Weight Loss Progress Report

I have no clue what week I should be on, so I'm leaving that number off this one.  I can't tell you how many times I've stopped and restarted dieting in the last few months.  There's always something that seems to throw me off course (cough cough...Chinese takeout...cough cough).  When I initially started these reports again, I was doing them at the beginning of the week, and it was a week I never made it through.

Well this post is coming after a week of great progress and sticking with the plan!  I have been doing Atkins' Induction all week long.  I've been on MyFitnessPal daily logging my food and exercise, although that exercise has only consisted of mowing the lawn and a couple of walks so far.  I plan on adding back in my regular workouts.  P90X here I come!!

I know the big drop at the beginning of Atkins is losing water weight and throwing your body into Ketosis.  That means my body is burning fat for energy.  By not eating carbs, which your body would normally burn first, I'm forcing it to burn my body's fat stores instead.  So without further ado, the results of my first week back on Induction are:

One Week!!!  Seven Pounds!!!  (Well 'technically' it was 6.6 lbs, but MyFitnessPal rounds up.  Close enough right?)  Why oh why does it take me so long to realize this works?  I did it before, and I'm doing it again.  I was so proud of myself this week for maintaining my self control.  I had an opportunity for my favorite Chinese takout and I didn't take it.  I also went to a child's birthday party, and I didn't eat anything there!  There were many times I wanted to sneak into the pantry and devour some cookies, but I didn't!  And it paid off!!

I'm looking forward to the week ahead and continued success.  I already know of a few bumps in the road, but I'm planning ahead to get through them easily.  It's important to plan to know where your next meal is coming from or at least know what it is!

I've been exploring my favorite low carb recipe website for ideas.  The recipes on Linda's Low Carb are fantastic.  I've had a link to her website in my "Helpful Links" section for years now.  I love how it is broken down into categories so you can easily find a recipe for whatever meal or main ingredient you are looking for.  Some of my personal dinner favorites are the "Easy Cheesy Chili Chicken" and the "Enchilada Chicken Paillard".

Breakfast can be a little tricky.  I get in the habit of having the same thing over and over which can burn you out pretty quickly.  My go to breakfast is two eggs, two strips of bacon, and spinach with my coffee.  This is an improvement over my old breakfasts however which literally just consisted of coffee.

I did try something a little different one day this week.  I made a pizza omelet.  It was pepperoni, mushrooms, banana peppers, and spinach in a two-egg omelet topped with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.  And it was YUMMY!

I had a salad for lunch almost every day last week, but I didn't always use the same ingredients.  Sometimes it was iceberg lettuce, and sometimes it was romaine.  The one pictured above was topped with a sliced grilled bratwurst leftover from the night before.  I topped one with crumbled bacon and tomato for a very BLT tasting salad.  My favorite salad was what I had yesterday for lunch before heading off to that birthday party.  It kept me full and I didn't even feel like snacking while I was there.  I had a romaine lettuce salad, topped with Cesar dressing, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, banana peppers, and tomato.  It was my version of an Italian garden salad I once ordered from Donato's pizza, and it was delicious!!

So I've got a plan in my head, but I'm going to write it down.  On paper it always feels more official.  I like checking things off and staying on track.  I'm going to take this one week at a time, one day at a time really, but always looking ahead to my goal.  Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go order some more bacon from the butcher's!

Week 2 Progress Report

Well I need a do-over week!  This was a terrible week for just about all of my goals!  Everyone in the house has been sick, which is a terrible excuse, but it made it very easy to make poor choices this week.  It started off great, with the dip in the scale last Monday.  I had momentum and motivation!  I had three consecutive days on the treadmill working out, and I was eating better.  But the rest of the week, I let everything else take over.

My legs were sore so I stopped working out.  We all have colds, so we spent a lot of time resting, eating takeout instead of cooking something decent, and snacking because we were bored.  Very bad idea!  And it all showed this morning when I stepped on the scale!

Like the weather, my motivation reverted back to it's winter hibernation!  Seriously, I thought this was Spring Break week, not Winter Vacation!  But, it's a new week now.  I already know my workout today is going to be shoveling snow thanks to the lying groundhog and Mother Nature who are in cahoots to keep our spring away!  

Yesterday afternoon, the freezing rain started.  For a brief moment it seemed like we might not get the snow that had been predicted.  But just as quickly as the sleet started, the snow covered the ground.  And kept on and kept on.  

By dinner time, everything was already covered, and big heavy snowflakes were still falling when we went to bed.

And this is the view we woke up to this morning.  I can't find my ruler, or I'd be out there checking to see exactly how much we got overnight.  It is still snowing too, although not as heavily.  It really is a beautiful view, but not what I want to see on Spring Break!  I really don't want to be hiding Easter eggs in the snow for the kids next weekend!  

The fact that it's Spring Break still remains.  Only a short while until school will be out which means summer will be here.  Summer where I want to put on a swimsuit and go swimming.  Lay out in the sun!  Tank tops and skirts and flip flops.  Not weight gain and hiding indoors in lounge pants and sweatshirts!  Motivation may come and go, just like the snow this spring, but I still need to make a change.  I still need to do better!  Here's to next week!  May the weight and the snow that came this week both be gone!

Week 1 Progress Report

Happy Monday morning!  We are happy it's Monday right?  Yeah, I know...not funny!  Well, I'm at least happy to report a move in the right direction this past week.  Today I weighed in at 1.2 lbs less than I did last week.  For me, I'd say that's a good start!

If I dared set foot on the scale before this week, I'd usually see a similar result in the opposite direction.  I want no more of that!  I worked out on the treadmill 4 times this past week, but only between 20-30 minutes each time.  I think 4 days is maintainable for this, but I'd like to increase that time to 30-40 minutes and increase the intensity of those workouts.  That's something to work on for the week ahead!

I also plan to throw in a P90X DVD here and there for some strength exercises.  The shoulders and arms workouts used to be one of my favorites.  I remember having a hard time lifting my arm to brush my hair when I got done with one of those workouts!  It's time to do that again!

Also on the menu this week, or rather what needs to come off the menu this week...carbs!  I did a better job this first week of not snacking, but I still had far too many carbs at meals.  Last night, we also got my favorite takeout for dinner which I knew I would regret this morning, but it was delicious and made me feel better after one heck of a stressful week.  I can live with that!

I'm working on drinking more water during the day, something I generally have a problem with.  I like my morning coffee and a Pepsi Max with dinner, but often there's not much in between.  Last week, I made a trip for over 40 gallons of spring water, so I have no reason not to be drinking lots and lots of water!

I'm going to end this week's progress report with another old picture of me.  This was taken at my daughter's first birthday party during my Atkin's phase.  I was 5 pounds from my goal weight at the time and sporting a brand new size 2 skirt.  I felt great!

With warmer temps right around the corner, I'm going to want to wear that skirt again!  I'm going to make sure it fits this year!

How did you do last week?  Any victories on or off the scale?

Mid Week Progress Report

This past Sunday, I made the decision it was time to change course.  I was tired of going backwards in my weight loss journey.  On Monday, I made the post on here about my decision and my goals.  I'm not back to report numbers yet, but I am back to keep my motivation up!  I've been on the treadmill every day this week.  I've done ab exercises every day this week.  And wow can I feel the effects of that!  I'm more careful about snacking, and I've been drinking more water.  I also haven't added salt to a single meal this week (Shhh, I don't think Hubby has noticed)!  I'm actually looking forward to setting foot on the scale again on Monday, which honestly I have not been excited about in some time.

I'm also eager to get the kids out of the house and get to the park whenever weather permits now.  Sunday was a beautiful day.  Absolutely perfect weather for this time of year, and we headed off to a nearby park.  I insisted we take a trail through the woods before hitting the playgrounds and the kids obliged.

On Tuesday, I made one of our regular trips to another park, Flowing Well Park, where we can load up on free spring water.  It is seriously good water, and we don't drink tap water around here.  It's 'well' worth the trip!

I filled up over 40 gallons of water and lugged them back to the van so that was my workout for the day.  After that we took to a trail through a small wooded area.  It was colder than it had been on Sunday, but still a very lovely day.  And I got some very lovely pictures to show for it.

I don't know where my motivation has been hiding for the past two years, but I feel like I finally have it back.  Also, I feel like if I keep saying that enough, and keep typing that enough, I'll stick with it!  As I said on Monday, this is my accountability.  I only want to have positive results to share with you!

I know a few other people who are working towards a similar goal right now, and I hope that sharing my journey helps to motivate them as well!!  However, my goal for this particular post is to give me a positive boost to get through the weekend and see a success on Monday!  Stay tuned!

Getting Back with the Program

It's been a long long while since I've done a weight loss post or even posted a healthy recipe.  I've neglected those sections of this blog as much as I've neglected the reason for them.  It was about this time 2 years ago when I started looking into a low carb lifestyle after months of struggling with low fat and counting calories after I gave birth to my daughter.  That wasn't working, and I needed to find something that did.

Between April and September that year I lost 23 pounds cutting carbs and working out, putting me 2 pounds shy of my goal weight when we got married on September 10, 2011.  As of today, I've put all but 3 of those pounds back on.  Eeek!  It's time to start getting serious again and to make changes that allow me to reach my goal and stay there!

I can't believe I'm posting this picture, but I am proud of it.  That is me just days before our beach wedding at my lowest weight.  I might have to print this out and put it on the fridge.  It took a lot of work to get to where I was then, but I did it once so I know I can do it again!

I weighed in this morning, and I plan to do so every Monday morning.  I'll be posting a result here on the blog, but not an actual number in pounds.  We'll consider this week my starting point.  It's not really about the number, just the progress and my health!  I plan to dive back into low carb, slowly at first as I relearn what my best meal and snack options are and eventually restart Atkins.

I also plan to be more active.  My treadmill had set unused for far too long until yesterday.  It didn't get much of a workout yesterday either due to frequent interruptions.  I need to address those before I get started, not while I'm running.  But I don't plan on letting it get dusty again!  The hike through the woods we had yesterday is also something I hope to repeat often!  I know the views there are only going to get better and spring and summer come to life!  I'll probably also schedule a date with Jillian Michaels (on DVD of course)!

These posts will become my accountability.  Every Monday I want to have something positive to report.  I think it would provide additional motivation to me and hopefully others as well.  Summer is right around the corner, and I want to be happy about how I look and feel in a swimsuit or even a tank top!  So let's get moving!!

Low Carb Journey Update #4

Can you believe it's August already?  I can't either!  I joined a mommy challenge weight loss group on MyFitnessPal a while back and set certain weight loss goals to work with the goals of the group.  One of my goals was to reach 120 pounds by August 1st. Well this past Friday, I did it!  This morning the scale creeped up a bit and said 120.2, but that's close enough for me.  I reached that goal!!  And it feels great.  In fact, today I've felt better than I have in years!  Physically, emotionally, mentally....it's been an awesome day (and it's only just after 2 o'clock!).  The fact that I have some free time to sit down and blog this little update just shows how awesome of a day this really is!

First of all, the reason for this little afternoon break is that I started a routine this morning.  I should have done this years ago...3 1/2 years ago to be exact.  (That's how old Gray is in case you were wondering!)  Anyway, so we'll be sending Gray off to preschool one day a week for him to get some interaction with other kids, learn to listen to instructors, and work on those social skills for just being out in public.  Not to mention, to give Mommy a little break during the day! =)  I decided that we'd start our own little preschool at home so he gets used to the idea (and schedule) of what's going to happen when he actually goes to preschool.  He has been a super student today!  Structure is exactly what this boy needed.  Right now happens to be "quiet time", and although he insisted he wasn't going to take a nap, after 15 minutes of quietly playing on his monkey mat (the one I'll be sending him to playschool with), he passed out!  SCORE!

I got a little workout in, folded a load of laundry, and filled out a daily report of what we did so far for our home "preschool".  Now I get to do my blog.  Best day ever!!

So back to the progress and my goals!  I can't even begin to tell you all how stoked I am about these results. I went shopping on Saturday hoping to find some new shorts or capris because almost all of my clothes are getting too big now.  Most of the stuff I brought into the dressing room to try on didn't fit, but not for the usual reason.  Instead of being too small, everything was too big.  I didn't realize what size I truly am now!  So what I did find was a skirt in a size 2 that fits incredible!  It's a jean skirt and although there's some mixed reviews around here about the fashionability (yes I think I just made up a word) of a jean skirt, I love it!  Mostly because it's a skirt in a size 2, but also because I think it's just adorable.  Four months ago when I started this low carb journey, I was wearing a size 10.  One year ago, after I had Alia, if I wasn't still wearing some maternity clothes, I was wearing a size 12.  I couldn't be more thrilled with the difference from then to now!

Today I'm officially moving on to phase 3 of Atkins.  It's called pre-maintenance , and the mission is to slowly increase your daily net carb limit until you reach the point where you are no longer losing weight (but also not gaining).  I still want to lose 5 more pounds, and I have set a goal of just under 6 weeks to do it.  The wedding and honeymoon are fast approaching, and I plan on rocking my new bikinis on the cruise ship!

Thanks go out to everyone who has supported me and continues to support me on this journey.  Motivation to change is the key.

“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.” ~Adlin Sinclair

Low Carb Journey Update #2

It's been a little over 2 weeks since my last weight loss update, and I'm happy to announce that I'm down a little over 2 pounds since then!  There is no doubt about it.  This is definitely working!  Today I am exactly 8 pounds away from my goal weight, and actually only 3 pounds away from the weight I was initially aiming for!  I'm getting excited about how clothes fit now, and I'm also fitting into things that have been buried in the closet for years!  I bought 2 new bikinis, something I haven't worn since just after I graduated high school!  I'm still working on feeling comfortable and confident while wearing them, but I do think I'll get there!

In less than a year I have gone from wearing a size 12 to a size 4.  In all the time I was struggling to diet and lose weight after I had Alia last July, I only dropped one size from then until April.  The rest has all been since I went low carb!  It's a really great feeling to finally be able to pull something off the rack in a store, try it on and actually like how you look!  With the wedding and cruise now just 9 weeks away, I getting more excited by the minute and staying motivated too!

I have many challenges coming up in the next several weeks however, but I'm determined to stay the course.  My (and my twin sister's) birthday is next week.  I need to get on the ball and make my own low carb cheesecake!  Next weekend I'll be attending a rally with a "free lunch" provided, and I have no idea what it will be!  Although now that I'm thinking about it, since it's a function for Juvenile Diabetes I don't think they'd serve us anything too bad!  Then the following week will be the true challenge of my willpower:  the county fair!  Last year, I thought I was doing pretty good by eating the roasted corn on the cob.  Now that I know how high in carbs a single ear of corn is I definitely won't be doing that this year!  I also won't be able to partake in my favorite fair treat, the Farm Bureau chocolate milkshakes!  I know I'll be able to find a burger or a porkchop there somewhere, but it's going to be difficult passing up those old favorites!

After all that is Alia's first birthday!  For Gray's first I made a homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!  I want to make Alia a homemade cake as well, but I also want to be able to enjoy a piece myself!  I think I will make a regular cake and then some sugar free cupcakes or something similar so I can still partake in the birthday festivities but stay on track!  I'm already making a list of party foods besides the sweets that will work such as meat and veggie trays and Linda's broccoli crunch salad.

With so much to do this month, July is going to be gone before I know it.  Along with it, I'm hoping a few more pounds and inches too!  Hopefully I will have some new recipes to post soon.  Keep checking back!

Another week down

I just finished some leftover Florentine chicken Alfredo and roasted tomato leftover from dinner last night, and I'm sitting here killing some time before I dive into today's workouts.  Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week now unlike most people.  I look forward to weighing in for a ladies-only weight loss group on Facebook as well as a mommy weight loss challenge on MyFitnessPal.  There are such amazing and dedicated women in both of these groups that it's easy to stay motivated all week long in order to share my positive results with them.  Today was no exception.  I lost 2 pounds this week!

I am now just a hair over 5 pounds away from what was my initial goal weight (I know want to lost 5 more pounds than that, so 10 more pounds total).  I'm losing inches too.  I love looking at the spreadsheet I track all my numbers in and seeing the totals drop each week!  I have more energy, clothes fit better, and I have been making some really good food too!  Its hard to believe it's "diet" food!  Also this week, I decided to try on the dress I bought for my wedding back in April.  I'm so glad I did, because I was literally swimming in it.  I couldn't believe how big it was.  I've ordered a smaller size now and can't wait till it gets here!  With just over 2 months before the wedding though, I'm honestly afraid if I keep this up I may be exchanging it for a smaller size again!  Well, I guess not afraid...that's a good thing right?!

I started Jillian Michael's 30 day shred this weekend.  After just one workout I was dripping with as much sweat as if I had just done an hour long P90x workout.  After two workouts, I was having a hard time walking up and down the stairs!  My legs are so sore!  In a little while I'll be doing it again for day 3.  I think it's definitely working, and I'm glad I took the suggestions of so many other to try it.  Two things I don't like about the DVD however are that there is so much you have to listen to at the beginning of the DVD before the workout even begins.  I find it annoying you can't just jump to the menu to begin the workout.  I also don't like that there's not a timer on it at all.  I know it's only 20 minutes of actual workout, but I want to see that clock and it helps keep me going knowing how many minutes are left.  I guess I'm just so used to that with the P90x DVDs.

Another encouraging part of the week for me was being approached by several people about a low carb diet.  To me that means people are definitely noticing the results, whether its the numbers I'm posting online or actually seeing me in person.  I'm excited about showing other people the opportunity to feel better about themselves and get healthier as well.  I hope for success for all of them!

I'm not posting a recipe here today, but I did want to leave you a picture of the wonderful dinner we had last night and what I just finished off for lunch today.  The recipes for the Florentine chicken Alfredo and roasted (she calls them grilled) tomatoes are on Linda's Low Carb webiste.  Alright, I think my food may be digested enough for Jillian Michaels to kick my butt again!  Happy Monday everyone!

Bum Week

I knew this was to be expected, but I still didn't want it to happen.  I have been super excited at the success of the last few weeks and also reaching a major milestone on the scale.  However, it appears as if my scale is now stuck.  Discouraged, I fell off the low-carb bandwagon last night too.  Although it was a super special occasion.  We went to a wedding last night.  It the first evening I have been dressed up and kid-free at the same time.  All the more reason to celebrate!

Normally, I would wait until Monday to kick start a diet, however I don't see the significance of waiting till the weekend is over now.  What makes Monday so special for beginning again?  I'm at stay-at-home-mom so my schedule doesn't really change much just because it's the weekend.  The kids still wake up at the same time even though it's Saturday, although Daddy might sleep a couple extra hours.  Besides, this low-carb diet isn't really a diet, but a lifestyle.  I fall off the bandwagon; I jump right back on.

Breakfast and lunch were great.  I'm at 5 net carbs so far today, so I have plenty of room for a great dinner and even a snack.  I've even got a new recipe to try for dinner from Linda's Low Carb Recipes.  I haven't worked out yet today, but I keep thinking about it.  Surely that burns a few calories right?  I'm determined to get one in, or at the very least get outside and run around in the sprinkler with my son.  As much as he loves to pretend to workout with me, I think he'd enjoy playing in the water more!

I'm still not looking forward to the number on the scale this week.  Although I know I'll still see a number that only a few months ago and for the last several years, I didn't think I'd see again!  I'm an only 10 pounds away from my initial goal weight, however I want to knock 5 more pounds off that now.  I'm aiming for the number on my driver's license!  I know for sure that when my license was renewed 5 years ago, it wasn't accurate!  But who really wants to admit to the BMV how much weight they've gained?  My new goal will be for that the only thing to stay the same on my license when I go to get a new one later this year.  After all I'll finally be updating my address and my last name!!

Anyway, so even though this week has been a tough plateau, I'm going to keep on this journey.  I have found some wonderful avenues of support recently that are so encouraging!  Keep checking back for new recipes, as I hope to have some new and delicious things to share!

Getting off track and getting back on

I should officially be halfway through week 4 of P90x already, however I feel like I've just fallen way off track.  Life really just has this way of getting in the way!  I didn't make the time over the weekend to do anything, and I have been so busy the past couple days.  It is incredibly easy to make other things priorities over working out!  I somehow left off week 4 on my printout for keeping track of which workout to do each day.  I skipped right over it, and that has made it easier to skip workouts as well.  After all, I have nothing to go check off when I'm done anyway!  Good excuse right?

Well here's the kicker...I've still lost 12 pounds so far!!  That's right boys and girls!  A few bad days is not getting me down.  I picked back up today with Kenpo-x, and I plan on getting Cardio-x in sometime tomorrow morning before the parade starts and before I go chow down on some yummy Thanksgiving fare.  I feel so much better about myself right now.  After several days in a row of not working out at all, I could tell my mood was terrible and I was incredibly tired.  I was taking it out on Gray and the cookies in the pantry.  With just about an hour of dedicated time for myself, I have done a complete 180 from the last few days.  It is amazing!  

I was a little scared to step on the scale earlier because of those cookies, but thankfully my body and the scale knew I needed a pick-me-up!  The number it displayed was definitely what I needed.  I checked it 2 more times just to make sure the scale wasn't trying to fool me!  I have not been my current weight in nearly 4 years!  

Tomorrow is surely going to be a challenge.  I love my family's cooking on any holiday.  But Thanksgiving is definitely a stand out.  With pumpkin pie, candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, homemade rolls....I could go on and on. I want it all!  I just need to make sure I try little bits of everything, and not overeat!  Luckily I will have my sister and her mother-in-law there as motivation.  They have both lost weight recently and are major inspiration! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

Middle of Week 3

It's day 3 of P90X (lean) week 3.  I'm glad I've stuck with it (sort of) this far.  I have missed a few days with Gray's parties and just being busy.  How in the world people that work outside of the home everyday find time to workout boggles my mind.  Being here all day (most days) it's still really difficult to make the time.  And when I miss a day, I'm trying to catch up with 2 workouts in one day, but that's just madness.  That's 2 hours I need for other things like cooking and laundry, or taking care of the kids.  Something suffers.  Ah what a juggling act this is!  Leftover cake is definitely not a help to my situation either!

I'm up to 9 pounds lost so far.  Although I don't notice a big difference yet, the compliments from friends and family members who say they do notice is really a huge boost of motivation.  Plus I've only got 21 pounds to go to catch up with my sister!  I feel better, my skin is healthier, and I've been told I'm happier.  I'd say all of these things are well worth the daily effort.

Next week is going to be a real challenge.  Who doesn't want to pig out on mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving?!  My absolute favorites and I am most certainly going to indulge.  But my goal is to be reasonable about what I eat and make sure I keep up with the workouts even on those off days!  And if I venture out on black Friday, I'm sure there will be some calories burned fighting through all those other holiday shoppers!  I can't believe there's only a little over a month until Christmas.  I am truly hoping that my gray cashmere sweater fits by then.  So far, time is flying faster than the fat is burning!

One Week Down

I made my official start of P90X last Monday.  I'm doing the lean version instead of the classic version because I'm hoping to burn more fat instead of build more muscle.  There's a different workout everyday Monday through Saturday.  Sunday is either a day of rest or X-Stretch.  Guess which I chose?  Well in my defense I was preparing for a birthday party and even that extra hour of daylight savings went to getting that ready.  Ab Ripper-X is also thrown in after two of the workouts each week.  It's 16 minutes of torture.  One day I may be able to keep up with that one, but definitely not on week 1!

Mondays are Core Synergistics and probably my least favorite of all the workouts.  I am absolutely terrible at doing push-ups or any kind of exercise remotely resembling a push-up.  Again, hopefully one day I may be able to successfully keep up with the DVD on these but definitely not right out the gate.  Saturdays are Kenpo.  Now that's a fun workout and well worth taking time away from Saturday morning cartoons!  I'd like to think it's even teaching me a little self defense.  It's all about punches, kicks, and blocks.  Everything is incredibly do-able (by a beginner!) and no equipment required.  The best part of it: being called vibrant after I had finished.  I honestly can't remember the last time anyone used that word to describe me!  Now, I'm looking forward to hearing it again! =)

There's a laundry list of equipment you're supposed to have before you start P90X.  I don't have any weights or a pull-up bar, or yoga blocks, or really anything else on the list.  The only thing I do have is a set of cheap resistance bands, which do their job.  Or at least they can do their job as long as my toddler doesn't pick them up and run away with them while I'm in the middle of the workout!  The only piece of equipment that I feel I might need is a yoga mat.  I never really saw the purpose in these until I did the yoga workout and started slipping and sliding all over the carpet.  Although if I was a little better at the Core exercises I might not have that problem as much!

The scale hasn't been as friendly as I would have liked this week.  I was really hoping for some drastic results, but it has only been one week.  It's not like I was doing the Biggest Loser or anything!  I did see a number on the scale that I haven't seen in a long time, and I'm down another 2 pounds. That's even after the birthday cake I had yesterday.  They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit, so I need to make sure I stick to this like glue for 2 more weeks.  After that things should be easy right?  Well, like I said before....baby steps.  One week at a time.  One week is already behind me.  And right now I'm even tempted to throw in an extra cardio workout today just because of all the party food we had yesterday.

A New Wind

Maybe the third time really is a charm!  Or in my case nine hundred and twenty-third time?  I don't know how many times I've decided I'm going to "get in shape", but one of these days I'm actually going to do it!  Good news is I have lost 5 pounds already.  Bad news is that it has nothing to do with what I've been eating.  If I were eating healthier right now, which I most definitely should be since what I eat does affect what Alia eats, I can only imagine how much more I'd be losing.  I know she'll only be nursing exclusively for another few months before she'll start eating more solid foods, which means less milk production for mommy and therefore less calories my body is burning without my help!  I've got to get on the ball now!  Literally...I think I have one of those inflatable workout balls around here somewhere.

Yesterday, I broke out the p90x DVDs we've had unopened for over a year now.  Without reading any of the information or watching the "Watch this First" DVD, I randomly picked one of the workout DVDs and put it in.  Just so happened I picked plyometrics which apparently is the hardest one to do.  The instructor kindly announced this fact about 8 minutes into the warmup.  I turned it off after 10 minutes.  It became crystal clear that I am definitely not in shape and my legs are officially made out of Jello.  Today I'm going to try the Cardio-x DVD instead.  With just over 8 weeks until Christmas I have my work cut out for me.  I'm not sure I can meet my original goal by then, but I am determined to get as close as I can.  And when I say "determined", that excludes the pizza I'm going to eat tonight for girl's night out!  Baby steps people! Plus it was a pre-planned event!

So pass your motivational tips and tricks my way.  I'm back on a mission!  Little gray cashmere sweater here I come!

Try and try again

So I think last week was just a test run for my new goals, and boy did I fail that test!  Just thinking the word "diet" made me crave food more, and I wanted to eat everything in the fridge and pantry.  I made that chocolate cake again one night (on what should have been day 2 of my plan), and I really would love to just eat one of those cakes after every meal!  I'm sure I would have made it a few more times if I hadn't of run out of eggs last week.  I also had pad thai and pizza which I'm pretty sure would blow any diet.  We finished off the week at a pitch-in for a family reunion.  There was so much goodness there to eat and with lots of family eager to hold the baby girl, I had my hands free to dig into all of it!

It's a new week now, and it's time to make some real changes.  I've decided I'm not on a "diet".  The word just makes me hungry!  I can't diet right now anyway.  Cutting out too many calories could be detrimental to my milk supply and I think a certain baby girl might not be too happy about that!  I just need to eat smarter.  I made a pretty successful trip to the grocery store today (taking only the child that can't throw food out of the cart really helps), and I think I stocked up on some things that should help me make some better choices this week:  oatmeal, fat-free milk, unsweetened applesauce, salads, veggies,  lean turkey, etc.  A certain someone was a little disappointed that I didn't make it home with ice cream.  I ran out of time before I even had a chance to go down that isle (ie Alia was getting hungry).  And that's probably for the better.

I found our scale hiding under some paint supplies in the closet so I'll be starting off this week knowing exactly what I weigh now.  I also know exactly where I want to be.  I just hope that's enough motivation for me.

I made chicken tostadas again for dinner last night.  But this time I baked the whole wheat tortillas instead of frying them.  That's a start.  Oatmeal and iced Teeccino (with fat-free milk) for breakfast.  I've been wary about trying those "healthier" milks but with those new commercials enlightening me that a glass of 2% milk has more saturated fat than an order of French fries, I thought it was time try one.  Looking at the price of a carton of Smart Balance vs a gallon of regular milk though it's a wonder how people can afford to drink the stuff.  Luckily for me, I had clipped a $2 off coupon and the store had it on sale for $2.99 yesterday.  At only 99 cents a carton, it is definitely worth trying!

Now to get caught up on housework and work in a trip to the park or a few laps around the neighborhood with the stroller.  Or both.  We'll see!

Happily exhausted!

It has been one busy week.  I'm not sure I've stuck to all my food goals (and by that I mean I definitely haven't), but I have at least left the house for a little bit every day.  Well except for today, but I've still got time.  I need to run to the grocery store which I suppose could count towards my very vague rule of getting out of the house.  Even though the intention of that rule was to go for a walk or to the park everyday.  Like I said before, it's a work in progress!

I have been working on the house and making a lot of progress this week though.  I made a nice dent in the boxes and totes in the front room and just finished clearing out the living room of all non-living room things.  I absolutely love how spacious and wonderful this room feels now.  If only it was actually finished though.  This room has not been painted yet and the rest of the new carpet is waiting patiently in the warehouse at my uncle's store.  But today, I can finally get a sense for what this room will feel like once it's finished and that makes me smile!

Gray is pretty happy too.  He's got a TV in the loft now along with his computer desk.  He's watching a Bob the Builder dvd at the moment, and I couldn't be happier about breaking my no-TV-before-6-p.m. rule.  The peace and quiet down here in the living room watching Alia sleep is well worth it!  And it's a short dvd that doesn't auto repeat so he'll be down here before too long I'm sure.

I'm almost caught up on laundry, another activity that should surely be considered an aerobic workout.  Especially in a two-story house with the laundry room on the first floor. I'm also convinced that somehow the laundry always knows when everything is almost clean and put away at which point it instantly multiplies into a dozen more loads!  I have all the dishes washed as well.  Another never ending task around here since we have not yet bought a dishwasher!

If I don't manage to get another thing done today, I won't mind. It's been a busy yet productive morning and early afternoon.  I think I've been trying to keep my mind off the sadness of Prince Poppycock only coming in fourth place on AGT last night.  He deserved to win!  I really hope he keeps performing, and I know Link and I would definitely buy tickets to one of his shows.  Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be performing in Las Vegas when we go out there to get married! =)

Day 1

Well it's a start.  If I could find our scale I'd go get an accurate weight for my first day starting towards my new weight loss goal.  However, I have a pretty good idea where I stand.  Eating wise I didn't do too bad today, at least until the French bread came out of the oven with dinner tonight.

I started off the day with some old fashioned Quaker oats, sweetened with cinnamon and raisins.  I actually measured to make sure I made enough for only one serving. I never do that!  For lunch I had a hamburger leftover from the grill yesterday.  I ate it on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and red onion only.  No ketchup or mayonnaise!  I was proud that I actually ate raw onion and surprised that I actually didn't want to spit it out!  I had a glass of lemonade and split a banana with Gray for a sweet little dessert.  When we got back from the park, I counted out 16 wheat thins for a quick snack.  Dinner consisted of a  bowl of homemade lentil soup and French bread.

I know I ate way more of the bread than I should have, but it is virtually fat free and I ate it plain.  I did all the work to make it so that has to count for something right?  And there was definitely no need to add butter or anything but a little broth from the soup to that warm crusty bread.  I think I'm going to slice up the rest of the loaf to try a healthier version of French toast for breakfast in the morning.  The recipe is just like any other French toast recipe with just a few minor modifications.  It calls for soaking the bread in a mixture of egg whites and low fat milk along with the typical vanilla and cinnamon and cooking on a griddle sprayed with cooking spray instead of melted butter.  I always use a low calorie sugar free maple syrup so that will round things out quite nicely.

Besides working on eating healthier, I have to work on getting more active.  It's hard to convince myself some days that grocery shopping and laundry are not aerobic activities (even though I've left the grocery store sweating from having to handle 2 kids and a cart full of groceries).  I found this website tonight that is a complete eye opener.  It allows you to list your current weight and the amount of calories you'd like to burn off.  Then it displays a list of common activities and various sports and exercises and tells you how long you would have to do that activity to burn the amount of calories you selected.  It really makes you think twice when you want a snack.  Look at the package and see how many calories it is, and then plug that number into the website.  See if it's really worth all that time running, bicycling or whatever else and decide if you really want to eat it!  Makes it much easier to return that snack to the shelf or the fridge (or better yet, the trash!).

I did stick to my new rule and got out of the house today (something else that should be classified as an aerobic activity around here!)  I thoroughly enjoyed walking along the trails at the park today, but it was more of a leisurely walk pushing Alia the stroller, stopping frequently for Gray to check out rocks or pick up a leaf.  He also enjoyed some time on their playground which is much bigger than the park right beside our house.  I wish I had been able to do a little more "moving" though.  I'd love to go for a jog in the mornings when I get up, but it's just not an option.  I'll figure out something eventually.  It's all a work in progress!