Monday, October 4, 2010

My (2nd) weight loss journey

Long story short, since the last time I started a very pathetic little blog entry (my first and only) , I have now become the mother of two beautiful little ladies. Clara Louise was born at 12:25 in the afternoon on a miserably hot day in July...the 15th to be exact, on her Uncle Jacob's 9th birthday.

What a peach :)
NOW, for the record, I enjoy most parts of being pregnant. I enjoy the kicks and hiccups, the comfortable maternity jeans, and the misconception people have that pregnant women can eat whatever they want. I don't feel judged at Dairy Queen, which brings me to my next point...I do not like the 9-month sobriety or the the large amounts of weight that I gained yet again even after I told myself I wasn't going to become a whale the second time around.

You see, when I was pregnant with Lucy, Tony and I had this agreement where when I went to the doctor neither of us looked at the scale. (When I got pregnant I was in college on what we like to call my summer bender which left me at a whopping 160 lbs. Eek.) Well, Tony slipped once. Not only did he "accidentally" look, but he sort of "accidentally" started slipping it out later when I asked him. "One-nine..." he said while I was six months pregnant and I started screaming for him to stop.

Point is, I obviously surpassed the two-hundo mark by delivery and vowed to myself after getting back to a healthy 140. I dipped below my 140 for our wedding and thought what an excellent starting point for when I get pregnant a second time, hopefully soon.

Sure enough, Clara's due date was almost exactly 9 months to the day following our wedding. (October 10th, July 11th)

In the very beginning I told myself I wasn't going to go over 170. By 5 months into it, I said, okay, I'm not going to hit 200.

Well, I didn't hit 200, but I did hit 199 :/

At first I thought this wasn't so bad. The day I got home from the hospital I was 180. The week after I was 170. The week after that I was 165. I was so pleasantly surprised everytime I stepped on the scale until everytime since it has stuck at 165.

Let's do the math; 165-140=25 lbs.

Disgusting.

For a couple weeks now I have been waiting for the weight to just drop itself. I have not put forth the tiniest bit of effort or stopped myself from eating ice cream, cheeseburgers, bread... I keep telling myself I am going to get serious about it "soon".

And then this happened....

BOOM! This picture hit me like a ton of bricks. No, wait, more like this picture hit me like my big fat arm in it. Excuse me, but holy shit. This was my cousin Jenny's wedding about three weeks ago in Milwaukee. It makes me sad because I am so in love with this memory between Jenny and Lucy where Lucy insists on upgrading from her bouqet to Jenny's. And there I am to ruin it with my large pork arm. Best part? The very large steak I ate that night at the reception.....GAWD. Don't even get me started on that new second chin I picked up.....

So there it is. The moment is now.

I have always been too proud and/or embarassed to admit out loud or talk real numbers about my weight, but it is time. Numbers do not lie and I feel a weight off my chest just being completely honest. So there it is. (Apparently, no real weight off my chest....just checked...still 165....so that's fun.) While I'm still on the subject of numbers, I am currently wearing a size 10 in jeans and they feel too tight. I would like to be back in my favorite skinny jeans, size 6!

I did pick an unfortunate day to start this considering I have silently vowed many other things to myself this morning like-
  • Cutting back on my consumerism (It is day 3 of my one-week-self-ban from Target
  • Finishing up my house projects that I have started before starting more (FINALLY put that last coat of polyurethane on the breakfast nook bench and primed Lucy's new rocking chair.)
  • Making lattes at home (Unsuccessful. Spent $5.24 at Gymocha this morning. I think that messes up my consumerism pledge a tad too. Damn.)
  • Doing my bible study everyday as well as praying with Lucy everynight instead of putting it all off until Tuesday night.

Instead of just talking about it, here is my plan;

(baby steps, people, baby steps.)

My first goal is going to be to lose 10 pounds by the end of this month. Considering I have been over-indulging, I am thinking this shouldn't be too hard. To be realistic, I am going to make these steps as easy as possible for myself;
  • Water only (well, and coffee of course). No juice or soda. Diet Coke, even you are out.

  • Walk everyday. My dear friend Emily, I am going to need your cooperation on this one. Thanks in advance.

  • Full and healthy breakfasts without sugar.

  • One fruit with every lunch, one veggie every dinner. Less pasta and tortillas.

  • No eating after 7pm. This will be my most challenging now that Tony gets home after 9:30 everynight and we love how well chips and salsa go with reruns of The Office.
Now that it's in writing, I am counting on you, my friends and family, to keep me accountable. As you can tell I'm not going for supermodel skinny. I am who I am and a size 0, I am not. I also know very well that with the holidays coming up this is going to be especially challenging, but my one year anniversary is at the end of this week and I want to look like this again...



...Now that is a good looking arm.

5 comments:

  1. Anna --

    This is truely inspiring, and makes me want to hop on the wagon with you!! I've been saying for months, oh yes, I will start eating well tomorrow! I'm right about the same spot (would love to lose about 20 lbs) and get back to looking good, better yet feeling good again, unfortunately I don't even have the reason that I had a baby and gained the weight... mine is simply being completely consumed by work and the fried food that is produced there, as well as the many alcoholic beverages that are consumed on a weekly basis. =)

    In fact, reading this is making me get my ass off the couch and go for a walk, on my only afternoon off myself!

    Good Luck Anna! You are amazing!

    Missy Krans

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  2. Yay Anna!! I am so proud of you! I have been going through the same journey myself. We are so much alike it is scary;). Having 2 babies 2 years apart takes quite the toll on your body and mind. I would have to say my biggest struggle is finding/making time for myself to work out. It is so difficult because as a mother we are always tending to someone else's needs and put our needs aside. It is super important to make yourself a priority (I need to take my own advice). I want to be healthy not only for myself, but to be a good role model for my children. I can't wait to hear more about your journey and have no doubt in my mind that you will achieve what you set out to do. Know that I am here for you if you need any support. We can lean on each other. No matter what size or weight you are, I still think that you are one HOT mamma!! You go girl!!

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  3. I'm on board...I would like to lose 10 by my birthday at the end of November. Okay, I said it out loud, too....now you have to keep me accountable too!

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  4. Anna
    What a great way to start a new journey! Being pregnant is the most amazing and beautiful thing you have ever done. I too have realized how much your body changes and well.... the love and hate for the effects it does. However, one thing that is absolutley amazing is your impact on others. You inspire many of us, including myself and you have my support 110%! Love you lots! xoxo Amy

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  5. Anna,
    Kaley's been keeping me posted on your blog. I love it, and as your brother in the IT field, I've never been prouder (of you starting a blog, that is ;)

    I just wanted to add that, even though you're eating them late, chips and salsa are actually one of the healthier snacks out there. Though with the stop eating by 7 goal you've set for yourself, I'm sure you've seen that you're not supposed to eat less than 3 hours before you go to bed.

    Regardless, I'm glad to know what you're up to, and I'm looking forward to the next time Kaley and I get to visit you. Sorry for sucking and not being able to make your anniversary though :(

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