Christmas has come and gone.......

Well, I didn't quite make my goal of staying under 138 for the holidays.  After Christmas I stepped on the scale and saw 139.2.  I keep trying to eat better and now that the treats are dwindling down that helps, but I am very munchy.  I have gotten used to eating whatever/whenever and now I need to change that mind set and only eat when I am truly hungry.  I seriously ate SOO MUCH this holiday season, more than I normally have in the past.  It was getting out of hand.  Like a half bag of holiday candy a day, wow!

Even though I only gained 5 pounds over the holidays, I feel so poofy and uncomfortable.  My waist has grown and my pants are all fitting a little snug.  My face is more double chinned than ever and my energy has waned.  Plus, my back has been hurting more and when I eat a lot of sugar, I get yeast infections much more easily.  When I did my health challenge, my yeast infections became a thing of the past, that was really nice.

So, I know I won't be perfect until after New Year's but I will start a new health challenge and I need to decide if I just want to maintain or lose 6%.  If I lose 6%, I will likely have to get down to 130 or even a little below if I lose any weight before it starts.  As of today, I would have to get down to 130.8 to lose 6%.....:) That would be cool.  Anyway, I'll decide when the time comes but until then, I'm am going to try harder to make better food choices. 

Happy Holidays!

On Friday I weighed in at 135.4, up 1.4 pounds from a few weeks ago.  Enjoying that holiday food!  I have been eating a lot of junk but it's kind of fun to just enjoy eating junk for a few weeks.  However, it has caused some stomach aches so I started to dial it back a little and start eating better and that of course helps.  Less than 2 weeks until Christmas :)

I'm back...kind of.

So it's been a month since I wrote my last post on Halloween.  I did the health challenge and lost all the baby weight and more and it was great!  Over the past few months I gained back a few pounds with Halloween, my birthday, and Thanksgiving.  I usually stick around 134 and 135 (I was 134 this morning).  So, for this holiday season I'd really like to stay under 140, ideally under 138.  That allows me to gain a few pounds which I know will happen, but also encourage me to not have to lose so much come January.  I am planning to do the health challenge again in January and while it would be nice to lose another 6%, I will likely choose the maintain option and lose a few pounds.  If I start the challenge at 138 and had to lose 6%, I would have to get under 130, whoa.  That sounds cool but also a little scary.  Plus, my clothes will start to be baggy etc.  Anyway, I'm just rambling now. 

Here come the holidays!  Wish me luck, so far I haven't had much self control :)  Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

So, this week I finished my challenge on Monday morning and I have been eating lots of treats this week but my weight has still gone down, funny.  I haven't exercised much either.  I'm sure it won't last but I don't plan on eating badly after today with it being Halloween and all.  This morning I weighed in at 132.4, nice!  This the lowest I have seen since getting married. Next Thursday is my birthday and I plan to eat whatever I want all day :)  Woo hoo!

Meltdown Challenge Complete!

So this morning I weighed in at 133.4 and was so close so I ran and started the laundry and weighed in again at 133.2, yay!  I made it to my goal and lost 8.6 pounds and did it in a little less than 6 weeks.  I celebrated with eating fun size twix and it was hard and not good, oy.

So, here are my before and after pictures and my measurements.

Scale before and after:

Full length me before and after:

Full length on scale before and after:

Measurements:

Neck:  12 (same)
Right Bicep:  11.5 (down 0.5)
Chest:  34  (down 1.25)
Under Chest:  30  (down 1.75)
Natural Waist:  28  (down 1)
Waist:  30.5  (down 1)
Hips:  33.8  (down 1.2)
Right Thigh:  21.4  (down 0.6)
Right Calf:  14.75  (down 0.05)


Overall, this challenge was awesome.  In the past I have always done no sugar and then I would have major cravings because I didn't have a specific goal to reach, just don't each sugar which I guess is too vague for me.  Having this concrete challenge where I had to lose 6% of my body weight in a certain amount of time took away the sugar cravings (for the most part) because I knew if I ate them I wouldn't make it and lose $20.  So rather than saying I couldn't have sugar, I chose not to eat sugar because I knew it wouldn't get me to where I needed to be.  (I wasn't perfect, there was one weekend I ate a lot of candy and went back up a couple pounds which I had to work hard to take back off.) 

I  was very motivated to win and get back my cash and more and fit better into my clothes.  My clothes fit awesome now, hooray!  I am not really going to try and lose more weight but I would love to stay at or below 135.  Feeling good today.

4 More Days!!

So, I think I weighed 133.6 on Thursday and I was only 0.4 away from my goal so I ate well and exercise and was 133.4 on Friday but then the next few days I went back up to 134 (I need to weigh in at 133.3 but since my scale only shows increments of 0.2, I need to get to 133.2).  So, I still have 0.8 to go and 4 days to do it.  I'm not too worried, I'll get there.  I ate lots of pancakes on Friday night and I ate tons of bread on Saturday and had cake that night at my dad's wedding but I'm planning to forgo dessert tonight and hopefully make it soon.  I loved this challenge, it was the best thing!  I'll post when I'm done!

Meltdown Challenge Weigh In

On Thursday I was the same as Sunday, 134.6 although in the past few days my weight has just gone up and up.  Bugger.  Oh well, I am still eating well and moving a ton so I hope it will go back down and more :)  This usually happens for a few days every month....my weight just goes up for a few days and then goes back down if I keep eating well and exercising.  I sure hope so!  I'm so close to finishing but still have about 3 pounds to go and only 11 days to do it.

Meltdown Challenge Weigh In

Hmmm, I am trying to remember what I weighed on Thursday and I think it was 136 although today I was happy to see 134.6 on the scale!  Only 1.4 pounds to go to my goal weight for this challenge.

So, this past week has been more of a roller coaster.  I ate really well and then on Thursday I attended a gala and was planning to eat this fabulous meal and enjoy it immensely!  However, the portions were tiny tiny tiny and I left not even full.  Crazy!  So, needless to say, I wasn't satisfied with my cheat meal so on Friday when I got out some Halloween candy for my son who is potty training I started eating it and couldn't stop!  I ate probably 8-9 treats, plus some whipping cream plus some peanut M&M's with my family watching a movie.  Whoa, whoops.  Oh well, I have since gotten back on the band wagon although I had some cake Saturday night too.  Today I did well although we had crepes for dinner, yum. 

So, I am still on track to win this challenge and I hope I can stay strong.  Just under 3 weeks to go.  My resolve to eat well and exercise has really been challenging me.  (It also didn't help that I strained my neck on Wednesday and it has been hurting like crazy so I haven't been able to exercise.  It is finally feeling a bit better today, finally.)  I hope I can continue to stay strong!

Meltdown Challenge Weigh In

It has now been 2 weeks since I started this challenge and it's been awesome!  Yesterday I weighed in at 136.8, down 5 pounds from starting and down 1.4 pounds from last week.  I have now 3.6 pounds to go and 4 weeks to do it :)

I also took my measurements they day after I started and here they are:

Neck:  12
Chest:  35.25
Under Chest:  31.75
Right Bicep:  12
Natural Waist:  29
Waist:  31.5
Hips:  35
Right Thigh:  22
Right Calf:  14.8

On track and doing well.  This is just the motivation I needed to lose these last few pounds!

Meltdown Challenge Weigh In

I started this challenge 1 week ago and the results are showing!  This morning I weighed in at 138.2, down 3.6 pounds from last Thursday.  That feels good :)  I now have 5 pounds to lose in 5 weeks, awesome. 

I have tried very hard to eat well which includes eating a carb/protein balance 5 times a day.  I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner.  I am also trying to exercise every day.  Tonight I get to play volleyball, yay!  It's my favorite sport.  This past week I have had a bad cold and I have had some nausea which was weird.  It started on Saturday and didn't let up until Wednesday so that was a bummer.  I finally felt good on Thursday and ate less thankfully and I've been working on cardio and strength training. 

I have allowed myself 1 treat per week, probably to happen on Sunday.  Although some weeks I know I have events that will not occur on Sunday so it's all good.  I got to make my own eating plan and that will work for me.  Until next week!

Meltdown Challenge

A friend of mine is starting a meltdown challenge and I've decided to join her.  To start, you have to take some before pictures and a picture of your scale and then lose 6% of your body weight and earn enough points by logging in and doing different activities over the course of about 6 weeks.  I am starting today at 141.8 and finishing around Oct 28.  To lose 6% I have to weigh in at 133.2 (losing a total of 8.6 pounds), something I've not really been able to accomplish without crazy dieting.  However, I would love to get there the healthy way and earn some money in the process.

My goal is to eat very little sugar, eat small balanced meals throughout the day and exercise every day that I can.  

So, here are my beginning photos and I'll post more when I know more about it.  I had to pay $20 and I will hopefully reach my goals and get it back plus more :)

Photos taken by my 8 year old son :)

 I am also going to take my measurements tomorrow morning and post those and again when I finish.

Enjoying a break......

So, I haven't posted in the past few weeks.  I went back up a few pounds and I'm staying right around 140-141 and it's all good.  Just enjoying life for a while without being so concerned with weight loss and stellar eating :)  I'll be back in a bit.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 138.2, down 1.2 pounds from last week.  How I pulled a weight loss is beyond me?!  Over the weekend I had 3 large dinners with dessert on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and woke up Monday morning gaining 4 pounds.  I ate really well on Monday but was having some downer days so on Tuesday I ate a bunch of crap.  When I woke up on Wed I had lost almost all of the 4 pounds and I continued going down until I lost 1.2 pounds, weird.  I'll take it though!  This weekend I am going to Leatherby's which I love and will have a not-good-for-me ice cream brownie sundae, yum!  I'm not really going for weight loss right now, just maintenance so it's all good.

Friday Weigh In

Well, I finally made it and thing are still going well!  This morning I weighed in at 139.4, down 1.2 pounds from last Friday and down 0.2 from Wednesday.  I'm still so excited!  I tried on all of my pants and shorts and all of my pants fit....some shorts are still snug but they were snug even when I weighed less. 

Last Friday I did have cafe rio style sweet pork salad and after my stomach hurt soooo bad so I no desire to eat anything, let alone dessert or treats on my retreat.  Then on Saturday morning I had french toast and it was great, but that was the only option for breakfast besides bacon, sausage and fruit.  So, I ate it.  I then had chinese that night and I ordered sweet and sour chicken, my favorite.  My stomach was still feeling weird and it was the only thing that sounded appetizing so I ate it.  I'm sure it didn't help my stomach issues but oh well.  I ate some of the leftovers on Sunday and it was 3 days of eating sugar.

After I made it down to my per-pregnancy weight on Wed, I ate a few bites of ice cream and some spoonfuls of light canned whipped cream, yum.  So, when all is said and done, I've done no sugar for 2 weeks but only had treats one day.  The other days it was just food and not dessert so I feel like I'm doing pretty well.  I am going to a catered BBQ dinner with Justin's work and I will do my best to avoid dessert, but it's usually yummy.  I'm feeling weak and really want a treat today.

I've also exercised pretty well this week.  I ran on Monday, mowed on Wednesday, trimmed on Thursday and today I walked 2.3 miles with my neighbor.

Still hoping to go down a few more pounds but for now I'm content to just stay below 140. 

I Made It!!!

I needed to write today and let you know that I finally made it!  This morning I was at 139.6, just slightly below my pre-pregnancy weight of 139.8, hooray!  I will continue doing no sugar for a few more weeks, but I'm so glad I finally made it :)

Friday Weigh In

Well, this past week I kicked butt!  I am now at 140.6, down 3.6 pounds from last week!  I have stayed strong in my resolve to not have sugar for a month and it is certainly paying off.  I have still been exercising almost every day and feeling really good about myself.

So, just as I am so close to my goal.....I am going out of town tonight with the women in my ward.  We are having sweet pork cafe rio salads for dinner with cookies, and then french toast, bacon etc for breakfast.  I don't think I'll be able to avoid all sugar but I am going to try and avoid the cookies for dessert and eat in moderation.  I am soooo close!  After I make it to my goal (which I feel super confident about this time), I am just going to try and stay under 140.  The end is in sight, I can taste it!

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 144.2, up over 2 pounds from last week.  After eating lots of treats, my weight skyrocketed to 145.2 a few days ago, and I decided I needed some help to keep my weight in check and lose the last of the baby weight.  So I started a no sugar month with some friends/neighbors on Facebook and I'm on day 3 and doing well so far.  Down a pound already and still going strong.  I promised myself a cute new sweater for fall if I succeed :)  I had no treats for the 24th of July and I have a girl's weekend next Friday and Saturday and I'm hoping to stay strong. I'll check in again next Friday.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 141.8, the same as two weeks ago.  This is great considering on Sunday morning I was at 145, up 3 pounds after my vacation.  I have been eating mostly well this week and doing some exercise, but not a ton.  I have tried to eat a lot of fruits and veggies but I have had pizza, pasta with alfredo sauce, ice cream, a few cookies and a donut.  Not stellar in the eating department so I'm quite surprised the weight has just fallen off this week.  I also finished my 90 days of fitness with my group on Facebook and I really did exercise every day except Sundays and only missed a real workout a few times including the very last day when I was stuck driving in traffic and then at the airport.  I am still exercising daily although I am counting walking around on outings with my kids as a workout :)

I have done some strength training and I'm convinced that building muscle really helps your weight.  I used to hate doing my strength training video which encompasses a 20 minute upper body workout and a 20 minute lower body workout.  So, I went through the videos and wrote down each of the exercises and the level of weight and how many reps and now I do them once or twice a week while watching Gilmore Girls and it really helps.

I only have 2 pounds to go, I really hope I get there soon.  It would be awesome to get there in the next 2 weeks since I am leaving 2 weeks from today for a women's overnighter with my RS and there will be tons of yummy food to eat, but also lots of volleyball to play :)

My baby is now 10 months old, and the longest it has ever taken me to lose the baby weight previously is 8.5 months and I had more to lose last time.  I can't seem to stay motivated to eat well and avoid sugar every day.   Every day I tell myself I am going to eat really well that day, and by the end of the day I keep eating spoonfuls of light whipping cream in  a can.....I really need to get rid of those!  I'm really hoping I can get some motivation back soon.

Friday Weigh In

Last Friday I weighed in at 141.8, down 1.2 pounds from the week before.  If I could just stop eating treats every day, the weight would be gone by now.  Now I'm off on vacation Tuesday morning so I won't weigh in this Friday, I'll check in in a few weeks.

Friday Weigh In

Last Friday I weighed 143, up 0.4 pounds from the week before.  Yeah, I am really struggling to completely lose the weight.  I'm feeling a little frustrated about it all.  I got so close, less than a pound, to my goal and then went on vacation.  Now, I have 3 pounds to go and I am going on vacation next week for 5 days and it's so hard to eat well on vacation and exercise regularly.  I am going to do my best.  Bah, that's how I'm feeling about it all these days, bah.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I was at 142.6, up 1.4 pounds from last week.  I did eat some toaster streudels before weighing in though.  After indulging all weekend and then still having a treat filled week (had no self control this week), it's not too bad considering.  I'm kind of getting tired of being accountable on this website though since I haven't been trying hard to eat well.  I just need to make it to my goal and then take a break I guess.

Thursday Weigh In

Last week I forgot to weigh in before breakfast but I think I was the same as the week before at 141.2.  I had seen as low at 140.4 on the scale after exercising so I was getting so close.  Then, the celebrating weekend happened ha ha and I have about 4 pounds to go again.  Wish me luck, thinking of doing no sugar for 2 weeks.  Be back on Friday.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 141.2, down 2 pounds from last week.  This was the weight I had to get to after having Mikey so it's a happy weight. This week things just seemed to get easier.  I still had some treats, but I also ate well too.  I exercised every day but I started doing strength training and it has had a positive effect.  Only 1.4 pounds to go!  Tomorrow it is my 11 year anniversary and next Thurs - Sat Justin and I are going on an anniversary trip so it would be awesome if I lost the weight by next Thurs....we'll see.  

I took my measurements this morning although I had eaten breakfast and had some water.  Oh well, it had been so long I just went ahead and took them:

Neck:  12  (same)
Chest:  35  (down 0.5)
Under Chest:  31  (up 0.25)
 Right Bicep: 12  (same)
Natural Waist:  29  (same)
Waist:  31.5  (down 0.5)
Hips:  35  (down 0.25)
Right Thigh:  22.25  (same)
Right Calf:  15  (up 0.25)

Truly not that different from when I was 5 pounds heavier (2 months ago) but I went down a little and up a little in some areas.

I will weigh in next Thursday before my trip.

Friday Weigh In

Yesterday I weighed in at 143.2, only down 0.2 pounds from last week.  My body is really giving me a challenge lately.  I exercise a lot each day and eat well most of the time, but the weight just doesn't want to budge.  If I indulge AT ALL, I go up an automatic 2 pounds each time, it's crazy!  I know it's not true weight gain but it shows up all the same.  Anyway, still eating well and moving forward.  Still trying to make it down 3 pounds.  I'm starting a new strength training regimen that will hopefully help.  I have a workout video that has an upper body and lower body strength workout that go for 20 minutes and I'm hoping to complete each twice a week.  I already did the upper body once this week.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 143.4, which is up 0.4 pounds from last week, but the day before I was 141.8, so I'm not sure why my weight decided to spike like that.  I have been eating well and exercising a lot so I'm not sure it is entirely accurate of my true weight.  Later in the day after drinking 4 glasses of water, mowing the lawn and doing yard work, and eating lunch I stepped on the scale again before showering and I was at 143 so who knows?

At this rate, I only lost 3 pounds in 6 weeks instead of 6 but I'm still going strong and going to make it eventually.  I talked with my good friend who always looks so good and she says it takes her an entire year to make it down to her pre pregnancy weight with each of her kids so that made me feel better :)  Although I think she gains more than me but her last kid was born 7 weeks early so who knows?

Anyway, still moving forward and loving that there are so many fresh fruits and veggies available in the summer, I may sign up for Bountiful Baskets this summer, yum!

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 143.  This is up 0.4 pounds from last week and certainly not down 1.4 pound like I planned ha ha.  I started indulging some last Saturday for Mother's Day and continued on Sunday of course.  Then, I just did not have it in me to diet this week so I just ate whatever, whenever and the scale shows.  (Some times you need to just take a break from dieting.)  In fact, I am surprised I am not higher than I am.

My goal date is a week from now and with 3 pounds to go I doubt it will happen but I finally feel "treated" out and ready to eat well today and my fridge is stocked with fruits and veggies.  One of the reasons I am not as motivated as before is most of my summer clothes fit now, my face looks skinny and I feel good (when I don't totally pig out on sugar that is).  We'll see how far I make it next Friday when I reach my goal date.  See a picture of me yesterday with my son on his field trip (great day!)

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 142.6, down 0.6 pounds from last week.  The fact that I pulled off a weight loss this week truly astounds me.  Over the weekend I enjoyed treats from my son's baptism and then made yummy gooey brownies on Sunday night.  I continued to eat said brownies a few more times during the week.  Plus my cycle started on Monday and when it came, I was soooo hungry all the time and my weight was all over the place.  I knew I was supposed to eat well, and I did eat well, but I still ate a lot.  I exercised a lot to try and make up for it.  So the fact that I lost weight is pretty amazing. 

So, I have 2 weeks until my goal and I still have 2.8 pounds to go which means losing 1.4 pounds per week.  Sounds doable eh?  I hope so.  My only worry is Mother's Day and I know my husband will make me a big breakfast and then we'll have yummy dinner at my in-laws plus whatever treats come that day which they surely will from the kids, my husband and church.  Oh well, it should hopefully be the only day I indulge.  Next week, aiming to be at 141.2 (which is the weight I started at with Mikey and my goal weight last time :)

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 143.2, down a pound from last week.  Earlier this week I was down to 142.8, but then I started eating sugar again because I love it and was missing it.  Plus I have been working my butt off painting, doing yard work and deep cleaning to get ready for my son's baptism tomorrow.  So on Wednesday I ate deep dish pizza and brownies and paid for it on the scale ha ha.  Totally worth it, so yummy!  Plus I ate a few mini donuts yesterday too, again, yummy :)

So, I am going to eat a big lunch tomorrow and then hopefully eat well and be down at least a pound again next week.  Still on track for losing 6 pounds in 6 weeks.  Haven't done any cardio type exercise like running, walking etc but definitely still burning those calories.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I was 144.2, up 0.2 pounds from last week.  I have still done well exercising and eating right but after my Easter indulgence, I went up to 146 and stayed there pretty much all week.  Even yesterday I was a pound and a half higher than I am today so I must have been retaining water.  I had some cramping and bloating too this week even though I am no where near my cycle so it was just a little weird.  As for losing 6 pounds in 6 weeks, I'm still on schedule and will need to be 143 next week to be right on par.  That should be completely attainable since I don't have any treat filled holidays this weekend.  We do have dessert Sunday with my in-laws but I am not planning on partaking.

This time I haven't focused so much on not having sugar and so I haven't missed it as much.  It's tasty, but I really want this weight loss more.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 144, down 2 pounds from last week.  After a Friday and Saturday of indulging last week, I gained 2 pounds by Sunday morning topping off at 148 and finally decided I had had enough!  I told myself last Friday that I wanted to lose 6 pounds in 6 weeks and I really wanted to stick with it so I decided to go off sugar again for another month.  I started Sunday and between then and this morning I have lost 4 pounds, yay!  I ate well and I worked out hard every day and it paid off. 

Now, I'm a little nervous about Easter Sunday because I am going to have sugar that day so that I don't feel deprived, but I am only going to put a small amount of candy in my Easter basket instead a lot like normal.  I am also going to have a piece of cheesecake for dessert that night.  After Sunday, back to no sugar again.  So 1 week down, 2 pounds down :)  My goal to lose the weight is May 23rd.  If I keep up the awesome work I did this week, I could be down sooner than that.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 146, up a pound from last week.  This last week was a recipe for disaster so I'm glad I'm not up more than I am.  Plus my aunt flo came to visit so I've been all out of whack. 

On Friday night we had friends over for dinner and dessert.  Saturday night we had dinner and dessert with my in-laws and Sunday night we had Thanksgiving dinner and dessert with my in-laws.  Then on Monday we went out for ice cream with my kids for good grades.  Then Tuesday was my son's birthday and we had hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, cake and ice cream for dinner.  Then Wednesday was finally normal and then Thursday was my son's birthday party with pizza for dinner and more cake (but I refrained from ice cream).  Whew!  All in all, I deserve that pound ha ha.  Surprisingly I was only up half a pound as of yesterday but last night I was soooo thirsty that I drank a ton.  Anyway, this next week should be much better although I am going out to lunch today for my mother's in law's birthday and tonight is date night.  Other than that, it should be much more healthy and mild.  Let's sure hope so! 

6 pounds to go, 6 weeks?  I really want to.  I'm still exercising 6 days a week and loving it!  I'm still motivated even if my actions don't show it.  My actions need to now speak louder than my words :)

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 145, down 1.2 pounds from last week.  Yesterday I was down a little more so I was hoping to be at 5 or less pounds, but the scale wouldn't budge ha ha.  Oh well, I still only have 5 pounds to go, hooray!  Slow going, slow going....that's what this journey has been.  I really hope I don't undo all my hard work this conference weekend......I need to eat in moderation.   I have friends coming over for dinner tonight, and dinner at my in-laws on Saturday and Sunday nights including Sunday Turkey Feast with desserts at all dinners for 3 days in a row.  I'm feeling really motivated to just keep going though, so I'm going to try and exercise as much as I can and eat in moderation.  Wish me luck!

In good news, I'm "feeling" skinnier lately and that feels awesome!

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 146.2, up 0.6 pounds from last week.  Now, this was a gain from last week but after I had a day of indulgence on Saturday, my weight shot right back up to 147.8 (apparently the weight I really like to be these days) and I've been trying to get back down ever since.  So, even though I gained weight, I still feel like I ate well and exercised well to try and get back down to what I was last week.  Plus, I had a huge weight loss last week which was probably more water weight than I should've lost so I still feel successful this week.

So, I was going to do no sugar and I did for a few days, but then I decided to have a small piece of cake and half a cookie on Saturday at a birthday party.  Then I continued throughout the days just having a small amount of sugar Mon-Thurs.  So even though I have not stayed completely sugar free, the amount of sugar I have consumed has gone way down and I feel good with this limited commitment.  I think I'll keep it :)

Anyway, I took measurements this morning and I will also post my measurements from last month, slightly up as they may be.

Feb 28 - 147.8 pounds

Neck:  12.25  (up 0.25)
Chest:  34.5  (up 0.25)
Under Chest:  31.25  (up 0.5)
R Arm:  12  (same)
Natural Waist:  29.75  (up 0.25)
Waist:  32.25  (same)
Hips:  35.75  (down 0.25)
R Thigh:  22.8  (up 0.05)
R Calf:  15.25  (up 0.25)

Even though I lost half a pound, most of my measurements were higher than in January.

Mar 28 - 146.2 pounds

Neck:  12  (down 0.25)
Chest:  35.5  (up 1)
Under Chest:  30.75  (down 0.5)
R Arm:  12 (same)
Natural Waist:  29  (down 0.75)
Waist:  32  (down 0.25)
Hips:  35.25  (down 0.5)
R Thigh:  22.25  (down 0.55)
R Calf:  14.75  (down 0.5)

All in all, I went down from last month even though I only lost 1.6 pounds in March (well still a few days to go).  I'm definitely moving slow in this weight loss, but still determined to get there soon.  My leg is still bothering me so the exercise has slowed somewhat but I need to go to the doctor and get it checked out so I know if I have a stress fracture or just a muscle ache.  Next week, I will head in.

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 145.6, down 3.8 pounds from last week.  Finally, making some real progress!  As I mentioned last week, I gained 2 pounds likely from the drug I was taking for my leg so I've lost that and some more.  On Tuesday I decided to go sugar free again and want to be sugar free until I lose all of the baby weight.  With only 6 pounds to go, that should be doable.  I decided to go sugar free because I can't exercise much with my leg healing.  It doesn't hurt at all right now but I'm afraid it will hurt again if I run on it so my goal is to wait until next Monday.  I walked a mile yesterday and had no pain, and finally, no pain afterwards either.  It's hard to know when my leg is truly healed because it doesn't hurt when I walk or run, just after.  I walked and ran slightly 3.14 miles last Friday and it hurt a lot after.  Then I shopped all day Saturday with my sister and it didn't really hurt, but I'm sure it didn't help either.  My friend Karen sent me some compression socks for running and recovery and hopefully they are helping.

Anyway, feeling good today and feeling like I am not going to undo all of my hard work this weekend since I am not eating sugar....that's the best!  Until next week....

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 149.4, up 0.8 pounds from last week.  However, just a few days ago I was at 147.4 so I am up 2 pounds from just Tuesday, hmmmm.  Every time I take a specific drug, I gain a pound a day for a few days so it must make me retain water and I feel a little poofy this morning.  I knew this when I started taking it, but decided to take it anyway to help my leg.

This week I felt I ate pretty well besides some cake and ice cream for my dad's birthday on Wednesday night.  I also exercised some every day but not as much as the past since my leg is still hurting so I have decided not to run on it until it heals.  All in all, I really should have lost weight when all is added up so I'm fairly certain it is the drug. 

Also, I have modified my 90 days of running plan to just be 90 days of fitness.  Running every day is not good for me or anyone and the injury I incurred I'm sure is due to the fact that I was running every day with no rest except Sundays.  Even hard core runners only run 3-5 times a week and cross train on other days. 

Anyway, starting on Tuesday I am going to do another 30 days of no sugar except for holidays and birthdays which will include Timmy's birthday.  I lost almost 8 pounds doing this in January and it would be awesome to lose the baby weight quickly :)

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 148.6, up 0.8 pounds from last week.  I was on track to lose weight this week and then Wednesday, I accidentally ate too many calories.  I say accident, because it truly was an accident.  I made some spinach/cheese ravioli and carrots for lunch for myself and my 2 kids.  I ate my lunch and my kids didn't like the noodles and didn't eat them in the car on the way to my mother-in-law's house (so she could babysit and we could go to the temple).  Anyway, on the way home I was really hungry so I munched on their noodles and finished them off.  When I got home I checked the package and it was a total of 8 servings at 290 calories a serving.....what????  I ate like 2500 calories just for lunch ahhh!  Honestly, it wasn't that much food, I guess just very calorie and fat dense (12 g fat per serving too) and it's possible there were only 6 servings inside since it said on the package 6-8 servings. Then I went to RS and had a delicious dinner with dessert and at that point, the day was a waste and I just enjoyed myself.  Plus Justin brought home deep dish pizza for my family to have for dinner and I had a few bites, it was good!  Yikes. 

Anyway, I am probably also not down any weight because aunt flo is here.  I can blame the weight gain on that right?  Yes, yes I can.  Ha ha.

The crappy part is I am super munchy and I just want treats right now.  I have eaten pretty well today despite my cravings for sugar.  My only saving grace is the fact that I don't have any chocolate in the house except like hot chocolate and chocolate chips which I can resist.

Anyway, I am still exercising well and my leg is still bothering me some.  I wish the pain would just go away.  I hate to stop for several days to completely heal it but perhaps that is what needs to happen.  I did one long run (3.7 miles) and it always does me in.

My shopping day with my sister is next week and I'm hoping I am down 1-2 pounds but if not, I will still have a blast shopping for my kid's summer clothes.  I may have to buy some shorts that fit me now since it will be warming up soon and I only have 2 pairs that currently fit me.  It would be nice not to have to buy transitional summer clothes.  I seriously can't figure out what I wore the summer after Mikey was born since I didn't lose the weight until November.  I'm baffled.  I checked my pictures and I just don't have many of me.

Friday Weigh In

Well, I did it..... ha ha!!  I pulled off a slight weight loss in February.  On Friday I weighed in at 147.8, down a pound from last week and a total of 0.6 pounds lost during the month.  I am determined to eat better, exercise and lose 4 pounds this month. At that rate I will have lost all the baby weight in 2 months from now. I am still running every day for 90 days and have so far completed 18 days, not running on Sundays of course.  I will be done in May.  My leg has been hurting so I bought expensive running shoes and they are helping, but it still hurts today.  I also took measurements and I will post them soon but I don't have time right now, baby is fussy.

See ya next week!

Friday Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 148.8, up another 0.2 pounds from last week.  So basically I haven't lost any weight in February and have even gone up almost a half pound.  It's okay, I'm not bummed about it but I'm hoping to have a little bit of a weight loss next week.  Still running every day except Monday when my left leg was hurting.  My muscles are certainly not used to running every day and I feel I may get injured or burned out if I continue every day except Sunday.  I'm just going to pay attention to my body and if I feel I am close to an injury, I am going to take a little break.

Happy Valentine's Day and Friday Weigh in #7

This morning I was at 148.6, up 0.2 pounds from last week.  Exercise is going great, the eating, not so well.  I started a challenge on Monday with a friend from college to run every day (even if it's just a mile) except for Sundays.  So far, I have kept my promise and run 5 days in a row.  I'm certain it's because I'm running that I haven't gained more weight.  However, the next few weeks should be pretty chill with only my mom and step-dad's farewell next Sunday and then my daughter's birthday on the 28th.  Hopefully I will pull off some sort of weight loss this month :)  I knew I wouldn't lose a lot in February so staying the same has been okay with me, especially with how much I've indulged in treats.

My husband and I are going out for Valentine's Day tomorrow so after that, back to healthy living even though starting tomorrow I am going to eat well except for dinner.  All of my no sugar friends are going sugar free starting tomorrow for 2 weeks, but I know I will want some treats so I am going to try hard to count calories and eat healthy food.

Friday Morning Weigh In #6

This week I weighed in at 148.4, exactly the same as last week but I deserved to GAIN this week.  This week I started eating sugar again, and boy, did I enjoy it!  I had treats on Friday, Saturday, lots on Sunday for the super bowl and then I ate so many oreos on Monday because I was stressed.  Justin has been working all day every day and he was working during the super bowl and my sisters-in-law usually hold the baby the whole time I at my my in-laws but they didn't on Sunday and he wasn't terribly fussy but I was worn out.  Then on Monday he was fussy all day and Justin was gone til about 10 PM so I ended up eating like 2 rows of oreos, oops. 

I have continued to eat in moderation the rest of the week but I have still had some treats every day.  So, I'm hoping for a weight loss next week but I have a huge family party Saturday night, Sunday dinner again with the in-laws with yummy food (they know how to cook!) and then Justin's birthday on Monday.  Hopefully I'll eat in moderation and keep exercising.

Speaking of exercise, I ran 4 miles yesterday, something I have never done!  I was so proud of myself :)  The most I had ever run was a 5K which is 3.1 so I wanted to do it and I did it!  I'm pretty sure the only reason I didn't gain weight was because of my exercise.  My baby is starting to take longer naps in the morning, hallelujah, and so I am able to exercise longer outside.  I put the baby monitor with my home phone on speaker phone with my cell and run around the block over and over.  If my son needs me he comes outside since I run past our house every 3-4 minutes or he just talks to me on the speaker phone.  Maybe some will judge me but it works and I am so close to home, I just do it.  I even run on the snowy sidewalks, like today!  I have even seen some other moms out doing the same, so they must not be judging me too much :)

Friday Morning Weigh In #5

This morning I weighed in at 148.4, down 0.8 pounds from last week.  I feel like I didn't try very hard this week with my eating but I did exercise well.  My cycle is also here full force so it may be interesting to see what happens next week.  I used to always gain a few pounds with my cycle, but lately I have been losing weight with my cycle and then gaining weight as it goes away, totally backwards.  Today is my last day of official no sugar and I cheated 4 times this month so while that's a bummer, there were 27 days I didn't cheat and that's great.  I lost a total of 7.4 pounds so it was worth it and a great jump-start to this baby weight loss :)

I put on my favorite jeans yesterday and they were still tight but at least I could pull them on,  ha ha!  I also took my measurements this morning since I will be gone all day tomorrow visiting my Mom and Dennis before they leave on their mission in a month.  Here they are:

Weight:  148.4 (down 7 pounds)
Neck:  12  (down 0.5)
Chest:  34.25  (down 2.75)
Under Chest:  30.75  (down 0.75)
Natural Waist:  29.5 (down 0.75)
Waist:  32.25 (down 1.25)
Hips:  36 (down 1)
Right Arm:  12   (down 0.25)
Right Thigh:  22.75  (down 0.75)
Right Calf:  15  (down 0.25)

Overall, I went down in every category for a total of 8.25 inches lost which feels great!  Some of my clothes are starting to fit better.  I am exciting to lose more weight in February because in March Justin is giving me a free day to myself and I always go shopping at the Park City Outlets :)  Since he is working every day right now and long hours, I told him I want a day to myself and he agreed, woo hoo!

Friday Morning Weigh In #4

This morning I was 149.2, down 1.6 pounds from last week!  Yay!  Last weekend my mom called on Saturday and said she received her mission call so we went off to Wales, UT to open it with her and Dennis and his family.  It was fun and I ate some cake that night, yum.  However, I knew I would have treats when she got the call so I didn't feel bad.  However, on Sunday I was in such a treat mood that I ate some sweet potato muffins and then dessert too.  I continued to want sugar on Monday and Tuesday but I stayed strong.  Only 1 week of no sugar to go and I've already lost around 6 pounds so it was a great jump start on the baby weight loss.  I have debated doing no sugar in February but there will be many days that I will indulge such as the 1st (to celebrate no sugar in January although I cheated 3 times), 8th (family party), 10th (Justin's birthday), 14th (Valentine's Day), 23rd (Mom's farewell) and 28th (Allison's birthday).

Tonight my husband finally has some time off work so we are going to eat at Red Lobster where I have a gift card from my birthday.  We haven't been on a date since January 1st.  I ate a healthy breakfast and lunch so it's all good.

Yay for being in the 140's again!

Friday Morning Weigh In #3

This morning I weighed in at 150.8, down exactly 1 pound from last week.  Earlier this week I started going back up and the only thing I can think is that I ate too many salty foods over the weekend including fries and a trip to Zupas, yum.  I exercised harder this week and made better food choices and pulled off a weight loss, yay!

I am really looking forward to losing at least a pound next week and being in the 140's.  Can't wait :)

Why am I going the Other Way?

So, my body has now decided to move the other direction which is so frustrating and I have nothing to blame it on like cycles etc.  I have still eaten well and exercised over the weekend, but I have gained like 2 pounds, grrr.  I was so frustrated with it last night that when I went to Sunday dinner and my sister-in-law made my favorite dessert (that she makes anyway), I ate it.  It was homemade key lime pie and I usually think it is too sour but she makes it so yummy.  Anyway, I ate 2 pieces (was only going to have one but then my son didn't like his and gave me the rest).  Going to try really hard to not only avoid sugar this week, but eat really healthy and exercise every day!  Really hoping for a weight loss by Friday, we'll see.  Boo.

Friday Morning Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 151.8, down 2.6 pounds :)  I really feel like I've lost about 4 pounds after going sugar free which is great!  On January 1st I believe I was 155.8 so after 10 days of no sugar, I am down 4 pounds which feels really nice.  I have also exercised almost every week day the past week and a half, only missing 1 day.  I think the weight loss is going to slow down now but I like the initial boost of weight loss that happens when I go sugar free.  1/3 of the way down, 2/3 to go this month.

After doing the 30 day shred last Thursday my back hurt sooo bad over the weekend, so much so that my friend Jenni came over and gave me a back massage on Sunday and that helped a lot.   I don't think my body was quite ready for that grueling of a workout, even if it was only about 20 minutes long.  I have also stopped taking all back pain meds and that is helping with my heartburn/possible ulcer and now I am doing my exercises every night and sleeping fairly pain free.  It feels good to not have meds every day.

See you next week!

Starting Fresh!

I'm back and ready to work hard.  Starting January 1st, I am doing no sugar for the entire month.  So far so good.  The first day I didn't even have any cravings and yesterday I had a few, but nothing I couldn't get rid of.  I made homemade wheat bread and that helped a lot :)

This morning I weighed in at 154.4 which means I have 14.6 pounds until I lose the baby weight and then hopefully lose another 5 or so pounds.  Ideally I would like to lose 10 more but I need to take baby steps.  For now, I am going to shoot to get back in the 130's where I feel and look awesome. 

I am also going to aim to workout 5 days a week.  Yesterday I did the Jilian Michael's 30 day shred and after I felt sick and exhausted.  I ended up taking a nap.  Perhaps I was not quite ready for that and I am still feeling worn out today after a rough night with the kids.  I want to work out today, but it will probably be pretty low key. 

I also took my measurements yesterday and here they are:

Weight:  155.4 (up 3.2 pounds)
Neck:  12.5  (same)
Chest:  37  (up 1.25)
Under Chest:  31.5  (up 0.5)
Natural Waist:  30.25  (down 0.25)
Waist:  33.5  (up 0.5)
Hips:  37  (up 0.5)
Right Arm:  12.25  (up 0.25)
Right Thigh:  23.5  (up 0.5)
Right Calf:  15.25  (same)

Here I go to get healthy and thin and stay there forever!  It's nice to know this is the last time I have to lose baby weight :)