the challenges of raising one. I have spent so many nights in tears because of the stress, the sleep-deprivation, the frustration, the faltering self-confidence, the feeling of being out-of-control, the realization of just how much self-sacrifice motherhood takes and the immense feeling of being totally underappreciated. And to top it all off, none of my pre-pregnancy jeans fit, I've got a flabby tummy with lots of muffin-top, I don't have the time to do anything but the basics in the shower and I'm constantly covered in (and, consequently, smell like) baby spit-up.
That isn't to say my son and I don't have really great days too - raising him has been tremendously rewarding. I'm just identifying some of the reasons any new mom may turn to food for comfort and sabotage her weight loss plans. I don't always have someone I can ask to watch my son for a few minutes so I have to squeeze housework, hygiene, and recreation in during his naps. Food preparation has an allowance of maybe ten or twenty minutes so cooking healthy meals isn't always feasible. I do my exercise routines past midnight, right before I go to bed because that's the only time I have to myself.
For me to attempt this weight loss diet and exercise program is quite ambitious considering the challenges I need to overcome. But I'm not doing this short-term just to lose a few pounds. I want to live healthier and be an example to my son. I don't want to struggle with portion size or fad diets or a vicious yo-yo weight loss-weight gain cycle. I want good, healthy choices to come naturally. I want to avoid the diseases caused by overweight.
Most of all, I want my self-confidence back.
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