Before and After

FYI: I have taken some "before" photos, but I don't have the guts to post them. So I am going to post them along with my "after" photos as soon as I reach my goal weight. I can't wait to get to that point. Nothing fits me right now and it's driving me crazy!

This is the transformation I'm going for. :)

Working Out

I went back to the gym today for the first time in months. I'm going to start out with just walking for the first week or two. Then I will start running and adding weight training again. Exercising is pretty hard when you are completely out of shape, but I don't think it will take too long for me to get back into it.

The Plan

Diet:

I'm going to count calories because it has always worked for me in the past, and I will stay around 1,800 calories.

I'm also going to try to Eat Clean as much as possible.

Exercise:

I'm going to get back to the gym and workout 3 or 4 times a week.

Pretty simple, right? I hope I can stay motivated.

The time has come...

to lose some weight!! I just had my 2 week post-partum check-up on Wednesday and I am 6 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. However, I was not happy with that weight, so I am making the goal to lose 15 pounds.

That sounds a little bit daunting, but I know I can do it. I am not liking this post-baby body at all. The muffin top thing is so last season. So follow along as I attempt to get lean and healthy. yay!

Also, is anyone else trying to lose weight? Let's do it together!

Eating Clean... again

So, I haven't been paying much attention to nutrition lately (see last post), which makes me feel awful since I am pregnant and all. But the past few days I have been re-reading The Eat Clean Diet and looking through the Eat Clean Cookbook. Its good stuff, folks. I really miss eating that way.

The books motivate you to eat as healthy as you can, even if you're not eating "clean" all the time. Just looking through the cookbook is motivating. Everything is so fresh and natural.

I'm not gonna lie, it is hard work because it is so different from the way that most of us eat (lots of fat, sugar, and processed foods). But its worth the effort, even if you can't give it 100%.

I'm going to start trying more of the recipes and I will post the best ones here as I go. Good luck to you all in your efforts to be healthy.

There are thousands of clean recipes out there, but these are just a few from oxygenmag.com, which is a magazine based on the Eat Clean Diet.

Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

Citrus-ginger Salad

Berry Yogury Parfait

Walnut-crusted Salmon

Packed Pasta

Eating in the first trimester

The first trimester of pregnancy is crazy. I feel like a completely different person. I'm having extreme food aversions and then some cravings as well. It is a lot worse this time around than it was with Paige or with my second pregnancy.

When I'm deciding what to eat, I don't think, "what would be healthy?" Or "what sounds good?" Its no longer a battle between wanting to eat crappy foods and knowing I should eat healthy foods.

I now think, "what would taste OK if it came back up?" Or "what could I eat that doesn't make me want to gag just thinking about it?"

So basically, I'm in survival mode here. I just eat things that don't sound disgusting. Yesterday it was Minestrone soup. Today its watermelon and Macaroni & Cheese.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Change of plans

Well, I never reached my goal weight. Bummer. And now that I'm pregnant I obviously wont be triying to lose weight. So now my goal will just be to eat as healthy as I can and exercise more so that I can have a healthy pregnancy and not gain more weight than I should.

I am thrilled about this pregnancy, so I'm going to try not to be discouraged about the extra 5-10 lbs I'm starting out with. I think I will post my belly pics on here and maybe this can be my pregnancy journal. Wish me luck for a healthy pregnancy!!