A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to go ahead and try on some of my regular (i.e. non maternity) clothes. Woah...not a pretty site. Most would not begin to button or zip, and the ones that would were so tight that if I moved or breathed it would have ripped and shot a button clear across the room. At one point I thought that a skirt actually looked okay, but then I looked in the mirror and found that my belly had simply migrated north and was flopping out from over the top of the skirt...tell me this has happened to someone else besides me? Surely not me...muffin top?!~ This cannot happen :)
The image of that skirt along with the pile of clothes that I cannot wear have made me decide it is finally time that I begin working on taking off some of this 'baby weight'. The first step in making progress is to admit the truth of the problem, right? With that being said, the truth is that this weight I have left hanging around should be more accurately called "I'm pregnant so I'll use that as my excuse to eat everything I want" weight. When I was pregnant, I enjoyed myself fully when it came to food. Bojangles BoRounds for breakfast and lunch? I think so! Chocolate milkshake at 9 p.m.? Absolutely. Peanut butter by the spoonful 7 times a day? Yep! I deserve it.. I mean, c'mon, I'm pregnant! Surely carrying another human life means that I get a free pass to indulge, right?! I LOVE food. I LOVE to eat. However, I also love not being startled when I look down at the scale to see how much I weigh, or noticing that I have developed the dreaded 'muffin top'...therefore, the "healthy lifestyle" began about 2 weeks ago.
I call it the "healthy" lifestyle, because as soon as I call it a 'diet' I will eat better for about two days, then slip up, eat something unhealthy and therefore scrap the whole plan and eat like a maniac for several days. I understand that this time it can't be a quick fix, and that it's going to take a lot of little changes to get to where I need to be, thus a lifestyle change.
The first part of this plan is to begin exercising again. See, I became a runner after I had Karsyn two years ago. I even trained for and completed a very difficult half marathon. I figured it wouldn't be that hard to get back into it again after taking the last year off. My first time on the treadmill I turned on my Ipod, blasted some old school Mary Mary "Shackles", covered up the time display with a towel and set off at a pretty slow pace. I ran for what seemed to be at least 8.2 miles, then decided I had run far enough that I could remove the towel and look down at how long and far I had run... Guess how far? Yep .6 of a mile and 6 minutes...Amazing how out of shape I was! I didn't even make it a mile! In fact, I looked over at the treadmill beside me and there was a lady who appeared to be at least 72 who was not only moving at a faster pace than me, but also at a steep incline and had hardly broken a sweat. Terrific...I'm being out paced by a Granny and I think she's laughing at me. Determined not to be outdone by a women forty years older than me, I've been plugging away now for two weeks and my endurance is slowly coming back. I'm also completing a weight lifting workout that Marcus made for me and I really am beginning to like it. Yes, it's true...I really do like it. I'm even thinking about wearing those obnoxious pink gloves he bought me the next time I go to the gym. You know the kind that serious weight lifters wear with the fingers cut off that are worn to prevent calluses from all the lifting? Yep, I might just break mine out in a few days. Who would've ever thought?
The second part of this "healthy lifestyle" is my eating plan. I have begun keeping a food journal. I always thought people who did that were way too obsessed over their food choices and must have far too much time on their hands. However, I've learned that by having to write down every single thing I eat, along with the calories, I'm much less likely to eat 17 miniature Reeses cups in one afternoon. I also record my weight each day and then leave this out on the table. My husband is quite fit, so with me knowing that he could possibly see exactly what I have eaten and what I weigh, it will hold me more accountable. The second part of this is that I found a friend who serves this same purpose...she is my accountability partner who is also attempting a "healthy lifestyle". I check in with her every day or so about if I've made good choices, if I've exercised, and how I'm feeling about things.
Thus the reason for this posting...I've put it out here on the Internet now so there's no turning back. It is time for me to get healthy. Not necessarily skinny, but healthy. Because if I'm being completely honest, I know that it's not good for a person to consume fast food every single day...That the items that I can get for really cheap or free using coupons aren't the ones that I need to eat if they're full of calories and fat...That I DO feel better when I eat healthier and work out...That I deserve a little time to myself each day to exercise and clear my head...That I do not have to keep carrying around these 9 lbs left over since I became pregnant with Mack or the total of 34 lbs Ive gained since I got married...That I am worth the effort!
What about you? Any tips or suggestions for how you lost weight or how you stay on track?
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