Chunkin' up and slimmin' down

Solomon has become one smiling and chunky baby.  He is a little over 3.5 months old and now tops the scale at 14 pounds.  I can not tell you how absolutely amazing it has been to my family and I to watch a "normal" baby grow.  It seems it is right before my eyes!  Of course we had seen "normal baby growth" before, with the two children older than Lilly.  But Lilly was the last baby before Solomon and it's hard not to gauge him by what we remember of her. 

Lilly lived 17 months and was only 13 pounds when she died.  Solomon isn't quite 4 months and is already 14 pounds.  It's just hard to get my mind around it some days.  Babies, like Lilly, with Trisomy 18 really do have a hard time "thriving" (as the medical community puts it).  After I weighed Solomon on Lilly's scale, Hunter hopped on it and wanted to know what he weighed.  He's just under the 50th percentile and weighs about 35 pounds.  That made me think of a little girl with Trisomy 18 I know of that is 7 years old and weighs less than my 4 year old.

Whenever I get pregnant, it is normal for my body to gain a LOT of weight.  I really do not eat a whole lot more and remain quite active, but the pounds just pile on.  The midwives would tease me and say "where are you putting all that weight?"  I lost all that weight after my first two babies.  After Lilly was born I hardly lost any weight at first.  And when she died I still was 15 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight.  Thinking back I believe that had much to do with the fact that I was pumping instead of nursing normally, and due to extreme stress.  ("Is my baby going to die today?") 

This time, much to my delight, I have been rapidly losing weight.  In fact, in a bit less than 4 months I have lost 50 pounds.  I only have 15-20 pounds to go.  (Yes I told you I gain a lot when I'm pregnant!)  Besides nursing normally, which causes a woman to lose weight, I have been following a way of eating that is a bit different for me.  Since I started it, about 2 months ago or so, I have been losing about 5 pounds a week.

My "new way of eating" focuses on foods that produce lower insulin responses and combining food in a bit different way.  I had learned in the past about eating foods with lower gylcemic rates, from Dr. Al Sears book High Speed Fat Loss in 7 Easy Steps.  But I got that book during Lilly's life and well, I didn't get far with many personal things while she was alive, because I was so focused on taking care of her.

Shortly after Solomon was born I bought a new book called Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison & Pearl Barrett.  This was the perfect book for me and I bet it is perfect for most of you reading this.  You don't have to be a mama!  Eating this way is helping my husband to effortly lose weight too.  I'm learning to combine our foods into two categories:  "satisfying" and "energizing." 

My goodness - there is way too much to share about this book and I'm about out of time.  Don't let the price of the book scare you ($35) - it is worth it.  It is over 600 pages, has a bunch of really interesting chapters - even one on what the Bible says about food - and is full of yummy, simple recipes.  In fact, it's one of the few books that we've liked everything we've tried so far.  The topics are not just about food, though there is a ton of discussion about that.  They also cover hormones (for men and women), exercise, skin care, etc.   I have learned so much and I really am not a stranger to healthy eating/living.  The authors have a Facebook page and have promptly answered all my questions.  (Tabby was amazed about this - that the famous authors on the cover of the book answered me!)

You can read a summary of the book and see the table of contents here.

My current favorite snack is called "skinny chocolate."  I follow the book recipe using coconut oil, dark cocoa, and stevia.  I add in some unsweetened coconut and walnut pieces.  Freeze it, break off pieces, and eat.  A yummy and healthy way to get skinny!  :)