Weight Loss Story: No, I'm Not Pregnant. I'm Just Really Fat!

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted here. Lemme make a quick check...well, my last post was somewhere in 2017. Seven freaking years ago! Apparently, my last post was about why I'm holding back on the plan for our third baby because I had never felt heavier than I was at that time. So, I decided to lose all the extra weight before jumping on a pregnancy bandwagon again, because I didn't want to be too heavy to be pregnant. From my previous experience, I knew that you will certainly gain extra weight when you get pregnant. To be heavy to start a pregnancy could cause a lot of complications. I didn't want to face all that unnecessary health problems. Being pregnant alone is tiring enough. And besides that, it's ugly to be fat. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend or trigger my reader by saying that. Fat does not equal ugly But, I always envy the ladies who could hide their baby bump in the first and two trimesters, and get everyone surprised with the pregnancy announcement seven months later. I don't know why, but I feel that being pregnant but not showing it is cool. Maybe because of all my adult and married life, people keep assuming that I was pregnant when I was actually not. I am just very fat.

Ironically, a few months after my last post, I got pregnant. Yes, it was not an accident. Our second child was already 6 at that time, so my husband and I were thinking, about how many more months we should get the plan postponed. My time was ticking. I was 36 at that time. My close friends suggested that it is better to just plan for a baby now, and diet all I want later. Because time is not gonna wait. So, that was what basically happened after my last post. We welcomed our third child in July 2018.

Adorable! Look at that cute little hand.

I took time off from blogging after the baby. She's a big bright little kid now and already in school. I have free time for myself now after all the kids are off to school. But, I find that jumping back into the writing routine spontaneously is not easy. I have no idea what I should write, and where should I start.

Maybe, let's talk about my last pregnancy. The thing that I worried so much during my last pregnancy was to gain even more weight than my already heavy body. So, I was being very careful with what I ate. I had GDM and was required to perform self-monitoring blood glucose (SMGB) four times a day. The common routine was to prick your finger with a lancet device to obtain a small blood sample. And then you applied a drop of blood onto the reagent strip. Then, insert the strip into a glucose meter for an automated reading. The normal reading for SMGB is 4 to 6 mmol/L. I usually got myself checked before I took breakfast at 7am, and then before lunch at 11am, the next was at 4pm, and the last was at 7pm before dinner time. I usually didn't have a heavy breakfast, and I avoided sweetened beverages in the morning because the window time between 7am and 11 am was too close and I had a feeling that it might affect my glucose reading. I would have a heavy meal after 11am and avoid tea time because I had to check myself again at 4pm. I remember at one time, I had a light dinner at 6pm. I was craving for lamb chops. I thought it would be okay since I didn't have any heavy meals that particular day. My glucose reading spiked to 7 points something when I did my regular monitoring at 7pm. Of course, the doctor queried me the next time I visited the clinic. That was the first time when my glucose reading got red alert. 🚩 I have been very careful since that because I didn't want to spoil my SMGB record.

Firstborn and the youngest in 2018

The good thing was I didn't gain a lot of weight during my pregnancy. In my first trimester, I had only a 3kg weight gain compared to my other two earlier pregnancies, where I gained a lot of kilos in the first three months. I was thinking that it was not actually that tricky to maintain your original weight. The most common misconception people have about being pregnant is you eat for two. NO! It is an old-age myth. The baby's nutrients definitely depend on the mother but that doesn't mean pregnant ladies should double their food intake. I was happy that I didn't have a major weight gain this time around as a pregnant lady. The GDM was really a blessing in disguise. I was forced to watch my food intake and be more careful about choosing a portion of healthier food.

Fast forward to 6 years later. I am really in my comfort zone. I am a full-time housewife, and I don't have pressure or good motivation to lose weight. I always planned to lose all the baby weight once I gave birth to this new baby, but instead of losing, I am gaining 10 more extra kilos throughout the 6 years! 😭😭😭

2024 New chapter

So, here I am again! I want to use this blog to tell a story about me trying to lose weight after 40, and I hope that blogging will help me hold myself accountable to my weight loss goals. It has been on my New Year's resolution way toooooo long. It's time to stop wishing and start doing.

Bounceback plan: I snapped this picture years ago from a magazine
at my local library

If you read up to this end,

I'd like to say thank you for being kind and reading till finish. I appreciate it if you could drop one or two words in the comments because I like reading supportive comments.

What is your favourite quote? Why do you like it so much?
What is your advice to kick start a new weight loss after living a sedentary lifestyle for years?