For anyone with weight loss goals.

Do you want to lose weight? I don't really WANT to lose weight...It's HARD work! I don't exactly relish the idea of getting up early and doing my treadmill time. Lifting weights doesn't excite me. But, I do want to be healthy and so I do plan on losing some weight in the coming months: it will probably take closer to a year or 18months.

Every time I have a baby, I gain weight...a LOT of weight. We're talking 50-60 pounds. That's right, 50-60 pounds. I try to be careful of what I am putting into my body, but let's face it, the last month or so I don't care anymore and eat anything in sight. ha ha! And so, I have some work to do.

Before Greg and I had Isaac I was underweight. And so I didn't mind keeping about 10 extra pounds on after he was born. In fact, all my clothes fit better than before because I was more filled out. After Chloe was born was a different story. I decided right then and there that I did NOT need to keep 10 pounds after each child, and I started the hard work of getting the weight off. It took a few months to accomplish it.

Then came Jeremy. Now, I need to back up a bit and say that I do nurse my babies and so I have to be careful how quickly I lose weight. Because right along with losing the weight, I lose my milk. It's no fun to have to supplement all the time like I did with Isaac and Chloe. I'd spend time nursing and then because my supply was low, I'd have to get a bottle ready too. It took a lot of time and wasn't the best start for my baby. So after Jeremy was born, I decided not to lose the weight until after I weaned. It worked out well, I didn't have to supplement with Jeremy at all. The only thing was I had to be content being a few sizes larger for a year.

As soon as he was done nursing, I hit it hard and lost the weight in about 6 months. It was during this time I learned to love running. I always HATED running before, but for some strange reason, I decided to train for a 5K. And before I knew it, I loved running! I always felt amazing when I was done, even though it's torture to go through. It definitely is worth it, and I began to tone up and lose weight and I felt GREAT!

I always love to see how much weight I lose during the first 2 weeks after having the baby. It's amazing! This time I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks! It's always so amazing that I started calling it my "Rapid Weight Loss Plan." You've probably heard me say that a time or two. I think it's pretty funny and so I say it a lot. :) Anyway, I love watching it melt away, but that time has come and gone and now I am not watching anything melt away. Except my dreams of eating chocolate and cookies and crackers, etc.

So, let's talk goals. Do you have any goals? I tell you what, the only way I ever lose the pregnancy weight is to make goals. My long-term goal is to lose 30 pounds. But, I can't just go with that and expect to lose it if I don't make more specific, smaller goals. I really gave this a lot of thought yesterday and decided it is reasonable to lose 5-10 pounds by Mother's Day. I will take it easy so I won't risk losing my milk supply, and yet I will be working towards my goal. In making the smaller goal I realize that decisions I make today will affect what I weigh in 6 weeks. It's not simply saying I want to lose 30 pounds...SOMEDAY. Because honestly, if I take it this slow, it will be awhile before I reach that final goal.

I groan when I think of plateaus. I've only had a few of them, but it was enough to know they are HARD to break through. I'm thinking I am at one of them now simply because my Rapid Weight Loss has stopped and I've been at this weight for about a month. And so the work begins, slowly but surely.

Will you help keep me accountable for my goals? Do you have any goals you need an accountability partner for? Like I said, it's not FUN to lose weight, but it is the healthy thing to do, and I do want to be healthy!!

PS. When the kids see me working out, I emphasize the fact that I'm doing it for health. (Losing weight is a side benefit.) I don't ever want my kids to hear me complain about my weight or how I think I look fat. They don't need to start thinking those things about themselves! But we all do need to make good healthy choices!