Before I became a mother, I was an avid exerciser. I worked out in the company gym with my work best friend nearly every day of the week. On weekends, I would take a 3-5 mile walk with a girlfriend. I weighed a good 40 pounds less than I do now and was fit. Not like Jillian Michaels fit. But I was healthy. And active. And my ass didn’t have it own zip code.
When I was pregnant with my son, I lost all my energy. The third person I shared our good news with was my VP. I was so tired that I was falling asleep at my desk every afternoon. So I asked to be able to work from home after lunch. He was so wonderful about it and agreed. Good-bye working-out every afternoon. Hello 2 hour nap!
It didn’t help either that my pregnancy cravings were nacho cheese, thin mints, and pancakes. I was ballooning and quickly. I gained 20 pounds in the first half of the pregnancy. When my son was born, I had packed on nearly 60 pounds. I always thought that I’d be one of those moms that quickly bounces back into her pre-pregnancy sizes. Reality is my pre-pregnancy clothes are still hanging in my closet nearly six years later.
