I’ve been dreaming about buttoning and zipping my pants for a while. I’ve gotten there with a few pairs of my pre-pregnancy pants but I’ve tried to not get too ahead of myself. After-all, I had a baby not too long ago and it took 9 months to change my body’s shape. Of course I can’t expect to give birth and have my body snap right back into it’s pre-pregnancy form. I’m being patient. I promise. But I have decided to start moving things along in the right direction a little bit.
One way I am doing this is by getting back to the gym. Right now not as much as I would like, but some is better than none at this point. More gym time will come as Delaney and I get into more of a routine. The more prominent focus right now is to bring my diet back into alignment with my needs. So in no particular order here are my focuses:
1. My portions and food choices were thrown off. I don’t need to eat like a 9-months-pregnant woman. I’m not growing a baby or needing to gain weight anymore. So I’ve worked to get back into the groove that is my normal.
2. I’ve also worked to make sure that I am eating regularly. Between getting Madeline ready and out the door for school and Delaney’s still partially random eating schedule there were days I was missing out on eating until after noon and then over doing it on whatever foods I could quickly throw in my mouth. Huge amounts of cheese sticks, trail mix, homemade granola bars and whole wheat pretzels. None of which is bad when eaten in moderation. I’m finding my way back to moderation.
3. I was also letting myself fall into the eating out trap because this household has been so busy. Sleep deprivation + hungry baby + busy kindergartner + normal household duties = one not very motivated to cook mom.
4. Worst of all I let myself indulge in sweets way too much. We all know I have a sweet-tooth but a sweet-tooth definitely does not need to be feed all the time or really all that regularly.
So what changes have I made to combat these issues? I’ve been using the MyFitnessPal website and mobile app to keep track of my meals and calories to help me get back into eating the correct portions. Recording my meals and water also has the added benefit of reminding me to eat regularly. I’ve also kept my refrigerator stocked with sliced and prepped vegetables to have quick go-to snacks on hand instead of cheese sticks and trail mix. Luke and I have both agreed to curb our eating out, for one it’s not that difficult to make dinner and for two it certainly is a lot cheaper to eat at home. I’m learning that when it comes to sweets I’m not good at moderation when they are in my house. If we have cookies, candy or ice cream you’re right in guessing that I’ll eat it with reckless abandon. I’m a little better in public at restaurants and gatherings. Basically my fix for my sweets addiction right now is to work on cutting it out as much as possible and focus on eating only good nutrient rich food.
So far all of this is helping a lot. I have more and more clothes fitting with each passing day and the numbers on the scale are moving in the right direction. I’ve set a goal for myself for the end of the year and when I get there I plan to reward myself with a new pair of perfectly fitted jeans.
How do you keep yourself focused on your fitness and/or weight-loss goals?
