Weight, Please!

As a typical American woman, I am programmed to be anxiety-ridden when I see the numbers on the scale increase.

However, as a woman who takes great pleasure in cooking for her family, grocery shopping, dining in restaurants and plain old eating, a good part of my day is spent devoted to all things food.

And now that I'm like a zillion months pregnant (six) with a trillion more to go (three), the anxiety and brainpower concerned with consuming food is as amplified as my super-sized belly.

You'd think that since this is my third kid, I'd be able to just pooh-pooh all the weight gain hype during pregnancy. Having done this before, I should simply resign myself to the fact that by the time this baby's fully cooked I will weigh more than my 6-foot-4-inch husband and I won't be able to cross my legs.

But since I've done this twice before, I am also keenly aware of how much work it's going to take to transform this pile of progesterone-fueled mush back to average fitness and a healthy BMI.

The workouts are going to be hell.

And it's going to take a whole lot of them.

And since I'll be nursing my baby, I'm going to be even hungrier than I am now and — if it's possible — even more obsessed with food.

I'm basically going to be a flesh-colored Cookie Monster in a nursing bra.

Which is why I'm already planning my post-baby exercise program NOW. Sure, I'm doing it while sitting on my couch with a massive veggie sub from  at my side. I'm creating a running schedule while the only thing I'm going to be running for in the next three months is the door of  at 5:58 on a night they close at 6.

But have you ever heard of a better time to plan a weight loss strategy and workout regimen than while you are medically prescribed to gain weight?

I didn't think so.  

It's so fun! I can't disappoint myself tomorrow because tomorrow I'm only allowed to hit a prenatal yoga class, take a light walk and I had better make sure I eat my 2,500 calories.

The currently pregnant me gets to be Mickey Goldmill, chilling from the ropes and training my post-baby Rocky Balboa.

So here are some of the local exercise programs I plan on signing up for after my baby makes her debut this spring. I have participated in all of these programs before and I found them extremely encouraging, effective and mom-friendly.

Form Function Fitness Group Exercise: Early morning bootcamp in Kensington.

Blue Heron Wellness Baby and Me Yoga: Bring your baby with you to yoga class and meet other moms too at this Silver Spring yoga studio.

Stroller Strides:  Group exercise and runs with your child in a jogging stroller. Various nearby locations.

Montgomery County Road Runners Club: Fun runs and trainings for all levels, receive notices about local races 5K-marathon.

Post Natal Yoga/Pilates for Moms and Babies: Exercise program offered through the .

Jessica McFadden is the author of the new parenting column at Wheaton Patch, Mom of a Million Mistakes. She is the mother of a 7-year-old son, an almost 5-year-old daughter, and she and her husband are expecting their third child this spring. She also writes about local activities for families at A Parent in Silver Spring.com.