Slight shift of focus finally yields results

My baby weight has been very stubborn, but I suppose that makes sense since it joined me very early in the pregnancy. So the weight that refused to budge one year after baby, is the same weight that I gained in the first trimester. Sooo not baby related! Really I was just enjoying myself and givinig in to my daily craving for cake. or cookies. or both.

I managed to train for and complete New Orleans and my weight did not budge. On the other hand, I was pleased that I did not gain in the months since Dad's passing. I could have turned to food, especially since I uprooted my life to "handle" things up north. Suddenly I was without my husband, friends, routine social activities and so on. But still, once I focused on the endurance training to prepare for 70.3 miles on the bayou, I expected the weight to melt away. No such luck.

I returned from the race feeling good. I was not crazy sore, even though I had a wicked sunburn, and I felt fit and strong. At the same time, I was tired of being fat. It didn't help that my husband (bless his heart he knows not when to keep his mouth shut) asked if I would work on minimizing my ass when I announced that it was time for me to focus on strength and speed. And focus I did. In the 5 weeks since the race I have concentrated on shorter, faster runs. I take a "butt" class at least once per week. I even have had a few upper body weight training sessions (not my strong suit). Shoot, I even nearly brought myself to puke pace during a self-directed speed training session. The result? I may be a little faster but finally I am seeing a change on the scale. Maybe it's a renewed focus all around, after all, I have started bringing my lunch more and eating more salads. I have returned to the practice of dressing my salad simply with vinegar and no longer with ranch dressing. In the last 5 weeks I have lost about 7 pounds. HUGE for me. I now am 7 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I am 12 pounds from my wedding weight, and I am 16 pounds from my "happy weight"... the point where I feel good about myself and most enjoy shopping for clothes. I finally feel like my efforts are not in vain and I can get back to my "happy weight". It's a place I haven't been in nearly 5 years. I'm ready to get there again... Just in time to start working for baby #2.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Orleans 70.3 Race Report

I registered for this race in February, 2008... almost as soon as registration opened. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and thought it would be a great way to celebrate the baby's birthday and visit with family, plus I would be able to train with a goal and try to lose the baby weight. Well, I still have about 15 lbs of baby weight to lose and training proved more of a challenge than I originally anticipated however - I finished! Little did I know that it would become the largest 70.3 in the world with 3000 registered entrants. Holy Cow! Race morning started just as any other race morning. I woke about 3 AM and got right into routine of bodyglide, dress, contacts, last minute packing, etc. J asked if he should wear jeans or shorts... I quickly put an end to that nonsense with the simple response "Husband, you are not my concern right now". He wore shorts. I mixed up my carbpro drinks that Sandy had given me a week earlier in Austin and pulled my uncrustables ou...
Read more

Amica Ironman 70.3 Race Report

Amica Ironman 70.3 Race Report Providence, Rhode Island July 12, 2009 To say that I had six weeks to train for this race is not entirely accurate. I did train for New Orleans 70.3 and had a 5 week hiatus before I decided to register for Providence. So, for 6 weeks, I ramped up the mileage and focused on outdoor riding and running – which I had not done for New Orleans. Race weekend arrived and I felt prepared, ready to tackle the hills, and I was completely healthy! Jason, Elise and I dropped the dogs at my sister’s house then headed straight to Providence. We made decent time and I could have squeezed in packet pick up, as we arrived into town 10 minutes before closing. I decided to wait until morning, planning to arrive early to beat the crowd and get an early bike drop time. We checked into our hotel, and walked ALL OVER searching for a place to eat. Finally, we discovered not one, but two great restaurants within 100 yards of the hotel. So we ate at one, and made plans for ...
Read more

Jax Sprint Tri 6.22.08

My first triathlon of the season was scheduled to be the Pineapple Man in Melbourne, Florida. Conveniently, two days before the race my body revolted against me and I got dog sick so I made the tough call to bag the race. So my first race of the 2008 triathlon season was the Jacksonville Sprint Tri! It was also my first tri after baby. I was excited and a little apprehensive at the same time. While I'm great at telling others how to train and guiding my athletes, I have been remiss in my own training. My bike had been hanging in the garage since early May. At least I have gotten back to running (slowly) and I did make it out to the lake a week earlier for a great open water swim. This race was to be a baseline for the coming season so I could tell exactly how much the pregnancy, and stubborn 20 extra pounds of baby weight affected me. Sharon and I got on the road at 4 AM and arrived at the race site exactly 2.5 hours later. We picked up our packets and set up transition. I'm ou...
Read more