Tuesday, February 5, 2013

My Lifestyle Change

So, I hope you will all forgive me a moment while I write a little bit about a personal experience in my life.  My blog is mostly a "journal" for me and my family.  A place to document the things we do and to post pictures of what is happening in our life. So, I suppose I should document this too!

Well, I decided that I would jot down some of my feelings of my current lifestyle change.  Mostly because it has made me feel so good and I want to remember these feelings.  Especially for when it gets hard and I have to remind myself of why I needed a change!

I haven't exactly been in a "normal" weight for the last several years.  And it of course has to do with several reasons.  Four children in 7 years, living a somewhat sedentary life, not really caring what I ate.  I could probably list more, but those are the biggest.

So, I have known for a while that I need to lose weight.  I needed to start exercising and I need to eat a better diet.  But 1- I hate exercise. Especially those classes and videos that seem so long!  It is almost torture for me.  2- I love Dr Pepper.  I love dessert.  Dr Pepper has been my drink of choice and dessert has been my favorite food group!  So those were my issues.  No exercise and eating a less than stellar diet.

But I was comfortable.  Sure, I didn't look like I had in years past, but I could live with that........maybe!  Well, several weeks ago, I was no longer comfortable.  I didn't quite like what I was seeing and feeling.  I didn't quite like that going up and down the stairs was tiresome.  I didn't quite like that bending over to put on socks was getting harder!  And this may sound awful but it is the truth, I was to the point where I hated to even look at myself! I could get my hair and makeup on, but beyond that I couldn't stand to see myself in the mirror.  Sad, I know!

They say you have to hit rock bottom to make a change.  Well, I suppose you can say that this was my rock bottom. 

New Year's Day was my last day of soda consumption and I promised myself that I would start there. Then it was my diet in general.  .

 
No more sweets. No more runs to Kneaders after 7:00 pm for half price desserts (yes they have such a thing on Saturday night!) I would start sending Kelly to Dunford's on Monday for bread, so I wouldn't be tempted to buy donuts! In my last two pregnancies I had gestational diabetes and had to make drastic changes to what I ate. So, I decided to go back to that diet. I had huge success with it while being pregnant. In fact, being on that diet during those pregnancies, I lost an average of 1 1/2 pounds per week! I figured if it worked then, it would work now
 
 

And then I remembered a friend telling me about a workout video that she liked. It was only 20 minutes long and since she had success with it, I thought I would try it out.  I started Jillian Michaels' "Shred" and I have loved every minute of it.  Remember, I hated to exercise.  I didn't love videos because they were long and hard and my kids always got in the way.  I didn't like to go to the gym because I am easily intimidated by others and I used the excuse of what to do with my kids.....again!  But this video is perfect for me.  20 minutes of intense interval training.  I have stuck with it and haven't missed a day since I started it 3 1/2 weeks ago. 

 
I have lost 13 pounds since my last drip of soda and my last day of non exercising! Some of my clothes are starting to fit differently (in a good way!) and I can run up the stairs and not feel out of breath afterwords!  Oh, and putting on my shoes and socks is no longer a chore!

So there you have it.  A once miserable me is turning into a person who is determined to get fit.  I have made some lifestyle changes and so far so good!  I know it might get hard.  I might wake up one morning and really not want to work out.  I might go out for dinner and really want a sweet treat for dessert. And I have not become "Miss Super Fitness" who doesn't let a trace of sugar touch her lips! I have enjoyed a "treat" from time to time, but I am learning to not over indulge myself! I know that I am not going to be perfect.  I just want to get back to a point where I enjoy being me and I think I am well on my way!