barre3 and my postbaby bod.

OK you guys. Today I'm going to get real with you about my post-baby body and let you in on a little fitness challenge I've started!

I've had a really difficult time losing this baby weight. Here's a quick rundown of my journey...

During my pregnancy I gained 55 pounds. Yep. You read that right. And now I'm going to give you real numbers, even though it goes against every fiber of my being. I started my pregnancy at 140 pounds and by the time I gave birth I was 195. That was hard to swallow.

Within the first week I lost 35 pounds, which brought me down to 160 pounds. I basically just hung out there until a few months ago when Craig and I had a friendly little wager (AKA cash bribe). During that time I lost 15 pounds and got down to 145 pounds. I was pretty stoked. My goal weight is 135...really 130, but I would be happy at 135. I have weighed less before, but that is my "happy weight". I was doing well, and then I started getting busy and slacking on my workouts and when I slack on workouts I start letting my healthy eating habits go and it's basically just one big slippery slope and now I've gained back 5 pounds.

I've realized that the main problem was a lack of accountability. I've realized that I'm a structure and schedules kind of girl. I need a set time to go to workout - in particularly focused classes - and I need accountability, but some flexibility.

This is why I've set out on a Barre3 Challenge!

If you haven't heard of Barre3, it's an awesome blend of ballet barre, yoga and pilates that work together to give awesome results and I'm so excited to see the changes in my body!

So, here's the deal: Every week I'm going to share my weekly weigh-in along with all of my measurements. My goal weight is still 135 (I am currently 151.5), so that means that I am hoping to lose around 17 pounds. But, I'm also measuring myself, because I know that the end goal is a fitter version of myself and inches mean more than pounds, so I'm trying not to get too hung up on the numbers.

I can't wait to share what I'm learning through my experience and share more about Barre3 throughout!

Here are my week 1 stats...I think I'll try to wear a tighter shirt next time so I can see my progress more easily.

Date: 7/12/13

Weight: 151.5 

Left arm: 12"

Right arm: 11.75"

Chest: 36"

Waist: 36"

Hip: 37"

Left leg: 20"

Right leg" 19.5"

I realize that my current weight may be some people's goal weight and I'm not trying to make anyone feel like their goals need to be the same as mine. We all feel better at different weights and when our bodies look different ways. This is why I'm not setting out to achieve my college weight of 120 pounds...it's just not realistic for me anymore. This is more about being the healthiest version of myself that I can be and getting to a place where I feel confident and where my body is strong and I'm hoping that Barre3 will help me achieve this.

More details to come next week!

Love and sweat,

Lauren

{Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I have been invited to try out the Barre3 studio. All thoughts and opinions are my own}