Weighing on my mind. . . .

*sigh* 


Have you ever looked in the mirror or a photo of yourself and thought " Hey! That's not me! Where did I go?" 


Pregnancy seems to have that affect on me. :) 


It has been 5 weeks since Jace has been born and about 2 good weeks since I've started working out. No, I didn't get the 6 weeks clearance from my dr yet. Who knew that was so freaking important?! No exercise until 6 weeks, no sex until 6 weeks, and yesterday they ALMOST didn't give me my massage because I technically had not been "released" at 6 weeks yet. 


I feel fine - great, actually. My body told me so. Do I really need her to tell me when I feel up to doing "STUFF?" 


Anyway - back to my point. Weight. I've never weighed this much in my life. Depressing. 


Weighing on my mind lately isn't so much what I weigh (I've never been a friend to the scale theory) but how I'm looking in pictures or most importantly how my jeans are fitting (or not fitting these days). 


It seems as a woman I've been on a never ending journey to find my perfect fit body. Usually once I have it, I have another baby. ;) 


Looking back, I recall many times in high school or college thinking I wasn't "thin" enough. 


HA, I say to myself! Who knew I'd now KILL to have that body back. 


So, here I am. Another journey to get back into shape. This time I'm hoping to be in the best shape ever since we will be having NO MORE babies. 


I'm doing everything I can, but like many I want results now, not later. Inside I feel "thin" and fit, but then I see myself and, well, I have to take many steps to keep myself positive. 


I am reminded each time that I'm at this point how hard the work is to get back, how disciplined I have to be with food and my choices, and this time as a breast feeding mom I know that all my choices are directly affecting baby as well as me. 


So my fitness journey this time entails at least 30 minutes of interval workout (sometimes 30 minutes of jogging at night) and eating great foods. 


Here are a few great tips I've used in the past and some new ones I've heard lately: 


If you buy it at the store, you will eat it at home. 


Shop on the outer wall of the store - fruits, veggies, fresh meats, etc. 


If it has a barcode, leave it at the store! 


Does the item have more than 10 ingredients? If so, you probably don't want to eat it. 


Good stuff in, good results on the outside. 


Portion control! 


Change just one or two habits and then when you have that down add a few more. (ex: using extra virgin olive oil instead of frying everything)


Make it at home. All your favorite foods that are take-out you can make - just find healthier versions. 


Take a bag of snacks with you: grape tomatoes, grapes, bananas, yogurt (not the sugary ones like TRIX), berries, carrots, celery with peanut butter, almonds, and lots of water! 


What is your tip for getting healthy and fit?