The quest begins again...

Well hello readers!! (Whitney;)  And we're back, yet again, on the quest to lose weight.  After a visit to the Dr (which included stepping on the scale!) for my 6 week post baby checkup, I was quite disgusted with myself and am springing into action.  I basically haven't done any legit exercise for about a year.  I ran a marathon last March, but hurt my hip, so running after the race was pretty much non-existent.  So all of that beautiful muscle that I had spent 2 years building up... gone. Blah.  It makes me sick just thinking about it.

Oh well.  All I can do now is move forward from where I am and stay positive.  I have to keep reminding myself that I JUST had a baby and that the weight is not just going to fall off in two months, even if I am diligent in my diet and work outs.  But I went on my first run and to the gym this evening and I came home with a bounce in my step.  Man I have missed running and just being active in general.  I walked in the door to a messy house and crazy kids, but kept that smile on my face cuz I felt good.  I need to remember this when I am not feeling like working out, that when I'm done, I feel happy and I am a much better and nicer mother.

So, the big question... HOW am I going to do it?  Well, I can't spend money on a fancy diet program or yoga/pilates classes, or any other cool work out programs, so we are just doing this the good old fashioned way of cutting back on the bad foods and exercising 6 (yes that's right, 6) times a week.  I feel like I need to jump start my body back in gear and gain some base muscle and strengthen my core, so that is what I am focusing on the first few weeks.  I am going to be doing running as well, but I am starting out super slow and easy, with just 1 mile for now and then 2 and slowly work up to 3 and more.  I am just so nervous about getting injured or doing too much too fast, so it's not going to be much for the first little while.  I am going to vary my workouts with weights (focusing on quads, hamstrings, inner and outer legs, abs and back and arms), swimming, yoga, and plyometrics, and what ever else I decide to throw in there.

As far as food goes... I am nursing so I can't cut my calories a ton, but I can focus on eating the right kinds of foods that are filling and energizing and cutting back on treats so that I can ensure that I am not eating too much.  I am substituting white breads and rice for whole wheat and brown, trying to eat 2 fruits and 2 veggies a day (at least), and pack in the protein.  I am not going to be eating treats and desserts, but will allow some sugared things to remain in my diet, like chocolate milk, cereal and some other things that will help to satisfy those cravings when they are overwhelming me.  I am not going crazy and saying that I can't have pizza or other delicious foods that I love, but I will try to limit those things to once a week.  And on those occasional girls nights, I might just indulge in a pinkberry or a cookie or something.  But basically I am going to stop my donut runs and impulse baking. ;)  I also have a support system in place.  I told Nate to remind me not to buy any treats anymore, and I have asked my sister Whitney if I could text when I am having a crazy sugar craving and need to be talked down and away from the chocolate.  She has agreed to be my go-to person to help me steer clear.  This is new and I am really hoping that it works, because I have a serious sugar addiction that needs to be kicked to the curb.

I read an article about Jennifer Garner on Pinterest, and she mentioned that she always has cut up veggies out on the counter in the afternoons, and I think I am going to try to adapt this habit, not just for me, but for my kids.  If they are out, then I will grab them and munch on them.  Part of the reason I am terrible at eating veggies is cuz I'm so lazy.  But if I only have to cut them up a few times a week, and just pull some out every day... I can do that.  It's a goal.

So, my ultimate goal is to lose 30lbs.  From there I might want to try and lose another 5 or 10, but for now, I am focusing on a normal, healthy weight and just hoping to fit back into my pre-baby clothes.  I'm not really sure how long it will take me since I am still nursing and I've never been successful in losing all of my baby weight before I stop nursing, so I am just hoping to have a good 15 lbs off by the end of the summer and then I'll continue on from there.  If it's more, great!  I hope that it is, but I am trying to be realistic.

Anyway, wish me luck!!  I am actually kind of pumped and excited.  We'll see how I feel in the morning though ;)

The final stretch

I'm back and I'm rearin' to go. The task at hand... lose 11 lbs. I am proud to say that since this time last year, I have lost 20 lbs!

This is seriously the only picture of I have of myself last year.  It's hard to tell, but the 20 lbs are there, I promise.

I feel great and I know that in some areas, I look great too. I'm talking about my legs and butt. See for yourself...

I think that's a pretty good lookin' butt, if I do say so myself. This is all part of my new way of thinking, to love my body and be happy with it right now, but to continue to work towards the way that I want to look. I think it helps to find a part of my body that I am happy with, and that is my butt and legs. Of course, I would love to have beautiful inner thighs and just be more toned all around, but I do like my legs right now. I am puting these pictures up as my motivation. Motivation to work on my shoulders, arms, back and core. I took another picture in my sports bra and spandex shorts, that will not be posted, but I need to look at these pictures to keep me motivated to get these last 11 lbs off.

These pictures have made me realize how short my legs are. Sad. Oh well.  Definitely can't change that, so I will love my short, yet strong legs. :)

 The work?  I will be running mostly, but also doing yoga and p90x videos on my off days.  There will also be a few days a week with swimming as my second workout, as I am doing the swimming leg of a triathlon in August.

The food?  I am not really following a diet or food plan, but there are some specific things that I eat (and don't eat) that really make a difference.  Pretty much every morning for breakfast I have a whey protein shake which consists of whey powder, oatmeal, a banana, frozen berries and milk or water.  Sometimes I put some ovaltine in there.  It's good and fast to make.  I love not having to think about what to eat in the morning.  Plus it's a great post workout food.  I also drink a green drink a few times a week, for breakfast or lunch, which consists of spinach, avocado, grapefruit, cucumber and almond milk.  It's a little hard to get down sometimes, but it's light and cleansing and a super power drink with hardly any calories.  I try to eat good proteins: fish (we eat lots of fish), chicken, red meat once a week, egg whites.  I try to eat quinoa and brown rice instead of white rice.  I try to eat whole wheat bread.  I eat all the fruits and veggies I want.  I limit myself to one treat a week, or none at all.  Chocolate milk made with ovaltine has become my saving grace.  It totally satisfies my sweets cravings.

The prize? A week off of being a wife and mother to go on a trip anywhere I want, courtesy of my loving husband. I am already thinking of where I want to go. Any suggestions? :)

 I have to say that I have really been enjoying this process of getting fit and just feeling good all around.  I love moving my body and sweating and feeling like my body is strong and capable and healthy.  I love the mental aspect of it too... always pushing myself to go a little further, a little faster, or holding a pose just a little bit longer, or doing one more repetition.  It's such an amazing feeling.  I don't ever want to forget how it feels to be active,  and no matter where I am with my goals, I want to feel good and love my body.

Wish me luck!!

me too

so morg, i have problems, too. i am in a great place right now with my diet and eating habits. i am rocking the casbah. for the last two weeks, i have stayed within my weight watchers points, i have exercised almost every day, i am totally in the zone. the problem.... i haven't lost any weight. nay, i've gained .6 of a pound. seriously depressing. all my hard work for nothing. when i read about your southern deep fried deliciousness of a dinner i think that i might as well be eating like that. why go to all this work and pain for nothing? any tips, suggestions, magic potions?

I have problems

Last night for dinner I made southern deep fried chicken. Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes. For dessert I made deep fried apple pies. Healthy? NO! Delicious?? Oh yeah!!! I don't really know what was up with all the deep fried food. I blame it on the food network that I have been watching during the kids' naps. It makes me want to cook and bake. So I went online and that's what looked good. Once I got the idea in my head, there was no stopping me. I don't even want to think about how many calories and grams of fat were in that entire meal. The past couple of weeks, all I have wanted to do is eat and eat and eat. I feel like I have had absolutely no self control. All of the sudden I am this huge carb addict who eats whole loaves of french bread. I'll eat a fatty muffin, even if it doesn't sound very good. I have been having a really hard time cooking lately. I blame it on my stupid kitchen. When I watch the food network, I dream of a day that I will have a normal sized kitchen and be able to cook a meal normally, without having to juggle counter, sink and stove space. We are leaving on vacation next week, and I know it will be just the break I need to get things back on track when we come back.

I feel like I really need to get things in order for this winter, as I have a feeling it is going to be really hard with the boys... staying in this tiny apt most days. I want to be prepared with fun activities and games for them. I also really want to eat more healthy as a family. Both Nate and I are trying to lose weight and just be more healthy in general, and I feel like we need to make some big changes. Most of that starts with me and doing smart grocery shopping and meal planning and actually cooking. I need to get over my kitchen. I need to just accept that this is it and embrace it. Or at the very least, just deal with it without complaining. I am getting there.

Anyway, sorry, this is a totally random boring post. But I just needed to express some frustrations. I know I can be better at all these things... I just need to be organized and have some self control. I can and will do it!! But first, we are going to have a very fun month long vacation visiting our fams. Can't wait!

Richmond, VA here we come!

Good morning to all of our dedicated readers... by which I mean you, Whitney! ;) Marathon training starts Monday, and so with that, I would like to lose the final 5 pounds to pre-pregnancy weight, and then another 5 for good measure {and because I wasn't in peak shape before I got pregnant last time}. I am not going to officially go back on weight watchers, but am going to keep it in mind when I choose my meals. Along with running, I will be doing some cross training of biking and swimming, which may change come September, but for now, that's what it will be. This last week I worked out everyday except Tuesday, and I have to say, I loved it! I love being active, especially when I get to be active in beautiful weather. For some reason, the summer weather here has been seriously delayed, for which I am truly grateful, as I really hate running in the heat. So wish me and my knee good luck as we start on this new training adventure. I'm excited!!

The knee...

So I know no one cares, but I do, and I want to document it somewhere, so this is the place. My knee is doing ok. I have started physical therapy twice a week and have of course been resting it. Probably a little too much. It is so much harder to exercise when I can't run. Running is so easy. All I have to do is go outside and run. But when I go to the gym, I have to have music, a towel, a water bottle, my id card, goggles and swim cap for swimming, a change of clothes, etc... it is so annoying. Not to mention just walking to the gym adds 10-15 minutes onto each end, leaving less time to actually work out. To do everything that I would want to do at the gym without rushing horribly, I would need about 2-2 1/2 hours. I can usually do that on Saturdays, but not during the week. Oh well.

Today I did the elliptical and then I did some speed walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes or so, then I ran at a 12 minute mile pace (SOOOO slow), and I LOVED it! Not the slow pace, but running. I miss it so much. I just want to be able to run. That's all. Is that too much to ask? I made myself stop after only 5 minutes, (although I wanted to keep going forever) because I REALLY don't want to do anymore damage, so I am taking is SUPER slow. My physical therapist told me to start with the elliptical for a couple weeks, then work up to the treadmill, so I think I should do that. I am hoping that by the end of May, I will be able to start a regular running routine. In a week or so, I will start on the treadmill with just one to two miles at a time, and over a period of time, hopefully be able to keep doing low mileage (1-2-3 miles) at a faster pace. If I do that over a whole month, don't you think that would be taking it slow enough? I do.

Anyway... blah blah blah. No one wants to hear this, but I wanted to write my thoughts down. Wish me luck.

GREAT news!

Only 5 more pounds to go to get to pre-pregnancy weight! YAY!!

here we go again

time to start the weight watchers! i just had a baby a month ago and i'm ready to start firming up and ready for the extra fat to start coming off. i went to yoga for the first time since the birth on thursday and weighed myself... i have about 10 pounds to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. i was a little disappointed when i weighed myself... since i ran my whole pregnancy, i didn't think i would have that much weight to lose at this point, but i probably should remember that it's only been a month since i delivered my baby and i AM getting older. sigh. but all that running didn't go to waste... i am still in relatively good shape so the transformation shouldn't be too painful. :) here are my goals for the next few months:

1) reach my pre-pregnancy weight by march 31

2) stay within my weight watchers point value every week

3) no sugar in my diet for 6 weeks (until april 6)

4) run at least 4 days a week

5) practice yoga at least 2 days a week

6) weight train at least 2 days a week

7) get down to 125 pounds by may 30

8) get a time 1:50 or better for the see jane run half marathon

i really hate posting my weight on here, but i feel like it helps me have a sense of accountability. so for now, i will post my weight on the sidebar.

wish me luck!

Weigh In

So I finally weighed myself tonight, and I am down another 4 lbs. Very good news. I think it would go a little faster if I was really a stickler with my points. I have been really good this week, but in the past, I was mostly just subconsciously counting points and not really eating sweets. But I have been running a lot of miles, so I think that has really helped get my weight down. The best thing right now is that my boobs are a lot smaller, I think back to my normal size, and I can button up my cute spring coat that I haven't been able to button for quite some time. Smaller boobs just look better on me. So I am happy that I am getting the weight off. Running has been so great, I am getting faster and feeling really strong. All positive things!

Update

So, things are still going well on the weight loss bandwagon. I am not sure how much weight I have lost, as I don't have a scale, which is probably a good thing, so I don't obsess over every little pound. But I am feeling good and feeling smaller. I went running with a friend the other day who hadn't seen me in a while and she noticed that I had lost weight, so that's gotta be good news. I am not being super strict with my points counting, because I find that it kind of messes with my head when I do, but when I don't think about it as much, I don't feel the need to eat as much. I just try to keep my goal points in the back of the head, and make a mental note of about how many points I am eating. I have noticed a difference in my eating, as in I am not eating a lot of sweets, and am not eating a lot of unhealthy snacks. I try to make the most of the everything I eat. And what is really awesome, is that I baked a cheesecake, sugar cookies, and pumpkin cookies and only ate 1 pumpkin cookie out of all of that. It was for a bake sale in our building. Oh, I guess I did buy one of my own sugar cookies later on, so I had 1 sugar cookie as well. That's pretty darn good though for someone with a sweet tooth like me.

I am also in week 6 of my marathon training, and it has been going well. I think this is making the biggest difference with my weight loss. Last time I trained for a marathon, I was nursing, so I didn't lose a lot of weight, but this time around, I feel like weight is just melting away, which is great. I love how quickly my legs tone up when I start being really consistent with my running. Seeing results like that definitely help me stay motivated. I love seeing proof that what I am doing is actually making a difference.

I have been running mostly on my own, which is tough at times, but I always do my long runs with friends. The only downside to that, is that they are all faster than I am, so I am always pushing myself. But I am keeping up, and still finishing strong, and that is all that matters.

Ok, so that is all for now, just wanted to do a little update. I will try to weigh myself this week and post how many pounds I have left to lose.