Oh Billy, you sweet talker

The battle against the post baby belly rages on.  Who is winning, you ask?  ME!

Well, this week at least.

My little Reeserton is now 3.5 months old.  At 14 weeks post-partum I am well into the time-frame to think about seriously taking off the flubber.

Youv’e heard it all before from other new mom’s I’m sure:

1.  I want to be able to fit into all my pre-preggo jeans not just that one pair that was all ready a little big and that other pair that I can suck and squeeze my way into after 10 minutes of cajoling my fat.

2.  Who doesn’t want to be physically & mentally healthy, live longer & have energy from working out?  Despite my recent lack of good consistent sweat sessions, would you believe me if I told you I really do want to work out regularly?

3.  I have to be honest, Dave & I are hoping to take a fun-in-the-sun vacay to celebrate our upcoming 10 year wedding anniversary.  Taking a nice pic on the beach and feeling great about the work I put into my bod is, admittedly, very rewarding.

So, here’s the deal…

I hit my post-preggo weight of 163 at 7-8 weeks post-partum.  Just before the blasted holidays I had actually got down to 161.  However,  after spending almost a week staying with my friend Jean who had jars & jars of delicious home-made cookies sitting on the counter, I actually gained 4 pounds that I have only lost now after working on it since Jan. 6.

My plan:

~I’m trying to make better choices foodwise.  I’m intentionally eating 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies a day, more whole grains and thoughtfully considering snacks.  I’m also only buying snacks Dave enjoys so there is no temptation to dig into a bag of say, beef jerky.  My snacks are more hoity-toighty: crackers & cheese, a pomegranate, a weight watchers lemon bar, etc.  I’m cutting out fast food, any drink with calories & no eating after 7pm.

~I’m also counting calories.  This has been so fun to do on my new iphone using the Lose It app.  I just punch in what I’m eating as the day goes on and it tells me how many calories I’m over or under.  Let’s just say for the record, I’m rarely under.  I started Jan. 6 and I’m learning where I keep getting eaten alive -pun intended- with going over my daily allotment.  For example, do I really need 4 heaping tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter with an apple, as opposed to just two? (No, I don’t).

~I’m breastfeeding.  Yep, you read that right.  Breastfeeding mothers can burn a whopping 500 calories a day.  Holla! 😉  Because I’m breastfeeding it’s not safe for me to dip under 2000 calories a day, or lose more than 2 pounds per week.  (which I don’t think I’m going to need to worry about)!  I’m eating somewhere between 2000-2200 calories a day, burning 500 nursing and trying, yes trying to burn an additional 300 a day in some sort of physical activity.  Meaning, I’m able to lose weight by getting essentially 1,300 calories a day.  According to my Lose It iphone app, if I can keep this up until late April I’ll get down to my goal weight of 134.

Whoa, 134?!  Yeah, that was my response too.  Here’s the method behind the madness…

I’m 5 feet & 6 inches.  Around 164 pounds (a pound of over my pre-preggo & 6-week post-partum weight) I was technically overweight.  “Obese,” is what my Dr. said, “on the lighter side,” of obesity he says.  (Gee, thanks Doc).  My ideal weight for my height, and age as a woman is between 118-156.  My Doc tells me I could set a healthy goal somewhere right in between there.  “138 pounds is typical” he says.  This is me 20 pounds ago…

See, I look normal, and not waifish, 20-30 pounds lighter than I am now.  I remember having endless arguments with my students who almost always thought I was getting too thin, when I was at a normal and healthy weight.  The funny thing about this picture is that it was the photographers dress & I had put in on backwards! 🙂

Anyway, I choose 134 for a few reasons…

1)  It’s around about what I weighed when Dave & I got married.  Yep, I was 5 ft. 6 In. then too.  That’s what 10 years of wedded bliss and two babies will get you: 30 pounds!

2) I was 136 a few years ago when I participated in a national body building competition (I know right?! So funny….) Difference is, I was 136 including 10 extra pounds of muscle weight.  I promise you on my life, I looked completely normal.  I looked like a strong, carved out 126 pound 23 year old.  (I was 29)  That was SA-WEET for the entire 2 months and 2 weeks I was able to maintain that body.  That program is ridiculously complicated and gut-wrenchingly painful to maintain unless you are perfect.  Yep, unless you have the will power of a bison, you will fail at the Body-for-Life program.  (I would post my finishing entry picture but some of you seem to think it’s in better taste if I keep pictures of myself in a bikini off the internet.  I wonder why?  J/K, of course)

And finally 3) I figure going from 164 to 134 would feel GREAT — don’t you think?  30 is a nice round number, a reasonable goal for a mom of two to lose.  Besides, wouldn’t it be awesome –if I am able to both lose it and maintain it– if I got pregnant again to not start the pregnancy off “on the lighter side” of obese?

So, today I decided to ramp up my efforts.  I’m at the place where I’m starting to see my hard work pay off.  I’m down to 160, I shoved myself into a different pair of jeans and I’m totally enjoying cooking all these creative recipe’s with fruits and veggies.  But, sweating is what I lack.

I’ve been on a “diet” of major fru-fru work-outs; walking (slow), house work, grocery shopping, carrying around a tubba-tubba baby of 14 pounds, using 5 pound dumbells, etc.  All those things are good and nice but lets all just face facts.  I am not going to have the bod I want on that beach unless I start TARGETING.  Ya’ll know what I’m talking about.

Sexy abs don’t just happen now do they?  (Oh, that they would just grow on trees!)  Neither do sexy thighs, or arms or anything.  I told Dave today that I wanted him to “go on his anniversary vacation with the same girl he married 10 years ago”.  He said, “that’s great, just don’t expect the same guy.”  I said, “You know what, all I care about is that I get to the place where I weigh less than you!”  For our entire blasted marriage I’ve always weighed more than him –arrghghgh, drives me crazy.

Today, I did TAE-BO for the 1st time in years.  I have no gym membership, no desire to go outside into the 15 degree

weather for a run and no treadmill.  I love it when Billy Blanks gets all up in my face and says “You, Grace Biskie can do anything if you put your mind to it!”  I wanted to be like, “Oh, Billy, you sweet talker!”  Well, that is, if he were actually in front of me and not on t.v. And that tiny, insignificant detail that we don’t actually know one another.

It was awesome!  It felt so good to sweat like a mug, stink like a mug, be thirsty like a mug, hurt like a mug and in general torture myself for a good solid 30 minutes.  My reward was entering into my Lose It app – 423 calories burned.

Hurrah for fighting to get my body back.  And thank God for breastfeeding right?  I love it, I love it, I love it.  (And not just for the calorie burning, uterus size reducing benefits). 🙂

For health, for goals, for peace of mind, for cute jeans, sexy thighs, and makin’ your hubby happy, if ya catch my drift, let’s all get healthy!