Yep, it's official there is something that I have lost and I NEVER hope to find. What could it be? Oh, it's just 30 pounds. WHAT? That's right THIRTY pounds that I have kissed good-bye!! I cannot believe it. I always thought about getting back down to pre-baby (7 years ago) weight, but just thought it was never really attainable. I am so happy to say that I did it!! It has been really fun to pull out last spring/summer clothes and all my shorts fall right down! Last summer I was sportin a size 16 and this spring I am down to a 10!! Just saying it makes me giddy.
I've had several friends ask me how did you do it? how long did it take? My favorite part is that I am proud to say that I did it the old fashioned way. I did NOT follow a "diet" or drink a shake or take a pill or eat some crazy food or work out like a high school jock. It all started last spring when the ladies of the Hills decided to have a little Biggest Loser contest. We started Memorial Day Weekend of 2010 and ended sometime in late August (or around there). I was somewhat motivated, but didn't really take it serious until about half way thru the contest. I ran into a teacher friend that had weight loss surgery over the summer and was trying to adjust her body. After I asked her several questions about diet, I started applying it to myself. It made sense...portion control! The more you eat, the more your stomach expands, the more your waist expands which allows you to eat more...vicious cycle. I tried to remember back to my Weight Watcher days of '02-'05. I was a Life Member, surely I could do this on my own WITHOUT a meeting! So, in July last summer I started eating supper off the salad plate. It was killer for the first week. I was still hungry, but I drank water to help me make it through. After that, it was a breeze. I knew I was just trying to get my stomach to a "normal" size or just smaller than it was at the time. It took several weeks before I really started noticing a change. But, I stuck with it. I quit eating off my kids plates while I was doing dishes, tried hard not to do senseless snacking and started exercising again.
Walking is where I started last May. But in my college days, I enjoyed running and knew it always helped me shed pounds. I wanted to run, however, I was fearful I would re-herniate something in my back. After trying to walk a few more miles, one day I just couldn't do it. I felt the urge to run and just wanted to try. The rest is pretty much history. Started out walking for 5 mins, jog for 1 min, walk for 5, jog for 1...repeat for 30-40 mins 2-4 times per week. I worked myself up to jogging for 10 minutes straight without jogging! At some point, I found the RunKeeper app and it made my workouts even better. I have worked myself up to running on average a 10 minute mile (this was a personal goal). So far, my farthest distance is 6.5 miles in 1 hour, 8 minutes!! I would love to try a 10K and maybe even a half-marathon at some point. But for now, I am thoroughly enjoying my smaller clothes, lots of energy and the joy of running.
Another key to my success is what I remember from Weight Watchers--don't deprive yourself! If I want to sit and eat a bowl of ice cream, why not? No, I didn't buy skinny cow or something fancy. I just ate regular ice cream. Really it was about trade-offs. I want this now, so I won't have this later. Or if I have this today and tomorrow, I will have to run for sure to make up for it. That's another thing...I didn't have a workout regiment. I work full time, drive 35 miles to work, raise 3 crazy kids (under 6), mommy and wife duties...I ran when I had time. Some weeks, I could only squeeze in one run....some weeks I could get 4 runs in. I did what I could do and didn't worry about it.
Possibly another key--I didn't stress or worry about what I was eating/should I or should I not exercise...I just lived my life, made sensible choices and added some exercise!
And if you know me at all, you know I enjoy a little barley and hops refreshment from the Rocky Mountains. Well, I even changed that flavor as well. It has made a HUGE impact. Once I acquired a taste for MGD 64, I can't drink anything else. And I've already figured it out...I can nearly drink 2 64s for 1 Coors Light!! From this switch, I noticed the bloating feeling go away as well as many pounds! Thank you MGD!!
On that note, here's to you and your weight journey and here's to mine....I think I can shed a few more, why not?
So AWESOME! Congrats on your 30lb accomplishment! Very inspiring! :)
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