Bye bye, baby weight!

I've been meaning to post here for a while. A while being... a year. I had my third baby in January 2009 and thought I could write a little here and there about my journey losing the baby weight. Long story short, I gained and lost the motivation several times during the year. I finally decided to wait until I was done breastfeeding, when he turned one, and then give it all I had.

I'm proud to say, I am doing just that. I woke up one morning, about 3 weeks prior to the official one year birthday and had determination and will that could not be ignored. I sat in my bed and thought, "This is it. I'm tired of this weight and TODAY IS THE DAY I am starting.". There was going to be no more excuses, and no more procrastinating! That day was December 16, 2009.

Getting active again:
I've always loved the gym but I found it difficult to go consistently with 3 small kids. As for outdoor workouts- It is impossible to take 3 kids on a run or walk and get a good cardio workout. It is a lot of stopping and starting, waiting for them to catch up with you, taking potty breaks etc. If you are a Mom, you know what I am talking about. To some (including myself), it looked like I had few, if any other options. I have NO treadmill, elliptical or any cardio equipment at my house. Some dumbbells, a balance ball and a stability ball are pretty much it. I knew had to get creative with my exercise. I went on a search for some challenging and non-cheesy workout DVDs. Here, here and here are what I came home with. I got started immediately. I've been rotating DVDs, doing workout shows on Fittv, climbing the stairs in my house (SOOO incredibly boring, but I gotta change it up!) and getting outside for a walk/jog when my hubby is home on weekends (he works out of state). Being a single Mom during the weeks means I don't even get to get out in the evenings for a workout at a gym or outside. Could have been yet another excuse for me.

I started off doing these workouts in my living room while my kids ate breakfast or any other time during the day that I could. This did not work out well. I was stopping constantly to wait on them and then had a baby crawling between my legs, pulling up on me and crying to be held. When the big kids were done with their meal, they would join the baby on the floor to play, and then I had 3 kids to dodge! It would have been so easy to quite at this point. It was another challenge, but I was determined to figure out some other way. Remember, I said there would be no more excuses! I now give up an hour of sleep in the morning and get up and do it in my bedroom. The kids have been instructed not to dare come in and interrupt if they wake up during that time (unless they are sick or it is urgent). That is MY time!

Diet:
I eat smaller portions and pretty healthy. No fast food, nothing fried, no butter etc. I try and do lean meat, lots of fruits and lots of veggies. I snack on yogurt, almonds, string cheese and fruit. I do NOT count calories, carbs, sugar etc. No fad diets. I don't want to make myself crazy. Everything is just common sense eating. It really IS that simple!


Where I am now:
I lost 5 lbs sometime during the first year, which left me 3 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. However, I had gained at least 10-15 lbs in the year prior to getting preggers. This left me with 20-25 total lbs to lose.

As of today (I weigh every Wednesday), it has been 7 full weeks and I am down a total of 14.7 lbs. I weigh only to serve as a weekly check on my progress. Mainly, I just want to know that what I am doing is working, although how I feel is a great indicator. At the end of the day, I'm not concerned about the number on the scale. It is about fitting into my old clothes again, getting in great shape, being strong and feeling really good! I took my measurements a few weeks in and that is what I will be interested in when I reach my goal. I'm really looking forward to seeing the inches lost!

So, here I am, about halfway through this journey and I am feeling great! My message of encouragement is this: I no longer have a gym membership, and I have no equipment. I cannot get outside regularly, and I have no special diet with certain foods, yet I am making great progress toward my goal of getting fit again. ANYONE can lose weight, tone up, get in shape, and improve their diet (or whatever your personal goal is). We ALL have our own obstacles and hurdles. I just shared some of mine with you. All it takes is some inspiration and a little encouragement along the way. Use this blog for both, that's what it's for!