The Journey starts after baby #4

I am a homeschooling mother of 4 wonderful children. They are ages 8, 6, 4 years old and a newborn. During my pregnancy with baby number four, I was completely sluggish. I was tired all the time and had no desire to work out or eat right. I was about to break that 200 lb mark, when Ella finally decided to come into this world. I went into labor 3 times before the midwife broke my water and Ella can flying out. After 3 boys, God has blessed us with a little girl. I was very scared to raise a girl after having 3 wonderful boys. But she is the best baby and her brothers love her immensely.

So my workout journey starts 2 months later. I needed to get that baby weight off. I weighed 178lbs and needed to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. However, that was still only 162lbs. I was signed up for a triathlon in September and the Seacoast Road Series all summer. This consisted of four 5K's and two 10K's.  My friend and I decided that we wanted a "tri body" when we actually did our triathlon. We wanted to look like the athletes we were. We wanted people to look at us and say "Of course you do triathlon's", not say "Really, you do triathlons. Good for you."

The first day on the treadmill was awful. After not working out for a year and not eating healthy, I could barely run a mile. But I kept up the work and went on the treadmill whenever I could which was only 2 or 3 days a week during nap time. At this time, I was not into lifting weights. I concentrated on running. I started out with a 12 minute mile. Eventually I ran a 11 minute and then a 10 minute mile for 3 miles. My first race was tough. The baby was 3 months old and still nursing and couldn't be without me. So I ran and pushed her in the stroller. I had to walk a few times but I finished the race in 37 minutes. My next several races were consistently better.

I remember the first time I got back on the bike. It was the beginning of May, 3 months after baby. I rode 12 miles and it took and hour. I was struggling so much. My husband was riding really slow to keep down with me. (For a trained biker, over 18mph is a good speed to pedal at) I was barely staying at 14. So I was very discouraged. I didn't get on the bike again for 2 months. The biggest thing with bike is weight. The less the bike weighs, the faster it goes. Since I was 178 lb, my bike didn't go very fast and I was exhausted.

So I decided that just working out is not working for me. I needed to start dieting. I said it. The "D" word. I am a raw foodist at heart. I have a hard time eating unhealthy food if I need to make it. However, I have no problem eating what someone else makes. I also love to go out to eat. If I lose 2 pounds at the beginning of the week, I gain it back by the end of the week from going out to eat.

I found an app on my phone called myfitnesspal.com. I inputted my information and it said I needed to eat 1200 calories. I have never counted calories before, so this was new to me. I entered in 2 eggs (140 calories), coffee with agave and half and half (100 calories). After day 1, April 18, 2011 I logged 1600 calories. Not to bad but my diet needs work. The good thing about this program is that if you exercise you get extra calories. And if you are at a restaurant, you can find the calories in your favorite foods. I was shocked at the amount of calories that are in a restaurant salad. It was less calories eating fish, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. So I was definitely in for an awakening when it comes to calories.

Like I said before, I am a raw foodist at heart. This means that I tend to eat nothing cooked. I eat superfoods, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. No meat, diary, breads, or anything cooked. When I eat like this, I feel great. I have the most energy I have ever had. I have a positive attitude and can handle my kids much better. My patience is so much better. However, raw food is very hard to sustain. Before I was pregnant, I ate like this for a month but never lost any weight. I was shocked and saddened. I felt great but I didn't look like I felt. It was very disappointing. I realized I ate all the "good" raw foods. I consumed a lot of raw cacao, raw nuts and seeds, and avocado. I ate the most fattening and high calorie food. It wasn't the best weight loss tool. But I felt great.

But my goal at this point was to lose weight and train for the triathlon. I focused on counting calories. ( I had many setbacks). After several months of running, biking, and swimming, I have lost 20lbs. I am continuing my training. The triathlon is in two weeks. I hope I am ready.