I Just Did It
By Valeri Webber
Benicia CA USA
From NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 17 No. 6, September-October 2000, p. 160
We provide articles
from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and
members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information
change over time
I was very round when I
met my husband, but he loved me as I was. Before I had children, I had
used fad or starvation diets. Three babies in four years challenged
my body. Between my pregnancies, I tried three major commercial weight
loss programs with moderate but temporary results. My weight went up
and down until I decided to give exercising a try. At first, I couldn't
get through the low impact aerobic exercise video. I thought I would
combust! I pressed on, reminding myself that if I could face hours of
labor and then give birth, I could certainly do an hour of low-impact
exercise. I told myself I didn't care if I lost weight, I just wanted
to firm up and be healthy. I didn't want to diet because I was nursing
a hefty six-month-old and feared strict dieting would diminish the quality
and quantity of my milk. I didn't lose any weight for weeks, even though
I worked out five days a week.
Then one day, about six weeks
into my program, it seemed I started melting. The weight fell off. I
was so inspired I started cutting fat and sugars. I didn't consider
this dieting, merely paying more attention to what I was eating. I made
my workouts more energetic by adding weight training, cycling, and finally
jazz exercise. I felt fabulously healthy and alive. Though the process
was slow, I began viewing myself as a healthy, fit person. I had never
been fit in my life, but now I was strong and lean. My entire view of
myself, my self-esteem, and my goals had changed. Exercise became something
I "got" to do; not something I "had" to do. It was
my gift to my family and myself.
I maintained my loss of over
40 pounds for several years until I struggled with infertility. Between
the depression, PMS, overeating each failed month, and the fertility
medications, I gained 20 pounds back. I stopped exercising as much,
which added to my depression. When I finally did become pregnant, I
started working out faithfully again. I really wanted to be fit throughout
pregnancy for the first time. What a difference I saw in the pregnancy
and birth! I felt fantastic. I even worked on my due date. I loved flaunting
my big pregnant belly at jazz exercise, clad in my neon pink leotard.
My baby weighed nine pounds, but I was at my pre-pregnancy weight in
two weeks and by six months postpartum I was back to my pre-infertility
weight, thanks again to exercise.
Breastfeeding did not slow
my results; it helped me. I was concerned enough about my well being
and that of my babies to eat nutritiously and resist the desire to crash
diet for a quick fix that rarely works. Nursing helped my self-esteem,
too. I could forgive any perceived imperfections as I marveled at the
job that my body was doing nourishing my babies. A body that could sustain
such perfect little beings couldn't be half-bad.
Making the choice to "just
do it" changed my life! My children now have a mother who can run
and play, they have an example of healthful living, and they also get
nutritious meals. My husband has a wife who has stopped hiding her body
(which he always loved - no matter the size). I have finally become
the me I have always wanted to be, not just in body, but in spirit too.
If I go a few days without exercise, my body is like a dog at the door
begging to be walked. If I let it go longer, I become complacent and
it gets harder to get going. Then the dread sets in, the habit wanes.
So, if nothing else, I try to take the baby out for a walk. I love the
fact that at age 34, I am faster, stronger and lighter than I was at
age 19.
Adapted from an article
in the November 1996 issue of Virginia Visions, the Leaders'
Letter for LLL of Virginia.
11/16/06 by jlm.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:04 UTC 2007.
