Fit, Forty-Four and Pregnant.

I have been a size 12 most of my adult life. I can work like a fiend and drop to a 10, sometimes. I don't have a poor diet, but I do eat the occasional treat. When I knew I wanted to get pregnant in my mid forties, I decided it would be easier if I were healthy and fit, so I joined a meal program and started working out like crazy. My husband was out if state and I had the house all to myself, so I would crank up the tv and walk/run on the treadmill 6 days a week. I started out saying I will do just 10 minutes. If, at the end of those first ten, I was close to a mile, I would tell myself "I can get to a mile" at the mile mark I would convince myself to go for 15 minutes, then 2 miles, then 25 minutes, and so on. Some days I stopped at 20 or 25 minutes. Other days I would go 40 or 50 minutes. I also did Pilates and light weight training. At the end of 4 months I was wearing a size 6, all my stats at the Doctor were fantastic, and I felt amazing.

Then I got pregnant.

Right way I was advised to stop the exercise since I was high risk for various factors. My weight slowly began to creep up. I still felt pretty strong, and except for feeling a bit of nausea, I never really had morning sickness. 

The weight kept going up. I was eating regular food, and not exercising. Plus, I was pregnant. Then the bed-rest was ordered. At 25 weeks, my doctor told me I was only to get up to used the bathroom or take a shower. No cooking, cleaning, working, or waling around of any sort.

Big, Bigger, Biggest.

By the end of my pregnancy, I had gained 85 pounds. I gained back the 35 I had lost, plus another 50. Plus, every bit of muscle tone was gone. I had stopped using pretty much all of my muscles and was a big ball of mush.

Now what?