So when some (most) of us have our babies and we finally get 2 seconds to spare we go and decide that we want to look at the horror show that is now our body, we internally scream WTF has happened here, my tummy, my hips, my boobs (some people love theirs), my new chins, stretch marks and don't even mention the shit that has happened down below, that's a nightmare in itself.
We visualise what we looked like before the baby was conceived, when were were drunk and happy and running around without a care in the world. (Below picture about 10 years ago, with my girl V, pretty happy)
We may have travelled, wasted a lot of money on booze and clothes, life was great, comfortable and living the dream.
In my case I was able to offset food with wine and I had a great time. I was single and very keen on mingling. When I met my partner we were gym users, most mornings we would be at the navy gym working out. It was part of life and life was great.
Then I got deployed to Egypt, I put on a little weight, the food on the military base was fantastic, pretty much buffet styles every day, and even though I started off well in terms of exercising, including army run compulsory sessions I still put on the weight, the food was too much, I was sweating like a rapist, but a busted ankle stopped me in my tracks and I managed to return to NZ with a chin or so extra.
Basically I ended up getting knocked up about a month after getting home (yep a post deployment baby), I was slightly heavier than I wanted to be but for the first 3 months I ate pies and apples and didn't put a single gram on, then the weight slowly climbed up. 3rd trimester I really packed it on but when my baby was born I lost about 10kgs with in the first month, and then nothing. I was about 7 kgs heavier than when I started. But at about 4 months post baby I did a 12 week Challenge and I worked, I worked my arse off, I really focused on my eating, I worked out or ran every day but I looked healthy, I had lost 13 lbs, I was well below my pre pregnancy weight, I felt fit and healthy.
(Me with my girl V, She looks so great after 2 kids)
But then life happened, we slowly let our eating turn to shit, I wasn't really doing anything that motivated me and I had just moved to a new town where I barely knew anyone.
And then I got pregnant with number 2, same deal most of the weight went on at the end. But this time I started off slightly lighter, and only packed on about 13 kgs. This time I didn't put so much pressure on myself, I just worked slowly and focused on doing something, I had clear goals in my head. I knew to be a bit easier on myself, and I had tail bone issues so I slowly lost it. But I noticed the change in my mindset, I am not in my 20s, I have others to feed as well, I didnt have the luxury of a free gym and trainers, and I know that there are many different factors to get your weight down or up such as hormones, water, sleep and nutrition. And my focus was now on helping others and I know that I need to put myself first to get the results I have had in the past but when I'm ready I will sort my shit out.
We often think that the weight just appears, but it's a gradual thing, not being active, making pretty poor food decisions, in 99% of cases it doesn't happen overnight, it happens slowly but we tend to ignore it, until it affects our lifestyle or we our level of comfort, we get affected personally and we take it personally. By making healthier choices everyday and moving more, those steps can do wonders for your self esteem. STOP thinking about the old you, think about the new you. You need to find your happiest body and embrace that.