Progress and Setbacks

Yippee! I'm officially at the HALFWAY mark!!! Last week, when I said I was about halfway there, I was rounding up for my benefit. : ) I lost three pounds this week which is exactly 25 pounds lost since September. I'm doing it slowly, but I really feel like I'm doing it right and that it will stay off this time.

I've reset my deadline to reach my goal by August 14th. That will be my baby's first birthday. I felt like a year after childbirth was a realistic goal for losing 50 pounds. I hope to be there sooner than that, though. Every time I look at this sweet face, I know he was worth all the effort I'm putting into recovering from pregnancy weight-gain. Isn't he cute??? (I'm a biased mama)




I have been enjoying my Couch to 5K running plan so much but have had some owies I'm dealing with. I tried to run through them yesterday, but I think that was a bad idea. It just made things worse. So, as bummed as I am to say it, this is going to be a rest from running week.

The pain is in my left hip and the inside tendon of my left knee. I really feel it when I walk up stairs. So here's my plan for getting better:

- Foam Rolling: This is something my trainer taught me to do for recovery after workouts. It is awesome! It burn when you are rolling out the tight spots, but it is so worth it for how much better you feel and move after you are done. Here's a video to show you what I mean.:








There are lots of YouTube videos and articles online that explain Foam Rolling if you want to check it out more. Matt always told me Work + Rest = Success, so this is a part of my resting and hopefully recovery from these owies.

- Buying new running shoes. The shoes I've been wearing are four years old and need to be replaced.

- Taking the week off of running. The race is May 16th, so one week off won't hurt my progress too much.

- Sticking to my eating plan. This is the most important thing for me. Exercise alone doesn't do it for me and without running, I'm going to need to be focused.

- Continue with my strength training and Pilates.

I'm really excited about the changes that are happening in my body. I'm feeling stronger again and it reminds me of how I felt when I was working out with Matt two years ago. I really, really miss having a coach. I got to work with the best, so I'm trying to remember everything he taught me. I don't have a gym membership right now, so I've had to be creative, but it's working. I think I'll talk about that in my next post.

Here's my stats:

Weight Lost so Far: - 25 lbs.

Weight to go: 25 lbs.

Goals:

• Run a 5K race on May 16th
• Lose 50 lbs. before August 14th.

If you have any tips for getting over hip and knee pain, let me know. : )

Excited About Races

In my last post I mentioned that I am training for a 5K race by doing the "Couch to 5K" running plan. Just today I found the race I want to run. It's on May 16th. It is so neat how excited I feel to have a real race to look forward to. It is very motivating.

If that race goes well, I think I might consider training for a beginner's triathlon they are having here on August 6th. I would DEFINITELY qualify as a beginner. It sounds kind of scary but fun, too.

I also started a new eating plan today. My mom belongs to Curves and loaned me her book. I was intrigued by their eating plan and decided to give it a try. It is a 30-day cycle, 3- phase diet. Phase 1 goes for 1 week of 1200 calories and higher protein, Phase 2 goes for the rest of the month and is 1500 calories, and then you do a 3rd maintenance phase for 2-4 weeks to give your metabolism a rest before you start the dieting cycle over again. I like the idea of this being slow and easy on my metabolism. I've got a slow one anyway and been a life-long dieter. I'm excited to see how this goes for me. I'll let you know.

I'm creeping toward my 50 lb. goal. I'm approximately 1/2 way there. I wanted to be there by the end of this month, but I'm seeing that is pretty unrealistic. I don't want to do this too fast and gain it back again. My new goal is to be there by summer.

For exercise, I'm doing the Couch to 5K plan three days a week and filling in the rest of the time with videos from Netflix. My favorites are the ones by Ellen Barrett. I love the Pick Your Level Weight-loss Pilate's and even though it is really cheesy, I do like Jillian Michael's Cardio Kickbox. I'm also doing the Bikini Ready Fast but don't worry, I was only teasing about running my 5K in a bikini. The world is not ready for that yet, and neither am I. Ha Ha!!

From Couch to 5K

In the past, every time I've decided to start running, I go gung-ho and end up with a back injury that keeps me from reaching my goals. There is something about spring weather that makes me want to get out in it, so I started feeling antsy to start running again.

My friends are training for a half marathon, and I've been so inspired by their efforts. My first thought was to find a training program for that, but I knew that would be too much, too soon. So instead I decided to start really slowly and build my strength so I don't hurt myself again.

I found a training plan on-line called "From Couch to 5K." I love it! You only run three days a week, which is doable with my schedule, and it starts out really easy. It makes me feel like I can do this even though I've got so far to go to be in the shape I want to be. Starting slow like this is building confidence and doesn't overwhelm me.

I've got this weird thing about starting new diets or exercise plans. I panic and think, "I have to KEEP doing this." For some reason I feel confident with this plan and not afraid of taking it on. There is a local 5K race later in the spring that I'm excited about trying.

I was laughing because I've combined this running plan with the Netflix videos I'm doing on-line. One of my favorites is Self Magazine's Bikini Ready Fast workout. I was laughing as I thought that according to the promises of these two workout plans, I should be able to run three miles, in a bikini, within two months. Ha Ha! Watch out world....here comes Becky! : )

Works For Me Wednesday- Free Workout Videos

We are members of Netflix, and I just made a great discovery on their website. They have a feature called "Watch Instantly" where you can watch movies on your computer, and I found WORKOUT VIDEOS!! All of the "Watch Instantly" movies are free, and you can choose from seven pages of workout videos that include weight training, dance, Pilate's, kickboxing, etc. When you find the one you want to do, you just click "Play" and watch it from your computer. I just finished doing Self Magazine's Bikini Ready Fast workout. I really liked it even if I'm sceptical I'll ever be bikini ready. : )

I'm fortunate to have our big screen TV hooked up to a personal computer, so I can workout from there in the Family Room, but I've also put my laptop on top of our dresser and worked out in my bedroom.

The movies are older (approx. 2005 - 2006 range and older), but I like it because I get easily bored with a workout video, and I don't have to buy or rent these.

Works For Me! : )

This is the first WFMW I've done on my fitness blog. Welcome! If you'd like to see some of my other WFMW posts on my personal blog, Everyday Becky, you can click here.

Make sure you head back to Rocks in my Dryer for more tips.

Brainwashing : )

I've been a fan of Biggest Loser for awhile, but I always laugh when they have that cheesy moment when you know it is a commercial. Jillian or Bob will suddenly start talking to the contestants about the benefits of Cheerios or how they can make a 10 calorie sugar free Jello snack. I often wondered how much Jello or Cheerios or Jenni-O Turkey have to pay for their little plug.

But this time, one of the commercials actually worked on me. They kept talking about how chewing Extra Sugar Free gum would help you get through the three o'clock snack time. The other day I was waiting in line at Wal-Mart and there staring me in the face was a display of Extra Sugar Free gum. My first thought was, "Jillian likes peppermint." : )

So in a trance, I bought myself a pack. The crazy thing is, it is working! I can't believe how much help it is for me to chew the gum when I want to eat. It's my new secret weapon. : )

So here's my progress report:

- 22 pounds so far, 28 to go. Almost 1/2 way there. : )

Focusing On the Prize

It feels good to be back at it. Dieting is painful and hard, but doing it feels good, too. It's like I've woken up and feel less dull. I don't know if that makes any sense at all. I guess when you are getting exercise and not overeating it does wake you up. I'm excited about getting to my goal and enjoying spring and summer in shape.

That reminds me of a quote I heard on the Dave Ramsey radio show last night:

Failures want pleasing methods, but successes want pleasing results

He meant it to apply to financial discipline, but I think it fits exactly with my fitness goals. I keep wishing I could make this easy but easy does not produce the results I want.

I'm still trying to figure out the proper calorie amount for a nursing mom who wants to lose weight. When I'm not nursing, 1200 is right for me to lose about 1.5 pounds a week. The websites I've read say 1500 -1800 for a breastfeeding mom, but that seems high. Guess I just need to keep experimenting to find the right number. I feel like I'm losing weight but our scale is broken so I'm not sure yet. I'll do a progress report on here as soon as I replace it.

So today I am going to focus on the results so I can remember why I'm telling myself no to the over indulgences. There is an old Weight Watchers saying that fits, too:

Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels

My Mii is Chubby!

Well, I'm finally back on here. I did not mean for so many weeks to go by before I wrote again, but Christmas threw me for a loop!

We had a great trip, but all of the driving and being gone for 10 days was tough on our baby and he forgot how to sleep. The sleep deprivation just about killed me, and it took all this time to reteach him. He's sleeping like a champ again, and I feel ready to take on this fitness challenge again.

I haven't lost weight since Thanksgiving, but not gaining any over Christmas was a small victory for me.

I've wanted to get back at this for awhile, but honestly I have been fighting myself to make the commitment. Even this morning I had to fight to eat the right breakfast. I wanted to quit before I even began. I was like a little kid throwing a tantrum. "But I don't want to go on a diet!!!!!!" This is not going to be easy!

I've heard it said before that you won't change until it gets too painful to stay where you are. It just sucks to be overweight. I'm tired of not fitting into anything. I'm tired of feeling tired. I'm tired of being embarrassed about it and afraid I'm going to run into someone from my past and have them see the pregnancy chubbiness.

But it was the Mii that finally did it for me. : ) If you don't know what a Mii is let me explain-

My girls have been saving up to buy a Nintendo Wii for almost a year now. I'm so proud of them for this lesson in delayed gratification. They finally got there and Daddy set it all up for them yesterday. We all gathered in the Family Room to make our Mii. A Mii is a little cartoon figure of yourself that you get to customize. You pick all the features- face shape, hair color, eyes, shirt color, etc. I was holding the baby, so my husband was making mine for me. When you finish making your Mii, you can make it as tall or short, or skinny or fat as you want. As, I watched my husband, HE MADE MY MII CHUBBY!!!

When I protested, he said, "What? I made my own chubby, too. If I'm chubby, you have to be, too!"

Some people get their wake-up call from a photograph or clothes that won't fit. I'm going to lose weight so the virtual me on Wii can get skinnier, too!!! : )

Here I go! It's going to hurt, but it will be worth it. : )