body after baby

weight:
it has been a little over 3 weeks since i gave birth to michelle jean. i have lost 20 lbs. but have such a looooong way to go that i am beginning to resent the fact that i allowed myself to gain so much weight while i was pregnant. i didn't "let my self go" too much (i think). i still had a little bit of discipline and self-control back then (i think)...(i probably thought wrong, but too late for that now hehe)...but i guess i should have known that i gain weight just thinking about and looking at food...it sucks i gained so much weight...but still do not regret a single ounce of ice cream i ate during the last 9 months...i blame the weight gain on other food, like rice for example! =)

i probably shouldn't be working out just yet but knowing how stubborn my body fat is, if i don't start this early, i wouldn't be able to shed all of the weight by january. i have been eating waaaaaaaay less and i have been walking on the treadmill six days a week, for 1.5 miles (speed of 3 mph), plus lifting light weights and post-natal abdominal work. doctors suggest starting a weightloss program 6 weeks after having a baby, longer if you've had a c-section. i started working out about a week and half after giving birth (talk about stubborn, huh? tigas ng ulo grabe). i'm not over-exerting myself, just really determined to regain my old self and fit into my old clothes--funds now go towards michelle's needs and not a whole new wardrobe =).

my face looks skinnier...but i don't think i can say the same for the rest of my body. i step on the scale with dread each time and see very little change (like half a pound less since the last time i checked). but i look in the mirror and i do notice a difference, enough to keep me motivated but still not big enough! =) i hear some encouraging words from my husband paul and my bestfriend chel. i say some because i don't hear a lot from them (magparinig daw ba?), but maybe i don't hear a lot because they haven't seen a big enough change to comment on. oh well! chel, christel, and cham (the 3 c's, half of the six speck) are running laps at jef almost everyday...they keep me motivated as well (don't want to be left behind!!!!).

stretch marks:
i think this issue deserves a whole other blog but im too lazy to create a new one...plus the fact that this is also a 'body after baby' issue so it must be discussed in the same blog no matter how long the blog gets.

before i got pregnant, i admit to having a few stretch marks here and there. i've struggled with weight since becoming a teenager so it's just natural that i have them but they were hardly noticeable. during the last nine months, i have slathered palmer's cocoa butter all over my body in order to avoid getting any more stretch marks. from month 1 to 8, i have been successful...but then came the 9th month and (gasp!) STRETCH MARKS!! =( there's not a whole lot of them (just below the belly button...sa puson), but i haven't met a stretch mark that i liked so, MUST GET RID OF THEM!

i searched all over the internet and read a lot about retin-a being effective in making stretch marks that are less than a year old appear less visible. retin-a is available only by prescription here in the states and costs $57 for a 20 gram tube (ang mahal). buti nalang, paul's former co-worker was going here from the philippines so i asked paul to ask his other friend to get retin a for me (thanks maanne!). the price for the same 20 gram tube, P500...that's ten bucks! imagine, we sell retin a here for almost 6 times more! talk about ripping american's off!

anyway, i've been using retin a on the stretch marks and have seen a big difference. the stretch marks are less visible now. still a long way to go but the results are very encouraging! johnson and johnson (retin a's parent company) should pay me for this free advertisement hehehe. i really want to get rid of the stretch marks that i have discussed with paul about having them lasered off if the retin a doesn't work and he says i should if i want to. (need to ask his permission first since he will be paying for it hehe). hopefully, we wont have to spend $$$ for the laser.

so there it goes... my two 'body after baby' issues. hopefully, i become successful in ridding myself of both. after all, they go hand in hand... if i lose weight and get rid of the stretch marks, maybe i'll be able to confidently step into a bikini like i haven't had a baby. shaaaacks!!! AMBISYOSA!!!! =D