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Busy working mom - 22 of 40 lbs down!
Soybeaner
Posts: 126 Member
Hi All – long time lurker first time poster here. It is my 35th birthday today plus I had my assessment with my trainer last night. With all of that I thought I would post my progress to date!
My story is a bit different in that I do not massive weight to lose. My goal is 40 lbs and that will put me in the best shape of my adult life. I am over half way there with 22 lbs lost.
Background – I am 5’ 6 and have been a few pounds overweight since high school (155 lbs). It crept up to 170 lbs just before I got pregnant with my daughter. I gained 40 lbs with the pregnancy. She was born in April 2011. I lost all the weight plus a few more by October 2011. I maintained at 164 lbs until March 2012. That is when we started trying for our second child. I had three pregnancy losses from March 2012 to November 2012. The last culminated in a D & C at 14 weeks on November 28. My body gained some weight with each pregnancy. That plus the stress of the continuous losses put me at 184 lbs the day of the D & C. Please, I prefer not to focus on the losses but my overall story.
After the last pregnancy loss I decided that the only thing I can control is my body. Perhaps if I worked on my fitness and health we would be blessed with our second child. I called a personal trainer in early December and began my process. I used MyFitnessPal intermittently from December 2012 to April 2013. In April 2013 I bought a BodyMedia Link. I linked it to MyFitness Pal and got serious. I will be at 80 consecutive days logging tomorrow!
I have a wonderful husband, very demanding stressful full time job I love, and a busy toddler. I do the majority of the housecleaning, cooking, household organization, and running errands. I do day and overnight trips for work several times a month. I also work some in the evenings to get caught up with my day. What other excuse can I provide? I do not have time to plan meals or work out. It takes commitment to make the time! I work out two nights a week with my awesome trainer. I run two nights a week after my daughter goes to bed (post 8:30 pm). I try to run two mornings a week (5:00 am) with a friend. I consume on an average 2000 calories per day and burn on average 2550 calories per day. I am in this for the long haul. Not a drastic calorie reduction I cannot sustain over the next 50 years.
How did I start exercising? Two nights a week with a trainer – weights and body weight exercises. I started with C25K in late December and can now run 3.1 miles in under 35 minutes. I now run 4 days a week. If my husband is gone for work I can’t run while my daughter is asleep so I go over my lunch hour. That’s right. Monday this week was 95 degrees and humid over lunch. It was hot, humid, obnoxious conditions. But that was my opportunity to exercise so I did it. Commitment is key.
Hopefully the graphs show up. Success is not linear! I hit a TWO MONTH plateau along the way. You want to know frustrated? Try a two month plateau. That is when I bought my BodyMedia. It helps me on a daily basis know my calorie expenditure. Some days I sit at my desk all day. Some days I am on my feet all day. My calorie burn varies by 1000 calories per day depending on what I am doing. The first graph is a snap shot since January. The second is my progress since starting with BodyMedia. Yes, I admit to being an almost daily weigher. I am a scientist by trade and adore statistics and data. The more numbers the better.
You read all the way through this – now for some numbers and pictures!
If you made it all the way through this here is the synopsis. I make time to eat right and work out. I work out twice a week with my trainer and run 4 days a week (2 to 3 miles at a time). Take pictures and measurements. I really wish I had a decent before picture.
It takes time and commitment. It does get easier as you get used to counting calories. I still have snacks and treats. I just account for them. Stress and lack of sleep really mess with me. I make an effort to manage my stress. I try to be asleep by 9:30 pm and up for the day between 4:30 and 5:00 am. You can do this!
My story is a bit different in that I do not massive weight to lose. My goal is 40 lbs and that will put me in the best shape of my adult life. I am over half way there with 22 lbs lost.
Background – I am 5’ 6 and have been a few pounds overweight since high school (155 lbs). It crept up to 170 lbs just before I got pregnant with my daughter. I gained 40 lbs with the pregnancy. She was born in April 2011. I lost all the weight plus a few more by October 2011. I maintained at 164 lbs until March 2012. That is when we started trying for our second child. I had three pregnancy losses from March 2012 to November 2012. The last culminated in a D & C at 14 weeks on November 28. My body gained some weight with each pregnancy. That plus the stress of the continuous losses put me at 184 lbs the day of the D & C. Please, I prefer not to focus on the losses but my overall story.
After the last pregnancy loss I decided that the only thing I can control is my body. Perhaps if I worked on my fitness and health we would be blessed with our second child. I called a personal trainer in early December and began my process. I used MyFitnessPal intermittently from December 2012 to April 2013. In April 2013 I bought a BodyMedia Link. I linked it to MyFitness Pal and got serious. I will be at 80 consecutive days logging tomorrow!
I have a wonderful husband, very demanding stressful full time job I love, and a busy toddler. I do the majority of the housecleaning, cooking, household organization, and running errands. I do day and overnight trips for work several times a month. I also work some in the evenings to get caught up with my day. What other excuse can I provide? I do not have time to plan meals or work out. It takes commitment to make the time! I work out two nights a week with my awesome trainer. I run two nights a week after my daughter goes to bed (post 8:30 pm). I try to run two mornings a week (5:00 am) with a friend. I consume on an average 2000 calories per day and burn on average 2550 calories per day. I am in this for the long haul. Not a drastic calorie reduction I cannot sustain over the next 50 years.
How did I start exercising? Two nights a week with a trainer – weights and body weight exercises. I started with C25K in late December and can now run 3.1 miles in under 35 minutes. I now run 4 days a week. If my husband is gone for work I can’t run while my daughter is asleep so I go over my lunch hour. That’s right. Monday this week was 95 degrees and humid over lunch. It was hot, humid, obnoxious conditions. But that was my opportunity to exercise so I did it. Commitment is key.
Hopefully the graphs show up. Success is not linear! I hit a TWO MONTH plateau along the way. You want to know frustrated? Try a two month plateau. That is when I bought my BodyMedia. It helps me on a daily basis know my calorie expenditure. Some days I sit at my desk all day. Some days I am on my feet all day. My calorie burn varies by 1000 calories per day depending on what I am doing. The first graph is a snap shot since January. The second is my progress since starting with BodyMedia. Yes, I admit to being an almost daily weigher. I am a scientist by trade and adore statistics and data. The more numbers the better.
You read all the way through this – now for some numbers and pictures!
If you made it all the way through this here is the synopsis. I make time to eat right and work out. I work out twice a week with my trainer and run 4 days a week (2 to 3 miles at a time). Take pictures and measurements. I really wish I had a decent before picture.
It takes time and commitment. It does get easier as you get used to counting calories. I still have snacks and treats. I just account for them. Stress and lack of sleep really mess with me. I make an effort to manage my stress. I try to be asleep by 9:30 pm and up for the day between 4:30 and 5:00 am. You can do this!
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Replies
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Great job! Keep up the hardwork!0
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This is fantastic. First, your inches lost around your midsection is phenomenal. I love the excel table. Nice idea. And secondly, I agree with no excuses. If you have time to sit and eat and gain weight, you have time to pay attention.0
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I love this. Never thought this but now that i have the words i don't think i will ever lose them...Thank youIf you have time to sit and eat and gain weight, you have time to pay attention.
To the op You are doing wonderful. I'm glad to know i'm not the only one trying to sleep by 9:30 so i can get up early. WTG0 -
One more attempt to add graphs and resize pics!
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This discussion has been closed.
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