Catching up from the holiday weekend? I had a good one! See below:
-- 5 Reasons Pregnancy Rocks on Thanksgiving
-- Tree Decorating
-- Holiday Shopping and Peppermint Mocha Fudge Making
-- A Kid-Free Overnight Date Night

Awhile ago, when I asked for questions from all of you about any topic under the sun, I knew quite a few questions related to weight would come up. I’m no idiot. I knew that I would not be immune from the curiosity on the subject. I will always answer openly and honestly – if weight discussion (or pictures) makes you uncomfortable, please stop reading. And always keep in mind that each body is unique, so don’t play the comparison game. Read accordingly.

What is your average weight when you are not pregnant??
Well, that depends on how you look at things. My pre-pregnancy weight is higher than my “happy weight” (which I will discuss below). Right after finishing my competition last fall, I knew I wanted to regain my period as quickly as possible to try to conceive. To help those chances, the reasoning was to get back to where I easily conceived with Makenzie – around 135-140 lbs. That’s what I did and regained my cycle comparatively quickly. Photo below: day before finding out preggo with B.

How do you keep from gaining too much while pregnant? I know the doctors have told you a few times your weight gain this pregnancy. Is it similar to the first time or more or less?
I truly believe that by striving to eat a mostly healthy diet and achieving some activity a woman’s body will gain just what it needs for pregnancy. For some that is 20 lbs and for others that is 50 lbs. And it will come off. I try hard not to stress over pregnancy weight gain and really tried hard not to know my gain this time around to “practice what I preach” in a sense. Yes, the doctors did bring up my weight at a few appointments. I do not know for certain my current gain since it has not been disclosed at my last 2 appointments, but based on previous visits, this pregnancy is very similar to how I gained weight with Makenzie. It feels similar as well, just carried differently this time around thanks to baby B’s painful positioning. Photos below: left = 32 weeks pregnant with M, right = 32 weeks pregnant with B.

What is your "happy weight" and where is your body comfortable? How do you define a "happy weight" for yourself?
I define a “happy weight” as a place my body naturally goes to when I eat quality foods, listen to my hunger, and keep up with regular exercise. It’s a place that does not take any sort of deprivation or over-exertion to maintain and a place I can relatively easily reach with consistent healthy choices over a period of time. I do not think you need a scale to know your body’s happy place!

With that being said, I do know that I found my “happy weight” after pregnancy with M. Before becoming pregnant with her, I was on the tail end of overcoming my binge issues and I believe that put me at a higher (albeit still healthy range) weight. When losing weight after Makenzie, I had no set goal in mind. I focused on treating my body well and seeing where it took me. I easily reached a place I felt great at and maintained without issue until I decided to take it one step further with training for my competition. That place is where I hope to return sometime after baby B. And for full disclosure, it was around 125 lbs. Photos below = summer of 09 (June-July)

How do you plan to get into shape after baby B is born?
I have mentioned before that I have quite a few post topics related to this that I plan to share more fully around the time of B’s due date or shortly after his birth. I have a lot to say on this topic and to adequately answer this question and my beliefs/plans would take too long to write here. I will say, however, that I plan to do things similar to how I managed weight loss after having Makenzie. I will focus on health and consistently caring for myself, then let my body “do its thing” so to speak.

I do want to note one major difference - I plan to use NO scale the entire post-pregnancy back to fitness journey. Look for more on that reasoning, the topic of calorie counting or “dieting”, progress pictures a yay or nay, specific workout/training plan ideas, etc in the next couple of months. I told you I have a lot to talk about for it!

Well, there you have it. Laid out there for the world to see. I wasn’t sure I wanted to discuss weight like this, but also feel I have nothing to hide. Just know – my beliefs have 100% changed and scale weight means nothing to me now. I hope you don’t allow it to define you by any means either.

• Does discussing weight make you uncomfortable in any way? Or do you not care about it – either your own or others?
• What do you think makes the topic of weight so intriguing among women?

I feel beautiful today. No, I don’t have a nice outfit on or my hair done up just so. In fact, I’m still hanging out in my workout clothes from this morning’s at-home full body circuit that left me sweaty. Don’t judge.

Understandably, I feel more beautiful today than I did 5-6 years ago when I was at the peak of my binging issues. Not surprisingly, I feel more beautiful today than I did 2-3 years ago as I sorted through the mental muck and finally began feeling in control of my food and emotional struggles. And despite the occasional down day, I have felt more beautiful each and every day since beginning this blog.

WHY? Writing this blog forced me out of my comfort zone. It made me vulnerable. The act of putting myself out there so publicly has reinforced my sense of beauty more so than anything else. Every time I peel away another layer of myself I open up another opportunity for growth. I learn more about myself. I become more aware and more grounded in who I am. I see my true self staring me in the face and cannot help but to love her. To love me.

Each step I take where I embrace vulnerability and expose myself gives me strength. Remember me and my pregnant belly in a bikini out there for the whole world to see? Talk about vulnerable! And strong. I know it took guts to post that. Yet I have never felt more beautiful in any other picture.

Just as I have never felt more loved than when I confessed to Peter my struggles with binging and cried many, many tears on his shoulder. Just as I have never felt more hopeful than when I finally turned to God and said “I can’t do it on my own. Help me love myself like you love me”. Just as I have never felt more powerful than declaring my hopes and dreams for my personal future publicly, despite the doubt and judgment some may share. Being vulnerable isn’t something to fear. It’s something to celebrate. It helps you more clearly see yourself…and YOU are something to celebrate too.

This post is part of the Self-Discovery Word by Word blogging series, started by Ashley last month. Click for more details on how to participate with your own post.

• What ways do you make yourself vulnerable? How do they impact you? Feel free to link up posts of yours sharing a vulnerable, yet empowering, moment.
• What moments and situations make you feel proud of who you are?