At the start of the year I did a photo contest for us to have a focus for 2013. For myself it was different than most years, to have a fit pregnancy and get back (or close) to myself by years end. The contest was great and a lot of ladies were brave enough to share their journey or their aspirations for this year (in a public picture no less). Seanna has stayed in touch throughout the year and let me celebrate with her as she has journeyed through this year. I asked her to share an update as we are halfway through 2013. She has had great success, scale victories, non scale victories, but most importantly has come to love what an active lifestyle has to offer. Read her update below! And check out her progress picture!
About me and why I started
I am a single mom of a nineteen month old son, learning to stand on my own after getting out of an abusive marriage. I work full time as a librarian to support my family. Naturally shy and a bit uncoordinated, I struggled with my weight and fitness my whole life. I would never have previously seen myself as an athlete. This past January I weighed in at 213 lbs. at 5’7”, which put me in the obese category. Unfortunately I continued to gain weight after I had my son.
My current weight is 179, so I have lost a total of 34 lbs so far. My goal is to get to a healthier weight for my height, which would be 159.
Feeling overwhelmed and out of control of my life, I could not keep up with my very active toddler. I wanted to be there for my son for as long as possible, so I needed to take controlof my health. To be honest, I no longer wanted to shy away from pictures and to look better overall.
How I did it
I asked for help in order to make my dreams possible. I have a lot of support from family, friends, and co-workers with regards to my changes in eating habits and going to the gym. My mom has stepped up and helped me a lot with childcare so I could go to the gym after work. Ifshe isn’t available, I work out in my living room – no excuses! I have some at home workouts that I learned from my boot camp instructor.
For example: 21-15-9
I do 21 burpees, 21 pushups, 21 squats then 15, and 9 for time.
What does not work for my journey
Having my cheat meals in the morning. If I do this, the whole day falls apart. Instead I have it for dinner. Letting my toddler feed me or feeling like I need to finish his plate. He loves to share, but I did not need all those extra calories. Weighing myself every day. Instead I weigh myself once a week right when I wake up. If I weigh myself every day, I get down on myself and lose focus.
What kept me committed
Setting goals for myself
I competed in a weight loss challenge at my local Y to the best of my ability. This gave me training in a small group twice a week during the 13 week program. I ended up placing second for an individual and my team placed first (there were over a hundred people who participated).
Gave myself rewards for meeting small goals:
10 lbs. a pedicure; 20 lbs. a massage; 30 lbs. new workout clothes; 40 lbs. new running shoes, goal reached – brand new pair of designer jeans
Became a regular in classes at the Y
This way participants and instructors expect to see me there. It’s the good kind of peer pressure.
Found active ways to have fun with family and friends.
Including such activities as hiking and going to the zoo.
How I measure my success
How my clothes fit is my favorite way to measure my progress. I went from wearing a size 16 to now wearing a 10 (that is actually pretty loose right now). Being able to do more difficult work outs, that were not possible for me to do before. Becoming a regular at boot camp classes at my local Y especially helped with that. Keeping a record of how much I can lift. Seeing the increase in how much I can lift makes me ridiculously happy. Women coming up to me at the gym and asking me how I did it.
Current Goals
I am currently training for the Nebraska Mud Run (5k) this August with friends. (I will be dressed as Batgirl since she is a librarian.)
Continue losing fat and building muscle to stay strong and losing those last 20 lbs!
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