Thursday, April 22, 2010

Weight Loss Challenge

*** Warning to any men who read my blog . . . this post is about women and weight . . . might want to skip over this one :) ***




After gaining at least 42 pounds while pregnant, I am officially focused on weight loss. It's hard to admit, but I got up to 175 lbs and honestly, that was a week before I gave birth so it's quite possible that I got up to 180. That's 20 pounds away from weighing 200 lbs people. NOT GOOD. However, I got a beautiful, healthy, precious little girl so it was definitely worth it. I didn't exactly hold back when it came to eating when I was pregnant, but now . . .



It's time to buckle down . . .



It's time to get serious . . .



It's time to get HEALTHY.



As my days of being pregnant were nearing to an end, all I wanted to do was get rid of all that weight. I couldn't climb the stairs without getting out of breath, my hips ached like the dickens, and I resulted to "waddling" as opposed to walking. I was borderline miserable. I remember thinking, I can't wait to exercise and move without pain again! Well, that day is here.

My last postpartum visit was today and the doc cleared me to exercise until my heart's content. I won't go crazy (let's be honest I've never been an exercise addict anyway), but I will slowly build up to running and weight bearing exercises. I currently weigh 152 pounds. My goal is to get down to (at least) 130 by the time our family beach vacation rolls around on August 8. That's 22 pounds I need to lose in a little over 15 weeks. That shouldn't be too hard, right? I don't know, but there is an awesome website I'm using to help me stay on track. It's livestrong.com. It is extremely extensive, includes everything pertaining to good health, and all the tools you could possibly need. I've even got my mom hooked on it and she's issued me a weight loss challenge! Really we're more like partners, encouraging each other to stay on track. On Livestrong.com I've set a goal of losing 1.5 pounds per week. I don't own a scale, but I think I'll be able to tell if I'm losing regularly. I'll try to keep you updated on that front. Any words of encouragement are greatly appreciated as well as any suggestions for programs/websites that kept you motivated to lose weight! I think the bottom line is that it takes will power. Not exactly my strong suit, but I am able, I know it. It is in me somewhere. Here goes nothing . . .

2 comments:

Shannon said...

Go Lindsay!!!

I have just a few tidbits of advice...

-Focus on your core strength before getting too intense with the cardio. Lots of planks, crunches, bridges, etc. are so important. I really made a huge mistake in that department and hurt my back... I didn't realize how weak I was after carrying a baby! I guess those muscles get pretty stretched and worn out!

-My former stroller strides instructor always told us that the gluteus maximus burns the most calories since it's the biggest muscle! So work the buns!

-Once you build up a good base with your running, start doing some sprints, like 100-200 yds. Burns a tons of calories and increases your metabolism!

I'm cheering for you! Just remember that we all think you're beautiful no matter what! :)

Lindsay Adams said...

Wow, thanks Shannon! All of that info was so helpful. And I can tell my back is really weak and tight so I'll have to be careful.