I was 191 pounds before I got pregnant with my first. I was mentally tramatized because I heard stories of woman who never lose their baby weight and I was already starting out overweight.
Throughout my pregnancy, friends and family would always tell me, "you're eating for two now" and they would serve me huge portions of food and always try to encourage me to eat more, as they do in our culture.
I went to the throne and said "Lord, I can't do this alone, if I promise to do my part you have to promise to do yours. I don't want to be fat!" So I started to say "no" to my family and friends, which can be a sign of disrespect, especially to the elders in the family when they cook.
I ate moderately throughout my pregnancy gaining only 25 pounds. I breastfed which burns lots of calaries and is best for your baby and:
- I portioned my food accordingly,
- Drank 1% milk,
- Cooked with Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
- Bought lean cuts of meat and baked or sauteed the food I usually enjoyed fried, and
- I walked 15 minutes everyday.
Us Latin and African American people know how to cook and cook with flava so I had to learn to stop those cultural traditions that were killing my family and take charge of my health for me and my future generation.
I ended up losing so much weight just by making small changes, that I ended up being 20 pounds thinner than I was before I got pregnant in the first place -- 171 pounds!
I just had my second baby in October 2007. I gained 35 pounds this time. So I was back up at just over 200 pounds when he was born.
I'm doing much of the same things I did before, and currenlty I am 188 pounds.
For those of you mommy's out there... it's definately harder to lose the second round of baby fat, but I won't give up. I'm a stay at home mom with two baby's under two and most of the time I don't have time to eat, let alone eat right. When I do eat they're usually screaming in my face which makes me eat faster but I think about Dr. Ian's tips and how I must slow down and enjoy every bite so I do.
And, as for excercise, I use my kids as weights and do strength training! I also run back and forth from task to task trying to get my heart rate up! Soon I will get back out there and start my walking.
Dr. Ian's visit to my church really pumped me up. Just the fact that someone cared enough to give us free stuff like the pedometer and water bottle really inspired me. I drink water like a mad woman, I carry it wherever I go.
My goal is to be 150 pounds by the time my second turns 1 in October! My dream is for my husband to be able to pick me up and carry me like his bride!
Another tip, I weigh myself every morning and I have (ironically) a state farm calander nailed up in my bathroom where I document my weight daily. That way I see it, and my husband see's it, so he can encourage me and praise me when he see progress or motivate me when he doesn't and it works for me too because when I get discoraged I flip back the calender and get to see how far I've come.
about it until August of that year. 
