Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Beginning!

Hi there! I'm Jenn, an out of shape scrapaholic!

Welcome to my online scrapbook documenting my personal quest to get IN SHAPE and lose those last 12 pounds that love to hang around on my body. I've lost them many times before but somehow they keep creeping back!

I'm a bit hesitant to put all of this out in the public domain, but I am doing so to keep myself ACCOUNTABLE! I also hope that keeping track of my progress will help keep me motivated in this quest! If you happen to stumble upon this blog, please leave me a comment to keep me going, or share a story about your journey.

A little background...
I have healthy eating habits for the most part thanks to years of Weight Watchers -- see evidence photo below...

What I don't do at all these days is exercise. Other than chasing around after 2 boys, I really don't do anything else. This must change!

I'm 5'5" tall and yesterday I weighed in at 138 lbs. Now that may not seem too bad to you, but I am very small boned so it is quite a bit of weight for me. Also, I think I've been able to keep my weight under 140 for the last year by managing to lose all possible muscle tone - haha. Sad but true. 138 a few years ago would not have looked the way it does on me now. I've noticed many physical changes in myself this last year - more grey hair, age spots, cellulite - even the texture of my skin seems to be changing. I'm always tired. I used to be able to drop 5 pounds easy by just being strict about my diet, but that's not working anymore so I think my metabolism has slowed way down too. I'm only 37, so the bottom line is... I'M JUST NOT READY TO LOOK AND FEEL THIS OLD!

I'm a goal oriented person, so I need to lay out a few to keep myself on track. They may change as I go along but here they are for now (in random order) --
I want to...
(1) lose 12 pounds
(2) be able to run a 5k comfortably
(3) gain muscle tone

I plan to accomplish these goals by exercising regularly and eating healthy. I'm not sure of the timeline needed yet, so right now I don't have a deadline. I do plan to add some small benchmark goals along the way.

Yesterday (6/8/09) was Day One of my quest and I was off to a great start. I started keeping track of my WW points again, and had 23 for the day. I got on the treadmill after work and decided to run (well, ok jog) to see how far I could go and I was able to jog 2.0 miles. It took me 31:00 minutes so I was jogging s.l.o.w. but I did it, and it felt great! I had my 9 year old son take my picture when I got off the treadmill, and here it is (can't believe I'm actually posting this photo on the internet, but it must be done)...

I also did 8 Minute Abs (my favorite exercise video of all time) and some push-ups in the evening. So I went to bed last night very proud of myself for a good first day, but I know I have a long way to go.

This morning brought with it a reminder that the journey is not going to be easy. I woke up and my left hip was SORE! I have had problems with bursitis in my hip in the past, and I so hope that it doesn't start bothering me again. I think I got a little over anxious and did too much yesterday -- going from not exercising to jogging 2 miles was probably not the best idea. So no jogging today, but I plan to do some arm work with weights and the 8 Minute Abs video this evening. Hopefully I'll get back on the treadmill tomorrow.

So if you have made it this far, thanks for reading and please WISH ME LUCK!!

6 comments:

  1. omgosh, that is so funny you started WW yesterday, because I did too, signed up for the online program! It's day 2 and so far so good! I did WW after my second child was born and lost 55lbs, got lifetime, then got preggo again. Now, for about the last year, I've been trying to lose about 25lbs, but have been very yo-yo-ish with it. I keep losing the same 10 lbs that my cellulite has deja vu. So I wish you luck, and I feel your pain!

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  2. Oh Yea Tammy! We can compare point notes now and keep each other motiviated! I did the same thing after my first child and got lifetime. I really think the WW plan works - I just need to add the exercise part!!

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  3. Hi - I'm a bit older than you, but lost 14kg (about 30 pound) with Weightwatchers, then went for a trip to the US and put about 5kg on in 6 weeks. We found it really hard to find vegetables and whole grain bread. My husband and I even shared meals!
    Still, it is a year since we got home, and those extra kg are taking up permanent residence. However, if you can do it - so can I! So take it easy on the exercise to start with, and really watch those points - and drink lots of water. There's no real scientific basis for it, but it does seem to help.
    Good luck!

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  4. Good for you!!! that is an excellent start! I know what you mean about the size thing. I am 5'6" and weight 150. I am small boned. I have NEVER weighed this much in my life. It may not seem like a big deal to some but when u are used to being 125-135 it can be huge to you. keep up the good work and thanks for getting me motivated. I lost weight 2 yrs ago on WW and am just starting it back this week. going to the beach... anyway good to post the pic before and after.
    GOOD LUCK!

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  5. Jenn, are we sisters and I just didn't know about it? I'm a couple years younger and a couple inches taller, but we are almost exactly on the same track! I'm at 150 now (I'm also very small boned) and I'd like to be about 138, so 12 pounds! I, too, have noticed the changes in my skin--ack--and other things you've mentioned.

    I started doing South Beach 10 days ago... I did it two years ago with great results, and only gained the weight back when I threw it all out the window (for many reasons). Anyway, I'm down about six pounds so far (I was at 156) and I'm looking forward to this Sunday when I can reintroduce fruit, brown carbs, and a daily glass of wine into my diet! :) Then I'll start doing cardio--right now I'm eating almost no carbs so cardio is a no-no, so I'm just doing the Wii Fit. :)

    I'll be back to check in with you, so we can BOTH be accountable! :)

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