I began married life 40 pounds lighter. We immediately moved to the UK where, except for a brief lapse when I got carried away with Irish butter, full-fat yogurt and digestives (the British term for what we Americans call cookies) I maintained my weight, kept up with the weight training, added in English horseback riding, oh and a wee bit of running to the mix. It was mostly on the treadmill and ranged from 3 to 7 miles.
We lived in the British West Midlands in an old renovated Schoolhouse dating from the 15th century.
I was known as the “American Girl” at the stable.
I gained a considerable amount (35 lbs) during each of my pregnancies but had no problem losing it.
Fast forward to 2007: We were back living in the states with kids aged 5 and 1. I decided the time had come to run A marathon, you know for the bucket list. I used the Furman Institute’s Run Less Run Faster plan. That was my intro to interval training. I ran my first couple of halfs and my first full marathon that year. I toed the starting line at the Chicago marathon that fall 10 lbs lighter than I started the year. I credit speedwork for that weightloss.
With marathon training went an additional 10 lbs. for a total of 50.
In a nutshell
No strict diets
No calorie counting
No food log
For the record, I think all of the above can be beneficial. I just didn’t do them. Maybe I will someday, who knows?
Mine was a gradual, sustainable lifestyle change.
There you have it kids, thanks for hanging with me the past few days. The trip down memory lane was kind of fun, and if it helped anyone else, all the better.
