We Lost Our {Baby's} Weght

How do you lose a baby? Well, I'm not quite certain. But I do know J and I have been working hard at getting more fit and healthy. We have lost an amount equivalent to the weight of Miss L.

After stepping off the scale yesterday morning with joy, J followed suit. When we added our weight loss together since vacay back in early-Feb...we've lost at least 14-15 pounds. I said to him..."that is a whole Miss L!" I am stoked!

This has not been met without challenges and setbacks. It has involved running in the cold, dusk evenings after J arrives home from work. I mean this Minnesota winter has been mild...but it is still not as warm as our friends to the south! And...some days the timing doesn't bode well for Miss L's schedule or safety (too dark, too cold). But for the most part, we are determined to stay frugal and not pay for a gym membership. Afterall, spring will be here soon. {52 degrees tomorrow!}

Yesterday, with Miss L's auntie in town to visit, we decided to take advantage of our "visiting nanny" and go for a bike ride {since J was starting to develop shin splints this past weekend}. The sun was shining, the thermometer was maybe boasting 30 degrees and we bundled up for a 45 minute bike ride. Here a recent photo {prior to 2" of fresh snow in the last week}.




Note: yesterday was sun-filled and looked a bit more inviting  than this photo taken earlier in the week!

 Needless to say, we were the only bikers on the miles of paths near our home. We rode our bikes to friends home to pick up something. And then ran into neighbors at the nearby snow hill, sledding with their kids. It makes me excited for spring, when this can be a weekly family trip. Now, we just need to find one of those baby carriage/bike carriers on Craiglist.

I am ready to hit the sidewalks again this evening when J arrives home!

Making Skim Milk

I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby for the obvious health reasons {for both of us}, but deep down I was selfishly ready to get my pre-baby body back. Every single thing I read stated that breast feeding is the very best method to "melt away the pounds." Friends of mine declared it the easiest weight loss solution, having loss their 40/50 prego pounds through this method. Some of my new mommy friends are back to their pre-preg weight at 6 weeks or shortly there after.

Well, I have a theory. After talking with other new moms {very scientific sample}, I am certain {or hypothesizing, what's the difference? :) } some of us produce whole milk and some of us produce skim milk and some women are more like 2%-ers.

I'd like to think I am making skim milk; or at least that is what I tell myself. After nearly 7 months of breastfeeding, I can tell when I pump that the consistency is always the same - very little "fat" on the top. If I was a cow {and sometimes I feel like one}, the milk man wouldn't have to skim very much!

Aside from producing the low-fat variety, I have gathered from other moms that when a breastfeeding mother has a petite eater, perhaps a small baby with an equally small appetite, there is not as much demand for breastmilk. Thus, moms are not burning all of these calories as fast as "they" say...and thus, the pounds are not melting off. I experienced this around the 7 week and 9 week marks {post-partum}, as I actually GAINED weight in between my visits to the Dr. Who does that? Why isn't this breastfeeding-weight loss theory applying to me? I only gained 30-ish pounds with my pregnancy {which is really good considering I had 6 weeks on high-dosage of steroids}, I should have lost half of that in the delivery room, right?

With the goal to get healthier and more physically fit...I have been eating better {more specifically portion size, I've always had a healthy diet} and getting more active {30-day Shred, Wii Tennis, Zumba routines from YouTube}. I have been stepping on the scale every week to monitor my progress and am happy to say yesterday I hit a new low into the 150's...only 6 pounds shy of my pre-pregnancy weight and I'd say about 14 pounds shy of what I call my ideal weight.

For now, I will continue to produce the skim milk for my little doll, get my body physically fit in time for summer and remind myself of the Doctor's orders: 9 months up, 9 months down. I am confident I will hit my target by the time Miss L turns 1!



Crawling and standing at 6 months...
I think {Skim} milk is doing her body good!