I gained 65 pounds when I was pregnant.

Not obscene, especially in the realm of twin pregnancies, but not a great thing when I started out too heavy to begin with.  Postpartum, when I was breastfeeding at least part-time, I dropped about 40 of that by my 6-week checkup.  Then I stopped breastfeeding and continued to eat as though I was.

Nine months on, nine months off, that’s what they say about “baby weight.”

Or, I think it was my beloved Stacy London who said that, once your baby is a year old, you can’t call it baby weight anymore.

Does two babies qualify me for an extension?  Either way, it doesn’t matter.  It’s been two years and I’m still hovering within 5 pounds of my 6-week checkup weight, 25 pounds heavier than when I got pregnant and (*grumble mumble too many*) pounds way above where I was when I got married.  And even that wasn’t anything approaching slender.

Regardless, I’m never going to be a particularly thin person, and that’s fine.  But here? Where I am today? This sucks.

I’m officially a size 18. There. I said it. Do you know how crappy that feels? Do you know how crappy it feels to have to go to a “special” store just to get a pair of jeans?  Blech. Blech blech blech.  Shitty, that’s how it feels.

But I can either bitch and moan about it, or I can try (once again) to do something about it.  This morning, I set my alarm and got up before the kids to do Day 1 of the EA Sports Active 30-day Challenge. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this game a few months ago, but it arrived more than a week later than it was supposed to and the timing didn’t work out for me to be able to jump in on the challenge in June.  But now I’m home, and here I go.

And seriously? It was an honest-to-god workout! I’ve managed to get a bit of exercise using the Wii Fit games before, but this one is no fricking joke.  It goes right from one exercise to the next, and my heart was pumping and I was sweating bullets. My legs are sore from the squats I haven’t done in ages.  And this was the low-impact version. Gah!

Just for a little extra kick in the pants, I’m doing a weight loss challenge along with blog- and real-life-friend Nancy at the Zimmer Zoo.  She and I (and another MOT friend of ours) will work our tails off for the next 30 days.  Whoever wins (Biggest Loser-style, percentage-wise) will get treated to a girls’ night out by the other two.  And to hold myself accountable, I did the full-on “before” business this morning.  Got on the scale (gah). Took measurements of my legs, bust, waist, etc. (double-gah).  And stood in front of the one full-length mirror we have, which had been buried in a closet, and took a picture of myself (*eep! ack! faint!*).  I’m not inclined to share any of those right now, but I have them. I know.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another quart of water to drink.