HYC check in

A brief pre-cursor to this post: I started drafting the post (below) early last week shortly after I joined the challenge. I was full of motivation and feeling pretty good about my accomplishments. Then I got sick, and if you read the entries from my blog last week, I lost most of my motivation and drive. I'm still working on kicking myself back into gear. For me, once I start faltering, the "wheels come off" and my previous efforts are all wasted. I'm really hoping that I don't wallow for too much longer. Hopefully, this challenge is just what I need to keep myself accountable.

Here's the blog entry I started last week...
I recently joined the Healthy You Challenge over at "Scale Junkie," and this is my first check-in post, so I thought I'd do a little introductory post that touches on the following topics: Who I am; How I got to be overweight; What my motivations are; What my goals are; and What I'm doing to get and stay healthy.

First thing's first, my name is Julie, and I live in SE Michigan with my husband and two kids. I am currently "between jobs" as a litigation attorney and trying to enjoy this opportunity to stay home with my kids. Like many stay at home moms I know, I'm a bit bored and sometimes a bit lonely.

Who, me?! Overweight? I never used to think so, and in fact, if I'm honest with myself, I was probably in denial about my weight for a while. I've always hated stepping on the scale. Before I had my first child, I never considered myself overweight. I have never in my life been "skinny," I was always "just normal." Before I had kids, my biggest concern was my "chunky" thighs.

Things changed during my first pregnancy. I had several complications starting in the second trimester and ended up on bed rest for four months. Not that I was active during my pregnancy before the complications, but I went completely inactive and packed on 60 pounds by the time I gave birth. I was able to lose all but 10 of those pounds before I got pregnant with my second child. I didn't gain nearly as much weight the second time around, but after I gave birth, the weight didn't come off as easily as it had the first time.

My weight seems to have settled around 140 lbs, which on my 5'2" frame is about 15-20 pounds too heavy for me. I'm hoping that with a lot of hard work and eating right, I can get down close to 120 lbs.

I re-dedicated myself to losing weight this past February. I have also dedicated myself to making sure that I set a good example for my kids by living a healthier lifestyle and eating balanced meals every meal, every day. Since that time I have been doing the following things to lead a healthy lifestyle for my family and for myself:
1. My goal is to work out 5-6 days every week. I set a plan for the week which I try to follow, I allow myself to modify the plan as the week progresses, if certain "life" issues start creeping up, but I still aim for 5-6 workout sessions. I have several workout DVDs that I use which incorporate cardio and strength training. My favorites are Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, and a series of DVDs by Jari Love. Lately, I've tried to incorporate the C25K program into my weekly routine, but I don't belong to a gym, I don't have a treadmill, and the weather here in Michigan is just now getting to the point where I'm comfortable with walking/running outside in the morning. I also just started working with a personal trainer 2 days a week, however, scheduling those sessions around the kids' schedules has become more of a challenge than I anticipated. I also love to do Yoga and try to do it at least 3 times a week either as a stand-alone workout or at the end of a shorter workout, like 30 Day Shred.

2. I've also been very diligent about writing down everything I eat and keeping track of my calories. My goal is to stay between 1200-1400 calories.

3. I've tried to incorporate more whole grains into my family's diet, and I've tried to eliminate almost everything "white" from our diet, like white rice, white flour, sugar, bread, etc. I am more conscious of food labels, and I try to avoid products with HFCS, but that is a lot harder than I ever knew it would be.

4. In order to get more fruits and veggies into our diets, one thing that I have started doing is to cut the veggies up immediately after getting home from the store, and putting them in storage containers. This makes them more "convenient" for the kids (and me) to grab when we're looking for a snack. No more having to peel and cut when the snack attack hits, it's already done.

I guess that's all for now. I look forward to inspiring and to be inspired by those of you who are also challenging yourselves to be healthier!