The dive and glide

I grew up down the street from the neighborhood swimming pool and have many memories of swimming and diving and general playing in the pool. In particular we kids would always challenge others to swim the length of the pool without taking a breath. I always prided myself on the fact that I could do it but I had a secret strategy. It was all about the dive. If you could dive in and glide really far without using much energy the rest of the pool was a cinch. If you had to start right in the water without any momentum the job was a lot harder.

After pregnancy those first few weeks are kind of like that dive. I always lose a lot of weight in that time and it gets me going so I can lose the rest. I also never really know how much extra fat I have to lose and how much was just water weight until that time. I remember after having Elijah - where I gained like 60 pounds - I lost 33 pounds in that first three weeks. With Andrew it was less but only because I only gained 36 pounds total - which was great for me. So this time I was anxious to see how much I could lose with the dive and glide. I was hoping to get to 169. That was probably a VERY unrealistic goal since that would have been like 40 pounds. It started ok - as you can see on my chart. But it must have been a bad dive because at about 2 weeks postpartum I stopped gliding. In the past 2 weeks my weight hasn't gone anywhere which means it's time to accept that I weight in the 180's - my Dad's weight when he's feeling too heavy - and get working. It's hard to accept but hopefully I can get swimming well enough to get my momentum going again so I don't have to accept that weight for too long....50 pounds to go!

Wish me luck!

Fat Blogger Gets Famous!

It seems someone else thought blogging would be a good way to chronicle weight loss...
This guy lost an amazing amount of weight and blogged about it all. The only problem is that it isn't as interesting to me now because he's done - that seems like a good reason to open this blog up to everyone I know. Still, here are some of his tips:

Fact Box
Muata Kamdibe's Tips

1. Calories count! If anyone tells you differently, keep your hand on your wallet and back away slowly. Feed your brain to lose the weight. Educate yourself about the weight-loss process to create your own way of eating.
2. Establish a realistic plan to accomplish your goals. Having an epiphany that you need to lose weight is not enough.
3. Lie to everyone else about your weight if you'd like, but there is no room for lying to yourself anymore.
4. Read both sides of the debate about saturated fat and cholesterol. There's more than enough information available to make an informed decision about a diet that is good for you.
5. If you can't do 20 strict form push-ups and chin-ups, then you shouldn't think about touching one dumbbell. Bodyweight exercises are enough to build the body that 90 percent of the fat guys and their women really want!

Well, I guess I'll go post about this on my other blog....here we go!

Well, I've started on my slimfast. I actually really like it because it takes the thinking out of the whole thing and it helps me remember how little I actually need to eat. I also use their website for motivation and more tips.

I've also come up with my running schedule to get me going. I love making charts and can't wait to get started with this one. Because I can't run before 6 weeks postpartum I'll be walking short distances for a few weeks. I am so out of shape that's the best way to start running anyhow. Here it is(click on it to see it larger):
In the bottom half of each box is the distance I'd like to go - and in the top half I fill in what I actually did that day. This is my first 6 weeks and I'm going to do it first thing in the morning to burn more fat. I also included a quote and some upcoming races to keep me focused and motivated. After a while I will choose a race to set as a goal and I'll let you all know about that.

Wow.

A few months back Mike and I were watching that show The Biggest Loser and I remember that there were some girls on there towards the end of season who were so happy with the weight they had lost and what they had achieved. I couldn't help thinking, "Well, gee, they're still like 185 pounds - they're still totally fat." I forgot about that until today.

I went to Target to get some clothes to fit into so I could stop wearing my maternity pants. While I was in the fitting room I happened to glance at my reflection in the mirror behind me. You know the kind of dressing room that has a mirror in front of you and behind so you can see your whole outfit? Well, that was the kind. And what did I see? Well, all I could say to myself was, "Wow." There in the mirror was one of those girls from TBL! And then I realized that I do now weigh in the 180's just like they did. And then I realized that if I was on that show that I would be one of those fat women pulling tires up the hill in all of their sick obesity. I was and still am flabbergasted. I had no idea what I had become. It was like seeing a stranger in the mirror. I came out feeling a little dazed and every few minutes I found myself uttering, "Wow." again under my breath. And thus it begins.

I went for a walk today and tonight I ate some celery with raisins and peanut butter instead of the cookies Mike made. I have 50 pounds to lose. Wow. Guess I better get started. What is the fastest that one can lose weight after having a baby? Is it possible to lose 50 pounds in like 4 months?

~Megan

p.s. I got size 16 pants - not size 14. Gee.

p.p.s. No, I do not think that girl in the photo is fat - I just couldn't find one of a girl before the show was over and they are still chubby.

Day 9 - 185 lbs.

So, this morning I put on some size 12 jeans - and they are way too small. But I didn't take them off - I'm just sitting here in front of the computer in a ridiculously tight pair of jeans. I'm not going anywhere so I figured it was ok. For some reason I like to do that to myself when I'm losing weight. It's almost like a reminder of how far I am from where I need to be. In this case I have to take it in smaller steps since size 12 is NOT where I normally like to be. But it feels like a slightly normal size when a size 14 or 16 is really getting into darker territory. I won't be happy until I am in a size 6. Now when I say, "happy" I don't mean happy - I mean satisfied with my weight. I'm pretty happy now - besides the fact that I'm crazy because of my changing hormones.

I wonder what the measurement differences are between a size 14 and a size 6. Hmm...

So I went and looked it up at GAP - since I usually wear and like their jeans the best. Here's the skinny - pun kind of intended...

So , let's see...

I have 5 .5 or 6 inches to lose on my hips - maybe more...and 6 inches on my waist - now I know this isn't right since I've got my "empty house" - a new term I learned for a postpartum belly. But those are some starting figures just to think about.


Since it has only been just over a week since the surgery, I am still not able to drive - let alone exercise. I am thinking in the next couple weeks I will start taking small slow walks. Then eventually get to my running. Until then...