Live Healthy with Mindy Mosser

With my first pregnancy, I gained 45 pounds!!  When I became pregnant, I was already carrying about 10-12 extra pounds.  By the time Kennedy was 6 months old, I was back in all my old clothes and had dropped all the pregnancy weight, but was still holding on to that same extra 10-12 pounds that just didn't want to go away.  As a restaurant server at the time, I was always on the go, and never ate regularly.  I sometimes only had one or two meals a day, but I thought I was healthy because I wasn't really "over-weight".

By the time I became pregnant with my second child, I was holding on to about 15 excess pounds.  Then I gained 50 pounds on top of that!!  When I came home from the hospital with a 9 1/2 pound baby boy instead of a 50 pound baby, I didn't know how I would ever be thin again.  I was living in a new state, away from all my friends and family, and I was experiencing my first Northern Ohio winter.  After Jackson was born, I gained about 5 more pounds in the first few weeks.  All I did was sit around and eat, and nurse my new baby. 

Here's what I remember about my weight struggle:

• My healthy body weight is around 125-130 (I am 5' 2" tall)
• Pre-pregnancy weight before Kennedy (at age 24) was 133 pounds
• Delivery weight with Kennedy was 178 pounds
• Pre-pregnancy weight before Jackson (at age 28) was 137 pounds
• Delivery weight with Jackson was 187 pounds
• Came home from the hospital weighing 177 pounds
• At my 2-week check up, I had gained another 5 pounds and was around 182
• At my 6-week check up, I was feeling better, but still discouraged weighing in at 175.  I felt like I was at a plateau
• I started dieting and seriously counting and restricting my calories and from March 17 through the end of May (2 1/2 months) I had dropped 13 pounds, but I was hungry and cranky all the time, and I had no energy.  So I gave up and stayed here at 162 pounds until September.
• In September, my new friend April introduced me to the quality supplements and the 5-day RESET program.  In October I began taking the supplements and did the 5-day RESET program.  I felt amazing!!  I dropped 4 pounds in 5 days and all my carb and sugar craving were gone.  I was stoked. 
• I continued on the program, learning to eat healthier, and using the meal replacement shakes as a crutch to get me started.  By January (in just 3 months) I thought I had hit my goal, so I stopped worrying about losing weight.  I felt great at 139.  I was under the 140 mark and was totally satisfied.
• Over the next 6 months, I learned to pay less attention to my weight and set my goals related to health.  As I continued to eat healthy and implement the lessons I had learned through the Healthy Edge program, I lost another 15 pounds and my body was finally at a healthy and lean weight of 124 pounds where I stayed for a year, until I was pregnant with my 3rd child.
• I was much more comfortable starting my third pregnancy at a healthy weight, & with all I've learned under my belt.  This time around I truly enjoyed my pregnancy and was not so worried about excessive weight gain.  This last time I continued to follow a healthy low-glycemic diet and pre-natal exercise program to keep me healthy and fit through pregnancy.
• After the birth of our third baby, I felt great.  I recovered much faster than before, the labor and delivery was much easier (I think due to the healthy diet and exercise).  Sure I had another big baby, Carter arrived at a whopping 8lbs 15oz, (and he was my smallest baby), but I am on the way to be back in shape very soon. 
• When Carter was 10 months old, I had shed most of the 37 pounds I gained during pregnancy.  He has been a fussy baby and was very sensitive to the foods I ate while nursing.  I stayed dairy free while nursing him, since discovering his dairy allergy.  Other super-foods that I love, like beans and most vegetables, upset his little sensitive tummy also.  So those  months were a rocky road when I knew what I needed to eat (lots of fiber and fresh vegetables) is what would make my baby unhappy, and what I could eat (carrots, potatoes, meat, rice, and bread) aren't all the foods that will energize my weight release. 
• I still had about 10 lbs to go, when we found out I was expecting our 4th baby.  At first I was a little discouraged that I didn't release all the baby weight, but I realize that he was only 10 months old when I found out I was pregnant again, so I take it one day at a time, one choice at a time.  If I eat something that isn't going to serve me in my healthy weight goals, I know it was a choice, and the next time I will choose better.
• Baby Grant was born in August, and I'm back "on the wagon," as they say.  I only gained 24 pounds with this pregnancy, and I'm so happy to have eaten well and made good choices (most of the time).  My body still has lots of adjusting to do, and since I'm nursing, I can't be too aggressive to lose weight.  But I can eat healthy, exercise, and make good choices.  I may not see it now, but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I know that being healthy is the most important "diet" goal for me.

Prenatal Vitamins!!

My OB is a big fan of the  supplements that I recommend.  She takes the same one!  This was great news to me.  What was even better is that when I told her we were trying for another baby, she insisted that I stick with my current vitamin program throughout my pregnancy.  My only question was whether or not they had enough folic acid, and she reassured me that they had more than most pre-natals do, because the company is on top of the research and their products are designed for optimal health!

I feel great and I am happy that I can trust these vitamins.  I had taken an over-the-counter pre-natal vitamin during my first two pregnancies, only to find out that it wasn't even dissolving for me to get the needed nutrients.

Test yours.  Drop one tablet into a glass of room temperature water and let it sit for about an hour.  If it isn't completely dissolved, then your body and your baby aren't getting the vital nutrients they need from the supplement.  I've heard nurses refer to some supplements as "bed-pan bullets" because you can see the tablet in it's entirety after it is passed through the body.  No thanks, I'll pass.  No pun intended!!

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