Monday, May 20, 2013

positive gain...

feeling whole: my journey of self discovery, weight loss, and weight gain, running marathons, and laughing everyday. 
*you betcha! This post is going to be about gaining weight... temporarily.

For the past year, the majority of my focus has been on weight loss. Last fall, I gave up the story that I couldn't lose weight. I got my act together and lost a whopping 30lbs. For anyone who has lost weight you know how insanely gratifying the accomplishment is. You realize you are in control of what you fuel your body with and suddenly the, "losing weight equation," is simple for the first time ever.

I'm thrilled to announce that my husband and I are on a little 9 month weight gain journey of our own...

::insert shrieks & smiles::

We'll be welcoming a new addition to our family this November and couldn't be more excited. Pregnancy is an incredible, wild journey that although has really only just begun it's hard to put into words just how cool it all is.



After the initial excitement wore off  OK, let's be real it hasn't and won't ever wear off anytime soon but a noteworthy thought that did creep into my head was, "well, sh*t, I just lost 30lbs and now I'm going to gain it all back."

Reign it in, Sam! 

Here's how I look at it... Those 30lbs we're actually acting as birth control for me. My body wasn't healthy enough to support a pregnancy at my former weight. Diet plays more of a role in fertility that I even  knew about. That was a scary realization for me but I'm incredibly grateful that I figured out how poorly I was treating myself and even more committed to being healthy for life. Will I gain weight during this pregnancy? Yes, already in action on that one! Do I need to stress about it? Absolutely not!

It isn't as easy to make good food choices while pregnant. People have asked what I've been craving and my answer has always the same, "absolutely nothing healthy." It was really important for me to realize that what I eat, the baby eats. I'm not afraid of gaining weight but I know that I don't have to always "eat for two." It's all going to be about balance. After all, gaining too much weight is just as dangerous as not gaining enough.

When my first trimester came to an end and my doctor told me I was right on track with weight gain I went out and splurged on a pair of Jimmy Jimmy Skinny Paige maternity jeans as a reward. I'm not sure I'll ever NOT wear maternity jeans!

You won't be hearing about me losing weight anytime soon but I am super inspired to be sharing about my positive weight gain over the next 5 months.

Until next time,
s & baby b



Monday, May 6, 2013

i'd like to ______ someday...


I want to learn french someday...
I want to play the guitar someday...
I want to go on an African safari someday...

When is someday?

I want to stress the importance of following through on the things you say you want for yourself. We're not here on Earth forever. Saying "someday" isn't going to cut it if you want to live your life to the fullest. 

When will you be fluent in french?
When will you have perfected that first song on the guitar?
When are you going to request that hard earned vacation time off?

If you don't give yourself a deadline you'll never take action. Have integrity with yourself. You deserve it! Do what you say you want to do even if it seems CRAZY or impossible! 
Guess what? Almost nothing is impossible.

The next time you catch yourself, or a friend say something along the lines of 
"Oh, I'd love to be able to _____," or "someday I want to _____," respond with an enthusiastic "That is great! By when?!"

Remember... someday is an unacceptable answer... 

*If you've got a story to share about how you achieved something you thought was "impossible" but you went for it anyway, I'd love to hear about it! Please feel free to post a comment here.