In December 2014, I weighed 15 pounds heavier than I did when I gave birth to my daughter nearly two years previously.
It wasn’t that big of a deal – 15 pounds isn’t that much, right?
Well, that’s true – but it’s also not true. Fifteen pounds can be a lot – especially when it’s 15 pounds away from your goal weight.
I had started running consistently again in December, but my eating was abysmal. It wasn’t just that I ate; I gorged myself on food. The holidays didn’t help, but neither did I.
January 1, my husband and I decided to start fresh and lose weight. I’ve mentioned the MyFitnessPal app before; it was such a great tool for us. Until then, I had no idea how much exactly I was eating. The app told me to eat 1,260 calories a day. Do you know how FEW 1,260 calories actually are? It’s barely anything!
But I did it. I watched every bite I put in my mouth, counted it, and ran when my calorie count hit zero.
By February, I had lost 10 pounds. By the end of March, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. For real this time, not five pounds near it. It was for real.
However, once I reached that goal, I tried to determine what to do after that. I was still monitoring my calories – but I was now allowed a hefty 1,760, which, after eating 500 fewer every day, seemed like an enormous jump. Tentatively, I decided to lose another five pounds (after all, why not?), but not set the goal to lose a pound a week – maybe just half a pound a week. I was allotted 1,450 calories per day.
Because I had been so conscious on what I ate and how I exercised for the past four months, it didn’t take long to lose another five pounds. Sure, my weight might fluctuate a pound or two from day to day, but, to be frank, I am exactly at the weight I want to be.
And I had no idea what to do.
My husband was still losing weight to reach his goal weight, and I was worried that I would be a determent to his work. I’m easily tempted, and I didn’t want to eat foods that were a poor choice in front of him. Plus, I worked really hard to lose that weight; I don’t want to gain it back. However, I also didn’t want to really lose more weight. I know that sounds strange, but I can’t afford a closet full of new clothes.
But, as I ran five miles on the treadmill, I thought about how routine my exercise schedule is. Run four days a week. That’s it. Rinse and repeat the next week. When 5 a.m. hits three of those days, just say over and over, “It’s just an hour. At 6 a.m., you can have your coffee. It’s just an hour.”
While routine is good, routine is also boring. Therefore, I’ve decided I need some goals for June. I wanted to do the Sisterhood Whole30 challenge, but with a few trips coming up this month, I decided it might be easier to try that later on. So here’s what I’ve come up with:
1. Incorporate at least one non-running exercise into my “routine” every week.
2. Start half-marathon training. Run at least one seven-mile run.
3. Weights. I had plans to do these last month, but life got in the way (more on that forthcoming). DO WEIGHTS at least three times a week.
I really thought about a fourth goal, but I think these three will be sufficient. Basically, too, they’re very similar to the goals I had last month, just a little modified. I still want to run. I do love to run. But I need a little something else to keep me from becoming complacent with my exercise.
It’s great to exercise. It’s great to eat healthy. But once you reach your goal, after all that time progressing toward it, it’s hard to find motivation.
So what to do? You find another goal.
Now, really, I just need to find a half marathon to run.
(Visited 960 times, 1 visits today)