Hi T-Tapp Mommies,

I’m Esther Choi Williams and I’m one of the Mommy Fitness Trainers. I know you haven’t seen me around here much but I plan on making a comeback soon. I’m slowly getting back into the groove of things and am looking forward to working out with all of you and answering questions about T-Tapp.

I have two cool kids: Ella, who turned 4 in November 2009 and Kat (Katherine), who is now 11-months old. I can’t believe Kat will be one at the end of January! Crazy how fast time flies!

My first pregnancy was a breeze. I had a very easy pregnancy, kind of a long delivery, but a quick recovery. I T-Tapped all the way through with Ella and my body bounced back without much effort. Muscle memory… it’s a good thing.

With Kat, things were a bit different. I worked out as usual and trained as usual, confident that I would probably have an easy pregnancy like my first. As some of you know, I train patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC. I have outside clients as well so usually, I walk about a mile from MSKCC to my next client’s home (about 20 blocks).

I knew something was different about this pregnancy when during my 20-block walk, I literally had to stop, cross my legs and let the contractions pass. I thought it was Braxton-Hicks but the contractions continued off and on for a few weeks.

At my 30-week appointment, I told my doctor about my frequent contractions not thinking anything of it. But upon examination, he called me into his office (why does this always make you feel like you are in trouble?) and told me to go to the hospital right away. Huh? But I had plans! Plans to go have lunch w/ my husband, go shopping for the new baby… plans, baby, plans.

So, I stayed in the hospital for 12 days (they wouldn’t even let me get up to take a shower - ewwww) and on January 30, 2009, Katherine Elizabeth Williams arrived. Weighing at 4 lbs., she was tiny but “big” for a 32-weeker. And she is doing so awesome right now. She has taken her first few steps already! We are so proud of her.

Okay, so I’m posting my 9-day postpartum picture. It looks pretty darn good but remember, I didn’t go through the last two months where you really, really blow up.

My diet? If you’ve visited my website (www.doovafit.com – soon to be revamped), you know that I do not diet. I believe in portion control and eating mindfully, engaging the entire senses while you eat. I started eating this way after I finished breastfeeding (OMG, I was so hungry while I was breastfeeding! I mindfully overate all the time!). The weight naturally dropped off and once again, I credit T-Tapp. Although I did not T-Tapp regularly throughout my pregnancy this time (did I mention the contractions?), the amount of T-Tapp that courses through my system (6-7 years worth of T-Tapp, mind you!) has changed the structure of my body so completely that my new set point is smaller than when I was in my 20’s.

I absolutely have very little time to do long workouts. This is one reason why T-Tapp will always be in my life. In just 15-minutes, I can maintain my figure, my weight and my sanity.

People ask me, “Does T-Tapp really work?” I tell them, yes, it really does, but you have to put the work into it. My analogy has always been this: T-Tapp is like your savings account. If you have a lot of money in your account, you earn bigger interest, right? Well, let’s get more money (workouts) in there so that you can start earning more interest (build lean muscles) and watch your savings grow (cruising with 1-2 workouts per week). (Note: Every few weeks or couple of months, you will need to rev up your workouts – like putting your bonus check in there to keep the money flowing.)

Thanks for letting me share my story. Happy Tapping!

Esther at 30 weeks and Ella

Kat at 18 days old with Esther

Kat at 9 1/2 months old

Ella, Esther and Kat with Donald Duck

Check out past Mommy of the Month features