Back In The Saddle

I went on this health kick a few months back and then the holidays completely derailed me, but with the new year here I made a resolution to stick to my resolution from months past and get back on track. I want to lose 30-35 pounds. I want to get in shape as I hate being one of those "frumpy" moms who is STILL struggling to lose the baby weight. I snapped back pretty quick with Jayden, losing all but 4 pounds by the time I found out I was pregnant again. With both pregnancies I only gained 25 pounds so I really didn't have that much pregnancy weight to lose, but I'd already started out heavier than I wanted to be by like 15 pounds. So my goal is to lose that 15 I'd been trying to lose on top of the 15 that I still haven't lost from Jaxson.

So, I've started doing a few different things that I hope to continue. First, I got back on to SparkPeople (found here) to track my progress as far as nutrition goals (calories, fat, carbs, protein, fluid intake), fitness goals, weight, and measurements. They also have teams that you can join for challenges and a buddy system to help keep you accountable. You can also create a SparkPage (similar to a MySpace or Facebook page) with a blog feature so you can talk about your progress there. I plan to weigh myself weekly and take my measurements once a month to track those goals, and I also track the foods I eat and how much water I drink daily (along with any exercise). I'm hoping it will help to keep me accountable to watch what I eat and make sure I lose the weight and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.

In addition, I've vowed to myself to use 30 minutes of my lunch time at work to do a power walk with my friend and co-worker, Danielle. I know that it's easier for me to fall off the bandwagon and become unmotivated if I'm doing it by myself so I asked Danielle if she wanted to walk with me. It gives her and I a chance to catch up each day and stay in touch, plus it's perfect because she's getting married to her sweetheart, Josh, in April and wants to shed some weight before her wedding day. My personal goal is to be at my goal weight by my 25th birthday in July. Also, I'm going to start utilizing the Zumba DVD's that Aaron got me for Christmas and I'd like to aim for doing that twice a week for an hour each. It's easy enough for me to do in my own home and Jayden likes to dance and likes music, so more than likely it'll become a family dance fest. :) Maybe at some point I can try hot yoga and convince Aaron to buy a Wii Fit when we have money so I can get exercise that way too.

I might also look into some different diets just to get some good ideas on what things I should eat and what I shouldn't. I know it should be obvious, but I don't know much about the portions I should eat and what constitutes a protein versus a carb (okay, well I know a little about proteins and carbs) and which foods may actually count as both, etc. We have a WeightWatchers program at my work that I might join, but I'm still undecided about that.

I also need to make sure I hold myself to taking my thyroid medication daily. I have to admit that I'm horrible about taking it and when I go for too long without it I can definitely feel the side effects. My eyes hurt, I'm tired/sluggish, no energy, and practically zero metabolism. If Aaron saw this he'd be chastising me to no end...not that I'd blame him.

So, in addition to all of the above, I'm also going to commit myself to tracking my progress here (again!) regularly. Ideally I'd like to track it weekly, but I'll definitely be tracking it monthly for sure. I don't know if I should bore you with weekly progress reports... I'd post a before picture, but frankly I'm too chicken to do it because I don't really feel all that "pretty" right now and it would be a really scary sight, but I may post progress pictures as I feel more comfortable in my own skin. For now, I'll post the measurements that I tracked on SP yesterday and if you are a visual person...well you'll get the idea.

Weight: 179 lbs.
BMI: 24.8
Waist: 34.5 in.
Hips: 44 in.
Neck: 13.5 in.
Thigh: 23.5 in.
Calf: 16 in.
Upper Arm: 14.5 in.

**Oh, and this is a side tangent about another goal, but I got a call from my bank today and they said that since I'm a "preferred customer" they can add a new account tied to my existing account where I can transfer the balance of my reserve line and credit card at a lower interest rate. Right now my credit card interest is at 11% and my reserve line (which I've only used twice in a jam) is at 22%. They can roll both balances into a single account with an interest rate anywhere between 5-10% at most. That means I can close the other two accounts and pay from the new one with a lower interest rate which will help me pay off my bills faster and help get out of debt quicker. Yay!!**

Things are looking up and I feel really positive about things right now. It's still a long journey, but I feel like I have a fresher perspective. Here goes nothing... :)