Weighing In

Last week, I mentioned that I was going to make some changes, and I have made them. But before I get to the changes, I'd like to address something else I wrote that is only kind of true. I wrote, "I have not lost all the baby weight and am technically overweight and really not living a healthy lifestyle."

The not-so-true part is that I did lose most of the baby weight. When I got pregnant in June 2012, I weighed 155. On the day I went in for my induction, April 1, 2013, I weighed 187. And sometime in September of 2013, I remember being delighted to see 158 lbs when I stepped on the scale. I had lost all but three pounds of the weight I had gained during pregnancy pretty easily. I was going for one to three mile walks pretty much every day and eating somewhat healthfully and wearing all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. I wanted to lose those last three pounds plus a little bit more, so Jason and I purchased T25 and completed three weeks of it before we quit for some reason that I don't remember. But I was still pretty happy with the way I looked and felt. And then something happened. Winter? Football parties? Thanksgiving? Christmas? That's when we get to the true part of my statement.

The true part is that I am technically overweight, and I was not living a healthy lifestyle. On January 2, 2014 (exactly nine months after delivering Will), when I weighed myself, I weighed 168. I had gained back ten pounds! I was barely eating two meals a day and instead, snacking throughout the day. And I had developed some pretty horrible drinking habits. Every afternoon, I'd drink a Dr. Pepper Ten. Every evening, I'd treat myself to a glass of wine or bottle of beer. And every night, after I brushed my teeth, I'd wonder why I was so thirsty and get a big glass of water. I thought I was pretty active throughout the day just taking care of Will, but I wasn't walking or working out at all. And the only thing I really felt comfortable wearing were button-up tops that were blousy enough to hide my once again growing belly. 

So on January 2nd (because on January 1st we had lots of leftover party food and drink), I started making those changes.  I made one each day until my daily routine/lifestyle seemed healthy yet doable, and it only ended up being six fairly simple changes.

1. Stop drinking a Dr. Pepper Ten every day. (Water!)

2. Drink green tea once a day.

3. Stop having a cocktail every night. (Water!)

4. Complete T25 workout every morning.

5. Track calories on MyPlate app. 

6. Eat when and what Will eats: 6:30 (breakfast), 10:30 (lunch), 2:00 (snack), and 5:30 (dinner)

So far, I am 12 days in, and I've kept it up with only a few snafus (like the day I didn't work out and my mom gave me a bag of homemade cookies), and I have been seeing results. This morning, I stepped on the scale and saw 165.6! I'm moving in the right direction. My goal weight is 148 by the beginning of June. That's approximately one pound a week.  I know I can do it because I am doing it now, and I have done it in the past. I am using that picture up there from the summer of 2009 as my motivation, but I am also planning on taking more full body pictures (not in a swimsuit, though) of Will, Jason, and me  together throughout this process because I know one day I'll be happy to have them even if I don't love the way I look at the time. So stayed tuned...

Also, I am trying to figure out some easy workout type thing I can do in the afternoon while playing with Will in his playroom. I started the Plank Challenge and the Push-Up Challenge, but I want to try to find a good short yoga workout too...because I'm usually already wearing yoga pants. Let me know if you have any suggestions or any other easy changes that have worked for you.