Problems, Problems, How ya Gonna Solve 'Em?

I've written before about wanting to be more fit and healthy....
I've written about my concern about my size.....
my weight....
I wrote about how I felt as big as a house while I was pregnant....
how I was forcing myself to embrace the bump and deal with the weight later....

yikes. i still had over a month to go.

Well. The time has come.

I recently had a discussion with Nakiah (he's 10) about making bad choices, which causes problems.... I explained that in life when we do things like that we have to work hard to correct or fix the problem. Later it dawned on me that this applies to my current situation as well.

I'm not over weight because of the pregnancy... in fact, I have recently been working very hard and have lost 35 lbs. total since the day I gave birth. I'm 5 lbs. lighter now then I was when I got pregnant. I was overweight before him. I consistently made bad choices with my diet (think toooooo much fast food, and going from not eating at all to eating candy all day.). I worked out sporadically. I did not take care of myself.  Everything and everyone else came first.

What have I been doing to fix my problem? Lots of healthy eating.... tons of veggies, fruits, protein. Regular meals (attempting 3 meals, and 2-3 healthy snacks). Smart choices at restaurants. Regular exercise.

typical lunch these days....

when what I really wanted was pancakes i ordered egg white omelette with feta/spinach/tomatoes instead... and you know what? it was delicious.

It has not been easy.

For the first few weeks I felt deprived (of junk, really). I felt down in the dumps. How did I let this happen? Why can't I just be one of "those people" who get to eat whatever they want and not show it on their frame? I was ashamed, and mad, and frustrated. Then I started to make better choices and I started feeling prouder.. i got more energy... i felt like i was making progress.

I've been crowbarring workouts into my day. 30 minutes while one kid is at basketball. a long-ish run right before a band concert. workouts in the garage with weights. gym. runs outside in the snow. whatever I can get, I take it. even if I'm tired, or if it's the last thing on earth I want to be doing. One night I even had a 20 minute solo dance party in the living room... just to be moving. (ok, I also LOVE dancing... even if it is like a lunatic around the living room)

I'm getting faster, and can run for longer periods without stopping. I even sprinted some of this....

So changes are happening. The scale is moving (down, luckily). I'm feeling better about myself. More in control. Balanced (my, one little word, for 2013... balance). For the first time in about a year and a half I actually liked what I saw in the mirror after my run then zumba the other night.

I'm feeling stronger. Happier. I've still got a ways to go... but I am on my way. and nothing feels better than putting in the work and actually correcting all of those bad decisions I made that compromised my body for so long (oops, there went my 20's).