Checking in

Well, here it is December already. My youngest daughter is 3 months old, my middle daughter is almost 2 and my oldest daughter is in the midst of potty training. So where am I on my journey? I am in week 2 of ChaLean Extreme. I decided to use this program after not really being thrilled with Power 90. It's a sound program, just not for me. I really like Chalene after watching some footage of her on the Beachbody website and viewing the Turbo Fire program online. I wanted to start with that one, but after watching a few minutes of some of the workouts, I decided to try ChaLean Extreme and build some muscle first. Being 36 and not having worked out consistently for almost 4 years now, I have really lost a lot of the muscle I had before my pregnancies. So, I took pictures, which was not a pleasant thing to look at, and I took all of my measurements. I started the program last week and have been sticking to the eating plan about 75% of the time. I have definitely noticed a difference in the way I feel now that I am not eating as much junk. I just plain have more energy! That definitely helps with 3 kids to keep up with. I will take my pictures at the 30 day mark and weigh myself then. I am holding off until that time because women tend to focus so much on what the scale says instead of what our clothes say. I would much rather listen to my clothes! I have a weight in mind that I would like to achieve, but I also have a closet full of clothes that I would like to fit into. I don't care how much I weigh as long as I my clothes fit me the way they used to.

planning

So, I had my 3rd daughter 11 days ago. I am now trying to get back into planning mode for my meals. I have been basically eating whatever for the last 6 weeks. I honestly have been too tired to really watch what I ate. Now that's going to change. I planned out my meals for the next week. I also factored in 2 cheat meals because there is no way I could survive without them at this point. I will be starting a post natal workout on the 4th of October that will last 6 weeks. After that, I will move onto to Power 90, and eventually onto P90x. We will see how everything goes. Right now, my biggest hurdle is keeping to a clean eating regimen when I am sleep deprived and have 2 other children to take care of. These next few months are going to be a challenge, but I think I am up for it!

5 weeks and counting

Well, I am now 35 weeks pregnant and feeling it! I hope she decides to come 2 weeks early like her sisters. I haven't put on as much weight this time around, which is a good thing. Either way, I will have a good bit of weight to lose. I have decided on my course of action once I have had my 6 week checkup. I will be doing the Power 90 program. After that, I will move on to P90X. I have checked out both of these programs and they both look effective. Of course, I will have to do my part also. I can't just buy the dvds and miraculously lose 45 pounds. It's going to take a good bit of effort on my part. It will also take a lot of commitment. Now that it's almost time for Karina to arrive, I am thinking about this more and more. I don't want to be fit just so I can look good again. I am going to need all of the energy I can get with 3 children under the age of 4. I know I have an uphill battle ahead of me. But, nothing is worth having if you don't work to get it.

Checking in at the halfway mark

So here it is, halfway through my pregnancy. We found out on Tuesday that we are having another girl. We have decided to name here Karina Rose. My first trimester was not as productive as I had hoped. I only got to exercise maybe 2 days a week. I am going to make an effort now that I an approaching the halfway point of this trimester to weight train 2 days a week. So far, I have only gained 9 pounds which is great for me! With both of my previous pregnancies I had put on at least 15 by this point. I am still going to make an effort to keep my weight gain under 25 pounds this time around. I have one pair of pants from my last pregnancy and they still fit me, which is a good sign. I definitely do NOT need to gain anymore weight in my hips and thighs this time around! I am doing some research on what to do once the baby is born, and I think I will be going back to the Female Body Breakthrough. I was going to try ChaLean until I found out we are moving and I lost my exercise room. I will be joining a gym in October, so that will be when I start my program. Until then, I will be doing a post-pregnancy workout I have. It's all body weight exercises to get you body used to exercising again after pregnancy. I will check in again once I am in my 3rd trimerster.

Just when you think you're on a roll....

Yeah, so I noticed on Monday that I had not started my period yet. I checked my calendar to see when my last period was. Turns out I am almost a week late. So I get out my one remaining pregnancy test and pee on the stick. All the time I am praying that it does not turn up positive. Lo and behold, I am pregnant. So, this was definitely unexpected, but you just have to deal with what you are given at the time. So needless to say, I will not be trying to lose weight right now. I am going to try and only gain as little as possible this time around. I know from my last 2 pregnancies that I really don't need to gain anymore than 20 pounds. The other 15 stayed with me both times. So my goal is not to gain more than 25. I plan on continuing to strength train during my pregnancy. Obviously, I am not trying to gain lots of muscle, but I don't want to lose what I do have. The first trimester is always the hardest because of morning sickness. So I will deal with that as best as I can and try to exercise 3 days a week. So, here we go again!

It begins on Monday!

So, I have chosen the fitness plan I am going to follow. I have written down my "whys". I have taken my old pictures and my old clothes and hung them up on the walls as a visual motivator. All that is left now is to do it. I have had almost an entire year to lose my weight and have been unable to do so. I am taking my last year as a learning experience. I am going to ignore the little voice in my head that tells me that I will never be able to fit into my old clothes again. I am choosing to believe that everything I need to achieve my goals is in me. I am the only one who can change my circumstances. It's time to accept where I am now and know that I can stay where I am at and continue to buy clothes in this size, or I can do something to change my lifestyle and get back into the closet full of clothes waiting to be worn again. Nothing will happen until YOU do something. And don't do it for someone else. It has to be for you and you alone. 2010 is going to be my year!

Trial week

So I did 2 workouts this week. I haven't really been watching what I eat. I will focus on that next week. The workouts are great! It's amazing how you can take a move as simple as a squat and modify it so that every muscle in your body is working. I have been going through my old clothes and pictures from before I had kids. I took several of the pictures and put them up around the house. I also took some of my old clothes and hung them on the wall in my bedroom. That way I have a visual reminder wherever I go in the house. It's nice to have a "why", which I do, but it's also nice to have my old jeans to look at. Jeans that I can't pull past my knees right now. So starting next week, whenever I am tempted to cheat, all I have to do is look at my old jeans just waiting to be worn again. It's an extra motivator for me. I am a visual person, so seeing my old things and pictures of me when I was a size 4 will definitely help me on this journey. What are some things you do to keep yourself motivated?