My Quest

I know what you're thinking, another fitness blog. I know what I'm thinking, another fitness blog. Great. Who needs that?

Well, turns out I did, do, and will. I am really tired of seeing all the ads in magazines saying take this pill, follow this diet, blah blah blah and poof! The weight supposedly disappears. That's not how it works. I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions for medical reasons, and all decisions should be between you and possibly a doctor if necessary. Ultimately it's your body.

Having said that, I went through first baby weight gain. A lot. I didn't put on an excess amount of weight during pregnancy, but after I had my baby I continued to gain as opposed to losing. At my heaviest I believe I was 190, close to 200. I nursed my baby, and then my weight settled around 175-180. My clothes didn't fit. I was sluggish and tired. I was not happy with my overall appearance. Despite my husband's assurances that I looked great, I felt that I didn't. I tried not to complain about my "extra lovin" left from pregnancy, but I was not happy.

I nursed my baby for a little over a year. I kept putting off working out and eating healthier because I felt that my focus should be on my baby. Not long after my baby turned 1, my in-laws (who are VERY fit) bought a new treadmill and gave us their old one. Extremely lucky right?! Not exactly my first thought. I'm ashamed to admit that I used it to dry some laundry for awhile. Finally I figured I should put it to use, at least once, because they kept asking how it was working and the guilt got to me.

The first night I walked one mile. I didn't push it, just walked and was relatively slow. The next day, I walked one mile again. For a week I walked one mile a night. After that first week, I thought I can really do this! For some reason I felt empowered. It could also be the drop in weight after the first week. So the next week I went up to two miles a night and tried to increase my speed.

Since then, my routine has changed. Also my eating habits have changed. Overall I feel better, happier and love how I am looking! I have had so many personal changes that it's hard to see why I didn't start this earlier! I wanted somewhere to record how I made these changes and what I went through to make my life better. Something to serve as a reminder for me, because I'm sure at some point other little ones will join this family. And when that time comes, I'm going to want to remember how I handled it. So read on for how I lost and am continuing to lose my left over lovin'.