August 2011 Archives
Beginning the Journey (Aug 18 2011)
I've written before about what I'm doing to improve my health and fitness, but not the circumstances that led to my making this change. Yesterday I reached a major milestone, so I felt it would be appropriate to summarize the beginnings of and where I currently stand in my journey.
On January 20, 2010, I found out that I was pregnant. At that point, I was already about 15 lbs overweight ("happy fat" from enjoying my first year of marriage to Will). During my pregnancy, my eating habits deteriorated significantly -- I was so happy, and felt I could indulge in whatever I wanted, which was mostly cheeseburgers and french fries. We probably had McDonalds 4 times a week. I was basically addicted to fat and salt. I gained 40 lbs with the pregnancy, but only lost 20 when Dana was born (despite her weighing almost 9 lbs). As new parents, we didn't have time or energy to cook (and certainly hadn't paid attention to the pregnancy books' advice to make and freeze some healthy dinners in the weeks before my due date), so the bad eating continued for several months.
I was a bridesmaid in my sister-in-law Olivia's wedding at the end of April 2011. Ordering the gorgeous sunshine yellow dress (what could have been a happy moment) was disheartening since I was wearing a size 14, larger than I'd ever worn before. Not to mention that the bride and 3 of the other bridesmaids are rather waifish. I felt like apologizing to Olivia for being overweight and marring her wedding photos.
I think that was my "lightbulb moment", though it took a while for the idea to get to its full wattage. I had realized that I didn't want to be this overweight and unhealthy anymore, but didn't know how I could stop overeating or how to fit in any exercise between working full time and taking care of my 10-month old. I felt helpless. All through the spring, I watched the Biggest Loser contestants lose hundreds of pounds, while my (relatively small) 35 lbs felt like an insurmountable obstacle.
I didn't want to go on a diet, because I didn't want to be hungry all the time. I felt like I couldn't join a gym, because I thought Will would think it was a waste of money. After all, my previous gym membership (begun in September 2009) was not successful: I didn't have a clear plan and quickly stopped going on a regular basis. At $200/month, this was a costly mistake, which hurt both our bank account as well as my husband's belief in my ability to commit to a consistent exercise routine.
At the end of May, the Biggest Loser season 11 finale aired, and the Purple Team sisters Olivia and Hannah took first and second place, respectively. I had identified with these girls throughout the season and felt inspired and interested, especially when they mentioned spinning (essentially cycling on a special stationary bike). I started doing some research on spin classes and found a gym about 2 blocks away from my work offering them a couple times a day, on MWF. I talked to Will, and told him that I would try the class on a trial basis, before signing up for a real membership.
I signed up to do my trial class on Friday, June 17. It was hard. Really hard. Taught-by-an-Ironman hard. So-out-of-breath-that-I-got-a-case-of-the-hiccups hard. But I went back on Monday, to the 6:30 AM class, again on a trial basis. This time, I wore my heartrate monitor, got an amazing workout, and left feeling victorious. I called Will, told him how I felt, went back that afternoon and began my gym membership. (This gym has month-to-month membership fees, so if you want to cancel, you just let them know the month before.)
I started using SparkPeople to track what I eat Sunday through Thursday. I give myself Friday afternoon and all day Saturday "off" as cheat days, to preserve my mental health. I also think the higher calorie counts for these days keeps my metabolism high, so that my body doesn't become entirely accustomed to the lower 1200-1550 calorie days during the week. We call it the Zig-Zag diet: Zigging on the low-cal days, and Zagging on the high-cal days.
We went on vacation in Florida at the end of July. I was determined not to ruin all my hard work (5 weeks of eating well and spin classes 3 times a week), but I also wanted to enjoy the vacation. So we ate semi-carefully during the day but indulged a little (or a lot) at dinner. I also asked Will to take me out on a run. He did, despite the fact that I am SOOO SLOW that he could basically keep up when walking beside me as I jogged (while my heartrate was between 185-195.) During that run, Will somehow hurt his knee and he couldn't run anymore, so we stuck to recreational swimming. Overall, we didn't get that much exercise, but we didn't totally pig out either. I gained a reasonable 2-3 lbs on vacation.
The weight started coming off pretty quickly, 8-9 lbs in the first 3 weeks, another 5 lost in the next 3 weeks, and more over the next month. Yesterday was both my 2-month anniversary of officially starting my journey, and the day that I lost my 20th pound. I am very proud of myself and this accomplishment. I only have 1 pound left to lose to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. After that, 15 pounds remaining to get to my wedding weight (my goal is to reach this by Will's 30th birthday, on 11/11/11). At this point, even though I weigh more than I did before I got pregnant or got married, I can honestly say that I am healthier and more physically fit, which is something I can take great pride in.
11 Months Old (Aug 11 2011)
Only 3 weeks until Dana's first birthday. I keep being surprised by how big she is getting. It sounds silly, but sometimes I'll look over at her and expect her to be shorter than she is. She's so tall! Once, we were in her nursery, and she was standing up in her crib. Her head and shoulders were well above the top of the crib rail, and I thought back to the time when she could just barely peek over the rail by standing on her tip toes (about 4-5 months ago). I was so proud and happy of my tall, beautiful baby, and I said to her, "You're getting so big!" And she reached her arms up like we've shown her to say "SO BIG!" Smart, too. :)
This month has been really fun, as we watch her grow up. On July 17, we took Dana to the Museum of Science and Industry here in Hyde Park. She is little enough where we can take her through disturbing exhibits like Body Worlds and she won't remember or have bad dreams. I thought BW was in bad taste, as far as a science exhibit goes. It makes more sense as art, if only to explain away some of the ridiculous poses in which these bodies were contorted. Yuck. After that, we enjoyed the giant model train set and the museum section about the weather. I think Dana liked the tornado show, and Will enjoyed the big erosion wheel thing. She enjoyed crawling around on the floor for a while, but soon got sleepy and fell asleep. We almost left the museum but decided to stay and just let her sleep in the baby carrier while we visited more exhibits. When she woke up, she played with the plasma globe and reached out her hands toward the balls hovering over air hoses. We also saw baby chicks, fun house mirrors, and a U-Boat submarine from World War II. Overall, we spent four hours at the museum and went home happy and exhausted.
A few days later, July 21, we took Dana out to sushi with Olivia and Evan, and enjoyed a visit with Jack Katze, a lifelong friend of the Hackman siblings. Dana was mostly well-behaved, though she got hungry and tried to eat the table, before finally being satisfied with some Cheerios and oatmeal. She also got a taste of her new favorite condiment, soy sauce, thanks to her father.
On Saturday the 23rd, we caught our plane to Florida, for our first summer vacation with a baby. She did not take a nap on the flight, as she had done every other time, but was very pleasant and happy, spending most of her time being passed back and forth between the two of us, or standing on the floor at Will's feet.
We arrived in Jacksonville around 4:30 PM, got our luggage and the rental car and started making our way to Palm Coast (about a 90-minute drive south).
It was hard getting used to driving a new car (2011 Hyundai Tiguan, with sensitive breaks and powerful, though slightly delayed acceleration), and I didn't know where we were going. Will was trying to give me directions, as well as feed and comfort Dana, who was getting weepy from exhaustion (no sleep for 12 hours = bad thing). She finally fell asleep after about 20 minutes of crying and unhappiness. We made good time on the highway, but my nerves started to fray when she woke up and started crying again about 30 minutes from the house. We finally made it there by 6:30. I was a complete emotional mess by then, but Dana was OK the moment she was unstrapped from the car seat.
The house was beautiful, with 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Lots of space for Dana to crawl around, especially on the second-floor landing overlooking the family room. She even got to climb up the stairs (always with someone right behind, ready to catch her). The house had many ceiling fans, which she loved to point at. Mom and Dad had rented a crib, high chair, and several other baby items, so we were basically set, once we picked up some formula and baby food from the Publix. Dana began her first night in Florida in the crib, but woke up in the middle of night and boo-hoo'd softly until Will brought her into the twin bed with him to snuggle. (The crib was set up in a small bedroom with only 1 twin. Will stayed with her, and I slept in another bedroom with two very pink twin beds.)
The first morning in Florida, my mom and I took Dana to the baby pool, while Will went for a run on the beach. We three had a great time - Dana splashing around in her yellow frilly two-piece, and experimenting with standing since gravity feels so different in water. There were a couple of 'big' girls there - 2 or 3 year olds - who kept fetching Dana's toys and bringing them to her. Pretty cute. After about 45 minutes, Dana was exhausted, so we put her in a t-shirt (Cardinals, from my parents) and dry diaper, and took her home. She immediately fell asleep, she was conked out. Another morning, we took Dana to the beach and let her wade in a bit - holding on to our hands, since she isn't walking yet. She thought it was the best thing ever. She extended her legs and kicked the water, and made the happiest faces. We also took her back to the baby pool with my brother and Dad, and she had a fantastic time again.
Unfortunately, it was so hot (90-100 most days) that we had to be very careful about limiting her outside time, and definitely her exposure to the sun. Will in particular was very disciplined about applying and reapplying sunblock. Despite our precautions, she developed heat rash on her chest and back, and even a little on her legs. So we kept her outside time to a minimum the last half of the week. The last day in Florida, I tried to take her on short trips to the baby pool, but she cried both times. I think the chlorine was hurting her irritated skin.
Nevertheless she got a lot of time with her Grammy and Big Poppy and Uncle Tyler, all of whom are so much fun. We found a bowl and some plastic oranges, which became a helmet and orbs. She received a Bible stories book as a gift from my Grammy (her great-Grammy), with flaps that she liked to tug on (and sometimes tear off). We had dinner out several times, and she was always very good in her high chair. If she got bored, someone would pick her up and walk her around for a while.
We had a great time that week. Our trip back to Chicago was pretty uneventful. We got to the airport on time, returned the rental car, and made our flight. Happily, Dana took a nap this time (snuggling me!) Olivia and Evan were at their friends Tiernan and Nathan's wedding in Joliet, so we did not get a welcome home party. We did go over and visit them on Sunday, but Olivia was feeling poorly, so we kept the visit short.
Last weekend, Aug 4 - 6, Nan, Bela, Gram, and Papa come up from Memphis for a visit. On Friday, since it was a half day, we drove out to Wheaton and joined them and the Barkers at the Morton Arboretum. Dana really enjoyed seeing them and cruising around in the "tree house" above the maze. She did a lot of pointing (especially at Gram) but was a little shy and not talkative. Saturday, we joined them for an early dinner at Piccolo Mondo in Hyde Park, before they took the train up to Ravinia for a concert. Dana got her first taste of bread dipped in a little olive oil. Sunday we spent most of the afternoon together, at the playground (where Dana impressed everyone by walking that little lawnmower toy around) and then everyone came over to our apartment. Nan and Will cooked dinner (delicious! scallops, mashed potatoes, fruit salad), while Dana played with everyone not involved with cooking. People left the apartment around 8:30 or 9:00, and they flew back to Memphis the next morning.
Dana is a wonderful little girl, mostly a delight to be around. If you ask her where her nose (or yours) is, she'll point to it, though sometimes she gets it mixed up with her mouth or eye. She waves when people say "hello" or "bye-bye" or when we go near a door (she assumes we'll go out through it). She is starting to stand independently for a few seconds at a time. I think she will start to walk shortly after she turns one. She says "mama" and "dada", though not typically as names for her parents. "Dada" means man, thing, anything external to herself. "Mama" means herself or something she is feeling. Her favorite thing to babble is "a-da-da-da-da", though she also likes to go "buh-buh-buh" or blow raspberries. She can shake her head 'no', which is funny when she does it while being bad. She'll crawl down the hall, and we'll say "Dana, come back", and she'll shake her head and smile, and then crawl-charge into her room. Bad baby! I love her so much.
