Having children in Spokane is a blessing to the heart and a shock to the body.They are so special and bring so much joy, but the pregnancy also brings unwanted pounds. I suppose after having five children I felt  like there was no way that I could regain fitness after children.

So What Exactly Did Having Children in Spokane Do To My Body?

I know from experience that having children remakes the body and not always for the positive. I usually would gain about 25-40lbs for each child, but immediately after delivery I would lose 10-15lbs.

So what about the other 10-20 lbs?  Well I just kept adding those pesky pounds on with each baby. So that’s how I got an extra 70lbs of baby weight. Not only was I having children but I made poor choices in the food I ate so at one point with my 3rd child I weighted 280lbs.

For  most of my life I weighed 135lbs so with so much extra weight my whole body was in shock. I never imagined having children and eating poorly would bring about so much weight gain. I felt like it was hopeless and I was helpless to do anything about the situation I was in.

So What Is The Solution?

Besides chasing the little ones around the house I am learning how to eat nutritious foods. It is critical that I learn a new healthy lifestyle. Making  changes in all areas of my life is hard and really takes committment but with time and effort I will see the difference in my life and my body.  

I always have to rememger that it’s the little changes like replacing coffee with water and white bread with whole wheat.  Snacking on protein instead of refined sugary foods. I know that healthy food isn’t always the most tasty at first but believe me there are cookbooks out there that will make your mouth water for the foods that help you lose weight and eat a whole new way. One such cookbook is the  Light Basic Cookbook: The Only Cookbook You’ll Ever Need If You Want To Cook Healthy.  Give a couple of it’s receipes a try and you’ll see that healthy eating isn’t always boring and tasteless.

Exercise in Spokane

Along with eating right it is impairative that I exercise. No matter what shape your body is in there are always simple yet effective ways to start working out. At first I could only walk about 10 blocks before I was exhausted, but with persistance it became 20 blocks. Then I invested in a membership at Curves in Spokane. There I learned that I could workout for 1/2 hour with an intensity that kept my heart rate above 140, which is a good aerobic workout.

But I wanted more. That’s when my prayers were answered. I found Zach Hunt, personal trainer at Physzique in Liberty Lake. He knows how to work out the muscles in my body that haven’t been worked in years.   Some days every muscle in my body aches but its a good feeling. I don’t think in all my years I have ever felt so sore yet so good. After a workout with Zach I know my body is transforming.  So while you are getting fit after having children in Spokane give Zach a call. He will not disappoint.

OK, I know you’ve seen it.  That scene in the coming of age movie with the clumsy Spokane fat kid or the scrawny nerdy kid in gym class being forced to do some meaningless physical task that is clearly out of their ability to do…

…pull ups, push ups or the worst of all, climbing the dreaded rope.

The kid is struggling with all of his or her might to accomplish the feat.  All the while, the coach is standing there humiliating the poor soul, shouting insults and demeaning remarks while the rest of the class watches and laughs.

So now do you remember those scenes?  I have always remembered them because I could relate all too well to those kids.  I was the clumsy fat kid.  I was teased and made fun of all through elementary school.  “Emily the Elephant”, they called me.

Getting Active

For some reason, probably a boy, I decided to join the Little League team.  I sucked!  I couldn’t hit.  I couldn’t catch. I couldn’t throw. Worst of all, I couldn’t run around the bases too fast without becoming overly winded.

I never really thought that there was anything I could do about my weight.  I figured that it was just the way I was.  I’d never heard of dieting, I was only 8 or 10 years old.  So I just lived with being an overweight kid and the taunting and the teasing that came with it.  However I did make a vow to be good at sports so the kids would pick me for their teams.  So that’s what I did, I became great at sports, any kind of sports.

Loosing The Weight & Spokane Fat

When I was about 13 I went through adolescence and continued with sports and to my delight I lost my weight.  It just sort of dispersed and went to all the right places.  I felt great and looked great.

Even though I looked great I never quite looked great enough.  I was never able to shake the Spokane fat syndrome, Emily the Elephant self image.  The elementary school taunting stuck with me.  It was a constant insecurity but I did a two things that allowed me to subdue that voice of self doubt:

1. I worked out daily through various sports
2. I ate a strict diet of weight loss pills, diet soda, iced tea and lemons

I know, not very healthy, but it kept my weight in check kept Emily the Elephant at bay.

It Came Back!

Then, at age 19, it happened; disaster for my body.  I got pregnant and had a baby.  I ballooned!  I gained so much weight during my pregnancy it was unbelievable to me.  Then I developed gestational diabetes and was referred to a nutritionist to manage it.  When all was said and done I was 50 pounds heavier after the birth of my son.

Emily the Elephant was back!  She was back to stay.  I was the Spokane fat kid again.  No matter what I did I could not lose the weight.  I tried diets, exercise videos, classes, pills and supplements.  I lived a very active lifestyle; rock climbing, mountain climbing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and anything physical and outdoors.  I try to eat a healthy diet and have done moderate exercise on a regular basis.  I would lose weight and gradually gain it back, nothing has worked.

Now it is 17 years later, my son is graduating high school this year and I still have not lost the weight.  Emily the Elephant has refused to go back in her cage.

What Do I Do Now?

To find out what happens next and how Emily found Zach Hunt, personal trainer at Phyzique in Liberty Lake, WA read my next post “Climbing The Rope: Breaking The Mental Barriers To Getting Thin”.