The Biggest Loser

I have a friend in bloggy world whose blog is titled similarly to mine “The Hodge Podge Lodge”. Beth is a great writer and a great mom…..of 8 kiddos. I was reading there that she worked out to drop 15 pounds after the birth of baby #8.

Well, I was inspired by reading that. Now I want to be the Biggest Loser. I hate to admit this, but maybe making it public will inspire some accountability in me. I have 15 pounds to lose also. Fortunately for me, I lost the baby weight after baby #5 in much the same fashion as I usually do, most of it within 8-12 weeks after having the baby.

Unfortunately however, after losing the baby weight, I started a slow, gradual increase of weight again. So slight it wasn’t noticeable at first. At first I chalked it up to breastfeeding. Okay, I’m nursing the baby, so I need to eat more. Okay, I’m retaining a little extra “fat” so my body can produce milk for the baby. Ha! I know all the reasons, excuses, facts, you name it.

Now almost a year after I stopped breastfeeding, I am pushing a 15 pound weight gain.

So now you know my story. And ugh! I feel….uh, not myself. So if any of you out there in bloggy world want to hold me accountable, or better yet, take the challenge to lose a few pounds with me, I would love to hear how you’re doing it. I am open to reading any and all suggestions.

Thus far I have walked 3 days in a row. I have tried to drink more water. And I need to watch my calorie intake. I’m not a big “diet” person. I think a few tweaks to my eating habits will be the best thing for me. Lifestyle changes.

I’ll be honest: I have a sweet tooth. So that is my weakness. Easter takes its toll on me, what with the jelly beans and all. But I’ll get through it. Right now my biggest goal is to walk everyday. Okay, I know I might have to miss a day here and there, but since it is easy to find excuses not to exercise, I’m not wanting to let myself off the hook that easily.

Any words of encouragement? Any ideas? Anyone interested in joining me?