Sunday, February 17, 2008

Body Transformation Journey

I decided to establish a New Year's Resolution this year and I roped in about 7 other friends to join me. We all wanted to shed a few pounds and get healthier for 2008.

For me, I really wanted to make a promise to myself to exercise daily and start eating healthier. I did not have a significant amount of weight to lose, but I did want to lose some inches and tone up my entire body.

I have never really been overweight. I have always been able to eat whatever I wanted and did not have to worry about my weight. After turning 30 and having a baby, I realized that my metabolism had slowed way down. Over about a year's time, I gained about 10-pounds. Now, one might not see this is a huge gain, but if I continued to gain 10 pounds every year, I would easily weigh over 200 pounds by the time I turned 40. That thought scared me to death. It also scared my husband! His mother is overweight....actually she is obese. Not only has her weight contributed to high blood pressure, diabetes, bad knees and sleep apneia....she cannot really enjoy her grandchildren the way that she would like to. I know that it has been difficult on my husband to watch his mother decline over the years. When I gained the 10-pounds, my husband was vocal about his dislike for my extra padding. When I wanted to have another baby, he told me that I had to lose weight before he would consider having another child.....that was all the motivation that I needed.....I started Weight Watchers and joined the gym and I dropped 15 pounds in about 4 months.....then I got pregnant. I only gained 30 pounds with the pregnancy.

My baby is now 1-year old. My how times flies! Over this last year, I have lost all of the baby weight and now I weigh about 1-pound less than I did when I got pregnant. What is amazing is the way that my clothing fits. Since starting this Body Transformation Journey in January, I have dropped one pant/dress size already. It has only been 7 weeks and I have lost 7 pounds since I first stepped on the scales. I hope to continue to lose about a pound per week. Our official challenge ends in May - right before Memorial Day. My goal is to buy a bikini and feel confident in wearing it at the pool. My other goal is to be the same size I was when I started dating my husband...well, I have met that goal. Last weekend I wore a little black cocktail dress to my sorority formal....I wore that exact same dress back in December of 2000 to a holiday party with my then boyfriend....now my hubby.

Now, some people look at me and say that losing weight is EASY for me....that is SO NOT TRUE!!! I have to be conscience non-stop about what I put in my mouth. I also HAVE TO exercise. For my body and my metabolism, I find that I need to alternate daily between cardio and strength training. Not only does exercising help me feel better and gives me energy, it helps build muscle...which burns calories a lot faster than fat does.

EATING is my downfall. I absolutely LOVE food and soda pop. I try and always choose diet soda, but sometimes I just want a real Coca-Cola. I have done really well with taking my lunch to work each day and packing healthy food. I just feel hungry - a lot. It is always very difficult for me to pass up sweet treats. I do try and drink a lot of water and green tea, but I still splurge on soda pop daily.

If I am to meet my ultimate goal between now and Memorial Day, I am going to need to commit to following the WW points and stick to them....NO EXCUSES!!! I need to commit to keeping a daily food journal and logging my food consumption and how I was feeling that day...or why I ate what I ate. I need to commit to exercising daily....no matter what!

Life is a Marathon....not a sprint. Same goes for my Body Transformation Journey!

0 comments: