A Tale of (Weight) Loss

So.  Once upon a time there was a loverly princess who...  No, wait.  Wrong audience.  Here is how it really goes.

I have never been a thin person.  My family told me that food = love after my parents divorced but they just didn't know any different, I think.  Fall down and hurt?  Have a cookie.  Cry over lost relationship?  Oh, have some cake.  Mom taking you tell you that she is divorcing dad?  Here, let's hit McDonald's. 

I've worked fairly hard to not teach that to my children.  After several long talks with my two oldest girls and some serious "mom's past" issues, I have found that they think food = love is stupid.  Thank you, Father in heaven.

So.  I got married.  Had a baby within 9 months and told myself that whole pregnancy that after the baby came I would lose weight and be healthier.  We were unable to have another baby when we wanted and started on Clomid.  Baby girl #2 was born and I still promised myself to be healthier.  I look at pictures of myself at this time and just cringe.

Whew.  No more babies for a while, honey.  Surprise!  Here comes baby girl #3  just 26 months after #2, which was 26 months after #1.  Plus, I was working a temporary job at a fast food place when I discovered I was expecting #3 (while I hated their food and still do, something caused me to WANT to eat there) and that didn't help the food issues. 

After #3 was born I had serious post partum depression and that REALLY skinny-ed me down.  I was THIN!  But unhealthy, not eating, not doing anything but needing to sleep, to be in bed, to be in the blackness alone.  I missed those first three months of baby 3's life.  My mother in law, God bless her, rescued me.  After I began to heal, I worked harder on exercise.


I tried the Atkins diet of low carb high protein and it worked fairly well for me.  I just didn't have the willpower I needed to stick to it so strictly.  Hubbers is an in-line skating fanatic and doesn't have weight issues for himself or in his family, so I was kind of alone.

Then comes baby #4, a beautiful boy, three years later.  After he is born and I am nursing, I didn't do squat because he was born via emergency C-Section.  Heavier than ever now.  I did, however, find a friend.  Missy, I will forever be grateful for when you took me to Curves for the first time.  She was my exercise buddy!!  I stuck to the Curves routine for three years!  I built a lot of muscle and really enjoyed myself.  Missy didn't go as often as I did and I made new friends at the club, so it was all good. 

When I found myself pregnant with baby #5, four years after #4 was born, I exercised through the entire pregnancy.  That labor and delivery was so easy!  Baby 5 was born and though I was nursing, I still tried to make it to Curves.  When 5 was about a year old, we moved 20+ miles away from my favorite exercise outlet.  I couldn't justify the cost of the club that I was no longer attending when I had three acres to run and play on, garden and landscape upon.  I dropped my Curves membership.

I started on that hCG diet and it worked wonders!  I lost 40+ pounds and it was great!  My chest was bigger than my waist!  My wardrobe needed replacing with SMALLER items.  And then... Hello baby #6. 

BabyJoy arrived this January and I haven't lost any weight from her pregnancy, even though it's been three months.  So when I got a call from Jeannie at Curves telling me it was the annual food drive and if I brought in a bag of food then I would pay no $199 service fee, a spark was lit. 

I signed up again on Wednesday.  I go back for my second workout today at 3pm.  The machines, the stretches, it was like I never left.  My body remembered what I was meant to do.  I feel some strain in the sore parts of my body - my hip where I fell down the stairs a month ago is sore - but I feel GOOD! 

The only bad thing is the 30 minute drive to the facility and the 3 month old baby that must have a watcher while I go in.  Thankfully I have a 14 year old and 12 year old that are my great helpers.

My initial goal is small.  But I will get there and my body will be healthier and thank me for it.  The Curves food drive lasts until the end of the month of April.  Check it out!