Bouncing back

    Years ago, when I got pregnant with our son, I was active duty Army.  I was also 20lbs heavier than I am today.  During my pregnancy, I gained another 40lbs.  It wasn't easy.  We were stationed at Fort Bragg during most of my pregnancy.  If there is one thing they believe in at Fort Bragg, its exercise.  I worked out nearly every day of my pregnancy.  On my due date, I was photographed for an issue about pregnant soldiers in the Army Times.  I was 177lbs.  Regardless of my dedicated exercise regimen, the doctors were concerned.  I was gaining too much weight.  I was regularly checked for gestational diabetes.  My blood pressure was elevated.  I spent the last two weeks, at home, laying on my left side as my boss impatiently telephoned asking when I could come back to work.  Eventually, our son was born.  He weighed in at 9.5lbs.  I consider myself fortunate.  My father had been a 12 pounder at birth.  When I left the hospital, I was still pretty big.  I'd like to say it was all baby weight, but that would be dishonest.  I still had quite a bit to lose if I wanted to be "fit to fight".
    Nursing helped immensely, and I was back down to my before pregnancy weight in less than sixty days; however, that weight was not my "Be All I Could Be" weight.  I kept exercising.  I went back to work.  I worked out with the unit, did my Army Physical Fitness Test, my 20K ruck march, and for home, we bought a treadmill.  I worked out like a fiend, but I was battling injuries I'd incurred over my military service.  A herniation and disc bulges in my back; a straightened C-spine, cartilage and ACL issues in my knees; and a strange unexplainable cramping in my big toes.  I was told one leg was longer than the other.  One doctor even told me, to improve my posture, I should stick out my butt more.  Lets just say, I went through a lot of 800mg Motrin AKA Ranger candy.
    If I was going to bounce back from this pregnancy physically fit, I needed a new plan.  I needed to eat better, and smarter.  I needed a meal plan that worked.  I tried the fad diets.  I did Atkins, but to be honest, I couldn't force myself to eat all that meat.  So it didn't last.  I tried South Beach.  I loved the menus, but the portions were really small.  Ask any of my friends.  I like to eat.  There were so many diet plans to choose from.  I had friends that succeeded on weight watchers.  It was a lot of work to figure out all those points.  I'm not that patient.  And I really didn't want to commit to regular meetings.  I am shy.  Ha ha.   : )
    What I needed was a plan that drew from all the available plans.  I needed something that was all about me, planned specifically for me.  I took bits of this and bits of that.  I read.  I watched television.  I paid attention.  I created "the me plan".  Today, though I still battle the old injuries and I always will, I am much healthier.  I have bounced back from a lifetime of bad habits (well most of them).  Its never too late to get healthy.