The Secrets of My Success

As a lot of you know, today was my 2 month weight loss check in.  The results are in, and I've lost several inches the last 2 months and I'm down 14.2 pounds!!  It isn't enough to win The Biggest Loser, but it's enough that I can fit into three pairs of pants that I couldn't two months ago.  It's enough that a few more of my shirts fit comfortably.  It's enough to keep me going, keep me smiling, and keep me jogging, of all things!

When I shared my success on Twitter this morning, several people asked me how I did it.  Since my goals, plans, and actions were hard to fit into 140 characters, I thought I would post it here for all to see.

First of all, I have made a few changes in my diet.  I'm not ON a diet.  And I didn't cut much out of my diet.  I switched to Splenda in my coffee, and I eat yogurt with oats in it for breakfast instead of a big bowl of cereal.  I try to buy fruits and vegetables to snack on instead of candy and other "bad" foods.  I have made this biggest changes in my portion sizes.  I still eat pizza, but have only one or two small slices instead of four.  I gave up sodas, but every once in a while, I get a craving.  Instead of drinking a Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper like I used to, I grab a Diet Root Beer.  I buy Lite string cheese instead of regular.  Really, the little changes add up quickly.

Next, I've started exercising.  I'm not talking about four hours a day in a gym.  I'm sticking with 30 minutes, three days a week.  If I manage more than that, great!  My main activity is the Couch to 5K program.  Basically, it takes people who have no experience running through an interval program that builds up to an uninterrupted 30 minute run.  I'm starting week 6 tomorrow.  Friday I jogged (I'm not to the point of running yet.) a full 20 minutes, and I covered about 1.75 miles in that time.  I haven't run that long or far in over a decade!  When I do fit something else in, it's a Biggest Loser workout, yoga, or a Walk Away the Pounds video.

Last, I have a great support network.  My husband is a champ, and lets me go out jogging while he hangs out with the kids.  He's very supportive of my efforts, and proud of my accomplishments.  My mom helps out with the kids when PJ is working.  My friend, Rachel, also did the C25K with me while she was in town.  Plus, I have a great group of online friends who are all working toward the same goals as me.  It makes a huge difference when I have friends to hold me accountable, ask questions about what I've done and how I'm feeling, and can understand what I am going through.  I know from previous experience that I would have given up weeks ago if it wasn't for all of them.

In short, I'm doing all those things "they" say to do: Eat right, exercise, and have a support system.  I wish it was easier, but it's not.  I'm not sure I will manage to hit my end-of-the-year goal (I have 12.5lbs to go), but I'm extremely happy with the progress I've made so far.  It's not magic, but if you have any questions for me, please ask away.  I'm hoping I will have a bigger (smaller?) success story to share with you next month!

One Month Health Update

I know I just told all of you last week that I was starting an exercise program, but I've actually been working on my weightloss goals for a month now.  I'm not anywhere near reaching my goal yet (it's a BIG goal), but I am proud to say that I have lost 10 pounds!  I am at a weight that I haven't seen in about three and a half years, not since before my last pregnancy.  I'm excited!  You probably can't tell by looking at me, but I'm OK with that as long as I continue to make progress.

My next goal is to lose another 15 pounds by the end of the year.  That'll put me at a weight that I can't even remember for sure when I last saw it.  It's obviously been a while.

The biggest hurdle for me is going to be that my workout buddy is going to be in Canada for the next month.  Add that to the suddenly winter temperatures and a week at my in-laws' house for Thanksgiving, and see where I will be struggling.  I'm still going to stick with it.  I will find a way to get the workouts in each day.  I'm not going to fail this time.