The Miracle: Eating What I Want and Losing

My goal when I began this new approach to food was to stay the same weight for the rest of my pregnancy. I still have 20 weeks to go and I had been gaining more than a pound a week. I am adamant that I not return to my first post-partum weight of 268. I actually left the hospital weighing more than when I went in--and that's AFTER I gave birth to a 9 lb 8 oz baby. I had an induction and ended up with an emergency c-section. They pumped me so full of fluids and synthetic hormones I was retaining water EVERYWHERE.

I dropped down to 242 relatively easily and then on a VLCD (very low calorie diet) I dropped down to 212 (2lbs less than I weighed before my first pregnancy) before I got pregnant again. Not so much with the easily there. That was hard work, deprivation, and mind over matter.

I was depressed with the weight gain I saw in this new pregnancy and the prospect of having to endure that again and that is what inspired this latest kick, which I'm calling "appetite regulation" for now.

Having only a mild faith in it working, my goal was to stay within a few pounds of where I started for the rest of the pregnancy. Difficult for a pregnant woman but possible and actually recommended in someone as heavy as I am.

I'm happy to report that I have actually LOST 2 lbs. There are some up and down fluctuations but I'm pretty steadily 2 lbs down. At this rate, if I can stay where I am, with no induction this time around, I may actually come home having only 5-10 lbs to lose to return to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Anyone who has been pregnant knows that losing weight for someone prone to obesity when besieged with hormones and increased appetite is a feat and a half and I'm pleased and more than a little surprised how these appetite regulation tatics are working. And whoa! Here are some of the things I've eaten while losing this weight:

pizza
seafood ravioli in cream sauce
cadbury fruit and nut chocolate
pancakes
bagels
nachos
scallops in a reduction sauce
eggplant rollatine
chocolate cake
chocolate mousse
tiramisu
chocolate chip banana cake
a chocolate doughnut
lattes and cappuccinos with real sugar
macaroni salad
potatoes
fried ravioli

I've of course enjoyed fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, lean protein, milk, and other things--I'm not always so decadent--but I wanted to note the things I've enjoyed all while losing weight, while PREGNANT. None of those things on the list are anything I would have allowed myself in the past.

Experiencing life through abundance and not deprivation: this is the key.