Motherhood expands my heart and my waistline

Something has been weighing heavy on my heart, er, my stomach actually.

For I have discovered that one of the best kept secrets of motherhood is that it is nearly impossible to be a working mother and effectively manage a healthy weight.

When a woman is pregnant, she has frequent doctor’s visits, and there is one number that determines everything: her weight.

At first, you don’t want to gain too much weight; the majority of the pound packing should come in the last trimester, so my doctor says.

My grandmother, bless her heart, would always inquire about my weight every time we spoke during my pregnancy: “How are you doing with your weight?”

I never took offense, because I knew it was coming from a place of love and motherly concern.

I took some pride in the fact that I gained 35 pounds during my pregnancy and, after my son was born, I was shocked at how quickly the weight melted away. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight in a matter of six weeks — not that it was a weight worth bragging about in the first place.

Then I was on to breast feeding and managed to maintain my weight for the better part of a year. When the baby was weaned, however, the number on the scale started to creep back up … and up, and up.

Now I have nearly gained all of the pregnancy weight back, and it feels so disheartening. I have a job with long hours sitting behind a desk, and I don’t really have the option of taking a long walk for lunch. If I go shopping after work, I don’t have time to spend with my little one before bedtime — forget about having a good hour to cook something every night.

That leaves a lot of takeout in my belly and a lot of weight in my mid-section. Trying to cut calories when there are so many other things to worry about is nearly impossible and I’m struggling with what to do.

As I buy a larger size of pants and more shirts, I wonder how other women manage to keep their waistlines in check. So, how about it, ladies? Are there tips or tricks you have learned that help you manage your weight while juggling all your motherly duties?

— Sarah Leach is managing editor at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.