I thought I would write an update on my ongoing weight loss and fitness goals. It all started waaaaaay back before Eleanor was even a twinkle in our eyes. In fact, it started right here with this first weight loss blog post. I had gained a lot of weight working in sales and it finally got to a tipping point (pun intended) and I needed to do something about it. I started Atkins and also began running. I'll start out talking about Atkins and then move on to the running.
Atkins: Eating Low Carb
You can find out just about everything you need to know about Atkins by reading this book. It was my bible when I first started. Initially I started Atkins as a way to drop weight quickly to kick start my weight loss. It ended up becoming a part of my life and I loved how it made me feel. Essentially Atkins is a low carb diet that helps you drop weight by depriving your body of carbohydrates which your body uses for energy. When your body doesn't have carbohydrates to run on, it goes into a state of ketosis and uses your built up fat to burn as energy. Essentially, it just runs on your fat which is awesome because it basically puts your body on "auto-pilot". You are burning fat when you are exercising, but you are also burning fat when you are sleeping. The lower the carbs you take in, the more your body burns fat. It's as easy as that.
I know, I know, you are thinking "Atkins is TERRIBLE for you! My friend/mom/doctor/brother/cousin/2nd uncle twice removed says that you'll lose weight, but it's so high fat that you'll DIE of a heart attack almost immediately!!" Wrong. While it can be a high fat diet, it's mostly protein and vegetables and last time I checked, neither of those things are bad for you. If you do it right, you can lose weight and train your body not to crave sweets. It's as easy as that. You don't eat sugar, you don't eat many carbs (Phase 1 is less than 30 grams of carbs a day), and you drink a lot of water. WARNING #1: I am not a doctor or a person trained in anything health related. This post is based on things that I have read on Atkins and my own personal experience. As always, you should probably consult a physician before starting a diet or exercise routine of any kind. I'm just saying that it worked great for me and it's also worked great for several people that I know. WARNING #2: Side effects. For the first week that I was on Atkins, I was a GRUMPY BIATCH. I hated everything and everyone and I was MEAN. Sugar withdrawals will do that you. Also, you may or may not want to stay close to a bathroom during the first week or two of changing your eating habits. I had some.. side effects.... that required a restroom fairly frequently. You've been warned.
For those of you wondering what I ate on most days here is a sample menu of what I eat when I am on Phase 1 of Atkins:
Breakfast: Coffee, Hard boiled eggs with mayo, bacon. I would often eat 2-3 hard boiled eggs and 12 slices of bacon (not joking). You can eat as much as you want with Atkins which is a plus because you are never hungry
Snack: String Cheese and beef jerky
Lunch: Chick Fil A side salad with nuggets or a salad of any kind. I would also sometimes eat lunch meat, cheese, and lettuce rolled up.
Snack: Pork Rinds (nom) or Celery with peanut butter (low sugar)
Dinner: Grilled chicken, spinach, broccoli, or salad. Sometimes I would eat steak or ground beef lettuce wraps.
Mission: Become a Runner (and actually enjoy running)
A lot of people tell me "It's so nice that you love to run, I hate it! I could NEVER be a runner!". Well I'm here to tell you that I hated it at first as well. I REALLY hated it. When I first started running I couldn't even run a TENTH of a mile without being so uncomfortable and winded that I had to stop. I made my first goal for running in July of 2009. My goal was to run from the end of my driveway to the turn in my road which was about a third of the way around the pond in front of our old house. I just looked it up and (are you ready for this?) it was 276 feet. Yes, I said FEET. It was .05 MILES! That's a twentieth of a mile. My first running goal was to be able to run a twentieth of a mile. Wrap your mind around that. Anyway, to those friends who say "I can't run!" I will tell them what my grandmother (Nanny) used to tell me when I was a kid. "Can't never could." Words to live by my friends. If you say you can't, of course you won't be able to, but if you say "One day I will _______", the likelihood of it happening is MUCH higher. With that "can do" attitude, I started out as someone who couldn't even run a twentieth of a mile and set a goal for myself. My goal was to be able to run a mile. I accomplished that goal in about 6 weeks. I felt like a million bucks when I did it. I then set another goal for myself. I know what you are thinking, "Oh she's going to say that she wanted to run 2 miles or maybe 5 miles!". Nope. My next goal (and this speaks volumes as to what a type A personality I have) was to run a half marathon. 13.1 miles. Yep, that sounded like a good goal to me. I can barely run a mile, but I'm going to go ahead and sign up for a half marathon. I actually ended up waiting a while to find the perfect race, but I ended up signing up for the Zooma Women's Half Marathon in Bastrop, TX. Hill country. Novice runner. Yikes. Anyway, I completed the 1/2 marathon in April of 2011 when I was (unknowingly) 2 weeks pregnant with Eleanor. Oops. When I did the half, I had only previously ran 5 miles straight. I am not the best at sticking to a training plan. I figured, 6 is close to 13.1, right? Sort of. With the adrenaline and "herd" mentality, I was able to run the first 9-10 miles straight without stopping and I was making damn good time too. I started getting stomach pains around mile 11 and stopped for a (ahem) restroom break. Turns out it was probably my body's way of telling me "HEY! LADY! I'm trying to grow you a baby! Stop running!!" I ended up finishing to half in 2 hours and 50 minutes. Not the best time in the world, but I FINISHED!
Anyway, that was the last time I ran before giving birth to Eleanor. I wanted to keep running, but I think a combination of being burnt out from "training" and being EXHAUSTED as you are during the first trimester, I just didn't. I took me over a year to pick back up and it was like starting all over. Of course after having a baby, your body is totally different, so that doesn't help either, but really... it was tough. It took me a while to work back up to a mile, but after that I was good to run 3-4 at a time without stopping.
Side note: There is a phenomenon known as the "Runner's High". It is real. And it is REALLY cool. Just when you are ready to give up, you keep pushing on and then BOOM, you feel phenomenal and you feel like you could run forever.
Fast forward to Fall of 2012. School had started and I had an idea to start a staff running club at my school, Willbern Elementary. I spoke to the P.E. teachers and my principal, and within a few weeks - voila - we had a running club! It started out with a bang and there were a TON of people. Slowly it trickled down to about 15 of us who consistently went. It was such a great bonding experience which is why I'm so glad that my new principal is allowing me to start one at my new school, Snyder Elementary. More on that later.
Really this started out as an update on my ongoing weight loss and fitness. It veered off the tracks a bit, but I'm focusing now. Promise.
Okay, here goes. I gained almost 60 lbs with my pregnancy. 60. Lbs. Babies do not weight 60 lbs. About 15 of that was Eleanor (and all of the water weight, placenta, etc that goes with it), but the other 45 lbs were pure laziness and Christmas Tree Cakes. Mmmmm Christmas Tree Cakes.... oh sorry. Being pregnant is awesome because you think "HEY! I get to eat whatever I.. I mean THE BABY wants! Jackpot!" And you think it's a free for all. And then you wake up after the "I have a newborn!" wears off and realize... wowzers. I'm a fatty*. When you feel this way, you gotta do something. Or, in my case, you can make excuses for yourself for 9 months (I have a new baby, I don't need to work out, I'm breastfeeding and my milk supply will go down if I lose weight, I'm tired, I'm too busy, It's raining outside, I don't have a gym membership, I'll start tomorrow!) and then bust your ass for 3 months to get the weight off by your self imposed 1 year deadline. Time for some stats.
Wedding Weight - August 21, 2010: 114 lbs I considered myself "skinny fat". I was skinny, but not toned at all. At 5'1" 114lbs is a good weight for me, just as long as I'm toned too.
Pre-Eleanor Weight - April 2011: 122 lbs
With Eleanor Weight - December 2011: 175 lbs
Post Eleanor Weight - January 2012: 155 lbs
1 year "deadline" Weight - December 2012: 124 lbs
Current Weight - June 2013: Fluctuating between 118-121 lbs.
Ultimate Goal - December 2013: 110-115 lbs AND toned.
I still have a little way to go, but I work at it daily. GymPact has been a wonderful help as well as the support of friends and family. I'm not currently on Atkins persay, but I'm always doing a modified version of it. If I have carbs for lunch, I won't eat as many for dinner, etc. I'm very proud of where I am and I'm getting more toned every day.
Here is a before and after pic:
Before: About a month post partum - January 2012:
And After: here is a picture of me yesterday hanging out in the back yard:
Now, granted this is a pretty flattering picture of myself, I can't remember a time when my stomach was that flat before. I still have a pooch (Thanks Ellie!), but it's at least not a "dunlap" (Redneck word: "When your belly dunlapped over your jeans", synonym, muffin top).
Here's to health, happiness and fitness!
*By no means do I mean that everyone over 120 lbs is a fatty, I'm just saying that depending on your body type and your own personal goals, significant weight gain can make you feel bad about yourself. Real bad.
