Overweight to fit and back again! We can do it, mamas!

I haven't posted much but I've been a loyal MFP user for some time. One year ago I finally hit my goal weight after the birth of my fourth baby two years prior. After my first three pregnancies, I managed to get within 20 pounds of my goal weight before getting pregnant again, so this was a huge accomplishment for me.

Finding MFP and beginning a strength training regimen along with commiting to cleaning up my diet allowed me to finally get healthy and change my body in ways I was never able to in the past. For background, I was 141 pounds before my first pregnancy and I'm 5'1".

And then I got pregnant with #5, my surprise bonus baby. I continued my healthy diet through my pregnancy and attribute that to gaining less, but still finished out my pregnancy at 195lbs and gave birth to a healthy 8lb, 12oz baby boy. I am now 6 weeks post-partum and have the green light to start strength training again. I'm down to 169lbs thanks to breastfeeding and I know that with the natural calorie deficit and lifting, I'm hopeful that I'll be back to my goal in no time.

Have faith if you experience a set back (or a pregnancy, like me). I'm grateful to have so many more tools at my disposal and to know what I do now about fitness and nutrition through MFP. At times, I wish I could go back and tell the old me after each pregnancy to commit and just do it, but I'm going to keep marching forward for my family and become an even stronger, healthier me. I'm looking forward to posting an update in a few months!

The left picture is after my 4th baby was born, middle was the month I hit my goal (my birthday!), and the right is 6 weeks post-partum after my 5th.