My Magnum Opus or Eating After Pregnancy

While I was pregnant I was pretty excited about this baby girl, but I was also really looking forward to when I could run again, eat normally again, sleep normally again, etc.  I was very focused on feeling like my normal self and getting back into my routine. 

How things change!  I'm still looking forward to the days when I feel like running again, and I look forward to getting into a groove with my new baby girl and our life together.  But my focus has changed in ways I did not foresee and I've got to say it is pretty great. 

When our pediatrician first came to check on Eloise after she was born, she asked if I was planning to breastfeed.  I said yes.  She told me I needed a diet of 2400-2600 calories a day and some high fat foods such as peanut butter, nuts, baked potatoes loaded with sour cream, etc.  It all sounded heavenly to me.  As soon as I had this baby girl, it seemed like I was hungry all the time.  And then when I ate...it was so wonderful!  There was ROOM in there for a real meal and even when I ate what I considered to be a lot, I could breathe and feel great afterward. 

I began to really relish eating!  I'm taking this breastfeeding thing seriously and I think I'm even more motivated than I was while pregnant to eat right because I actually FEEL good.  My sister made me one of her famous fruit mixtures of strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and mandarin oranges and when I finished that, Jason made me one with strawberries, grapes, and blueberries.  I eat peaches with cottage cheese as a snack and today Jason brought home some fresh watermelon.  My church has been bringing food and it has all been so delicious.  Chicken and broccoli casserole, Chicken noodle soup with carrots and corn, homemade rolls, delicious salads with all the best greens, green beans, brown rice, pecan chicken... And when we don't have food someone else has made, Jason makes me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a few kettle chips and the current fruit mixture of the day.  One day he brought home that baked potato the pediatrician planted in my mind, loaded with sour cream, butter, and turkey. 

And I must say, it has been AMAZING!  I love eating! 

One afternoon when Jason was headed to the store he said, "You know, you can have pretty much anything you want right now so is there something special you'd like?"  I thought about it and I knew immediately.  I wanted to try a Magnum Ice Cream bar.  Yes sir ree.  I'd seen the commercials, I'd seen them on the ice cream aisle at the grocery store, and I wanted to try one.  So that afternoon he brought some home and I tried my first Magnum bar.  It was EVERYTHING I'd hoped.  It was delicious!  Every night I indulge in one of these OR in a Klondike bar, which we also currently have in our freezer and closely rivals the Magnum in fabulousness.  

I was curious the other afternoon about my weight, so I hopped on the scale just to see.  I had a feeling it would still be high, but I wasn't particularly stressed about it.  My tummy had already gone done way more than I'd thought it would, so I felt pretty good about how things were going.  Here are the numbers:

When I got pregnant I was 116 lbs (Ultra marathon training weight)
At the end of my pregnancy I was 142-144 lbs (I'm estimating because the last number I saw was 141).
When I weighed this week I was 128 lbs. 

I was amazed!  My non-training weight is usually around 120 and it drops a little when I'm marathon or ultra training due to high mileage.  When I found out I was pregnant my weight was lower because I was 10 days away from another 50 mile race.  That means I'm really only 8 lbs up from what I usually weigh and THAT was a bit astonishing.  I'm not sure if it was mostly baby (although I was quite sure there was lots of extra fat everywhere by the end) or if breastfeeding is really that powerful, but I certainly did not expect that much of a change so quickly. 

Even before my little weigh-in, I wasn't overly concerned and I intend to continue that pattern until I feel 100% ready to hit the streets again.  For now (and until the end), the priority is breastfeeding.  I am enjoying all the delicious things I can so comfortably consume, I take pride in feeding my baby girl the very best I can offer, and each night I smile and sigh as I unwrap a scrumptious Magnum Ice Cream bar.