Breakfast Chat Blog

Hello, world! I said I would be back, then promptly disappeared again, but here we are. I thought I would just take a few moments to sit down and write about life and such. One thing I have been thinking about is the kinds of blog posts I want to do moving forward. I started thinking about various blogs I have read over the years, and something I realized is that my favorite blogs aren't just strictly reviews/hauls. They talk about life, share experiences. So I have been thinking about writing more about daily life, things we do and places we go. Stuff like that. If nothing else, it will encourage me to take more pictures and reflect on life more positively. Who can argue with that?

So, here's what's up!

Post-partum is going well. Andrew is 6 weeks old, and I'm totally smitten with him. He's a really good baby! Someone said I make it look easy, but trust me - it's tough. Sleep is precious and insufficient, and because I am breastfeeding, I'm basically tethered to baby at all times. I'm very fortunate to be able to feed him that way. I've heard a lot of horror stories of women struggling to produce enough. I'm definitely not having that trouble! Thank goodness. I have been using nipple shields (TMI?) and although they work wonderfully, I think Andrew and I are sort of hooked on them and now I have to make sure I have one on me at all times. It sometimes makes a mess, too. But they work well and the pediatrician, lactation consultant, and my midwife have all agreed - if they work well, keep using them. No worries. So, that's what we're doing.

I gained 50 lbs in my pregnancy. I know that many women would sneer at that (frankly, you can just f*ck right off) but I did not have gestational diabetes, I stayed somewhat active, and I never once had a blood pressure issue, cholesterol issue, etc. I was carrying a lot of water and my son was 9 lbs, 11 ounces at birth. So, it wasn't surprising that I'd gained a lot of weight. What I also gained was stretchmarks... a lot of them! So, the process to lose the weight and fade the marks is fully underway.

So far, I've lost all but 14 pounds. I seem to be stuck at this weight, but I've just started incorporating weight training and cardio, beyond walking, back into the mix. Puppy, baby and I have been taking long walks around the neighborhood during the day to get the blood flowing. We all feel better for it!

For training, I'm actually doing the 21 Day Fix workouts. Currently, I am not eating the diet because I am breastfeeding. However, at some point, I may start that. I have also been considering Weight Watchers. One reason WW is very attractive is because they account for breastfeeding when calculating daily points allotment. I've personally seen coaches educate new moms about eating enough, especially if breastfeeding, in order to lose weight properly and produce enough for baby. I like the idea of the accountability and community, too.

So why not join now? Well... I've done the counting before. Points, calories, macros, whatever. Truthfully, it makes me neurotic. Counting is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. So, for now - I'm practicing mindful eating (think Eat Q and Eating Mindfully) and working on cleaning up the diet. I'll update here as things progress. So, here's what I'm doing so far:

• FitBit One to track daily activity and encourage more movement in general. (I have had a FitBit Flex - two, actually - as well as the One and I really don't love the idea of wristband pedometers. You have to move your arms to count steps, so holding things in your arms or pushing a stroller is never counted. No thanks!)
• Eating more cleanly, making better decisions. I just downloaded It Starts With Food to my Kindle, so I'm anxious to learn more about making healthier decisions. No, I'm not going to go fully Paleo. I'm trying not to "diet." I just want to naturally make better choices!
• 21 Day Fix DVDs for workouts. I'll be writing more about this as I go through them. I haven't done enough to comment so far except to say this - YOUCH my legs and buns are sore! (That's a good thing.) And no, I will not become a BeachBody Coach and I'm not going to EVER do Shakeology. Don't worry.

I'll update here as things progress. I'm also going to post about my planned menus and some recipes. Friends and family are always commenting on those things, so maybe I should share things more broadly. And if anyone is actually reading this, feel free to comment and share your favorites! I'm always up for new ideas.

Peace out,

Kelly - The Reasonable Blonde