And it begins..

[MamaMae]

Hello fellow nerdigans.. My name is Emily; I live in Phoenix, AZ where, baby, it is not so cold outside. I’ve been married for 12 years and we have a 16 month old son. I’d like to pretend that being pregnant is what ruined my figure.. but that’s just crap. What figure I had I ruined all by myself with a poor diet and rare exercise. I don’t want my son to have a fat mama in all his childhood pictures and I’m already having a hard time keeping up with him

Some goals:

1. There is a 5k on February 9th being held at the high school I graduated from that will benefit the orchestra (I was never in the orchestra but whatevs, it’s contributing to my old school at any rate). I can currently walk a 5k without much problem but I want to jog at least part of it. Should I set a pace I want to achieve or just keep the goal as simple as finishing?

2. I’m starting Couch to 5k towards the above goal. I have “started†a few times so the goal this time is to complete the program.

3. Hike at least once a week. Thunderbird mountain is not far from my house and I’ve hiked it before. I can go Saturday and/or Sunday morning while DH watches the minion.

4. Figure out what style of eating/diet I should follow and stick to it 80%(?) of the time.. South Beach? Paleo? E2L? Just counting calories? A combo? I think I need help with this

5. I’m currently 246.6 pounds and have 42% body fat (yikes!) This is just not acceptable. I was 231 in May of this year, I just keep creeping up. I’m so close to my top pregnancy weight (255) it’s ridiculous! By February 9th (which is about 10 weeks from now), I want to see 10 of those 15 pounds gone. This may be especially difficult with the holidays but it’s time to not allow myself excuses like that. One pound a week is not unreasonable.

6. Bring lunch at least 3 days a week if not every day to avoid going out for lunch and eating a turkey melt sandwich with sweet potato fries and plenty of dip (like I did today).

7. Make dinner at least 5 days a week. I’ve been pretty close to this because of a menu service I subscribe to (not sure if I can say which, I need to check the forum rules about linking to outside businesses). I just need to keep this up and really stick to the 5 days a week. The other 2 days can be leftovers or a healthy alternative.

8. Have a salad with every lunch and dinner. I love salad and I actually love salad without dressing so the only challenge with this is remembering and planning ahead.

I’m sure I’ll add to and/or adjust these as time passes.

My pregnancy did leave me with Graves’ Disease (autoimmune disorder that attacks my thyroid, resulting in hyperthyroidism.. you’d think I would get skinny from that but no, after they got me on the thyroid-suppressing meds I started gaining weight like crazy) so that is another reason I need to get a handle on this being healthy thing.

I’m so glad to have found this site and forum!!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Those are really good goals, and you've been very realistic with yourself. The only advice I have to give is on #4. All of those diets you listed work if you stick with them. You might even want to spend your first challenge trying each of them for a week to see how easy they are to follow, then in your second challenge try your favorite out for the whole time. I've had success in the past with both South Beach and counting calories, it's all about which inconvenience is most bearable to you. I like the flexibilty of counting calories because I can have more food options, but any diet plan takes discipline. If eliminating certain types of foods is easier, South Beach or Paleo will work better for you. If portion control seems easier, then Calorie counting may be the way to go.

Welcome to the Rebellion.

[Maj. Bloodnok]

What Tank said. :-)

A lot of people here subscribe to the Paleo diet, but it's by no means the party line. Some of us do controlled fasts, some eat six times a day, some don't eat anything with a face, some will eat anything that doesn't try to eat them first. It'll take some experimenting, but I'm sure you'll find a system that works. The big thing is consistency, and paying attention to how your body responds.

Your goals look very achievable indeed. Go you!

[MamaMae]

Thanks tanktimus, I think I will do that!