I’ve been pretty religious about tracking my weight since the second trimester
I haven’t weighed myself regularly in a very long time but it’s one of my favorite things to do now in the morning
I am currently the most I have ever weighed at 155 lbs
This is an odd feeling
I’m not ashamed but actually quite proud
I feel like there’s some kind of pregnancy pride these days to gain as little weight as possible or to look “small” well into the third trimester thanks to some notable Instragrams
I thought the weight gain aspect can be hard to take in during pregnancy – and it’s when you try on clothes and you just feel like you look fat compared to pregnant – but I love how relaxed and kind I’ve been to myself
I eat clean and healthy 80% of the time but I enjoy my treats without restriction
My weight gain is on track and I’m glad I’ve been able to give my little guy that extra love
I have another 10-15 pounds (and 14 weeks) to go in a healthy way and if I gain more I’m not worried about it
I have used various apps to track my weight, meals and fitness during pregnancy
Mostly I use Ovia for the pregnancy stuff and Wellcoin for the food and exercise
It’s fun to keep track of fitness and food without having to log any calorie information or worry about “crossing your sugar” limit
Ovia reassures me that I’m on track with my weight gain and I earn rewards through Wellcoin to use at some of my favorite places, like Whole Foods or Thirst Juice Co While I often forget to take pictures of my food or exercise, knowing I’m earning Wellcoins helps me remember to do so!
With my pregnancy, I don’t focus on calories burned during workouts or consumed during the day
I eat until I’m full, which sometimes means big lunches and small dinners
By taking pictures of my meals with Wellcoin, I don’t have to worry about photo exposure or how appetizing my salad looks because it never does, but it challenges me to hold myself accountable
I also like to log my workouts because I always like to look back at my race training plans for future reference
This month, Wellcoin has a bunch of great rewards that you can earn by logging your healthy activities
Once you have earned enough Wellcoins used as currency in the Wellcoin Marketplace, you can claim your free reward
Free Puma IGNITE PWRcool Women’s Running Shoe
2 free Pure Barre classes in Newton, Wellesley or Brookline
You only need 2000 Wellcoins to earn a $10 Whole Foods Gift Card and since I’m one of the Wellcoin Ambassadors, I’ll give you 500 Wellcoins to get you started
Download the app here or visit Wellcoincom to join me in getting rewards for our healthy behavior
Why not make yourself a healthy snack to bring to work this week?
Did you track your pregnancy weight gain and did it bother you?
Feeling the increased pressure to stay slim for the 9 months?
This is probably going to be the most vulnerable post I’ve ever written
My weight has obviously gone up and down over the past eight years of “maintenance”
Every time I gain a significant amount of weight (10 pounds or so), I start to question if this is the beginning of me gaining it all back
When I lost weight, I knew the odds were against me; according to the statistics, there was a 95% chance that I would gain all the weight back, plus more, within two years
And even though I’ve maintained a great weight loss for eight years now, I never feel like I’m quite “there” (in maintenance) yet
And yet, every time I think I’ve finally figured it out and I feel confident enough to say so on my blog, I gain the weight back
The times I feel good and feel good it’s easy to feel like it will last forever
For example, last year I was 99% sure that I had finally arrived at the place I was looking for – I was healthy, I ate sustainably that made me feel good, and I only did what made me happy
I felt really good about my life in general, and it felt like I would keep that feeling forever
When the weight started creeping up, I became worried
I had a very hard time figuring out what to do about it
I wasn’t a binge eater; I just ate too much in general
Eating too often, out of schedule and too much
My weight tends to jump up in spurts
I remember being around 144 and not too worried – I was “only” 11 pounds over my goal weight
I knew how long it would take to lose the weight (again) and I felt overwhelmed
Recently I stepped on the scale to see 158–dangerously close to my highest weight in 8 years
I felt like it just came out of nowhere
I still haven’t binged, and seeing that number was kind of devastating
Finally, yesterday, I got on the scale and saw the highest number I’ve seen in the 8 years since I lost 125 pounds: 1628
I wish I could say all sorts of inspiring things about how to lose weight and how it won’t stop me from trying; but frankly, I’m very worried that the scale will continue to rise
I’ve tried counting calories again, something that has always worked in the past, but I just can’t stick with it for very long (like a day or two)
Other than my diet, I have NO willpower to run
I want to – I really want to – but I can’t pick up the habit and make it a part of my life like I used to
Every time I run it feels like it gets harder and harder (no doubt due to the weight gain)
If it felt like it used to, where an easy run actually felt easy, I think I’d be a lot more motivated to go out and do it
Feeling out of shape has not only taken a toll on my body, but also on my motivation
I would like to come up with some kind of workable plan to hopefully get back on track and lose weight
I feel like I’m too far away and this is it
That’s when I get it all back
I try not to feel too negative about it, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds
When I say I want to make a plan, I don’t mean a “challenge” (you know I love making challenges! )
I need to focus on making simple changes that I can live with – just like I did in 2009
I may change more as time goes by, but to start I want to set small goals to at least get back into good habits
My first priority is actually not my diet; it’s running
I really want to run regularly again
I miss feeling like a runner and pushing myself to do things I once thought were impossible
When I train cross country, I want to be a good role model
Yes, I know how to coach – but I actually want to be a runner who trains
This picture is from one of my favorite races
In 2010, when I decided to start running for exercise, I made a promise to myself: I would run three times a week for at least 30 minutes…
There are ZERO excuses to keep me from doing so much
No excuses
So, my first plan is to get back into running by going back to how it all started: running three times a week for 30+ minutes each time
As for my diet, I want to try something new for a little while (maybe just a couple of weeks to see how it goes)
Over the past nine years, I’ve learned that every time I gain a significant amount of weight back, I do something new to lose the weight
In September 2012, I tried Weight Watchers’ new (at the time) program, starting at 156 pounds
I started counting calories in August 2015 at 158 pounds
I got down to my goal weight of 133 in November 2015
I kept losing weight without really trying, which I think was from my heart rate training
I naturally chose a way of eating that felt good to me – a modified “intuitive eating” lifestyle
I made the decision to start over in February 2017, and my weight was just under 160
The changes in lifestyle came quite naturally
I was back at my goal weight in June 2017
I’ve recently been trying to go back to these things that worked before, and I just can’t stick with them
The one thing I’ve always said is that I won’t make changes I’m not willing to make for the rest of my life
I’ve always believed that we can reach our healthiest weight by simply eating less food
Eat less often
I don’t think our bodies need as much food as we’ve been taught to eat
I’ve always done this via portion control – measuring or weighing my food to ensure I don’t overdo it
When I ate intuitively, I ate the portions that felt right; and I didn’t force myself to eat unless I was hungry
So I would like to work on a small change right now
I only want to eat when I’m really hungry
Lately I’ve been eating when I’m worried, when I’m stressed, when I’m celebrating something and other reasons, whether I’m hungry or not
Focusing on just that small change will help me feel more in control, and then I can work on another habit
Regardless, running is my first priority, and I am most determined to do it
I went for a run Wednesday morning just because I felt like it (my body is so sore and stiff from working on our house project, I actually thought a run would feel good! )
One thing I know for sure is that I want to do my best to lose weight
I’m not happy with how I look and I’m really not happy with how I feel
I feel sluggish, which is exactly how I felt at 253 pounds
And I can’t stand the thought of being part of that statistic that says I’m going to gain weight again
I haven’t posted pictures of me on my blog for the same reason
I know these are small reasons to want to lose weight, but there are other more serious reasons as well
Running has always helped with my anxiety, and of course I want to be less anxious
Running has made me feel good about myself, whether I was 160 pounds or 121 pounds
Eating too much makes me feel tired all the time, which makes me unproductive; eating only when i’m hungry will make me more energetic
In addition, I have had a lot of pain in my back, neck and shoulders (just like last year when I was in physiotherapy)
I’m sure the extra weight doesn’t help it
When I ran regularly and ate the right portions, I don’t remember feeling so much pain
I am at the highest weight I have been in 8 years
The extra weight affects my mood, health and overall mindset
I am terrified that my weight will continue to climb and I will gain it all back
I want to run again – three times a week for starters – and this is my top priority right now
I will work on eating only when I am physically hungry
I want to lose weight again, not just for vanity reasons, but also for my health and overall well-being
This post is not meant to be a downer or a “poor me, I feel sorry for myself”
It is not meant to make excuses
I’m writing this post because it feels good to get it out in the open and not feel like I’m hiding anything
I’ve always tried to be open and honest on my blog, even though I feel very vulnerable when I write personal things like this
I hope I will have good things to report in the coming weeks
Seeing the 160s was a big reality check, and I finally feel like I’m ready to do this
I will work the slow way (one small step at a time) and eventually I hope to get back to my goal weight (again)