I am four pounds under my delivery weight. I gained 20 pounds during my pregnancy, and thought/hoped that since I lost 15 pounds a week after having baby #2 that I'd be well on my way to my goal weight by now (four and a half months postpartum.) My weight has fluctuated A LOT. I was down about eight pounds at one point, then postpartum depression kicked in. Working out and eating well are hardly priorities when it takes everything you have to take care of your kids, and maybe shower yourself and do a load of dishes. I've had my good days, I've been in denial, and I'm getting back to normal. It's so easy to forget that you feel better when you eat well and exercise, because it's easier to hang out on the couch with your kids and eat cookies. This has all been very humbling.
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| Where I am now. The pants don't help. |
I have finally arrived to a good head space that will allow me to commit to getting myself in shape. People can be happy in many sizes, and I think that's wonderful. As someone studying health, nutrition and sports medicine I worry about certain habits but feel that as long as people understand the risks it's ultimately their choice how they treat their bodies. I, personally, feel better overall when I'm leaner. It feels better on my frame, I don't feel like I'm stumbling around in someone else's body--which is where I am now. I lost almost 60 pounds after having kid #2 and was still 15-20 pounds away from my goal weight, but I had tone, I had energy, my jeans looked pretty great on me, I was HAPPY and CONFIDENT. Then I got pregnant. :)
It's time to finish what I started. I've set a new, more challenging goal for myself. I have decided I'm going to lose 50 pounds. I haven't set a time frame for this, and I'm not sure I will. My anniversary is in four months, and it isn't unreasonable to say that I can be halfway to my goal by then. The ultimate goal is to be maintaining my weight and tone for my sister's wedding next November. But I want to reach my target well before that point.
My plan is to eat fruit, vegetables, and whole (gluten-free) grains with lean protein. I'm working on cutting out refined sugars, which is SO HARD. I give myself room for treats and occasional unhealthy foods because, hey, I'm human. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable. I am also working on doing two a day workouts, with the first workout being intense cardio and strength training, and the second being something like yoga and pilates. This is proving difficult right now with the term winding down and having to work on my end-of-term projects and papers, but I am trying.
Yesterday I tried Nike+ Kinect Training. It was a great workout--it starts you off with a comprehensive fitness test and shows your body doing the exercises. I saw all of the bulges, wobbly bits and jiggles. That was a bummer. This should be a good tool for me, it personalized a program for me and does monthly fitness tests to track your progress. That will be my main workout #1 resource.
This blog will be where I track my progress and share recipes, workouts, and inspiration. I will be totally honest, I need the accountability.
I know plenty of people who are starting the same journey, and I welcome them to share ideas, triumphs and struggles.
Time to get my sweat on!
