It's Time!!!

So this coming Saturday my husband has a huge race he's been training for, for about the past year.  Needless to say, it's made getting rid of the baby weight a little less than easy given the lack of time or consistency in our household.

However, the time has finally come...or will be coming... to get my butt in gear!!!



This is the plan that I think I'm going to start with.  It's a 12 week program, but it's pretty stupid proof.  And, as someone who's never really had to consciously try to lose weight before, stupid proof is great.  It's not like I'm going to have a whole lot of time to meander through my workouts.  And, I HATE HATE HATE cardio.  HATE (in case the first 3 didn't provide enough passion).  Sadly, it's still a part of this but...a necessary evil I believe, at least at first.  I do love, however, that the first 4 weeks are cardio free.  Yea, you heard me.  No cardio.

The theory here?  It's in 3 phases.  Phase 1, build lean muscle (perhaps not lots, and you may not see much, but it'll be there).  Phase 2, do some cardio to help shed the fat and expose the muscle you've been building. Phase 3, merge it altogether into 1 great workout.  I know it won't get me exactly where I want to be.  To get there in a healthy manner I'm probably 9 months to a year away.  However, a 12 month "boot camp" to jump start the program will certainly be a help.  And, I think I'm going to try to zumba my cardio instead of this running business.  It's not that I hate getting my heart rate up, I just hate running.  High impact stuff, it's not my friend.

And the last part of this, which I think I love the most, is the fool proof meal plan.  She doesn't give you recipes (60% of which you'll look at with disgust) like most meal plans have.  Instead she gives you a list of acceptable foods (starches, protein, veggies, fruits, etc.)  Then, in the meal plan it lays out for breakfast to have x number of egg whites, unlimited veggies, and a starch.  The rest of the plans are that way too!  So, you can mix and match.  You can find a favorite.  You can try new recipes, find ways to lighten up old recipes, whatever fits the bill!  While it does take some meal planning on my behalf, I'm way more apt to stick to a work out plan when the ground work for food calculation is done for me, but I can still eat food I like.  That is a DEFINITE bonus!

I think this, in combination with the Lose It app, will certainly be making a dent in this.  They say my goal weight should be 126 lbs and to do things "right" I should be at it this time next year.  I don't think I can ever remember seeing 126 lbs, granted the time I was that weight I probably wasn't too concerned with what a scale was telling me.  I can't say that I desire to be that weight (though I'd be curious what that would look like, and if it would even look healthy on my bone structure).  However, if I can get back down to the size I was senior year I'd be happy.  I'm not overly concerned with the number on the scale once I reach a certain goal (pretty much the weight I was when I moved to Washington.)  It's all about the size and the fit of clothing.  I read a post by Eric at Lean Bodies Consulting saying that, more or less, numbers are worthless.  You shouldn't try to reach a certain weight because some website says you're supposed to be there.  You know you are healthy when you look in the mirror and can be happy with what you see.  THAT should be the biggest judge of where you should physically put your goals, not at a number.  You can be 126 lbs and still be nothing but jiggles, instead of being 150 lbs and being firm, toned, and muscular.  I think that's a pretty fair statement.  Perhaps I'll be brave enough to share the starting picture once I see some progress so I can share that one too!

So, September 24, 2012 I am taking the bull by the horns and working away the baby pudge.  Now, off to find a relatively inexpensive gym so I can take advantage of their free weights.  Though, for the cost of a membership I might just be better off buying a set.  Sadly, our plan doesn't reimburse us exercise equipment, only gym memberships.  Gah.