The Shamrock Run

Signing up for fun races is such good motivation to get my booty off the couch and work out. The Shamrock Run downtown Indianapolis is actual 4 miles, which was a fun challenge, especially since the furthest I've ran since I have been back to working out is 3 miles. Actually to think of it, I am pretty sure I have  not ran more than 3 miles in over 2 years!

I only ran 3 times to prep for the race -but all of my other workouts have helped tremendously! Between spinning and HIIT workouts on the treadmill my pace and endurance have endured vastly- even better than what I was running before I had Macy... Yay!

My brother Tracy signed up with us, and since we also did the Drumstick Dash on Thanksgiving together, we've decided to make it our mission to run a race on every holiday! Seems like a great tradition to me.

The city was buzzing with green attire, silly outfits, and plenty of green beer and Irish music to go around. Great motivation/distraction to keep me going for the 4 miles. My friends Janet and Lisa also did the race and I was excited to have some running buddies because Kyle and my brother both are much MUCH faster than me. Kyle ran in less than 32 minutes- crazy town! I came in at exactly 40 minutes, which was good for me! When I first started running after Macy my pace was around 11:15. So to run at 10min/mil for 40 minutes is definitely an improvement.



Kyle and I with my brother, Tracy, before the Drumstick Dash -love our new tradition!

3 of us ready for the Shamrock Run

The hubs and I right before we started

The crazy packed start line



About 2.5 miles in. I loved running towards the city.

After the race fun! We did it!

Auntie Carol stayed behind to hang out with Macy girl while we ran

Our Midtown friends that ran it too.

Next up: Race for the Cure and thinking about doing the Women's Half Marathon!

Yummy Eats

We all know the key to weight management starts with what you eat. In the past when I have lost weight I did it more so by calculating calories in/calories out. How those calories were consumed (pizza, apples, Lean Cuisine) didn't matter. And at the time it worked. However, the older I get the more I am considered with being healthy and wanting to fuel my body with more nutrients and less processed yucky stuff. Also, when I stopped counting calories the weight would come right back on. Now I don't count calories at all, instead I just fuel my body with the stuff it needs.

Other's blogs and Pinterest have been my two main sources for yummy ideas on what to eat, recipes, and more. For me, being prepared is what keeps me on track. So I must constantly have ready-to-eat yummy healthy items available at all times. To be honest, its exhausting. There was nothing I hated more a couple months ago than going to the grocery store. Now I have to go every week. I also hated cooking and packing my lunch before bed- but I knew that being healthy would come with more work, and in the end it is so worth it!

Sundays are my favorite time to food prep and if I don't have time to do it then, I usually try to when I can on Tuesdays.

Below are some of my favorite eats so:



Egg whites with lean breakfast turkey sausage and fruit



Yummy delicious No Bake Energy Balls



Pesto Quinoa Salad



Skinny Chicken Salad: Traditional chicken salad recipe but substitute mayo for plain nonfat Greek yogurt



Taco chili (made with ground turkey) found on Pinterest



Got to love a taco salad! Made with ground turkey and reduced sodium taco seasoning.
Homemade guac (the easy way): 2 avocados, 1 lime, 1 container of fresh pico de gallo, and salt and pepper to taste




"Salsa Chicken" Just baked chicken breast with salsa on top. So easy! Served with fiesta lime rice

Egg muffins- also so easy! Egg whites, veggies, lean turkey bacon or sausage. Bake at 350 degrees for 25min.



Chicken tortilla soup in the crock pot. Sliced avocado on top instead of cheese.
1lb shredded chicken (I just put in frozen breasts and shredded at the end), 1 large can whole tomatoes,1 can enchilada sauce, 1can black beans, 1 10oz package of corn, 1 small can green chiles, 1 can chicken broth, medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 cups water, 1 tsp of: cumin, chili powder, salt. I threw it all in the crock pot for about 7 hours. It was delish!



Stuffed Peppers -cheese for the hubby, none for me.



Grilled chicken, asparagus and mashed cauliflower "potatoes". Not going to lie- the cauliflower was not my favorite! Still searching for a good recipe.



Spaghetti squash and ground turkey marina- one of my all time faves! Spaghetti squash is so dang easy. I cut it in half, put one of the halves in a microwave safe bowl with a touch of water and cover with saran wrap. Then zap it for 10 minutes. Take it out and fork out the squash- viola! I do it again with the other half (only 1 side fits in the microwave at a time). 



Yummy delicious "bean soup". I literally threw a couple of things together one day and it was SO YUMMY!
I shredded a rotisserie chicken, added 32 oz reduced sodium chicken broth, a can of: white beans, kidney beans and rotel tomatoes. And then add 1 tbsp of cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Let it simmer then add 4 big handfuls of fresh spinach in the end.


I am still finding recipes each week to add the list. Of course there are more that I have made but these have been my favorite so far. What I look for is: is it A- easy and B- tasty. If it meets both of those requirements than I call it a success!

The New Normal

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It's time

It's time. It is finally time to get myself back in shape and lose this baby weight (that I thought was going to magically fall off). I have enjoyed being a new mommy and having this time off work, eating like I was still pregnant, and lounging around holding my presh Macers all day... but the time has come to get back to reality. The reality that I will be starting work soon, the reality that if I don't lose this weight sooner than later it will only get more difficult, and the reality that no, I am not "one of the lucky ones" who looks fabulous immediately after popping out a human being.

The Breakdown:

My weight has always fluctuated in a plus or minus 10-15lb range. I could look at cake and gain 5 pounds, then think about working out and lose it. With that I managed to maintain for the better part of my life in the 130-140lb range. That was until I got married... until I started eating meals with someone each day that could eat whatever he wanted. We ate the same things and, unfortunately, ate about the same amount of things too. So before I even got pregnant I managed to sneak up to about 150lbs. I was fat and happy. So next comes the (unexpected) pregnancy. We definitely wanted to start having a family but first planned on saving more money, take more vacations, and I wanted to lose weight before I got pregnant -knowing that gaining more would only make it worse. Well none of things happened and here I am, 10 weeks post partum, with a mountain to climb ahead of me.

Stats:

Weight gained during pregnancy: 43lbs ((did I mentioned how much I enjoyed eating my way through my pregnancy?))
Weight lost so far: 23lbs
Weight to lose to get back to pre-pregnancy weight: 20lbs
Goal weight to lose: 30lbs

30lbs. Ugh, that sounds terrible. I have never had to lose that much weight in my life, and I know it isn't going to be easy. I know that it is going to require to give up things that I like (mostly sweets!) and to be disciplined in every area of my life.

I have 2 weeks before I start back at work and would really like 2 strong weeks of workouts and clean eating. Once I go back I will be working long 12 hour shifts, will be around pitch ins and a McDonald's in our lobby, and will not be able to workout those 3 days. -Which yes, I probably could work out those days, but the thought of having something take up any more of my time after being away from my babe for 12 hours just doesn't seem reasonable. But that does leave me 4 days a week to work out, so I'll take that.

I am not going to go on a "diet" like South Beach or Atkins.. I am just going to eat better. Knowing what to eat isn't hard (veggies=good, fries=bad) the hard part comes in having the will power to make good decisions. For my workouts I will continue to do/finish the C25k program and run more as well as add in some strength training -will probably do Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred a couple days a week. I've also got few blogs that I like to use as inspiration like my friend Brandi's blog. (you should check it out, she's bascially a celebrity!)

Setting this goal is intimidating, because the thought of not reaching it is heart wrenching. I want to be my best self for health reasons, for my husband, to be a good mom -but mostly for ME. So here it goes... Wish me luck as I take on the biggest feat of weight loss I have ever had to endure!

The hubby and I on our honeymoon- weight: about 130

July 2012 -weight: 170

6 Weeks PP: All about me

Monday I had my my six week post partum check up. It was nothing exciting (except that I got cleared to have "relations" and get in the pool again!) I have lost about 25 pounds of pregnancy weight -which means about 20 more to go :-/ I, unfortunately, am not one of those people who "lost all my weight in the first two weeks!" I am breastfeeding, so I am convinced there is at least 5-10lbs on my chest as it is! Also, I got a new form of birth control inserted in to my arm called Implanon. It was weird, kind of felt like a tracking device was inserted in to my arm (think Hunger Games). But basically it is a a little capsule that is good up to 3 years, and it has no estrogen so it is safe for breast feeding.

Bandage from the Implanon insertion. Please excuse the drainage/bruising

My last month of pregnancy I remember fantasizing about getting "back to my old self" and just kept saying... I can't wait to feel like ME again! Little did I know, that was never going to happen again. I don't feel like my "old self", I am now a "new self". My body is completely different, my thoughts are different, my time is different. My entire day and schedule is based on the needs of someone else, I sleep only when she sleeps, and my needs are only met once her needs are. It truly is a lesson on how to be selfless. You love with out being loved in return. I have never had to be selfless before, but since the day I brought Macy home, I have been a different person. With all of the giving though, I must say, I am so thankful for the help of my husband! He is always thinking for me, and intentionally takes the baby so I can take a long shower, a nap, or go run errands by myself. He even booked an HOUR AND A HALF massage for me for my birthday!

Sweet Macy and I the day after my bday, on the 4th

About 2 weeks after I had the baby I started to realize the toll the pregnancy took on my body. The more weight that fell off, the more I could see what my body had gone through. As someone who has had body issues since I was a little girl, I really had to protect my thoughts against hating my new body. The stretch marks, loose skin, no muscle definition- it is not easy to look at in the mirror, and the thought of having to get in a bathing suit, especially around my kid-free friends, is going to be the toughest. BUT, at the end of the day, I know it is just another sacrifice you make for your children. I had such a great pregnancy, I have a healthy baby, I guess something had to give, I can't have it all. ((This is what I tell myself to feel better))

At 4 weeks post partum I did start running on the treadmill about 3 days a week and it has been really nice. It takes some strategic planning around Macy's schedule, but I always feel so much better after. I am looking forward to cooler weather and getting of the house more with the jogging stroller. The hot weather has given me a terrible case of cabin fever! I am definitely going to do my best to feel better about myself, my "new self" that is.

Couch to 5K program, a baby monitor and the treadmill... My new way of working out!

I write this entry to say- it isn't easy being a new mom, sacrificing your time or body- but it is so worth it. It is God's calling for my life to be Macy Jane's mommy and for that I am grateful. I mean seriously, she is the cutest, sweetest little thing I have ever had the joy of being around!

My heart explodes just looking at this picture!