Melanie Nilles

I have to say this here, as a way to track my progress. I recently had a baby, but put on 45 pounds. With my first, I gained 40 and lost it all within four months. My goal this time is to lose it within the same amount of time, but it’s proving harder.

At present, I have about 18 pounds left with a goal to lose another 3-5 pounds by Easter. By the end of May, I hope to have it all off and be back to an ideal weight of 110 pounds or less. Can I do it?

Although I ate right during the pregnancy, I still gained a lot of weight. I’d have had to starve myself not to. I’m now having to cut back, but I still eat. I am trying for a bowl of oatmeal every day along with fresh fruits and green veggies more than any other carbs. I cut back on refined sugars, but I found that chocolate-covered raisins have helped a lot and don’t contribute to any weight gain. In fact, for me they are helping the weight loss. A few here and there throughout the day has helped to curb the sugar cravings, and I get healthy raisins along with a little satisfying chocolate. Not a bad combination. Nursing plays its part in the weight loss, along with the regular workouts 3-4 times a week (30 minutes on the treadmill and at least another 20 minutes on the weight machines and free weights).

So, here I am marking my place towards reaching my weight loss goals. Labor was easy compared to this.