Weight Loss Series Week 5: Tough Week, NIAW, & Mini-Goal Met

So for whatever reason this week proved to be more challenging than the previous four weeks. I was doing pretty well for a while but I was starting to slip up a bit these past few days. I told myself from the beginning of this weight loss series that the goal is not perfection, but to aim at meeting my goals around at least 80% of the time. Because “80% of the time” is a 100% improvement of how I was doing before all of this.

Disclaimer: All content and media on the Hoping For Baby website is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health advice.

Catch-up on Previous Weight Loss Series Posts

Weight Loss Series Week 1: Fertility Clinic Closed, Focusing on Health

Weight Loss Series Week 2: 100 Miles in April Challenge & Online Infertility Group

Weight Loss Series Week 3: The Difference & BFFs with My Treadmill

Weight Loss Series Week 4: Variety is the Spice of Life & Virtual DIY Walk of Hope

Countdown Until Target Weight Date: 5 months & 1 day (as of 4-28-2020)

Tough Week

I think part of the reason this week was a little tougher was that my body was getting exhausted from working out so much. I kind of hit a wall of exhaustion. I took a day off to recover and then another, and then a third day. It’s not the end of the world. I just need to re-evaluate how I am doing things and aim to find a good balance. I want that balance to be about reasonable expectations and consistency.

I’m going to have this week be a “test” of working out twice in a day, as opposed to doing one long workout session like I was doing. We’ll see how it goes, maybe it will be even better than what I was doing. I was working out 1-2 hours all at once 6 days per week. But my body finally said, “Naw, I’m going to curl up on the couch and make you immoblile for a bit.” I want to listen to my body but also challenge it. I think working out twice per day might be more reasonable for me. Wish me luck!

NIAW

NIAW stands for National Infertility Awareness Week, and it was held April 19th through April 25th this year. I recently started becoming more active on Instagram (follow me @hopingforbabyblog) and I was blown away at how active the infertility community is during this week. There were so many posts from people of all walks of life dealing with infertility. I liked that each day of the week there was a theme. One day people were posting photos of their pets, another day was photos of those who have supported them, and Wednesday was photos of people wearing orange for NIAW. It was cool to see. I think maybe next year I will be a bit more involved with the photos. I didn’t realize until halfway through the week there was a theme for each day. I saw a few people mentioning their health changes they have made that helped them improve their fertility.

Some women seem convinced their weight loss was the reason they were able to smile into the camera while holding their baby, and maybe that’s true. But the more I learn about infertility the more complex it seems. When I reach my weight loss goal I’m not going to have inflated expectations of being able to have a baby. It would be nice if it were that easy, but I see so many women of all shapes and sizes that struggle to have a baby. But if I can improve my odds even just a little bit of having a baby, at least I know I did everything I could. Plus I’d have the added benefit of not feeling so bloated, which is a good thing right?

Mini-Goal Met

Although near the end of the week I ran out of steam, I am happy to share I met my goal of 20 miles for the week. I had pledged to donate 50% of the miles I walked this week to RESOLVE’s Virtual DIY Walk of Hope to raise funds during National Infertility Awareness Week. I just got done donating tonight. Even though money is a bit tight for me at the moment, I figure this small amount is able to help out a bit with RESOLVE’s mission to provide infertility education and services to those experiencing infertility. Even if you missed out on the walk from last week you can still donate to RESOLVE.

Credit: 2020 Virtual DIY Walk of Hope

This accomplishment has planted a seed for me and I am considering doing something similar over a longer period. I think that would help me to keep my momentum going. I’m thinking of selecting one or several infertility foundations to donate to, based on exercise and health challenges. I’m going to meditate on it and think about how I am going to execute this. Maybe I will select one foundation per quarter possibly. I’ll let you know when I decide.