Aunt P's Joining McFatty Monday!

Week 1 of HeirToBlair's McFatty Monday (they are on week 3 - my procrastinating sticks again!)

I had every intention of joining this on January 4th along with everyone else, but then I realized I need to link to my blog and while I had a blog it had long since been abandoned. So I then I decided I would just read along with the rest of the McFatties, but it wasn’t working. Let’s face it, I need it subject myself to public humiliation in order to get this done. So I dusted off the blog last week with a daycare post and here I begin my McFatty Monday journey.

Background story, aka why the hell I’m doing this and why it will be different this time: I’ve always been on the chubby side. Some years I’ve been chubbier than others and even the years I’ve been my thinnest, I’ve never been in shape. Why is that you may ask? Well I’m lazy. I love television. I love bad for me food. I love beer. And I really don’t like exercise. Even when I was at my thinnest it was achieved through dieting and not through exercising.

How did I put on the weight this time? I’d like to say it’s because I just had a baby but it’s not. I did put on weight during my pregnancy and while it was a little more than I would have liked, I did keep it in the 25 – 35 lbs range (about 33lbs), but the truth of the matter was my weight was creeping up before I got pregnant. Some of it was stress related around getting pregnant. It wasn’t easy and I had a lot of anxiety around it, plus I really like bad for you food as well as alcoholic beverages. So while the weight I gained during my pregnancy is gone (thank you breastfeeding and being to tired to eat!), I still have the weight I gained before my pregnancy to deal with.

Why will this time be different? I don’t want to be a chubby mom and I don’t want to be an unhappy mom. I am not happy with how I look right now and I know that it is spilling over into how I feel about myself. I logically know that I am more than my appearance, but emotionally I’m having a hard time separating it. And I want to be a good role model for my son. I need to set good examples by eating better and being more active. Plus we’d like to have a second baby and I know that both of us would be better off if we started the pregnancy at a healthier weight.

How much do I want to lose? I would be ecstatic to lose 22 lbs, but that would put me at a weight I was never able to maintain so I'm going to say 17 lbs. 17lbs would put me at my wedding day weight and I would be very happy if I could get there again and stay there. While these may not seem like big numbers to some, it’s a lot on my body. I’m only 5’ 1”, and an extra 5, 10, 15 lbs makes a huge difference.

How am I going to do it? It’s a three-part plan and the first part has already been implemented. In fact it was kicked off on January 4th when the rest of the McFatties started this. I’m going to take my dog for his morning walk five times a week. His morning walk is just under 2 miles. We’ve had to shorten it a couple of times because we are getting used to a new morning schedule now that I’m back to work, but I have walked him every morning before work. Part 2 is to follow the Weight Watchers Plan. The new WW at work program kicks off this Wednesday at my office and I will be joining. Part 3 is training for a 5K race. I’ve never been a runner, but have always thought that if I did run then the weight would just fall off of me while I’m dieting. Time to test the theory. To train for the 5K race I’m going to follow the Couch to 5K

How will I track my progress? Duh, the scale! My home scale and the WW scale. I'm also going to try and remember to take my measurements tonight (scary!) and take what I'm sure will be a very unflattering photo tonight, which will never be posted for you to see!

4/26/10 Goal – 14 weeks from today: Walk the dog at least 5x a week. Train for and run a 5K race (am registering for a 4/25/10 race) and lose 11lbs. Stretch Goal: Lose 17lbs.

Week 1 Goal: Drink 80 ounces of water a day.

Sorry this is so long. I’m sure Week 2’s update will be much shorter. plan.