Slim Down Series - #1

Did you happen, like over 40% of US adults, to make a goal to lose weight this year? I have made that goal several times before. Of course I have ~ I am a woman. I have had four babies. I have stretch marks and a closet-full of clothes that range in size from 2-16. Anyone with me here?
While I don't ever plan on being a 2 again {there is something to be said for the phrase 'birthing hips'} I am also ready, after two years of chasing my goal, to toss the bigger jeans for good.
That's right, I said TWO years. Sometimes a one year resolution to lose weight & get healthy just isn't long enough. It sure is easy to get sucked in by the before & after pictures on a weight loss protein bar or shake mix box and hope that the contents will immediately do the same thing for you. But in reality, it takes consistency and time.

After my last baby, I was seriously stuck in the weight department. I always gain lots, and I mean like 70 pound lots, with each pregnancy, but was able to work out and eat smart to lose most of it after the first three babies. But that fourth one. Whew! I tell ya. It was a different story. My usual after baby weight-loss routine did next to nothing for that post-fourth-baby-body.

He was born in the summer of 2009. As you can see below, I hadn't lost much at two months out (check out those thighs - yipes!) But I was determined to change. I hired an amazing personal trainer, and with her guidance lost about 35 pounds in 2010. And then, I was stuck again. I was working out and eating relatively well, but couldn't get those pounds to move. I switched gyms, discovered Zumba, designed a weekly workout routine filled with interval, weight and cardio training for myself, and found healthy recipes that I actually enjoy eating. By being consistent with those things, I lost my last 20 pounds in 2011, and am currently at a happy & healthy weight/size! {disregard the seriously cheesball, trying to be a model, sassy face in my 2011 pic - I was posing for my photographer friend's portfolio and got a little carried away!} My fitness goals for 2012 are aimed at firming, toning, and ditching the skirted swimsuit!

The moral of my slimming down story, is that it takes time. It seriously took me a whole two years to achieve my initial goal I made in 2009. But I did it, and would love to share a few little things that were helpful for me...just in case there are any of you that are working on that too!
Today, I'll give you my first tip: Schedule Your Workouts and Keep a Log
Hopefully you can click on this picture and print it out larger at home, or else you will have to write really, really small!
On Monday mornings (Sunday is my rest day so I never plan workouts or an eating plan for that day) I get up early and plan out my workouts for the week. I schedule around our family calendar for the week so I don't run in to giving up the class I was banking on for a doctor's appointment instead. Of course, those things are bound to happen no matter how much you plan...which is why there's also a Workout Record section as well. This is where you have to be honest with yourself and report what exercise you actually accomplished for the day. I like to write down the "when" so I can get a better feel for what time to plan my workouts in the future based on what worked the weeks before. My trainer taught me that in order to lose the amount of fat I wanted, I had to do at least 5 hours of cardio a week, with weight & strength training on top of it, so I planned accordingly.

The Eating Plan is a little trickier for me. I love food. Especially cookies, and bread, and cinnamon rolls, and pasta. You know, all the super healthy things. So, it was a long road to incorporate healthier choices and cut back (I won't say eliminate because that would be fibbing) on all those delicious carbs. I found if I made a meal plan for the week, especially for lunch and dinner - that I would be much more prepared to make and eat healthier meals. I'll be sharing some of my go to recipes in the next post! And, when I kept myself accountable and recorded what I really ate as opposed to what I was planning on eating, I made significantly better choices.

I'll be back soon with my tips on preparing snacks and meals ahead of time so you are ready to eat healthy whenever hunger strikes you!
Remember what Granny says..."You can do anything!"