Monday, September 25, 2006

A Challenge...

I remember a time when I was slim and pretty. My husband would claim I am still pretty but even he has to pause at... slim. Of late I have been coming across photos, after the fourth baby - still slim. After the 6th baby - still fairly slim. After the 8th baby - well, a bit less slim. But then came baby nine and a steady loss of weight when she hit five months. I was elated.

Then came the big FOUR O, followed by babies eleven and twelve! Oh, but there was no more melting of baby fat as I had always experienced in the past. Usually, at just about 5 months of age the baby's appetite would increase to such a point that no matter what number or type of calories passed my lips - the baby fat just fell off. No such luck after 40. That ugly ten letter word, metabolism, is to blame I am certain.

But now... my second daughter is getting married. MARRIED! So, I am looking at bridal gowns and these clearly 27 year old women modeling mother of the bride dresses.... Now short of plastic surgery I can never look that young again and I can probably never get that slim again but I can get a little slimmer!

So dear readers - I am issuing a challenge - to myself. I have no idea of my weight - we don't even own a scale but I do know my dress size and, blush, am too vain to announce it here. So I am challenging myself to drop two sizes (at least) by this coming June.

FOUL! You cry - what challenge is this? If you do not even publish the dress size? Well - I will be adding a photo in a day or two of moi! On my bike! (From the back - again just too vain, I'm sorry to say! Be patient, the Lord is not done with me yet!)

And YOU, dear readers, will get to judge how I am doing as I will post once a month a picture of me - on the bike, in the same shorts and tee and you can decide if you think I am actually dropping in size. I will choose a tee that is somewhat form fitting so that you can see and cheer me on as I battle the war of the bulge! If I meet my goal, I will post a picture of myself with the flower girl in our wedding gear - face forward.

So cheer me on - bycycle laps, crunches and leg lifts here we come! You know - this just might be fun!

(Picture to follow in a day or two, after I recover from a ruptured cyst.)

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello, and congratulations on your new journey! I, too am just beginning a weight loss regiment of sorts. I very recently (three weeks ago tomorrow) lost our 7th child (five living, two in heaven now), and am taking this opportunity to restart my own fitness program to get back down to my pre-pregnancy (like, before the FIRST pregnancy!) size! Best of luck to you, and thanks so much for your amazing site. I really enjoy logging on, and have you bookmarked as a favorite! Keep up the good work!

mum2twelve said...

Dear wifeforlife!

I am so sorry for your loss! We too have six little ones praying for us in heaven. We were 'blessed' to lose our babies early in the pregnancies, which is hard enough, I can not imagine losing them once I had finally felt the baby move.
Please stay in touch and share how you are doing with getting back in shape. We can encourage each other! I am so glad that you are enjoying the blog!
GOD BLESS you mum2seven!

antonia said...

there ain't nothing like a wedding to motivate everyone to lose weight!!

good luck!


-x-

Anonymous said...

Go for it!!!
Funny, I never owned a scale either! I thought I was the only one! HA!

M. Alexander said...

I completely approve of vanity and so does Chesterton!

I was able to lose 20lbs for a wedding this summer. Unfortunately though, now I have no wedding to motivate me and I still have 20lbs to lose.

Oh, how I wish one of my sisters would marry!

Lorcan said...

Well, before law school I was a boat builder and would race ocean rowing boats... never had to think about what I ate. Then, after going back to school for undergrad, then law school, one day I looked in the mirror and said, "WHO is THAT!!!" Fourty had a lot to do with it... I wont say how much weight I gained , but it was NOT a pretty sight! So, here is the diet which knocked me down to the weight I was in high school ( time to go on it again by the by... )
Breakfast I had tea and fruit salad, no coffee, no toast. Lunch, late in the day, around fiveish, Greek salad, no bread... I went from well... horribly over 200 lbs ( I mean WAY over 200, a few decades over... ) to 150 in a few months. HOWEVER, I then got the flu, droped to 145 and broke a rib coughing, so I gained a bit for health...
Well, this year gained a bit more than fits my plain but vain ( to quote a fFriend ) image, so I think I might join thy challenge! But, if thee MUST eat bread, do so early in the day. I find bread the hardest thing to avoid, but it really has a serrious effect... carbs all together...
Good luck, I am sure thee will be as slim as thee wants by the wedding... and if not absoultly where thee wishes, the joy of the day will make it the last thing on thy mind.
Joy and health
lor