Tag Archives: pregnancy

FIT in 40: COMPLETE

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Yesterday was day 40 of my FIT in 40 health kick.  Tomorrow we leave for Costa Rica.  My new bikini is packed and ready to go!

 

 

I’ve spent the past 40 days eating healthy and squeezing in a work-out whenever I can.  And it’s paid off.  I think I lost a couple pounds, but mostly I just feel better about myself.  On the days I work out, even for just 20 minutes, I feel SOOO much better.  Not just about my body, but I don’t feel like a blob at the end of the night.  I sit at a desk all day at work, and I do run around the house taking care of Avery, dinner, dishes, laundry, and so on.  But even going for a walk or doing some stretching and working out on a yoga mat for 20 minutes just makes me feel like I have more energy.  And when I don’t sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time at night, I need energy!

Here’s a recap of the 40 days from my journal:

My goals:

“I’d like to feel confident enough to wear a bikini on our vacation” (Day 1)

I think I’ve accomplished that.  I bought a new bikini and have plans to wear it proudly on the beach and by the pool the next 5 days.  I even packed 2 old bikinis that I feel good about wearing.

I’ve given up on the stretch mark issues.

“I’m still not comfy in my new post-baby skin…especially the skin with stretch marks.” (Day 15)

I tried hiding the stretch marks with different bathing suit styles, but with my body type (I’m only 5’2…on a good day) The one pieces and tankinis cut my body off and make me look silly.  So I stuck with the two piece and decided to just wear my stretch marks proudly.  They actually don’t look bad.  They make me feel…distinguished.  Accomplished. Proud.  Because they’re from 8 months (Avery came early) of carrying our little guy.

Exercise makes me (& Avery?) happier.

“Felt so good to exercise with Avery!” (Day 18)

“It feels good to excercise almost daily.  It really isn’t hard to squeeze in some yoga mat time while Avery plays in his bouncer or walker – he gets a kick outta watching me I think…” (Day 27)

The new jogging stroller was a great idea.  When the weather would cooperate, I made it a point to get out.  Avery loved people watching, and I loved the exercise.  We got time together too.  What’s not to love?  So any day we exercised (I say we because Avery is always in tow or with me somehow when I exercise) I always felt better at the end of the day, because I fit in a work-out without taking away time from Avery.

Eating healthy-ish:

“Tiramisu ice cream? No thank you” (Day 1)

“Homemade cheese burgers loaded with veggies & small pasta side (Maybe next time I’ll skip the cheese?)” (Day 2)

“Dinner: enchiladas with extra veggies” (Day 15)

“chicken fahitas – with more veggies than meat!  Yum.  I did splurge a bit and have some cheese on mine… yummy cheese.” (Day 33)

I think cutting back on portion size, and cutting out sweets was what helped the most.  I also only drank tea or water most of the time.  Not much soda, iced tea, etc. with extra sugar.  But I did have my days where I splurged:

“We were on vaca… I splurged with the ice cream” (Day 17)

“I splurged on dinner… we had take out as an end of the week treat”  (Day 23)

“Lunch: chicken wrap, soda (a splurge)” (Day 35)

So, overall I’m happy with my health kick and the ‘results’ I’m super-excited for a relaxing break from our crazy day-to-day lives.  Avery will be staying with his Grammy, Grampy, and Auntie Sarah, getting in some quality family time while Mommy and Daddy catch up on some much needed rest, and be a part of their close friends’ wedding.

I didn’t really take a ‘before’ picture, but I’ll share ‘after’ pictures when I get back…

Are you ready for ‘bathing suit weather’?  Summer is coming.  Are you on a health kick?  What works for you?  Do you have time to work out at the gym, or do you squeeze in something creative? 

FIT in 40: The Home Stretch

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7 days.  I can’t believe I only have a week left of my FIT in 40 health kick.   After 33 days of watching what I eat, and working out as much as I can, I feel better about myself.  I got a compliment today at work – someone asked if I did Atkins or something, since I looked so thin.  I was flattered, and proud to say it was just due to hard work and dedication.

That definitely added to my confidence level -which, by the way, has gone way up after a day of shopping for a bathing suit!  I tried on 3 suits, and the second was the winner.  It’s not polka dot, but I felt pretty good in it.  I’m actually excited to wear it on vacation…

Here’s an update on my progress:

  • Day: 33
  • Days to Go: 7
  • Weight Loss: 3lbs-ish. The weight loss was never a goal… but it’s nice to know I chipped a few numbers off the scale – especially since the number on the scale is a lot less than pre-Avery!
  • Daily Calorie Net: 1400-ish. I haven’t been logging calories every day, but I do say no to lots of things (chips, sweets, etc) and make sure my portion size isn’t crazy.
  • Guilty Pleasures: I had a soft serve ice cream over the weekend… but I shared it… so it wasn’t that bad :)
  • Exercise Frequency: 4-5 times/wk.  I try to squeeze in at least 15-20 minutes at home with Avery – the weather hasn’t been cooperating, but when it does, we will do more strolling.
  • Bikini Confidence: 8 out of 10.  I’m actually excited to wear it instead of freaked out.
  • Motivational Picture: Here it is – the ‘goal’ bikini.  I’ll share pictures of me in it when we get back from vacation, but for now, here’s an image of it all by it’s lonesome.

Does it look familliar?  It looks like the ‘petite’ option from my last post. I decided on the bikini because it works best with my body type and I think I’ll wear my stretch marks proudly :)

 

How is your bathing suit confidence?  Are you getting in shape for summer?  What are your secrets to a beach-ready body?

FIT in 40: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny…

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Yellow Polka Dot Bikini!

That’s right, It’s bikini shopping time! I only have 2 weeks left in my FIT in 40 health kick and then we’ll be on the beach in Costa Rica!  So it’s time to bite the bullet and buy a bathing suit. No worries though – I’ll have a support team with me – Mom, Sis, and of coarse, Avery. Let’s hope all this work will payoff and I find something I feel good in!

Here’s an update on my progress as of yesterday:

  • Day: 26
  • Days to Go: 14
  • Weight Loss: 3lbs-ish. The scale was higher this morning since the last weigh-in, but I’m not discouraged.  Muscle weighs more than fat, you know :)
  • Daily Calorie Net: 1400-ish. Some days are more, some are less.  I try to eat more on days when I workout, to fuel me.  But then some days that I can’t squeeze in a workout, I have to be really careful with what I eat.
  • Guilty Pleasures: Sweets.  I sneak a Hershey kiss or girl scout cookie on the weekend… can’t help it – They’re yummy!  I did go grocery shopping this past weekend though and there are healthier snack options in the cupboards now.
  • Exercise Frequency: 4-5 times/wk.  If we can get out for a stroll, we try to once or twice a day if it’s a weekend.  On crummy days, like yesterday, I make-up some high-intensity workout for 15-20 minutes of jumping jacks, lunges, stretching, ab crunches, etc.  Avery has fun watching me!
  • Bikini Confidence: eh.  I think I’ll be ready to try on bathing suits this weekend, but still not happy with how it looks – those stretch marks are still weird to get used to seeing…
  • Motivational Pictures: My ‘SELF’ Magazine arrived in the mail yesterday (my awesome lil sis got me a bunch of magazines as a gift for my birthday last year).  With summer approaching, they of coarse had a whole section on picking a bathing suit for your body type.  Petite, tall, curvy, plus-size, etc.  Problem is, I feel like I apply to three of the categories.  Here are a few pictures of suggested bathing suits for my body type(s) from SELF.com:

  • Petite. Bikini. Vibrant colors help you take center stage. Steer clear of cutesy florals and polka dots; they can nudge your frame into little-girl territory. Gathered sides, adjusted high, lengthen legs.  This looks the most-similar to previous ones I’ve worn – but it’ll show off my tummy…


  • Petite. One-piece. Delicate details won’t overwhelm your figure. I like this style because it hides my tummy, but with short legs, a one-piece makes me look silly…

 


Bottom-heavy. Bikini. Above-the-waist design elements draw eyes up, where you want them. Avoid skimpy tops, which can make fuller coverage below more apparent. Bottom ties adjust for a custom, comfy fit. This one looks promising… I like the ties.

 

Full-tummied. Tankini. You could wear slimming darks all the time, but that’s no fun. Suck-you-in fabrics and camouflaging tricks help you break out the brights and graphics. Choose a tankini top that flares slightly for a no-cling fit. I wonder if this would be a good compromise between the bikini and a one-piece?

 

Which one(s) do you like?  Do you have any bathing suit shopping advice to share?  How did you feel post-baby in a bathing suit?  Did you conceal your stretch marks with a one-piece or flaunt them with pride in a bikini?