by April Duke

Created on: September 19, 2008   Last Updated: November 18, 2008

What is it about pregnancy that so changes the way our bodies process calories? Oh for the days when I could have a snickers bar and a soda for breakfast and still wear a size 4! Those days, for better or worse, are long over. They ended the day I saw that second line appear.

I remember when I first became pregnant, I heard that you were supposed to eat extra calories, you know, for the baby. I took that advice to heart and decided that "the baby" really liked Egg McMuffins. Yeah, that didn't work out so well for me. After finding, at my four-month check-up, that I had gained over 10 lbs that month, I was advised that my previous way of eating was probably providing the little one with enough calories after all. I said goodbye to my breakfast treat and tried going back to eating the way I had; but it was not that easy. I had become accustomed to the extra calories and was, as pregnant women often are, constantly hungry. This wasn't helped by the fact that I had mild morning sickness throughout most of my pregnancy, and having an empty stomach made me nauseated. So I had to seek out healthy snacks. Now, before this blessed event, my idea of a healthy snack was the aforementioned snickers and soda, so I had some studying to do.

Because I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I was able to see a nutritionist with my insurance footing the bill, which was nice. I learned to balance sugar with protein in order to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and thereby eliminate sugar highs (and lows). This was, of course, to manage the diabetes, but I also found that this balance helped to curb cravings caused by sugar consumption. Apparently, the cycle of sugar highs and lows causes you to crave sugar and carbs. I was able to manage my weight well for the rest of the pregnancy and kept my gestational diabetes under control by never eating a meal or snack that did not contain protein.

After I unloaded about seven extra pounds in the delivery room, I was anxious to get rid of the rest of it. I was so disappointed to find that I still looked pregnant! Of course I was advised to "take it easy" for the first six weeks. Whatever that means. Seriously, I've just given birth and am now tending to a tiny creature who screams every two hours for my, well, very sore body parts, and I'm "taking it easy"? Yeah, right.

After the six weeks were up, I did manage to begin exercising. I did one of those cute "baby and me" workout videos and it really did help. I found that getting on the floor with my little one and using him as a weight was easy, fun for both of us, and delivered results. My muscle tone improved and I did start to lose some weight. However, what really did it was when I began walking everyday with a neighbor. She would leave her two kids at home with her husband before he left for work, and I would strap mine into the stroller for a walk around the neighborhood. Now, this was no stroll, mind you, this was exercise. I huffed and I puffed pushing that stroller along, with children laughing and pointing. Okay, so there were no children, but it was still hard at first. However, as I became used to the exercise it became something that I looked forward to, and I think my son looked forward to it to, at least his coos of delight from the stroller would suggest that he was loving the outdoors.

After six months of walking and watching what I ate, I lost down to within seven pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. I was extremely proud of this, especially given that I had gained forty pounds over the course of my pregnancy. With a dedication to eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and plenty of protein, combined with a good workout routine, you'll definitely see results!

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