My Weight Loss and Fitness Journey

Last summer I was fat. Fatter than I've ever been. And then....I got pregnant (on purpose, might I add!).

This was one year ago. See? I told you I was fat.

When I got pregnant I weighed 164. Hold on...I just threw up a little.

Ok, better now. When I went for my first doctor's appointment she told me that I was officially overweight and on the verge of obese. OBESE!!!!!!! But I was pregnant so it wasn't like I could do some insane diet. I decided to just not care. I'd worry about it later and blame it on being pregnant.

As my doctor's appointments continued and I adamantly refused to look at the scale. I did not want to know what I weighed. Only at the very end of my pregnancy did I ask how much weight I had gained. I was told I had gained 22 pounds. Not bad for pregnancy but that just added to the extra weight I was carrying around. If you add those numbers together, you get 186 pounds. That means I weighed 186 pounds when I walked into the hospital to have Addisyn. Yes, almost 8 of those pounds were her, but still...

When I came home from the hospital, I was determined not to be fat anymore. Not just that, but I wanted to be healthy and toned and I wanted to keep it that way.

I decided to run a half-marathon. I knew I'd need a while to get ready for it so the 2013 Disney Princess 1/2 is what I chose.

I started out just going for walks until  I got tired (I'd been on bed rest for 5 weeks prior to delivery) and then I started making those walks a little longer. Then, I started trying to jog a little here and a little there. Six weeks postpartum, I started Lose It (a calorie counting weight loss app). By this point I had lost the 22 so I was back to 164. Again, barf.

My goal is to lose two pounds each week (the maximum the app will allow) and this allows me roughly 1200 calories a day. The more I did each physically, the more I could eat. Which means I often found myself scrubbing an already clean house just so I could burn all those calories...haha! That is a first in our house, I promise!

I might need to also tell you that I'm a smidge bit addicted to Coca-Cola. I LOVE it! It  is the one thing I refuse to give up. I know I could drop the weight much quicker if I'd stop drinking soda and only drink water but that wouldn't last long. I'd pick the Coke back up and the weight would come back. I'd rather lose it while still indulging in my one bad habit. I usually only have 2 canned cokes in one day anyway-one for breakfast (I don't drink coffee) and one with lunch. That's only 24 ounces in one day.

When Addisyn was 9 weeks old, we went to Disney for a week. When we came back, I started my training (running). I registered for a 5K at Animal Kingdom in November and started using the Couch 2 5K app. I am currently starting week 6 of the 9 week program and now run 19 of the 30 minutes which includes a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down.

I have become addicted. I love to run. I love the peace and quiet I get for 30 minutes. I love the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. I love the feeling I get when I get tired and want to quit, but don't and pick up the pace. I love the feeling of accomplishment I have when I get home covered in sweat. I love it.

The training program has you run 3 days a week. Ideally, you'd run Monday, Wednesday, Friday and rest on Tuesday and Thursday. I HATE taking the kids in the stroller, simply because I want to be child-free and it is much easier without pushing 50 extra pounds. Because of this, I usually go on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. My husband isn't home on Wednesday nights so that is why I run on Tuesdays. Plus, who wants to spend their Friday night running?

I have to tell you though, on the days I don't run, I find myself desperately trying to find a way to fit it in. My neighborhood isn't really a place a young woman my age would feel safe running in when it is dark outside so I have to go before then.

I have also done the Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred a few times. The first time I did it, I couldn't do all of it, even on the easy level. Now I can do all of it except all the push-ups, but that is because my 4-year-old has more arm strength than I do.

I've also started to read a new book and I love it. The author is a former Olympian runner and she makes things so simple and it is really set up for beginners which is very helpful for someone like me. She has tons of great tips and a great story and personality.

 

I have become much more interested in eating healthy foods and finding substitutes to make things better for us and lower calorie. When we go out to eat, I beg to go to Panera Bread (only if it is a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday) because they have the most amazing garden vegetable soup with pesto and the big bowl of it is only 160 calories!!! I have also found myself searching out fitness tips and healthy recipes on Pinterest. Being healthy has become an obsession.

I don't deprive myself of food I like. I ate a Kit Kat last night. I love pasta. I just try to find a healthier way to make the foods I like. I use whole wheat noodles and fresh vegetables. I watch my portion sizes and try to eat only one serving of food instead of three of four. One of the things I do so that I can still eat what I like is that I find a way to burn off the calories. I run it off or I do a work out DVD or wash the dishes that are sitting in the sink. Or cut the grass for the hubs. Something. Anything. Losing weight isn't impossible and you don't have to starve yourself and only eat egg whites and carrots.

Being healthy is an addiction. The more you work at it, the more you want to work at it. 

The picture on the left is at the hospital right before delivery. The picture on the right is at Disney World 13 weeks later.

I currently weigh 141 which means I have lost 45 pounds since I went into the hospital. I still have around 10 or so to go, but my focus isn't on what the scale says. My focus is on what I look like. People can't see what my scale says but they can see what I look like in my clothes. I know I'm not finished yet, but I've never been more motivated.

Yesterday I started a new goal. I'm going to do the 30 Day Shred for 30 days in a row. It has 3 levels so I figure 10 days per level. I took a picture of myself yesterday (Day 1) and will take a picture on Day 10, Day 20, and Day 30. Assuming that I reach my goal, when I do, I will post pictures and update you guys.

Do you have any fitness tips to share? A great weight-loss story? Any good healthy recipes? I'd love to hear from you!