Weighed Down

Well folks, I got through most of May without weighing myself, and I am not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. On the plus side, I was not obsessive with jumping on the dreadful scale. I really tried to focus on other indicators of being healthy, such as how I felt inside and how my clothes fit on the outside. It wasn’t until this past week when I went to my doctor to check on some things that I became concerned. I had put on about six pounds over the past four weeks! For some people, this may not sound like much, but for me, I was in melt down mode! I might as well have gained 60 pounds! My husband says, “I am sure it is all muscle”. I have been working hard on improving the definition of my arms and doing a million squats which probably enhanced my already genetically blessed derrière and thighs. May, for various reasons was also a very stressful month for me. I looked to sugar for comfort frequently. It also did not help that there were multiple events which involved food at the hospital I work at, and it was very rare to find something healthy on those menus. Talk about one of healthcare’s biggest contradictions…we are health professionals and we reward ourselves with unhealthy foods. Can we get a nice, catered salad bar, please? I’ve also recently stopped taking anything that would prevent a baby from forming, but I doubt if a kid was growing in my womb he or she would have caused such a rapid weight gain.


So, it is June 1st. I have pledged to not eat sweets over the next 30 days and should I get a craving for something sugary, I will reach for a piece of fruit instead. I was very proud of myself today. We had our company picnic, and I did not have one dessert! My husband has also taken up juicing, which has helped him shed a few pounds. I have benefited from this by supplementing an occasional breakfast meal with a nice blend of fruits and veggies. I have noticed that I can’t get into my size 8 pants anymore, which is a little disheartening, but I don’t feel jiggly. I feel pretty firm and fit; I just wish the scale would mirror what I feel. I am much more optimistic this month, and excited about trying for another child. Like I said before, this will be a different experience from my past pregnancy. With my son, David, I started off grossly overweight, tipping the scale at 250 upon entering my ninth month. I don’t even know how I made it to the ninth month being only 5’2 and my belly was spread from the east to the west coast! I regretfully had to have a caesarean section, which thankfully was uncomplicated. If I can avoid having one this time, it would be such a blessing. This time around, I am at my healthiest weight since high school; I am six years older, and very physically active. My goal is to only gain between 15 to 20 pounds the next pregnancy (so, kid, if you’re in there, I hope you are listening!). I am inspired by the women in my Black Girls Run group. One woman just finished her first half marathon while several months pregnant! God willing, this will be me. Of course I will do my best not to endanger my child for the sake of maintaining my current lifestyle. I will do all the necessary modifications to ensure that we stay as active and healthy as possible so that I can make it to a safe delivery.


Currently, my son is over 2000 miles away with his grandparents for the next month. Though I miss him terribly, I am grateful for this little break. My husband and I are having a great time together, and learning more about each other (you’d think we would know everything about each other after nearly fourteen years together). We are attempting to do some minor home improvements(note, I said attempting. Neither of us is very handy). I am getting more opportunities to run with the girls of Black Girls Run all over the Charlotte area. I love the camaraderie and I enjoy sharing my story with others. I am fortunate enough to be a social media ambassador for Black Girls Run this year, and I have started a new blog, solejourney2013.blogspot.com. The blog will feature various topics while tracing my journey as I embark on training/preparing for the upcoming Black Girls Run “Sweat With Your Sole” 5K/10K race and conference in September. The conference will be held in Charlotte this year, so I am extremely excited it is right at my back door. I hope to convince my mom to run the 5k race. For this next month, I am going to try my best to stay positive even in the midst of the little storms. I have got 47 days until my 32nd birthday;I have got to keep it tight and right! Thank God for the ability to run! It has been my saving grace through some of May’s trials. I really don’t think I would have bounced back as quickly had running not been an outlet for me.

“I don’t have to feel weighed down by life’s burdens. God is strong enough to carry that weight for me, free of charge.” ---Sanpri