Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Weight Loss

I'm a list-maker. I love making lists. And one of the things I make lists for a lot are my own goals for myself.  And since before I gave birth to either of my children (and my eldest will be 12 this year!) one of my personal goals for myself was to lose weight.  

I've struggled with my weight since I was in my early teens.  I remember being so self-conscious about my weight as a teenager that I stopped attending extra-curricular activities that I loved to do.  It makes me sad looking back on it but it's how I felt.  

After giving birth to E and then The Littlest the number rose steadily.  First it was 10 pounds that I needed to lose, then it was 20.  At the beginning of 2017, my BMI (body mass index that looks at weight versus height) said that I needed to lose 30 pounds to achieve a healthy height to weight ratio.  I figured something had to be done finally.  I couldn't just keep making lists making my intention known that things needed to change. I need to actually change. 

I ended up losing a total of 16 pounds, more than half of my weight loss goal.  And I felt incredible about it. Sadly, I went on holiday and lost my rhythm.  When I came back I had jet lag to deal with then a week-long cold and I also had to face a lack of motivation after such a long time away from my routines and good habits. 

During my weight loss regime, I weighed myself only once a week.  I downloaded a calorie counting app onto my phone and started keeping track of what I consumed.  I added a bunch more water and vegetables into my life and I became a vegetarian for several months. I limited chocolate and fizzy drinks to a minimum but did not cut them out entirely. 

Every weekday I got up 45 minutes before everyone else and alternated my routines. I jogged (I don't think it counts as running, necessarily) two mornings a week and I did circuit training in my living room the other two mornings. Both the running and the circuit training lasted around 30 minutes.  On Wednesdays, I had a lie-in and gave my body a break.  Every day as well as these exercise routines, I also did at least 10,000 steps though usually more.  

I'm writing about it now in the hopes that by talking about it ... sharing how wonderful this all made me feel, I'll be energised and excited again to get back into it.  It felt like something amazing that I was doing, transforming my life and my body into something healthier, leaner, more fit. 

I'd very much like to finish the year at least having met my weight loss goal of 30 pounds lost.  An ideal BMI. I'd love it if 2017 was the year that I made my own change happen.  Wish me luck. I'll keep you updated! 

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