Four weeks ago, when I finally decided to hop on a scale to see how much I weighed and found out (annoyingly) that I was 12 pounds over pre-pregnancy weight, I started weighing myself once a week to check on my weight loss progress. I reduced how much I ate at breakfast and lunch on the weekdays. I pretty much stopped drinking any alcohol (much to Chris’s annoyance). I also increased the rigor of my weekday morning exercise and always ensured that I exercised for at minimum 60 minutes (excluding stretching and warmup). I carved out time intentionally during the day for walking breaks. A few of the people I’ve shared this with have laughed, saying they think I’m being ridiculous for wanting to lose weight, but at the end of the day, I’m comparing myself to myself, not to others.

I was pleased to see that in the last four weeks, I’ve been able to lose six pounds already with my conscious changes in behavior. Before I even hopped on the scale this week, I already noticed that the pants I had bought back in the beginning of summer felt less tight, which was reassuring. I’m about half way to my goal at this point, which is quicker than what I had anticipated, so while I am happy about my progress, I know I still have work to do.