The Skinny Mom Introduction


Being a new mom is tough enough as it is - but trying to lose the baby weight and keep it off is a challenge in and of itself! I am creating this blog for women who are pregnant, have recently had a child, or even for those of you who had your childen ten years ago and are still struggling to get that baby weight off for good.

My name is Sarah Rumple - and I know all about the weight struggle. I was overweight for the marjority of my childhood and teenage years - even into my early 20s. Finally at the age of 22, weighing in at 237 pounds and only 5'4'', I decided that enough was enough. I was so sick of being overweight that I took a very drastic step. I decided to go under the knife and have gastric bypass surgery. The surgery was extremely difficult. Trust me, it is NOT the easy way out! Emotionally I was really struggling with the sudden loss of my one comfort in life - food. My mother had passed away suddenly 2 years before and I needed food to cope with so many of the difficult emotions that I was feeling. Now, I was forced to cope in other ways - and that was not easy. Ten weeks after my surgery, I began exercising at a local gym. At first I was very intimidated by some of the "hot bods" at the gym and I felt stupid trying to "run" on the treadmill at 200 pounds. Yes, I had lost some weight so far - but I was still very far from my goal weight of 150 pounds. But, I kept going... and soon I was noticing huge differences in my body, my energy level, and my mood! I was losing fat, gaining muscle, and gaining ton of confidence - all of which meant I was a much happier person! Seven months after my surgery, I had lost over 100 pounds - exceeding my weight loss goal by twenty pounds! I had gone from 237 pounds and a size 18/20 all the way down to 130 pounds and a size 4. I was exercising every day, making healthy choices with food, and I had even met a wonderful man that would eventually become my husband. Life was good...

Then, a couple of years after my husband, Cory, and I were married, we decided to start a family. I was so excited at the thought of being a mother and couldn't wait to get pregnant! I didn't have to wait long because about two weeks after I stopped taking the birth control pill, I was pregnant! Suddenly, I was terrified! Not at the thought of being a mom - but terrified of gaining weight! How much weight would I gain during pregnancy? Would I be able to get it all off after the baby was born? It had been five years since I had lost all of my weight and I NEVER wanted it to return! Throughout the entire pregnancy, I tried to make healthy decisions when it came to food (as healthy as I could) and I remained active (although not as active as I was before pregnancy). I ended up gaining 32 pounds during my pregnancy. Baby Henry was born on December 13, 2008 by cesarean section. He was perfect. Now, I wanted my body back. With no effort, I lost 22 pounds within about 2 weeks after Henry was born. After that, I thought that losing the rest would be a piece of cake! I was wrong... I had 10 pounds to go, and it was the most stubborn 10 pounds I had ever encountered! I began exercising about 5 weeks after my c-section - praying that those last 10 pounds would come off and my jeans would fit me again. I exercised, and exercised, and exercised... even on days when I was exhausted from no sleep the night before. It ended up taking me almost 4 months, but I did it. I am now at my pre-pregnancy weight and wearing all of my old clothes again. I do find, however, that if I even think about bad food, I will gain a couple of pounds! My body is forever changed since pregnancy... and I know how difficult it is for so many women to get back to themselves again after baby.

This blog is just my struggles with weight loss and maintenance. I hope to inspire other women out there to make healthy decisions - not only for themselves, but also for their families! The happier you are with yourself, the better mother, wife, sister, friend, etc... you will be.

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