Losing my second self...

...and when I say second self, I mean the additional 'person' I seem to have gained around my tummy, legs, arms in fact all over my body. This 'person' came and attached itself to my body whilst I was busy scoffing pancakes in my pregnancy - but where did it come from, seriously? After I gave birth, I kinda got attached to my second self, and it was a bit of a comfort really to protect me from the world and my seriously sleep deprived body. Sure, it didn't make me want to socialise or take care of myself, or make me feel good in any way, it just hung around, and I carried on feeding this other person...isn't that what you're meant to do? But, it was still my comfort.
So, I carried on wearing preggie clothes - included was this really 'attractive' pair of tracksuit pants that made me look even larger than life than I really was! I had a little bundle of joy, was now a mom, so I didn't really have to worry about myself - right? My most important mission in life was to ensure that I tried to keep my son alive and healthy - up until this point I hadn't been able to keep a plant alive, so I really worried about my success in the child arena. Luckily I seemed to take better care of my little one than I did of my plants. So it was all ok. It just seemed somewhere along the way I forgot to take care of myself. And you might be shocked to know that it has taken me some time to realise that I need to take care of myself - I say whispering, in fact a couple of years! OK the secret,s out, I was by no stretch of the imagination a 'Yummy Mummy'.
I gave birth to my little one in the UK, and there is an organisation there called the National Childbirth Trust. It is very well known and essentially you have antenatal classes with moms to be in the same area, with similar interests and at a very similar stage of pregnancy. It's a really good system, and to be honest these ladies were my support system of note and we all became really close. However, my second self was well and truly comfortable in my body, and was there for the long haul at this stage. I remember looking at all these gorgeous women who looked like they'd stepped out of a celebrity magazine just weeks after their births and they were all slim. If you've ever carried extra weight, you might understand what I'm about to explain - everytime we would say hello and hug each other, I used to feel like this huge giant hugging elves. Let me make this clear, I wasn't huge, I was just a lot bigger than them!
But you must have guessed by now that I've clearly come to my senses and realised that it's time for me to claw my way back into the world and finally tell that other 'person' to stop hanging around me - it's not all that good for my image after all!
So after numerous attempts at loads of different 'diets' I pulled myself towards myself and decided to join Weigh-Less - it was time to start taking care of myself. It has taken me 12 weeks and a back operation in between, but I've lost 10kg - I'm really proud of myself. For the first time in years I feel like going out, I feel like socialising and I feel like I look good.
It's so easy to gain weight in a pregnancy, and it really is not easy to get it off afterwards. So my small bit of advice to you, is try and take care of yourself, everything in moderation and exercise. I also really believe that Weigh-Less is such a great way of life - it's easy, you don't have to eat differently to your family and it somehow just sticks! The recipes that I've learnt are great for my hubby and my little one and I've become a bit more creative in the kitchen. Always remember though that if you are starting a new exercise plan, eating plan or anything similar, especially in pregnancy, please make sure to always check with your doctor.
Here's to my new self - just the one of me!!!!