When Brady and I got married I weighed 123 pounds. This past Monday I weighed in at 160 pounds even. I have never weighed this much (when not pregnant) in my entire life. My Dr.'s assure me that I am not unhealthy yet, but I know I am because my body is screaming at me to get the weight off. A week ago I was getting extremely discouraged about it in general. I don't like the woman in the mirror and mirror woman is stubbornly hanging on for dear life (or at least the last 10 months). The worst part is that I can't even blame it on pregnancy! I ALWAYS lose my pregnancy weight within 2 months of having the baby. At the 2 month mark I am always back to where I was before getting pregnant. I feel very lucky, but despite nursing both girls for over a year and staying active and really stepping it up for 5 of those 10 months I GAINED weight. It's frustrating, especially because I have no major medical reason to blame, nor have I had trouble losing in the past.
After two days of self pity (that is the max I will allow myself on any topic) I decided to make some major changes. I found a good tracking app on my iPhone to help me really count my calories (thank you Stef for that one...I remembered reading on your blog about the one you use and you are right! It ROCKS!) The app is called Lose It and it is free. It figured out how many calories I can eat a day if I want to get to my goal weight by losing 1 or 2 pounds a week. It will even help you maintain a weight. You can also input any exercise you have done and it will keep track of that. I have also started taking the girls and the dog on as long of a walk my body can stand (the girls in the stroller are heavy to start, then you add in all the major inclines here in Providence and I am burning everywhere in no time). Once my body gets used to the walks again (I'm giving it 2 weeks) I will then add back in my videos. I think I have picked some good ways to get back on track.
The plus side? I started on Monday with the tracking and my current weight is 155.5. I have already lost 4.5 pounds. I anticipate gaining some of that back temporarily since Aunt Flo will be dropping by today or tomorrow for her monthly visit, but I anticipate that I will have lost some more by the time she leaves.
I wanted to post this here so that I feel more motivated to meet my goals. :o) With you all checking up on me every now and again I won't want to let you down. Plus I want to prove that this can be done. Like I said before, this has never been an issue for me until now. I have always been lucky enough to stay thin pretty easily so this has been humbling and challenging. So keep me in line you guys! I will be weighing in weekly and I hope that I see some changes.
I will say that I feel better now that I am back to exercising vigorously (I have been coming home from these walks pretty wiped out). Thank you to those of you at church who have offered to run with me. Sadly running is not something I can do well, as I have a heart murmur and I have been advised to avoid running and sports like soccer that involve a lot of steady running back and forth. I do play Volleyball and Softball and I can ride a bike (and pull the kids).
PLEASE feel free to share any ideas with me. I can use all the variety I can get my hands on! And thanks for reading all this and for your help in keeping me accountable. I want to be bikini ready next year (even if I wouldn't be caught dead in one!)
Until next monday...
6 comments:
Good luck! I seem to be in the same boat. We should be a support group. I have this DVD called Post Partum Boot Camp. It works...when I do it. I have been gone, or trying to save my small milk supply or whatever and now I need to get right back to it!! No more excuses! Starting tomorrow...right? LOL. JK. I'll do it tonight. Thanks for the motivation!
-Danielle
First of all congrats on the recent weightloss, second keep up the good work. Also it is due to pregnancy, I mean your hormons cahnge and your whole body changes(chemestry and all). Another thought would be to get your thyroid checked. Eat alot of lean chicken less beef and pork. Alot alot of veggies and fruit. allow yourself a treat every once in a while so that you dont get hung up on really wanting that treat. dont stress about the weight loss, stress causes you to gain weight. as for your body getting use to a routine, walk a lil longer then the week before, bike every once in while, or swim. also you can try yoga and pilates, I hear those really help out.
Yay I'm so glad you are using Lose It! It is the BEST! I think that alone will help you lose all the weight you want. It allows you to continue eating the foods you like but you have more self control to say, "oh wait I can't eat that cause I only have so many more calories left I can eat today." Keep up the good work! I'll keep checking in on you, like always. :o)
Cut your meal portions in half, that's what I always do when I find that I'm gaining weight. Try eating slower too, you'll feel fuller quicker. When you're ready, start exercising twice a day. I usually do a walk/jog in the morning and a video after the kids are in bed. It's amazing how fast I tone up when I work out like that!
When I can't find the time to do a real workout, I do little things when I can. Like sit-ups when I'm watching tv with the kids or push-ups while I'm waiting for food to cook. It helps.
Thank you you guys! Great ideas!
Danielle - I would love a lose weight buddy. I have a couple now, but one that actually LIVES here would be nice too! :o)
Cassie- Thanks for the ideas! I do need to get better at adding vegetables. There are some that I really like so we have those a lot, but I know I could be doing more. So far my Thyroid is just fine. Weird that, but it doesn't run in my family either. I do have low adrenal scores and have for most of my life. I am going to get in to see my Dr about boosting that so that I can have more energy when I am supposed to. :o)
Stef! You are like my hero! I know you take this pretty seriously and reading the things you have posted has helped so much! I wanna be like you when I grow up! Really! :o) And having something else keep track of calories for me has been the best part in all this. Once I put the food in I know exactly what I can and can't have to meet my goal. Makes it so much easier to say no to things.
Amanda - For whatever reason I have never thought to do two somethings in a day...it's a GREAT idea. If I do the Vid after they are settled for the night then there aren't any interruptions! And thanks to Lose It! I have been cutting my meals in half. I hadn't realized how much I want to eat, but don't need to eat. Sometimes I am really good (lunch and breakfast for example) because of limited time to actually eat something before I have to deal with the kids or something else. Other times, like tonight at dinner, I wanted to keep eating even though I felt full. I probably wasn't noticing that before and over eating. And I will take your advice to do something while waiting for other things!
Thank you!
its weird how emotionally draining it can be isnt it? and not even in your face emotional, just that small nagging kind.
but im with you. enough is enough. i want to be hot. lol we can do this. we ARE WORTH IT. keep truckin dude. go us!
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