Monday, May 2, 2011

I'm Guilty, and Now I'm Doing the Time!

As a teenager and young adult, I was fairly (maybe even extremely) healthy.  I worked out often, ate moderately healthy (because I couldn't resist pepperoni pizza!), and maintained a healthy weight.  After I got married, I continued this lifestyle even after I had children.  With each subsequent pregnancy--5 in all--I used my "condition" as an excuse to eat unhealthy instead of one to eat healthier.  You've probably heard this excuse.  I said, "I'm pregnant so those extra three or four cookies won't matter. After all, I'm eating for two!!"  When I should have been saying, "I'm pregnant so I should skip the cookies and have some veggies sticks instead."  I know we all have our little indulgences and those are fine in moderation, but pregnancy seemed to release all my inhibitions when it came to food!

So, after five pregnancies--one miscarriage and four healthy babies--I'm sitting here looking down at my scale.

It's scary......really scary.

For someone who's always been fairly healthy to realize that I am 32 pounds overweight is a very SCARY thing.  That's like carrying around a jumbo size bag of dog food on my body---ewwww!  There is absolutely no reason why I couldn't weigh the same as I did when I began having babies.  It was a healthy weight for my height. 

Now, do I expect my body to look the same as it did before I started having babies?

Oh my, NO!

That is physically impossible.  My body has borne children, and it has the scars, stretches, bruises and bags to prove it.  Honestly, the bearing of the children isn't even the hardest part.  It's the raising of the children that's really hard, and there is bodily damage that goes along with that too! 

So, being the crazy numbers person that I am, I figured out just what I need to lose.  I need to lose the birth weights of all four of my children.  8lbs. 1oz., 7lbs. 13oz., 7lbs. 9oz., and 8lbs. 1oz.=31lbs. 8oz.  (I'm really not sure which is scarier--the fact that I let myself go like that or the fact that I sat and figured that out!)

Thankfully, my children's birthdays are spaced out pretty well, and I'm beginning my journey TODAY.  I need to lose Abi (8lbs. 1oz.) by her birthday on June 12th.  I started making better food choices today, and hopefully that will get easier the longer I do it. PALEEESEE let it get easier!!!  I got up and did a mini-workout this morning with the free weights.  Mini, because I didn't get up early like I had planned to, but I wasn't going to NOT workout.  Weather-permitting, I will start running again this week, and I will get in at least three 5k runs before the end of the year.

Why am I telling all of you this?  Because you all care so deeply about my health and body image!

Ok, not really!

ACCOUNTABILITY

I am horrible about being accountable to myself.  I tried being accountable to my husband on this particular subject and it didn't turn out so well.  <Picture flying free-weights and someone strapped to the TotalGym being tortured with Whey protein powder!>  So, I am making myself accountable to you.  Thankfully, this blog only has a handful of followers so I'm hoping you'll be nice about it! *Hint!Hint*  I need some encouragment and someone to watch my kids (Ok, I'm just kidding about that last part. Sometimes.)

These are my goals:
  1. Lose each one of my kids' birth weights by their birthday: (Abi-June 12th-8lbs.1oz; Jada-August 1st-8lbs. 1oz; Hannah-November 16th-7lbs.13oz; Connor-April 24th-7lbs.9oz)  That gives me roughly a year to lose 32 pounds.  I think I'm being very generous with myself.
  2. Get into a regular routine of exercise (3-4x's a week) and running a consistent 5k(3-4x's a week.)
  3. Bring back those healthy eating habits! I am not brave enough to post my food diary on the internet, but I want to bring back my healthy recipes.  Thankfully, grilling weather is now upon us, and it's so easy to grill healthy!
  4. Run a half-marathon.  I'm not setting a definite date on this one, but I watched the Memorial marathon on TV this year and just about cried because I was sitting on my behind.  I would love to do it by next year, but we will have to wait and see.....
Today begins my new life sentence, and I plan on enjoying it!

Saving the best for last, I have at least three people that have inspired me:
  • First, a little girl from my old youth group who is all grown up now.  She's a runner, and she's amazing.  Jodie Smith makes me want to be young again!
  • Second, a woman I've never met, but I know through many conversations on the net, that is winning her own battle for her health.  Jenn Carr inspired me to get started, even a little step is a step forward!
  • Third, another woman I've never met, but has had three children and she ran a triathalon after her third.  Barbie Smith would be running another one this summer if she wasn't pregnant with her fourth, but I know she'll do another one soon!

5 comments:

  1. =) ok...i am officially inspired!! i cant wait to have this baby and get back inTo it!! thanks for the motivation!! i NEED iT...AND what a great idea about birth weights!! Im gonna have to steal that! =)

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  2. You're motivating me! LoL! I have 20lbs to lose and I'm lazy so i haven't done so yet.. with that said, My husband is just starting the couch to 5k program.. and since he said he was, I signed him up for a 5k run that is right after his expected completion date in July. LoL.. so he has no other choice or he has to cancel it and he can't stand doing that. Some motivation huh?? LoL!

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  3. I love the losing the birth weight thing!!!!

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  4. WOW SARAH!!!!! ok....so over a years time, I lost 80 lbs. with diet and exercise, and a pill called Phentermine. I stopped taking the pill, and I gained back almost 30 lbs. I am eating junk these days, and honestly, not feeling the motivation to make THE CHANGE. Candy, cookies, pancakes, fried chicken.....it's no wonder I am gaining the weight back! I want to start all over again (no help from the pills this time) but I can already feel myself kicking and screaming (on the inside) and fighting my inner sugar and carb addict. I will totally be here to cheer you on, PLEASE do the same for me! Even if it's a simple message of "you can do it" or an article you found on health. New food ideas are a super way to trade adda-girls too! You are a super-mom and I believe in you Sarah!

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  5. First of all I LOVE that you are loosing their weight! That is an awesome (and totally doable) goal!!!!

    Second....aren't you the sweetest thing!!!

    We can do this!!!!!

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