Just do it!

Welcome to Heather 2.0. This is my blog for my biggest new year's resolution: losing the weight I gained while pregnant....both times. After I had my first baby, I lost MOST of the weight, but I left 10 lbs on. Then I got pregnant with my second, shot up about 50 lbs and have barely lost any of it. My second baby is now almost 8 months old and I'm ready to lose all of the weight.

I'm going to be completely honest on this blog. I hope in this honesty I will feel more accountable and will stick to my plan and goals. I am currently 181 lbs. Being 5'9", this puts me at a BMI of 26.7 which is officially overweight. This is the heaviest I have ever been (while not pregnant). I tend to hide my weight fairly well because of my height, but I have lost confidence in the way I look and I want it back.

My goal is to lose 41 lbs. My plan is to exercise and diet until June. If I reach my goal before June, then that's great. But in order to make sure my goal is realistic, I wanted to give myself enough time. I also wanted to give myself a specific timeframe so that it would be easier for me to really push myself to lose the weight knowing that I don't have to continue that tough lifestyle forever. I know this is not the "normal" way to lose weight, but keep in mind, this weight is mostly due to pregnancies. I gained the weight while pregnant. I truly believe once I get down to my goal weight of 140 lbs, I'll be able to maintain that weight without many problems.

My diet plan is to use Slim Fast for breakfast and lunch and then eat a light dinner. Some people don't think Slim Fast works, but when I have drank it in the past, I really do feel satisfied enough to not eat. I hope it will continue while I'm exercising. If not, I do have backup ideas.

For exercise, I have signed up for an aerobics class on Monday and Wednesday monrings (at 5:45 am....ouch) and Tuesday evenings I have a Yogalates class (a mix of pilates and yoga). I will probably also do some treadmill walking/running and toning exercises.

My diet and exercising will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, January 3. I plan to weigh myself once a week. I also plan on taking photos of myself in a bikini so that I can SEE the differences too. You may want to shield your eyes tomorrow. I'll probably post the pics here. Again...motivation.

So, I'll report back on how things are going periodically. The intention of this blog is to motivate me but to also maybe help other people who are working on the same resolution. Let you know you aren't alone in your frustrations, set-backs, achievements, victories and grumpiness.

I truly believe I can meet my goals. I also think everyone else can too. You just have to decide you're going to do it...and DO IT.