Monday, February 21, 2011

Postpartum Shape-Up Weeks 4 & 5: "Before" and "In Progress" Photos

A month into my postpartum weightloss adventure, and I am officially down 10 pounds! My clothes are fitting better, and I’ve even zipped up a couple of pairs of pre-pregnancy jeans. Things are going so well that I'm even feeling brave enough to show some "before" and "in progress" shots:

The photo on the left was taken on January 16, the night before I began my own twist on the No S Diet. I was about 10.5 weeks postpartum, and I weighed 156 pounds. The photo on the right was taken just yesterday on February 20. As of this morning, I weigh 145.6 pounds.

Although it's easy to see that my overall shape has changed for the better, what really surprised me was the difference in my face. Those cheeks are looking less chubby, indeed!

Seeing these photos has given me a renewed sense of motivation. I've been a bit lax on the eating front this past week, due to Valentine's Day and two celebrations for my dad's birthday. I also missed my scheduled Couch to 5K workout yesterday due to a cold/flu bug and a mega February snow storm.

I ate well yesterday, though, and will be back at the gym as soon as I'm feeling better. The question is... do I move on to week four of Couch to 5K, do I complete one more week three workout and then move on, or do I start week three over again entirely? Hmmm. (Thoughts?)

Although I feel energized by the progress I’ve made, I can’t say that the last month has been easy. Why? Well, the truth is that if you want to maintain a healthy weight, eat great food and be physically fit, you pretty much have to do the exact opposite of what most people do… most of the time. And that is hard.

Most people are overweight. Most people eat poorly. And most people are inactive. I say these things not to judge "most people", but to underscore just how hard it is to make a change.

For the past month, I've had to say "no, thank you" to the near-daily office treats, the restaurant lunches, the moms night out appetizers, and the post-kiddo-bedtime sweets that have tempted me. And I can't tell you how many times I've succeeded in saying no to the aforementioned diet traps only to hear a well-meaning friend, colleague or loved one (or voice in MY OWN HEAD) say to me, "But it's a special occasion!" or "Everything in moderation!" or "You don't even need to lose weight!"

But is it really moderation when every other day is a "special" occasion? And just because you're thinner than a lot of other people, does it really mean that you shouldn't attempt to lose excess weight?

Like I said, it's hard. We are not a country — a culture — that does moderation very well. In fact, our sense of normal has become so skewed that I'm not sure we don't even know what moderation means.

So although I'm no diet or fitness expert, I can say with certainty that if you want to be healthy, you must be prepared to swim upstream. But hey, that has to burn extra calories, right?

Current Weight (taken morning of 2/21/11):

145.6

4 comments:

Tribe of Adeline said...

Angie, You look fab! Keep up the hard work. Summer will be here someday and you can wear that cute swim suit. Love, Margene

JennyF said...

Congrats - you look fabulous!! I did the couch potato to 5k program -- you are in better shape than you think (especially since you did it once before) so I would move on to the next week's regimen. You can do it!

The Jahnkes said...

you are looking great. Seeing the side by side is really shows how well you are doing. Keep it up, you are doing awesome

Kate said...

Awesome. the couch to 5K program is calling my name again too.
Kate

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