Jump up jump down jump up jump down

I started Lean and Fit about 4 months post-baby. I remember when I started, there were alot of things my body just wouldn't do. Whether it was because I had a c-section 4 months earlier, because I was about 70 lbs overweight, or because I was just plain lazy, I don't know.

One of the exercises that I couldn't do was jumping on and off the step. Said step has 4 risers. The goal of station is to jump on and jump off (two footed jumps) without stopping in between, as soon as your feet hit the ground (or the step) jump.

They always give options for each exercise if you want to minimize impact, have a sore back, sore knees etc...so the option I always went with was running on and off the step and I was even slow at that!!

They have this exercise, or a derivation thereof, every two or three weeks I'd say. As I've mentioned before, my goal for each class is to do better than the class before. So each time I met the step, I'd try to do a two-footed jump on it. But it was like I just couldn't lift my body. Thinking about it now maybe I just didn't know what muscles to use. Or maybe it was the lack of faith in my body. Or maybe I was simply scared.

Last month I finally was able to jump up and down. But it took a lot. I would pause up to 3-4 seconds after each jump (a jump is defined in my mind either up OR down, not up AND down) and when the station only lasts 45 seconds, you can see how few I did each time.

But today. Oh today, you would be so PROUD! I DID IT. Up, down, up, down. Landing only for as long as it took to leave the ground again. I was actually tearing up. Ok, so maybe it was just my eyes sweating, but I was beaming. I did it. I couldn't do it a few months ago, and now I can. It's times like this I love my body, I love what it can do.

I probably tell my husband once a week how happy I am that I've gone back to this gym. It's my crack. I'm addicted. I love it. If Jeff were to say to me - I'll take care of the boys for the afternoon, spend it as you wish, I would go to the gym. Is that sick or what?

14 weeks

And look at me already! I peeked on the scale and it shows a 3 lb gain since I got pregnant. But I really think most of that is the treats from this past weekend. Last night I did groceries, cut up veggies for snacking, bought laughing cow cheese with low fat crackers for snack, lots of fruit and have some meal ideas. Feeling a bit more in control then I have been the past week or so. No more sugar for me. I say no more but I'm sure there will be a little treat on the weekend but definitely no more over indulgence.

Update: God I'm fatter than I thought! Not anything to do with the pregnancy but it's funny how pictures show you how you actually look and not how you think you look!

Christy - 1 Treats - 0

I've been allowing myself a treat a day (some days more) the past couple of weeks. It's kept me going through the day and I haven't seen it's affect on the scale yet so I keep doing it.

The treats range anywhere from a 300 calorie bowl of ice cream to a 100 calorie bag of popcorn to a 70 calorie popsicle.

I just know myself and once treats become a daily routine then more treats and poor eating creep into my routine. Commonly used phrases by me are "I had ice cream last night, I may as well have a muffin this morning", which was exactly my train of thought a few minutes ago. Instead it was "I only had popcorn last night so I can afford a muffin this morning". I even opened up my purse to scramble together some change.

Then I went to my lunch bag and took out a container of cut up veggies and dip (fat free sour cream with onion soup mix) and had that instead.

Isn't it amazing how powerful you feel after avoiding a mishap involving sweets??

Today was the first day I had to use the old elastic band through the buttonhole for my pants. They are a size 9 and fit everywhere except in the stomach. By this time with Carson I had gained close to 10 lbs and was just fat everywhere. This time I'm forming a kind of cute little stomach (I can feel it hard underneath my layer of fat, nice description eh?) and I'm proud of it.

Trouble in paradise

I'm finding the time after work and before dinner to be quite impossible to NOT snack.

During this time, I make a little snack for my kidlet and start to make dinner. And I'm hungry. Tonight I ate two spoonfuls of peanut butter dipped in jam. Seriously. Isn't that sick? And while I was doing it, I actually thought to myself "Heck, I've eaten this, I may as well eat whatever I want to. I'll start my diet on Monday".

I haven't thought that in AGES. I've been maintaining my ten pound weight loss for a couple weeks and maybe it's because I haven't been losing or gaining... that my motivation has slipped, I've gotten too comfortable and then these old but apparently not forgotten thoughts re-enter my mind.

I was at the grocery store tonight (after going out to dinner with friends, I shared Carson's dinner and got an appetizer for myself and took half home) and was actually strolling down the CANDY aisle trying to decide between mini rolos and M&M's. I stopped in my tracks, shuddered and turned around without looking back.

Time to refocus. Time to remember why I want to lose these last ten-ish pounds.

Oh, this is my souglyitmaybenice sweater. I picked it up at Winners the other night and wasn't sure if it was ugly or nice. But I brought it home and I've taken quite a liking to it. Anyways, wore it to work and got lots of compliments so I'll keep it.