The Weight Debate. (Or alternatively: Jillian Michaels, why do you hate me?!)

Tomorrow will mark five weeks since Maddie was born.  I am now fully healed and presently have no excuse to not be exercising every day.  Since birth, I’ve lost 27 pounds, and still have 18 pounds left to lose to be at my pre-pregnancy weight.  In addition to that, I want to shed an additional 20 pounds.  I was unhappy with my pre-pregnancy weight and now I have the opportunity (read: time) to change that.   True to the goal I set before going on maternity leave, I have been learning how to cook.  I take the time to hunt down interesting healthy dinner recipes and I am slowly replacing our current repertoire of dinner options with healthier alternatives.

That, and I’ve started exercising.

I wish I could say I liked exercising, I really do.   Even when I was at my skinniest and fittest, I still hated it.  It’s always seemed like a chore, or time that could be spent on things I enjoy doing.  So, because of my desire to not jiggle and sweat in front of strangers, I’ve started on the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD workout.  Why does  this woman hate me?  20 minutes with her is more than I ever got out of phoning it in at the gym (when I belonged to a gym).   I also know it’s helping, because just three days in and I can see a difference in my endurance (for her punishment). BUT I am SORE.

Also, I am going to plug this wonderful site I found called myfitnesspal.com.  You put in things like your weight, height, goals, how much you want to lose and how quickly, and it sets a calorie plan for you.  You plug in your foods throughout the day and it tracks your calorie allotment, and you can “earn” calories back by doing physical activity.  And… can I just say… I burn 400 calories a day breastfeeding.  Yeah.  Insane.

You also use the site to track your exercise and other physical activity, your weigh ins, measurements, etc.  AND it has a community as well, where you can get and give support to people all in the same boat.  It’s free to use and even has a free iPhone app as well.  I am impressed with the tool and plan on using it every day.

It’s going to be a long, hard slog… of this I have no doubt.  But keeping me motivated is the image at the top of the entry.  That, my friends, is what just one  pound of fat looks like.  You lose even a pound… you lose THAT.

Cool, huh?