26 by 26

Usually getting pregnant causes people to pack on the pounds, not so much for me because for the majority of my pregnancy I couldn't eat without puking or wanting to puke.  I gained 20-25 lbs, never got the exact final weight because I went into labor close to a week after my last doctor's appointment.  Baby Eve was a significant 9+lbs of that, and I lost the rest of the weight (probably mostly water) in about a week.  But, like most women who have had babies know, everything shifts and nothing looks the same.  I have a saggy baggy belly and my hips haven't gone back into place.  Four weeks after giving birth, my body image is not so good.  

Last summer I lost around 20lbs before I got pregnant, simply because I needed to lose weight, I still had another 25lbs till I reached my goal weight, but alas, I got pregnant and couldn't continue with my goal at that time.  I have decided to continue with that goal this summer, but to make it more catchy Mike suggested I change it to 26lbs by my 26th birthday (9/24) pretty much exactly 17 weeks from tomorrow.  Because I am breastfeeding Evie, I have to be careful not to lose weight too quickly, this amount of time allows me to lose about 1.5lbs per week which is perfectly safe.  I will not be starting my plan until Tuesday because I want to have the memorial day bbq be my last gluttonous hurrah.  Breastfeeding women aren't supposed to have very restrictive diets, so I will be focusing more on the exercise, and just trying to eat healthier and cleaner, not necessarily counting calories.  I will be documenting my progress on this blog, this will be a great motivator for me!

The Plan:

Weeks 1, 2 & 3

Exercise: Walking 2 miles 6 days per week, core strengthening 3 days a week (I don't get cleared to run until 6/13)

Diet: Cut out refined sugars, try to eat only when hungry. (I tend to be an emotional eater)

Weeks 4, 5 & 6

Exercise: Walk-run 2 miles 5 days per week, gradually increasing the amount of time running, alternating core, legs, arm weight training.

Diet: Eat mostly whole grains and complex carbs, eat at least two vegetarian dinners per week.

Weeks 7-17

Exercise: Continue running, increasing mileage at a .5 miles per week till I reach 5 miles (week 13) then increase speed gradually, run 4 days a week, cross train 2.  Continue with weight training routine 3 days per week. 

Diet: Continue with previous goals, eat more fruits and veggies, try to make most food from scratch.

Wish me luck, I will be posting about this next week.