Running & Weight Loss

Going from watching every single thing I ate, weighing in daily, and constantly worrying about the next costume fitting to the freedom to eat whatever I wanted was like that first weekend away from home your freshmen year of college.  You are free from someone telling you what to do but not yet versed in the experience of real life consequences for the choices you make.

I went a little crazy.  And I gained a lot of weight with my third pregnancy.  It wasn't until my third child that I didn't put on leotards and tights anymore.  I didn't stand at a barre with mirrors surrounding me, I didn't have to face anyone or perform for anyone anymore.  I was happy as a clam in a clamshell...for a season.  M&M's, sure why not?  Venti drinks from Starbucks...ummm YES!  French fries, oh my word YES.  The problem wasn't that I wanted to eat these things, the problem wasn't even necessarily in the choices I made because in addition to the yummy choices, I also ate fruit and veggies...especially salads.  My problem was in lack of moderation, in self-control.

I began to notice that my clothes were tight, then I had to buy new clothes...then those got tight.  *sigh*. Anyone else been on this downward slide?  I was sooooo tired with three kids under five, home almost all of the time because the one thing my kids were good at sharing was germs, craved comfort foods...the excuses mounted almost quicker than the pounds.

Finally I was tired of feeling like cr*p about myself, tired of being ashamed of how I looked, tired of the extra pounds weighing me down.  For two years I worked at it, some seasons more aggressively than others.  Last summer I met my goal.  I lost almost forty pounds.  With my Lose It! App, my scale, weighing/measuring my food, and exercising regularly, the wight slowly came off, pound by pound.  I didn't reach my pre-pregnancy weight, nor my dancing weight...but I was now 37, not 22 anymore, I was good with the number the scale read.

Then last fall the holidays hit and I began to slide.  I didn't log my food everyday, treated myself a little more often (breads, scones, muffins, pies, cakes, and cookies are sooooooo delicious in the fall). Then I went home late winter/early spring for a week and ate home cooked deliciousness everyday for a week.  Everyday I clicked no thanks for logging my food.

What was at first three pounds in November became five in December and reached ten by May.

I was going to have to get serious again.

Each year that passes it gets easier to gain and harder to lose.  So I have been logging my food, making sure my portions are accurate, and walking again.  Finally it's starting to show.  I have lost
two pounds, have eight more to go.

I am using my couch potato to 10K app to train for a 5K this fall.  I was running a lot more a few years ago, but then I tore my ACL & since I didn't have the surgery I have had to be careful to build up the area around my knee.  But I was tired of using that as an excuse.  My ortho doc said I was fine to run as long as I don't do any pivot, or sudden change of directions.  My goals?  Run a 5K by my 39th birthday this fall, a 10K distance by Thansgiving, and a marathon by my 40th birthday.  And lose that ten pounds!!