Friday, January 12, 2007

If it weren't for these meddling kids

While nursing, which I did for nearly three of the last five years, I am blessed with the metabolism of a supermodel. Only instead of subsisting on Evian and cigarettes, I eat whatever I want, and lots of it, on a schedule approximating that of the baby I'm nourishing--which is to say, every three hours at minimum, all while slimming down to the skinniest I've been since high school.

What's unfortunate is that when the nursing stops, I really need to step away from the trough. It takes awhile for that to sink in to whatever feed me Seymour section of my brain has been driving my appetite.

So, between the fact that my go-to jeans are pretty much gone from my wardrobe, and that my health-nut family shamed me into submission during their recent visit (simply by example--not, thankfully, by snide comments) my New Year's resolution was to get off my lazy butt and try to fit some more exercise into my life. (That, and lay off the weekly chocolate-chip scones for breakfast.) Now that knocking furiously we can usually count on Opie to sleep through the night, since he is almost two years old fergodssake, I decided that it would not be such a hardship to get up a half-hour early every day and put in 20-30 minutes of exercise. I found a couple of quick workout routines in a magazine--one strength, one yoga--and planned to alternate those with walking on the treadmill. In the spring, I can swap the treadmill for walking outside with the dog and/or taking the kids to daycare in the bike trailer.

Two weeks in, how'm I doing? Lousy. I've followed this plan maybe twice in 9 weekdays. The first few days of the year, I was recuperating from the fact that I stayed up until 5 a.m. on New Year's Eve, only partly due to an actual party (the rest, of course, being due to the toddler). Twice this week, I did get up and start working out--for about 45 seconds before a child woke up and interrupted me. These kids have not darkened our door before 7 a.m. for months--yes, it takes forever for Opie to go to sleep at night and he still has the occasional night waking, or the two weeks straight of being up from 10 p.m. to midnight, but the good news is he sleeps late, and so does his sister.

But of course they just knew that I was counting on that fact, didn't they? Too damn smart for my own good. Oh, and along the way somehow Jo acquired an understanding of the term "muffin top." And she knows how to use it.

I guess you know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Saturday morning update (or, "You'll get a toddler bed when Al Gore's Tennessee swimming pool freezes over"): Proving that he's read both the Toddler Handbook and this blog, Opie woke up during the wee hours last night. Twice.

8 comments:

Lady M said...

It is so not fair for a child to use the words "muffin top" if she was the cause if it in the first place! That's my story, in any case. ;)

Suzanne said...

Good luck with the new routine! I am so impressed by people who can even contemplate getting up early to exercise. I have tried, and failed.

Jenifer said...

I'm with ya girl! I joined Curves and the only time I have to go is to get up at just before 6am...go... and be back before hubby leaves for work. I did this consistently 4 times a week for about a month..... then the Holidays, and one excuse after another.... and I NEED TO GET BACK ON TRACK!!! I am just NOT a morning person and have a really hard time telling myself that getting out of my warm bed and into a freezing car to go to the gym is worth it!!

BUT I have lost 50 pounds since the birth of my son in September, and I NEED TO KEEP GOING!!

Good luck!!

Kate said...

Oh, night wakings suck big time. I luckily have 2 kids that seem to usually sleep through the night, although it's a crapshoot when the baby goes down and another crapshot how long he'll sleep, but rarely before the rooster crows.

I felt like I was just reading a post I could have written myself. I stopped nursing Andrew in August and I have gained (not lost!) 5 pounds since. And I am officially a whopping 20 pounds heavier than before I started this whole baby-making thing. MY New Year's res was just like yours - time to get off the butt and get the pounds off. Because I used to be just like you - with a great metabolism, and now? All I see is a "muffin top". Bleh. So depressing.

Karianna said...

The kids are always out to sabotage weight-loss (except for the boobie-snacks, as you mention.)

Mine run on my treadmill so I cannot.

Anonymous said...

Like Kari, mine have usurped my fitness implements - namely, the big old exercise ball. You should see how far it bounces when thrown from the top of the basement stairs.

My mouth literally fell open when I read the part about Jo knowing the term "muffin top". If we were still living back in the old 'hood, I could understand how she'd know it. But in Mayberry? That's a puzzler.

Jennifer (ponderosa) said...

I keep thinking I'll get up early and log in to work, getting in a good quiet hour before the day starts, but my deepest fear is that as soon as I get up, the kids'll get up too. You seem to be justifying this fear...

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... maybe the solution is to breastfeed until both kids go to college :o)