Operation Abs: Week 4

I simply can't believe a month has gone by since I started this fitness adventure! I have to say, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I am now a believer in the philosophy that if you do something for 30 days, you can create a great habit.

For the past 3 of the 4 weeks, I have worked out 5 times a week (the first week was only 4x). This most likely means I went to the gym or did a workout video. On occasion I went for a good long walk with the stroller. But more often than not I doubled up on video days by also going for a walk, usually to Trader Joe's for dinner supplies. I am now addicted to feeling that tired, sweaty sensation and I NEED it to feel like I'm not cheating!

At the gym I've continued with 30 minutes of cardio, usually on the Arc Trainer, and then 15 minutes of strength training. It seems my secret machine has caught on, however, and twice now they've all been taken by the time I get to the gym! Those days I did 10 minutes intervals on the stair master (the real one, not the one where you flutter your feet), running for 10 minutes (almost died!), and then the final 10 on an elliptical. I have to say, I was SORE after those days. I am planning on doing this at least 1 time a week to keep things interesting. As for strength training, I usually alternate between up and lower body.

Of course the area I would love to see the most improvement is my mid section and it's the area I hate to work out the most. I don't know why I hate ab workouts, but I do. Maybe it's because I'm never sure if I'm doing it right. Because of that and not seeing an immediate improvement, I usually just give up, thereby ensuring zero improvement. Anyways, doing Lindsay Brin's Bootcamp 2 video has really got me going. There are 6, 5 minute Core workouts to choose from and I have no excuse to NOT do one. Probably my biggest takeaway from her videos is actually "activating my core" throughout the day by ensuring I have good posture and am hollowing my stomach during workouts. Though I don't have a 6 pack yet, I definitely notice the lessening of the pooch. It still looks nasty when I bend over, but I'm on counting on too many people looking at me from that angle!

As for my diet, I am paying a lot more attention to what I eat. I've taken to making berry smoothies 3-5 times a week and make them with Trader Joe's frozen berry mix, milk, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 1/2 a banana, a scoop of Peanut butter, and a little yogurt (I like Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla the best). They are pretty tasty and replace a breakfast or lunch pretty easily. Though I have to be careful when I make them because my Magic Bullet scares Olivia! I am also continuing to watch my bread and general carb intake and limiting it to later in the day if at all.

Here are my numbers after 4 weeks:

Weight: 126.5 (DOWN 3 pounds from initial measurements!)

Hips: 34.5" (DOWN a 1/2 inch from initial measurements)

Waist: 31"

Below Waist: 33" (DOWN as 1 inch from initial measurements)

Arm: 11." (DOWN a 1/2 inch from initial measurements)

Thigh: 21"
Bust: 35" 

It's hard to say whether others would notice a difference but I do, even if a small one. While my thigh measurements haven't changed, I most definitely notice that they are toned. If they don't shrink in size, that's fine by me, so long as they don't flap back at me when I walk. Here's a comparison picture and you be the judge:

Week 1 is on the left and week 4 is on the right. Not bad, right? I think I look "tighter" for lack of a better word. I'm over halfway to my goal of losing 5 pounds by the end of the year and can't wait to reach my goal!

Operation Abs: Week 1

Until I can get myself situated and into a good rhythm, I figured I would regale you all with my progress and hard work as I get back into shape. I've found I succeed the best when I document everything anyways, and it makes me feel good to look back and see it!

This week I am very proud of myself because made it to the gym three times! The hubby okayed me to sign up for monthly Kids Care at 24 hour fitness so I can take Olivia as many times as I want and pay a flat fee. Believe it or not, this really motivated me because I didn't have to worry about spending $5 each time I went to the gym. Olivia seems to really like going, as do the ladies who work there, and I'm in an out in under an hour.

Another thing I've accomplished is scheduling a specific time to workout at the gym, not just saying I'll go sometime during the day. So, after I've worked a few hours and Olivia takes her morning nap and wakes up between 11-11:30 we head to the gym. Kids Care closes for the afternoon at 1pm, so it works out perfect. After that, it doesn't open until 4pm, and I'm betting it's much more crowded during that time. I like that there are only 2-3 other kids when I take her late morning, because I know she'll get a lot of attention.

After we leave the gym, we usually hit up Target or Trader Joe's and then head back home for lunch. I like that I get my workout in early and can just hang out with Olivia and work the rest of the day.
So, this was my week:

Week 1:

Sunday: rest

Monday: gym- 30 minutes of cardio on Cybex Arc trainer machine and 20 minutes of strength training

Tuesday: gym- 30 minutes of cardio on Cybex Arc trainer machine and 20 minutes of strength training

Wednesday: 40 minutes of walking with the stroller

Thursday: rest

Friday: Lindsay Brin's Bootcamp 2- 20 minutes (cardio workout + warmup and cool down) and additional 5 minute core workout, and gym- 30 minutes of cardio on Cybex Arc trainer machine and 15 minutes of strength training

Saturday: rest (which is good because I a SORE!)

You'd think I get tired of doing the same machine at the gym, but I love it! One of the perks of moving and going to this new 24 Hour Fitness is that it has much newer machines than my old one.  I saw some women on an odd looking machine and saw that it was the Cybex Arc Trainer. The past few years I've been a fan of the elliptical, and then the Precor Cross Ramp machines because they are low impact and have cool workouts that adjust incline and resistance. This Arc Trainer is better than anything I've tried!

It forces you to have better balance, is even lower impact, and I am a huge, sweaty mess when I'm done. Also, because it's so weird looking no one ever uses it and there's always one available.

Aside from my workouts, I've started to take more notice of my eating habits which I think has put me in a better position to get into shape. I definitely have issues drinking enough water, and not because I drink other things throughout the day, but because I'm pretty much never thirsty. So, I'm trying to  keep a water bottle out all the time (I never drink enough if I just have a glass out) to make sure it's on my mind. I've also noticed that sometimes I eat just because I enjoy whatever it is I'm eating, not because I'm hungry. I'm trying to pay attention to my hunger and not eat late at night, a vice of mine once I can finally sit down and watch some TV by myself.  Finally, I try and save eating bread until dinner time because then I will make conscious decisions to eat other things besides toast, sandwiches, pizza, etc. for breakfast and lunch. Sometimes I will make it all the way to dinner and never even have bread (though that doesn't happen very often!). I've also started making 1 smoothie a day to replace a "meal" and I really like the combination of frozen berries, 1 scoop of protein powder, half a banana, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, yogurt, and milk. The only bummer about the smoothie is that Olivia is terrified when I  blend it in my Magic Bullet! Hopefully she'll get used to it :)

Here are my numbers after 1 week:

Weight: 128.5 (DOWN a pound!)

Hips: 35"

Waist: 31"

Below Waist: 34"

Arm: 11.25" (DOWN a quarter inch)

Thigh: 21"

Bust: 35" (DOWN an inch- quite possibly an error the first measurement.)

I'm starting to realize I may have some initial errors in my measuring but hopefully not by much. Even though the numbers may not say it, I put it in a ton of work this week and I'm excited for the day they DO show it.

post baby bod

I'm going to lay it on the table up front: I have never had a problem with weight. I have no idea where these genes came from since both my parents have had their fair share of weight struggles, and my siblings have very different body shapes than I do.  Sure, I don't practice poor eating habits nor am I lazy when it comes to exercise. I DO work hard. But I don't have to be overly strict with myself and that's a good thing because I would DIE without CARBS. I LOVE bread and cheese and I don't think I would be a very nice person if I couldn't eat them.

I wore my high school size well into the first few years of marriage and when I went on birth control I leveled out my weight to a more "adult" weight. No matter what I could do, I could not lose weight. So, I figured that's just the size I was supposed to be and that was that.

Anyways, having had a relatively easy go of the whole weight thing my entire life, I was nervous about what my body would be like after I had a baby. In fact, that was pretty much the only concern I had health-wise about pregnancy. I absolutely watched what I ate while I was pregnant because I wanted both LW and I to be healthy- not because I didn't want to gain weight. When I was hungry, I ate, and when I was full, I stopped. Luckily for me, a lot of junk food didn't sound good and I was happy with string cheese and yogurt for snacks most of the time. By the time I delivered, I gained 27 pounds (I'm pretty sure anyways- the whole end was a blur). I didn't worry because I felt good and my doctor was very impressed with my steady weight gain (as opposed to putting on a ton all at once or the entire 9 months). Which coincidentally helped me avoid stretch marks on my belly, thank the Lord.

I actually got a lot of flack from passersby about my size while pregnant. "You're so small" and "Are you sure you're that far along" were common comments. I personally never felt small or huge, and my petite frame was very conducive to the 27 pounds I did gain. Here's my last picture of me pregnant at 40 weeks + 5 days:

After Olivia was born and I was still in the hospital, I made the deliberate choice to NOT look at my belly, sans clothing. It already felt weird being empty and obviously jiggly. I didn't want to freak myself out when I knew that my uterus was shrinking before my very eyes and much of my chub would dissipate on its own. I was more gracious on myself then I thought I would be!

I haven't done a ton of documenting about myself these past 7 months because I would much rather take pictures of my gorgeous baby, so I have only a few pics of myself.

This is me, 5 days postpartum:

Here I am at 1 month postpartum:

that's pretty much where the picture taking of my belly has stopped. I will say that much of my figure has returned to it's pre-baby shape on it's own, with some, but not a LOT of effort on my part. Just in the past few weeks I have been able to zip and button all pre-baby jeans, even if I have a sizable muffin top. That means my hips have shrunk back and my thighs slimmed down, but my belly is still giving me some trouble.

Weight wise, I am still 10 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight and I want to get back to that weight, no matter what I tell myself. If I'm honest with myself, I probably want to lose about 15 because I wasn't completely happy with my weight before getting pregnant. Despite having at least 10 pounds to go, I know it's not all in my belly. Since I stopped breastfeeding, I assumed my boobs would go back to my pre-pregnancy 34C size. NOT SO. I can't believe I'm saying this but I HATE having bigger boobs. I went up THREE (3) cup sizes to a DDD, and thanks to a proper bra fitting from Nordstrom went down to a 32 in band size. Did you hear me, a TRIPLE D; also known as an E. It's definitely not as glamorous as I thought it would be. I have to buy expensive bras because they don't make cheap ones in large sizes, and many of my shirts are difficult to wear, not because of cleavage, but because they barely stretch over my chest. The odd thing was, they were not this big while I was pregnant or even while I was attempting breast feeding- they got bigger after. I know if I lose the weight I want, a least part of this will come from up top. I wouldn't mind to keep a little somethin somethin', but beggars can't be choosers.

And so, because I have a hard time following through with anything these days and because I'm completely OVER looking the way I do, I'm doing something I'd never thought I'd do: posting pictures of myself on my blog and holding myself accountable.

My mom told me to give myself a year to get back to "myself" and that seems like a graceful timeline to me. I'll take it. Since I haven't done a lot with the first 7 1/2 months, I need to get going. In my efforts to get back into shape, I did some research online and found a fitness expert whose area of expertise is pregnancy and postnatal fitness. After doing a free 8 minute video which got me embarrassingly sweaty, I ordered Lindsay Brin's BootCamp 2:

She's gotten a ton of great reviews and has her own blog/website that documents her gaining and losing weight from her 3 kids. While my goal isn't to get as ripped as her, I know she'll help me get on track.

So, here goes! I don't necessarily plan on updating weekly on my bod, since that's boring to everyone else and I'm scared that if I don't see results each week I'll get discouraged. Here I am a 7.5 months post partum:

Weight: 129.5 

Hips: 35"

Waist: 31"

Below Waist: 34"

Arm: 11.5"

Thigh: 21"

Bust: 36"

I'd have to say at this point, my fitness goals are to tone my abs, arms, and thighs, to lose at least 5 pounds by the end of the year, and to feel better about my appearance. Reasonable right? We'll see!