Sayings of Salomon

This post isn't about Jason, or Elizabeth, it isn't even about Jeff. This post is about me and what I need to do. Let's start from the very beginning, a very good place to start (name that movie.) I always had issues with my weight. I remember being made fun of in Fourth grade about it and between freshman and sophomore years of high school I went to weight watchers with my family, lost quite a bit of weight and learned some great tools. As high school and college continued I forgot what I should be doing and slipped into eating lots and lots of junk. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't slim down for my wedding. In early 2006 I decided with my new husband that I would start taking it off instead of putting it on. The Atkins diet had been going well for his parents so we decided to try that. It worked amazingly! I lost tons of weight that first year and then when the loss started to slow down we got a treadmill.

Senior prom, not perfect, but not too bad.

Wedding, not exactly where I wanted to be.

getting there (Christmas 2006)

October 2007, I loved this dress, but didn't buy it.

poor Jeff looks terrible in this photo, but I look good (Christmas 2007)

I have always hated running I still hate running, but I knew it was the best way to get into the shape I wanted to be in. I still remember the hike we took with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law and I beat everyone up the mountain. It was such a great feeling! I of course had bad times when I strayed from the diet or didn't run enough, but I kept it up until early 2008 when I had an early miscarriage. We had already been trying for a baby for 8 months. I lost the baby around Valentine's day and, although there was absolutely no scientific evidence to support this, I blamed the stress running put on my body a little bit. So when I found out I was pregnant again in May I didn't want to take any chances and I stopped running. I also went nuts with my eating. I gained way more than I should have by the time that Jason was born on February 12, 2009. I knew I wanted to lose the weight again so as soon as Jason started solids at 6 months I went back on the Atkins diet. I did lose a bit, but I wasn't down to where I wanted to be when we took a cruise, then moved and lived in a hotel. I was promising myself that as soon as we got into our new house I would crack down and eat well again. Then I was shocked to find out we were pregnant again. It isn't that we weren't trying, but I was shocked by how easily it happened this time. I knew I couldn't diet while pregnant, but I did reign in my wild chocoholic nature this time.

Christmas 2008, pregnant with Jason and still 2 months to go.

Summer 2009, Jason is cute, but I needed some work

Christmas 2009, I worked on it

about a week before Elizabeth was born

Wow that ended up being way longer than I thought it would be, but I guess it all needed to be written out. Technically I am at my pre-pregnancy weight, but I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be again. I know that I need to start running again and am planning on downloading and starting a couch to 5k running program as soon as we get into our new house (don't worry I won't get pregnant again.) In the meantime we have decided that the Atkins diet, although it has been good to us before, isn't the way to go. It is a great way to lose a lot of weight fast, but as soon as you start eating carbs again the pounds start piling back on. This time I am going to be counting calories and trying to have a very balanced diet. I also want to take advantage of the time I am nursing Elizabeth since I am one of the lucky ladies that nursing makes it easier for me to lose weight. Eating healthy is something I would really like to teach my children, especially since we know that Elizabeth inherited my thunder thighs.

My amazing, shrinking father (stand up straight Dad!)

There are quite a few people who have been an inspiration for me to do this. The first one was...me! I have done it before and know I can do it again. Secondly it would be my Father. I don't know exactly how much he has lost, but he looks amazing and most of that is from eating sensibly and bicycling and here is where he writes about it http://50centuries.blogspot.com/ I also have a friend from college whose story is very much like mine and she has successfully run off the pounds while she makes healthier food choices. My biggest supporter in all this is my wonderful husband Jeff. The other day he sent me an e-mail titled "hot stuff" and it included two pictures of me from 2007 in a bikini. I will include these, but please forgive the bumps, lumps and imperfections.





So I am hoping by writing all this out I will be able to behave, eat well and run! I would also love to shave off a few pounds for our 10 year high school reunion in October.