Birthday Goal

I just wanted to write here that I have a goal for my birthday, which is in March. I will be turning 30, which is overwhelming because on one hand, I feel like I am maybe 21, but then when I look at everything that has happened, I can see that I am really about to be 30. If that makes sense at all ;D In other words, I don't "feel" old but I am certainly older. That sounds dumb when I write it down, but it's something that goes on in my own mind. Maybe you all know what I mean.

Anyway, my goal is to lose 30 pounds by my birthday. It is a little of a tall order because I have been losing at a slowish rate (2-3 pounds a month) but on the other hand I haven't really been consistent with my diet and exercise. I would have a week on, a week off. So I am starting a consistent effort now. In order to meet this goal, I am doing the following:

-Record my food on livestrong.com, missing no more than one day per week, from now until I meet my goal.

-Get to the gym 5 days a week. If I miss a gym workout, I have to make up for it with a home workout of some kind. If I am sick or somehow unable to work out, I will do something on the days I can't get to the gym, and I will get back into the gym as soon as possible, even if I don't really feel like it.

-No negative talk, self criticism, etc. If I mess up I will just get right back on the horse.

I guess it's tacky but I am not ashamed of it, so I will share -- my weight right now is 172, which is higher than I ever thought I would be when I was younger. Having kids has really made a difference with how easy it has been for me to put on weight. I was at 140 before I had Christopher, and I got down to 155 before Norah. I would like to get back down between 140 and 145 (technically, 142) by my birthday. I was amazed at how easy it was to gain weight during pregnancy. I would never put on 30 pounds in 5 months in "regular life" -- I think there is really another metabolic mechanism that kicks in when a person is pregnant. My hunger was completely different; the way that my body acted towards food and exercise was completely different. And now I am dealing with the aftermath of that, including a sluggish body and perhaps a sluggish metabolism. I truly believe that researchers will find that the pregnant body stores fat in a completely different way than a non-pregnant body. But I still have the responsibility to get the weight off again.

After Norah was born, I came home from the hospital and was at 191. After several months I was only down to 187, even though I had been breastfeeding, moving around, and watching my food intake (eating around 1600 or 1700 calories a day). Technically, this should not have been physically possible according to "calories in, calories out," but it happened to me. So I am suspicious of the "calories in, calories out" theory.

The one system that has worked for me in the past has included limited carbs, no refined carbs, and early morning exercise including cardio of increasing intensity and moderate weight training. So that is what I am doing. Cutting back on sugars is a challenge, but when it comes down to it, it is the only thing that works. I am like an alcoholic, but with sugar -- I will think, oh, I'll just have one cookie because everybody else is having cookies. Then, the next thing I know, I am eating whole candy bars and ice cream and everything else. So I really have to stay away from it. :p

So I will report on my progress. I am looking forward to it, and really hoping for success!