mercurial scribe

Losing 70

Despite being only 6 weeks postpartum and back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I am not happy. Why? Because pre-pregnancy, I was fat. Yes, fat. And I’m not talking 5-10 vanity pounds over my “ideal”. I’m talking about being 70 lbs overweight. That’s 1/3 my body weight. This is a big undertaking.

I’ve struggled with weight for years. As a teenager, I was lean and active. My freshman year of college, I gained the normal freshman 15, which was normal and put me only at 160. Not bad for being 5′7″, though not great.

After my sophomore year, I went on some medication for a brain disease I have (details here). Within 45 days I had gained 30 lbs and was sleeping upwards of 15 hours a day. Against my kooky doctor’s insistence, I didn’t want to wait another 6 weeks to make sure the medication helped my brain disease - this wasn’t healthy! So I took myself off the meds and found a new doctor. Despite these changes, I couldn’t lose that weight. In fact, with every new medication and bout of depression I had, I gained another 5-10 lbs.

Fast forward 5 years and here we are. I am 25 years old, a new mother and 215 lbs.

I am doing this for my daughter, Miri. If she is to grow up to be healthy and strong, I have to teach her what healthy and strong looks like. I must show her HOW to be healthy and strong. So this is how I’m doing it:

THE CHALLENGE:

I have always wanted to run a marathon. And running, I’m told, burns an insane amount of calories! Hmmm… maybe I should become a runner?

My challenge is to run the Los Angeles Marathon on 1 March 2009. A little under a year to prepare. Challenge is definitely the word.

My secondary challenge? That by that date I will have reached either 145 lbs or a 34 inch waist. I have been both before and figure I’ll take one if not both!

The How:

Of course I’m not going to just go out one day and start running. I’m coming off of a leg injury and a pregnancy where I was on bedrest! So, we’re starting slow, with walking.

To see my plan, click on this link; it’ll give you a .PDF of my plan.

Considering these things, I am limiting my caloric intake. Considering my height, weight and activity level, I need about 2,000 calories a day to lose a healthy 2 lbs a week (which puts me at 145 lbs on marathon day).

I’ve found a wonderful program called FitDay - it’s free, and you know how much I love free! It tracks your calories, your activities, your nutrition… and it has quickly become my weight-loss best friend.

Why blog about it?

First, accountability. If I have to type those numbers each and every day and “face” my readers, I know that I’ll think more about what I’m doing.

Second, I want to help encourage others to do this. 2/3 of Americans are overweight. If I can help or encourage even one person to get up and do something about it after reading about my tired ass doing so, then I’ve served my purpose.

IT BEGINS

Everyone needs a before and after. While I don’t have a picture yet, I do have measurements:

As of 10 May 2008: