Since just before the beginning of new year 2009, I decided to start making some lifestyle changes, especially in the area of food intake. My exercise routine was hanging on for dear life by a thread with a maximum weekly workout of once/week and some weeks I just went without. Needless to say, I felt horribly out of shape. I also started noticing that my pants felt a lot more snug in the hip and booty region. I even started to notice an occasional muffin top depending on the pants I wore. Sexy, I know!
Part of me wanted to blame the winter months and the natural body process of storing fat during colder months...the logical side of me really knew that Texas probably doesn't get cold enough for the body to undergo any fat storage. Another part also wanted to blame mommyhood, but we all know chasing around a toddler is more than adequate exercise. But hey, it's what kept me going!
So, I've always maintained what I call my "happy weight," which I won't disclose because it's really just a number. Just to give you a range, at my heaviest, which is when I was into serious strength training and muscle mass building, I weighed 138. My senior year of high school, I weighed 121. My happy weight is somewhere in between. :-) Back in January, I got on the scale, and based on the number I saw, I was certain that it was broken from all the times that Alex had flung it across the room and bounced on it. So, I had Eddy weigh himself, and I was sad to admit that the scale was not broken...it was indeed me who had exceeded my happy weight by 6 pounds. While 6 pounds might not sound like a lot, my weight hasn't fluctuated since college and of course during pregnancy so it really hit home that my pants weren't just tight because they were fresh out of the dryer. I also knew muscle mass wasn't to blame. :-/ I had gained weight and my daily Doritos fix and late night snacks weren't doing anything to help.
I started by making small changes. I gave up drinking anything but water with dinner. In the beginning, it was REALLY hard because I was always a diet soda or tea drinker with meals, so it took me a couple of months to make any more changes. I also picked up my running/walking to 2-4 times/week for 30 minutes. Then by early-mid March, I decided to start tracking my calories and aim for 1800 calories/day. I have to admit that I'm never very precise with the calorie tracking so I read labels and guestimate (made up word, I know.) Sometimes I go over by a little bit, sometimes I stay under, and sometimes I'm just right. On the days, I go over, I make sure to run an extra 10 minutes.
I'm happy to report that I'm back to my happy weight, fluctuating anywhere between 2-3 pounds under but never over. YAY! :-) I'm running 4-5 times/week for 30 minutes with pilates 2-3 days/week and strength training 1-2 days/week.
Now, I've never really had an ideal weight (different from happy weight, I promise) because we all know that muscle weighs more than fat and I would rather be firm than be rail thin with weak musculature. I've based my success on how my clothes fit and how I look in pre-pregnancy clothes (baby tees, tight fitting shirts, etc.).
I realized that I had reached my goal when I put on my skinny jeans fresh out of the dryer and I could fit both hands in my pockets and still have room left for another set of hands. HA! I know it sounds silly but I was so excited! I haven't truly felt like I was in good shape since having Alex until now. I still have a lot of toning to do so I'm still practicing an 1800 calorie/day meal plan. I'm even trying 1400-1600 calorie days but that's only when I have really filling good foods in the house and we don't go out to eat. I refuse to starve myself!!!
About another month before bathing suit season, and I might just step out in a bikini...not sure yet...I don't want to embarass Alex. :-)
