Challenge

So, I'm going to fess up to a very secret secret here publicly...I gained more than 35 lbs. during my pregnancy with Tucker. At 36 weeks I was 2 cm dilated and thought for sure that I would have him before my next appointment because that was when I had Madeline...well, made it to term. This was a blessing and a shock! Every week I would go back to my doctor and be more dilated and no one thought I would go as far as I did! Every week I thought that surely I wouldn't have to weigh again- but I did, for 4 more weeks. For 4 weeks I ate whatever I wanted thinking I wouldn't have to see that scale move up again...but it did.

I never admitted how much weight I had gained while pregnant with Madeline until I had lost all of it and then some because you want people to say, "NO WAY you gained that much!" Not, "Yeah, you look like you gained a lot." I gained 70 lbs. while pregnant with Madeline and I loved every pound of it! I worked hard to gain that weight! That was a large Schlotzky's original sandwich and a Shakey's malt twice a week (or more)! I had to quit smoking and I had gotten off an antidepressant during my pregnancy...I'm surprised I didn't gain 100!

Anyway, I had just lost all of it and a few more lbs. when I found out I was pregnant with Tucker. SOOOO, here's the truth...I gained 45lbs with Tucker. Now I am going to lose it and it is NOT going to take 2 years! I had already lost 28lbs. and then last week my friend Hannah told me about a challenge she was going to be a part of that her friend Tanna had devised. I checked it out on Tanna's blog and decided to sign up too. It is just a 6 week challenge so my goal for that period is to lose 10-12lbs. but my bigger goal is to lose 20 and maybe even more...

Tyler and I are pretty healthy eaters. I had to make that lifestyle change to lose the weight I had gained with Madeline. I can't cut my calories too much because it will hurt my milk supply but I can exercise more, continue to eat the healthy things, and, here's the hard part, I am going to cut out my nightly frozen yogurt from my diet. I am also not going to eat cheese dip for this 6 week period. I am out of control when I get around cheese dip. I can't control myself!

This is the challenge:

1. No sweets
2. No fried foods
3. No more than 20 oz. of soda/day
4. 3-6 workouts/week
5. At least 4 bottles of water/day

So, wish me luck! I start today. Madeline still has Easter chocolate in the pantry so I think I will have Tyler hide it from me! I owe this to myself. I deserve to feel good about my body again. Here I come summer!!!