Friday, May 1, 2009

Beginning a New Phase

I took an unannounced break from blogging the last few weeks to realign my priorities. There is so much that I need to blog about, but I really appreciated the time off. Over the next few weeks I will hopefully get caught up.

That being said I am starting a new phase in my life. Over the past 15 months I have taken a lot of the focus off of taking care of myself. I don't think this is a bad thing because I have a well-adjusted, bright, beautiful little girl who received my focus (and still will). Now it is time to focus on me a little. I have finally reached a point where I am at my "pre-pregnancy" weight. That's great, right? Not really, see I was actually overweight before I got pregnant, and now it is time to buckle down and do something about it. Is my problem dieting? No. Is my problem exercise? No. My problem is motivation. Once I commit to something I am pretty likely to follow it through. The problem for me is being motivated to make the commitment. Yeah, I don't like the way I look in the mirror, but I could live with it if I had to. Now comes the tricky part....

Let me introduce you to "Motivation by Humiliation". I have taken a lovely picture of how I currently look in a sports bra and shorts. It is not awful, but definitely not what you want to show your friends. I have been planning for the last week my plan of action. I am committing to losing at least 10 pounds by August 31. If I do not lose this weight by that date I will post said picture on my blog for 24hrs. Thus the humiliation part.

I know what you are saying, "10 pounds is nothing", but when you have a medical condition that makes it difficult to lose weight it is HARD. If I achieve the 10 pounds prior to my goal date I will set a new goal weight and goal date. My short-term goal is 10 pounds and my long-term goal is 25 pounds. I will achieve this by a combination of weight-watchers points and calorie counting. I will be starting my first 30 days with Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred-It. After that I will add in pilates, strength training, kick boxing, and core workouts. I am printing copies of my before picture to post on my mirror, fridge, pantry, and car. This will keep from snacking throughout the day and ordering unhealthy drive-thru.

What do I need from you? I need encouragement galore. Being insecure about your body sucks and being unmotivated just makes a vicious cycle. If any of you want to join in feel free and we can encourage one another. If you have tips that worked for you please share.

I am so excited about this and about being confident in the way I look .... eventually. I did my first day of the Shred-It today. I was surprised that I actually made it through it (even if I felt like I was going to pass out for the hour after)!


post signature

4 comments:

Courtney said...

Chach, I'm really proud of you! I know this is difficult to address and something many of us struggle with. You're going to do great! You should get in touch with Kelly if you haven't already because she has been doing WW and just recently started the Shred It workout also. Good luck and know that I'm cheering for you!

Kelly said...

Hey! I started WW in January and lost 13 pounds by mostly focusing on the food, counting calories, and being smarter with what I eat. I am not a huge fan of working out but have been playing tennis (my favorite!!) and doing the Shred a few times a week. I have really noticed a difference and have even had fun doing it!

It's definitely not easy and you can believe I still cave and eat a cheeseburger every once and a while, but that's the beauty of WW. If you need any tips or encouragement let me know!! We're routing for you! xoxo

Alli said...

Rach, I'm proud of you for making such a commitment. I know you can do it! Love you!

md said...

Rach I am so proud of you and know that you can do it! I know it is hard especially to post on your blog but I know that you will be able to meet your goals. Love you!