thesearethedays

turquoise doors by flickr user dusiowa

Lately I have been super hungry. All the time. A combination of breast feeding (all the time, it seems) and...well...really, that's my only excuse. We go on walks during the afternoon, but nothing strenuous (yet!), and though I know my calorie intake should be a little higher, I feel like I am too hungry for the calories I'm burning. The good news is that the number on the scale is the lowest it's been since the spring of 2010. The bad news is that I could be doing more, that I have lost muscle mass and that I still have jeans that don't fit like they should. But all of that is my motivation!


Here is my plan: I want to fit into "the jeans" again. I also have a target number that I would like to reach, and it is seven pounds less than where I am right now. Once I reach that number, I would like to lose an additional five pounds, for a total of 12 pounds total. With a combination of exercise and diet I feel confident that I can meet my first goal sometime in June. I think I can do it even before, but I am saying that I will do it in June to give me time to adjust to a healthier lifestyle in addition to having this baby in my life. 


The choice to eat healthy, nutritive food will be easier than the exercising part. I can implement small changes (and a few drastic ones) to our current diet that will make a big difference. I would like to focus on eating localganic foods and going without meat for one or two nights a week. This will be tough; Aaron and I love red meat! It will also require thoughtfully planning meals beforehand. I have written before about meal planning and how it makes budgeting easier and also nixes the dreaded "what's for dinner tonight?" discussion. I will continue to use some of our favorite dishes, but I am also looking for new, veggie-heavy recipes, preferably using raw/uncooked veg. So please share your favorite recipes, especially those that do not require meat!


Making the choice to exercise with discipline will be harder than altering our diets. With Shepherd, I have an added excuse to not work out as often or for as long as I should*. But I am vowing to not let that happen. I started the Couch to 5K program last spring, and I really enjoyed doing it. I am considering doing that when Aaron is home and he can watch Shepherd. When it is just Shep and me, I am going to need to take him to the gym during naps. This will keep me from doing other things, but I am considering it an investment. Laundry, cleaning, etc., can wait. Ideally, once I reach my first goal, I'd like to find a good used jogging stroller on craigslist. I have toyed with the idea of purchasing one in part with gift cards we have not used, but I don't want it to sit unused, which is why I want to set it as a reward for reaching a goal. I would love to take the baby with me as I exercise. 


Last weekend, Aaron and I looked through pictures from high school and college and they made me sad. I looked so happy, and I looked healthy. I looked pretty. I am even happier now, but I am afraid that how I look doesn't reflect how I feel. I want to feel pretty again, and I want to enjoy going shopping and that face in the mirror. I just don't right now. As an aside, I should say, my fantastic husband has never been anything but complimentary of my appearance, even when I was as big as a house at nine months pregnant. I am not doing this because I feel pressured from him. I am doing this not only for myself but for him, and for Shep, too. I want being active and healthy to be something Shepherd understands to be normal as he grows up. I don't want a sedentary lifestyle for anyone in my family, and what better to do than start today? 


PS- I'm still all ears if you have tips you'd like to share on traveling with an infant!


*These last seven weeks with Shepherd have been completely different than I thought they would be. I feel like the days just escape me, and once Aaron gets home, I still haven't accomplished anything! I thought I'd be able to do fun projects, work out, read, etc., on my maternity leave, but taking care of Shepherd's needs consumes almost the entire day.  That is something I simply didn't think would happen! I am working on adjusting my standards of a successful day with my little one around.