As I wait in the check out line at the grocery store, I spot a headline on a magazine near the cashier “I lost 42 pounds and realized that I didn’t have to be heavy just because I had kids!”
Oh, please. Some story. So an actor hired a trainer, a nutritionist, a private chef and a babysitter in order to lose the weight that she “considered” to be grossly obese and is now back down to 100 pounds.
That is not a story of interest to a regular Mom.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt if I just paged through it as I waited, just to see what the article says. As I suspected, the article does not mention all the assistance that this star has in order to lose the weight. She does not mention that as she leaves her kids in the child care at the gym, she has to pry them off her legs and run quickly to the door, ignoring their cries and not looking back. She also does not describe that she is so tired from cleaning the house and taking care of her children that she would rather trade a workout for sleep because she needs it just to function the next day. No, she does not mention the extra help that she has that a regular Mom does not. A good reminder that we cannot compare ourselves to people that we see on magazine covers.
Yes, losing weight is a great accomplishment for anyone but sometimes the challenge has little to do with willpower or dedication. Believing that it is a necessity to good health, I have always been committed to exercise. I have been a member of my gym, Mountainside Fitness, for nearly 8 years and I use my membership. I used to drag my tired legs to classes after long days of work and I continued to go throughout my pregnancies, even when my belly was so big that I could see panic on the faces of the gym staff as I entered the large glass doors.
Post pregnancy would bring new challenges. Diet and exercise. Calories in vs. calories out. Build muscle and burn fat. All things that we know. Still, so many of us struggle to look a certain way and push ourselves to maintain it. I continue to be in the midst of the struggle.
I think of Valerie Bertinelli and her inspirational weight loss story. With so many eating programs, personal trainers and gym options, it is hard to find the right formula for success.
The last class that I attended at the gym was such a hard class that I nearly cried when it was over because I was so disappointed in how out of shape I felt. After that class, I made myself a promise. I would find the strength to lose the weight that I wanted and sculpt my body. I would do it for my husband. I would do it for my kids. I would do it to inspire other women that face the same challenges that I face. But mostly I would do it for me.
This begins my new journey of post pregnancy weight loss.