Summer time

This has been (to me) a rather lackluster summer. I've been tired a lot (insomnia anyone?) and being 2/3 of the way through my 4th pregnancy hasn't helped. My oldest is away at camp this week, so it's been interesting to see the dynamic shift between the remaining two kids.

I never have an easy time emotionally during camp weeks. It means long days with no consistent help at home and kids that get bored but don't want to do anything constructive to ease the boredom. Thankfully, with this pregnancy, Kyle has been trying to help as much as he can. My mom lived with us during my last pregnancy, and as hard and trying as that experience was, her help was invaluable.

I am looking forward to an extended family vacation coming up soon. That should be a nice time away from camp and a change of scenery. I love the Oregon coast (being that w as where I would go as a child), so waking up to the beach for a week sounds simply divine. I feel fortunate that I married into a great family, so spending a week with them is a lot of fun.

I have been trying to exercise and eat better in the last couple of weeks. I have my glucose test coming up in less than 2 weeks and I would love to pass it. I failed the 1 hour test with my first two, passed with the 3rd, so passing would be great, since we leave for vacation a few days after the test. I have always passed the 3 hour test, but avoiding it is idea. Who wants to spend 3 hours in a lab, being repeatedly poked after drinking a nasty tasting glucose drink? I've noticed that working out has helped my mental state. I always struggle with increased depression around 5-6 months into pregnancy, and being maxed out of my current antidepressant means that I really need to work on alternatives to adding a 2nd medication in. So if it means I have to exercise and then rest, that is what I need to do.

I am trying not to countdown to school yet. We picked up school supplies today, The first day is still over a month away, so it seems pointless to think much about it. I have friends who've had kids go back already or go back in the next few weeks, so it pops in there at times, but not all the time.

The dance of anger

One of the things this pregnancy has brought out in me is an intense temper. I've been quick to snap and slow to cool off. I feel like I'm angry 90% of the time, 9% sad, and "normal" the remaining 1%. It's getting old to say the least. These feelings may largely be due to dealing with a very stubborn little 2 year old girl day in and day out. She is fully in the "I am not listening" phase, which drives me crazy. I hate having to repeat requests, especially when I know the person is not listening and has no intentions of doing so. So having my requests only heeded when I am "scary voice yelling" really irks me. Not only do I feel like a class A jerk, but it makes me get headaches and I'm sure doing not so wonderful things to my blood pressure.

Needless to say, I am fighting off a major case of self-loathing. Being off Wellbutrin is not helping matters. Neither is having to stop writing to vacuum up an almost entire container of silver decorating sugar off the floor after watching said 2 year old unceremoniously dump the contents on the kitchen floor. I'm severely deficient in alone time these days, which will only get worse once the new baby arrives.

This isn't to say I don't love this little girl. She really is the light of my life, but that other little gremlin that takes over is the polar opposite. I wish I had the patience to suffer through the trials with more grace, but I just don't. I spend half the day counting the minutes until the older kids come home and I can "escape" for a few minutes, if I haven't convinced the 2 yr old we should nap earlier in the afternoon. Today was not one of those days.

Square one...again

Okay, that might be misleading. I'm not really back at square one. I'm pregnant with #4 and no where near where I should be weight or health wise. So I have to try and figure out how to improve my health without taxing my body over the course of spring/summer/fall until I have the baby. I need to make this work. I was at my "birth weight" from the other 3 pregnancies when I got pregnant this time and it's making life a LOT harder. Add in the "advanced maternal age" nonsense (I'm only 3 months past 35) along with my already determined high risk status (my body just likes to birth 18.5" babies), and it makes me wonder what I got myself into.

I am hoping once I can get back on Wellbutrin, I can get back into a better head space to prioritize my health with the hectic life living 20+ miles from the kids' school and town. I need to remember that if I'm not healthy, how can I possibly teach the kids to be healthy, much less be active with them, the way they deserve?

If I have to be honest, I'm insanely jealous of the energy the 3 kids have. I'm also tired of being nagged by Kyle for sleeping so much. This pregnancy has been so hard energy-wise. The nausea has been bad, but not the worst I've experienced. The fatigue and mood swings have really been the tough part. I'm really hoping that the second trimester will provide at least a bit more energy. I can't keep taking 2-3 hour naps every afternoon (after snoozing on and off all morning). In fact, I should be going to sleep now, caffeine after noon has not been my ally against insomnia.

Treading water...mostly

So I've been mentally stuck since having Arden. I've meant to exercise, planned to eat better, but it usually ends up lasting a few days here, a day or two there. Nothing solid, concrete or consistent. It's a disappointment to myself. I'm trying to be forgiving, but at the same time, I'm not holding myself accountable and enabling myself to keep quitting isn't helping me be healthier. I need to make some goals - long and short term - and post them and start posting regularly to be accountable and honest.

So in the last couple of months, I've gained 5 lbs, gone up a pant size (or perhaps admitted I actually don't fit in a size 12 well right now), felt more depressed and irritable than ever. It's been a really rough time. I finally admitted after doing some research and soul searching that I am now on the bipolar disorder spectrum. Not full blown BP1, but definitely more than just clinical depression. I'm now on a mood stabilizer medication that feels like it's making things worse - it isn't - I'm just no longer numb to everything. It's really tough to deal with a full range of emotions when you're used to feeling numbingly depressed all the time. Yes, it is great to feel happy and content again, but it really stinks when your 6 yr old can bring you to tears because not only is she being mean, but her words are hitting home and you realize she's right and you can make it into a teachable moment.

I ran (mostly walked) a 5K on Monday to the tune of around 53 minutes. Definitely not a time I'm proud of, but I originally intended to do some slow intervals for 20-30 minutes, so I'll take it. I went far above and beyond where I planned to take it. I've been meaning to do something since, but the lazy bug bit and I've been slacking again. :( I guess once a week is better than 0 times a week...for now. I'm fully expecting things to be a little chaotic until Noah's done with school in a couple of weeks, then we'll only have one kid in school until late June. Hopefully that will allow me to get the two younger ones in a good day-schedule so I can get a good workout in daily. I got the Jillian Michaels Kickboxing DVD and so far I like it. Not too horrible to ease back into working out - not too easy either. Of course, I skipped the weights the first time I tried workout 1. ;)

I will be back to post my goals once I get them outlined and ready to be made public. Ack!!! I have a long ways to go - less than I have previously, but for some reason it feels so much worse this time. I need to stop comparing my journey with friends that have less to lose, are taller, etc.

Tired of feeling fluffy

Where can one find some motivation to exercise? After having Arden, I feel like a fat blob. I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I'm stuck at about 12 lbs down from my pre-delivery weight. :o( I don't know if adding in exercise will change it much, since I'm still exclusively breast feeding the baby, but I'm so tired of the saggy belly.

Now that she's pretty much sleeping through the night, I will hopefully find the energy & motivation to get back to regular workouts. In fact, I'm supposed to go to a Zumba class tonight, taught by a friend I met during Noah's preschool class last year. Hopefully I won't die! ;o) I have only done one other workout, and it was about 4-5 weeks ago. I ran/walked about 2.5 miles and felt okay, but tired. Of course, my body seems jacked up between having a baby 10 weeks ago and getting a depo shot a month ago. I guess I'll just power through and hope I make it. :o)

I need to make time to get back to journaling. I haven't done it regularly since October and I think it helped to get my feelings out on paper. I've had a lot of stress lately and it's definitely not helping dealing with the older two kids. I feel like I'm constantly losing my temper and just being generally unpleasant to be around. :o(

We'll see how I feel after tonight's Zumba class and then I can start to plan a flexible workout plan going forward. I need to remind myself that I need to make time for me and schedule them into my day.

9 Down, 10-11 to go

Shots that is.  Today was the 9th shot.  They're not too bad at all anymore.  Thank goodness! :)  The other good news is that after my last ultrasound, I graduated from Maternal Fetal Medicine because the reasons I was referred have not materialized.  Definitely a relief!  I'm hoping that the 17P is working and I can get through the next 11 weeks at least.  I'm due in 14 weeks from yesterday, 11 weeks puts me at 37 weeks and if I went at my previous gestation, I'd be welcoming a baby girl in 8.5 weeks.  Not nearly that ready! ;)

Fighting a cold, contending with both external kids starting school.  My first baby is in kindergarten!  She's adjusting well.  I wish I could say the same for Noah.  His first day was okay - one meltdown.  Monday was okay, but he didn't want to clean up his snack.  Today, meltdown city.  Definitely made me shocked and slightly embarrassed that he behaved so badly.  Hopefully he'll improve as he gets used to be apart from me more and more.  I'm also hopeful that he'll start to enjoy having friends instead of always telling me they make him mad.

Back to working out, mostly

While it's not super frequent, very vigorous, nor very long in duration, I've pulled myself up by my shoelaces and started doing some exercise.  I am working hard to stop feeling sorry for myself and take advantage of the fact I still have maybe 6 more weeks of energy to exercise in a way that is more than just simple walking and stretching.  I'm still tired a lot, but on my walk the other day, Em joined me for most of my mile-ish walk.  It was nice having a little bit of time to exercise together and she rode her bike for the last 1/4 of a mile.

We have another appointment with maternal fetal medicine coming up on Friday, so another ultrasound, and then a chat with the high-risk OB.  Then I have an appt with my regular OB on the Thursday afterward.  Then it's every 2 weeks with the regular OB & one more appt with the high risk dr in September.  So hopefully everything will check out okay (meaning no *activity* with my body) and we can just keep on as normal for the next month.

Definitely feeling the baby kick a lot more - and more definite kicks and jabs versus the rolling movement.  Hoping the kids and Kyle will be able to feel them from the outside soon.  So we still have 13-18.5 weeks left until the baby comes.  The wide window is just in case the progesterone shots don't work and I have this baby in the same time frame as Em & Noah.  Obviously, I'm hoping that it will be closer to 16-18 weeks that I have left.

Stomach bugs and other stuff

Well, there is nothing so sad as to have a horrible stomach bug land you in the ER when you're nearly 20 weeks pregnant.  I was 2 days shy of the cut off to go up to labor & delivery.  *sigh*  Oh well.  At least 2 IV bags, some Zofran and some Bentyl and I was able to go home to sleep - nearly 6 hrs after I came in.  So here I am, 2.5 days later, still sore, still tired & still moderately dehydrated.  At least I've been able to wean myself off the meds and for now am just dealing with angry ab muscles for the intense workout they were given.  I finally started eating regular food around dinner last night - it had been the usual, dry toast, chicken soup, crackers - and so far, so good.

The good news is that baby girl is 100% fine through it all.  Just glad the nurse called to reschedule my injection to Friday, since the last thing I want is to get poked with another needle while I still feel like a zombie.

Speaking of injections, the second one was much better than the first.  It helps to not be completely psyched out by what to expect and to not have a major case of sciatic pain before the injection.  Hopefully as my body gets used to them, I'll notice them less and less.  It did seem to cut back on the intensity of my braxton hicks contractions as well.  So I know the next couple of days will mean more cramping as I have to wait an extra 2 days for the injection.  Joy.

I seem to be having a major crisis of emotions.  I miss my intense, heart-pounding workouts.  I miss the endorphins, the pride of accomplishment, and feeling strong and fit.  I know that my body is doing what it needs to do to help grow a healthy baby, but it's driving me nuts.  Granted, I did squeeze into a pair of size 8 jeans and non-maternity clothes last week, but that mid-pregnancy brain chemical shift is making me see things with such a skewed sense.  I know I should just do what workouts I can and be happy to do something, but it depresses me to get winded walking 2 mph when I was doing great running 5-7 mph just 4 months ago.  Wow, it was only 4 months since I ran my 5K?  It feels like a lifetime ago.  Honestly, I've only gained 10-12 lbs and at 20 weeks, it's not too bad of a weight gain.  Most of it is securely attached to my baby belly and chest and not elsewhere, but just seeing hard-toned muscles get soft again makes me sad.

It's annoying to be throwing myself a pity party about it, but I went into this pregnancy thinking it would be different.  Well, it is, but in the opposite way I thought.  I've been sicker, more tired, more sullen and more withdrawn.  I'm definitely not one of those women who thrives on being pregnant.  I'm still learning to not begrudge them of their good fortune, just praying my girls will be more like them and less like me. ;)

Oh yeah, I didn't mention we're having another girl, did I?  We don't have a name picked out yet, but we're getting close.  2 more weeks and we'll get another sneak peek at her when we trek back to Olympia for another MFM check.  Hopefully things will still be calm down there and I won't have a date with a needle to close things up until my shots are done.  I have nothing against the procedure, just mostly against having to have a needle anywhere near my spine after the debacle with my epidural having Noah.  Spinal headaches are NOT my friend.

My tummy's rumbling, so I should be off to find something to eat.  At least I'm hungry, right?

My first date with 17P injection

Today, at 17w6d, I had my first injection of 17P (it has a long scientific name, but it's a progesterone compound in Castor oil).  Ow!  It was a relatively painful injection, mostly because it is thick and takes a while to fully inject in the muscle tissue.  Of course, the burning subsided not too long after the injection, so imagine my surprise as about 30 minutes later, while making the kids dinner, it started majorly hurting.  In fact, I reheated the heating pad and strapped it on while in the kitchen.  Yowza!  And I still have 19 more injections to go until I'm done! :oO
My mid-back has been pretty sore lately and I'm definitely getting the the first level of discomfort, not to be confused with the all-encompassing, massive discomfort to come as I run out of room and end up as large as a house.
Tomorrow I will be 18 weeks, meaning it's that magical time at my next ultrasound (Friday!) that I find out whether I am baking a little boy or a little girl.  I also get to find out if my body is working with or against me and if I need further intervention to keep baking the baby to full term.  I'm oddly very calm about finding out the gender.
Perhaps it is having one of each already that makes it seem slightly anti-climactic, but the "planning" side of me needs to know.  We got rid of almost all of our baby stuff - we have a crib, the matching changing table and the double jogging stroller, and that is it.  The smallest clothes I think are 18-24 mos in boys and 3T in girls.  Um, yeah...not super prepared here.  It's funny that after 4 years, it feels slightly like starting over again.  It will be so weird to have tiny clothes, tiny diapers, and all the wonderful things that will fill up our house yet again.
So I suppose I'll be back to post this weekend and give the gender verdict.  Until then, I'll be hanging with my new BFF - my heat pad. :)

Let the poking begin...almost

I will be 16 weeks tomorrow, which is that "magical" number.  I start weekly progesterone shots (17P - progesterone in oil) in the next week.  I'm waiting on a call from a nurse to set up the schedule, but hopefully we can get it all sorted out.  I'm not looking forward to these injections, but if that means this baby comes out AFTER 36 weeks, I will be a happy camper.  Granted, the size they were, it might mean for a much bigger baby come L&D time, but I think I can handle it.  Oh yeah, did I mention unless I have to have a c section, I'm absolutely skipping the epidural this time?  After the spinal headache from my epi with Noah, I'd rather just have the pain.  I'll just have to discuss post delivery pain management before hand, that was where I struggled with Em.
I've been trying to workout a couple of times a week, well, I intended to do more, but either headaches, nausea or laziness got the better of me. ;)  I'm just determined to be the strongest I can be during this pregnancy.  I mean, hitting the ground running with workouts once I get the all clear would be awesome.  It honestly has more to do with mental well-being and just a general feeling of wellness rather than trying to lose baby weight.  I really miss running and how great I would feel after a good run.  It kills me that I get exhausted just walking a mile (in 1 flipping hour) on the treadmill.  My weights routine yesterday killed and it wasn't nearly as hard as I used to do.  Man!  Talk about feeling out of shape.  But the round of braxton hicks contractions after I was done reminded me why I'm taking it slower.  We'll see if the 17P injections help to keep the BHs at bay more than with Noah.
Well, since I got woken up early from a phone call, I am going to take a little nap.  I need to shake this headache before it's time to take the kids to summer camp!

Take a hike yak!

I have many dear lady friends that I met through babycenter.com what feels like eons ago (really, over the last 6.5 years) and one of the things we love to hate is the yak - aka morning sickness, etc.  Well, I am 15 weeks pregnant today and to celebrate, I threw up a few times.  Joy.  I haven't been sick in a few weeks, so I'm pretty annoyed.  I tell you, I was not prepared for the difference 4 years would make in the being pregnant department.

I start 17P injections (progesterone) sometime starting after next Wednesday.  So not looking forward to them, but hopefully they'll do the trick to get this little one to full term (36 wks at least).  I did do the math, however, and if I deliver in the same time frame as the other two, I have 19.5 weeks to go.  Wow, that doesn't sound very long.

I did a prenatal workout the other day and felt great, until I folded a bunch of laundry, then proceeded to end up all knotted in my upper back.  I've been meaning to do some yoga, but I haven't made the time or my body hasn't cooperated (see yak).  I mean, who wants to focus on yoga stretching and breathing when you're mostly trying not to be sick or to cope with a nasty headache?

It is amusing coming up on my 10th wedding anniversary on Friday to be pregnant with our 3rd child.  It will be 3 more weeks until we know the gender.  I'm finally getting to the point where I am impatient to know.  It doesn't matter to me if it is a boy or a girl, I'm just tired of the unknown.  I'd like to start calling the baby by it's name, refer to it as brother or sister and not "both" while talking to the kids.

I'm hoping that at some point I'll feel better and be less prone to whining and ranting.  I guess it's just hard when you feel like you're making progress only to back slide unexpectedly.  Besides, nausea & headaches are the discomforts I tolerate the least.  Coupled with sore back and not sleeping well, I'm just a cranky mess.  I'm just hopeful that I'll feel more like myself and not trapped in some alien body, being a spectator on  my life.

Mental Challenges

I started keeping a journal back in December and it was really helpful at being my venting board, but I stopped at the end of April when my morning (ALL DAY) sickness and massive fatigue took over.  It's been  6-7 weeks and wow, I am so tense, stressed and generally grumpy.  I know that a lot of it is dealing with my mom living with us and the adjustments that seem to be taking a long time to fall into place.

I honestly must have mentally blocked out much of my childhood.  It's been really hard trying to relate to a woman who, for all intents and purposes, is just *out there*.  I love her to death, but man.  She needs to focus on taking care of herself and not spoiling my kids all the time.

Case in point, she took the kids to Walmart yesterday and they came home with new toys (she was asked to not buy them any the last time they came home with new toys), Em got a pair of shoes that were 1.5 sizes too big (and completely unnecessary), and there was a bunch of random stuff purchased that we already had.  Maybe I'm making too big of a deal about it, but why is a 65 year old woman kowtowing to a 3.5 yr old and 5 yr old?!?  I am baffled at why she allows them so much power at such a young age.

There is so much inconsistency and lack of boundaries that have gotten introduced in the last 4 months that has seemingly thrown our household into a crazy spin.  Granted, me being so sick and stuff the last 2 months hasn't helped, but it frustrates me that my normally reasonable kids seem to act out so much now.  We'll see if things level out while she's gone for a while.

I'm hoping the break will do us all some good and we can get Noah back into undies and potty trained, my stress level back to a reasonable one and to get the parent/child relationship back in check.  I know that mentally I've been having a tough time engaging with the kids and my mom because I've been so frustrated and angry that I just want to sit in isolation a great deal of the time.  I am also hoping to start doing some more exercise as my nausea & headaches seem to be lessening *knock on wood*. :)

Changing directions

It's been quite a while since I last posted.  I was doing fairly well on my weight loss until early April, when I discovered I was once again pregnant.  Since then, I've been yo-yoing - depending on how much food I was keeping down, but I am still pretty close to my pre-pregnancy weight of 150.  My goal is to not gain more than 15 lbs - which will be tough, but hopefully I can find some energy and start working out again soon.  I've been beyond exhausted and other than completing my first 5K (Run like a Fool in Oly) on 4/1, I've done hardly a thing active.  I really miss the pulse-pounding, sweat-inducing workouts, but I know I'd never make it right now.

I took on the job of executive vice president/registrar for Noah's preschool, so I have my work cut out for me for at least the next year.  Thankfully I took it over from an awesome, organized woman!  It's just nice that we're at nearly full enrollment, so at least we're only looking for a few more kids to fill by September.

Anyway, it's nice that at 12 weeks, I'm still wearing my normal clothes for the most part.  Granted, most of my jeans aren't super comfy, but I'm still wearing 8s/10s and medium stretchy pants, no maternity clothes yet.  Of course, I haven't popped yet, at least not unless I've eaten a bunch. :)  I just have to keep from thinking that I'm getting fat while not religiously tracking my food and not working out like a fiend.  As long as I keep my mind frame in a healthy state, I should be able to focus on continuing healthy eating and moderate exercise and not gain too much.  As a frame of reference, I was 135 when I got pregnant with Em, gained 50 lbs, was about 150-155 when I got pregnant with Noah and gained 30-35 lbs.  So if I can gain a smaller amount and be about where I am now post birth, I will be VERY pleased!

Miss me?

Well, having no internet at home makes for a tough time trying to keep my blogs up to date. I have been diligently working on my weight loss, sometimes more than others. :)

I am currently down 39.2 lbs and 35.75 inches since I started. I have 29.4 lbs left to reach goal. Of course, Kyle and I are also thinking about our family and if we would like it to be larger. We agreed that it would be nice if we were blessed with another baby, so I'm still losing until I need to maintain. This seems oddly familiar to 6 years ago when I was in pretty much the same situation. LOL

I've been working closely with my ARNP to keep my depression (seasonal & clinical) in check and I must say this winter has been LOADS better than last year. I think it also helps that I've been working out more and that I adore running. :)

I'll try not to let 6 months go between blogs again, but I'm alive, I'm doing well and hopefully I'll either reach goal or have a reason to postpone it for a year. :)

Week 16 - Plateau land

Well, the inevitable happened - I had my first weight gain today. Granted, it was only 0.2 lbs, but it makes me a little sad that after 15 weeks of losses, it's my first weight speed bump. However, I did lose 4.5 inches in the last month. :)

So as it stands, in 16 weeks, I've lost 22.2 lbs and lost 25.75 inches. I've lost 9.5" off my waist, 5" off my hips, 5.25" off my thighs, 2" off my bust & 4" off my arms. I'm thrilled with how much I've shrunk, but I do have a long way to go. This is the part that I need to focus on. Yes, I've lost a lot, but I still have 48.2 lbs to lose to hit my goal. I'm only 1/3 of the way on my loss part of the journey.

I'm hoping that I've gotten the tail end of this cold gone and I can get really focused again. Granted, I have a move coming up in the next week and a half and I have to focus on packing and getting the apartment cleaned up while having my mom visit and getting preschool stuff ready for the kids. I'm determined not to let life get me down.

I am a runner!

So the inevitable has happened. I've become a runner. I may be a slow runner, but I am a runner, nevertheless. :) I've been running intervals over the last 4 months and today, I decided to try and run slower and longer and not necessarily faster. I slowed down to 5.0 mph and managed to run 15 mins straight. The longest before was about 8 mins, so I was stoked! After that, I ran 3:1 intervals for 3 sets, then dropped to 2:1 for a while, then 1:1 until I hit 37 mins total. It was tough, but do I think I pushed myself as hard as I could? Probably not. What?!? Well, if I'm being completely honest, I could have probably run longer than 15 mins, but I stopped and started intervals because that is what is comfortable. I also got blisters around 30 mins, so that also didn't help, but I did have to start speeding up some of the intervals because it was the only thing that would boost the endorphin levels to get me past the pain threshold.

Either way, I am proud of my progress. 4 months ago, I don't think I could even comprehend the patience it takes to run at least 37 mins in a run. I was tired just running 5 mins out of a 35 min treadmill session. I'm excited to see what happens when I can afford to replace my running shoes. Without those blisters and with better running performance, I bet I can really get moving! I was tempted to try for a 10K tonight, but decided to stop before I made hamburger out of my feet. ;) Oh, and when I'm on the treadmill, I probably spend only 1 entire minute hanging on to the treadmill - I'm a hands of runner. :) It feels good to hurt through my core from the effort to run.

I'm looking forward to getting more runs in and getting stronger and building a stronger cardiovascular system. I think once I can re-establish more whole-food eating with more fruits, veggies and whole grains, I'll definitely jump-start the weight loss again and be on my way to a tiny me. :)

Week 15 - Managing

I'm tired, frustrated and in high need of a kick-butt workout. I was down 0.8 lbs this week, despite hardly working out - had a 5 day break because of a cold. I ate quite a bit and felt generally quite blah. I've managed to step up the workouts by at least having them the last few days, but I am not in the game mentally.

Problem 1 - AF/TOM/the Crimson tide...whatever you call it, it's visiting after a 4.25 month absence (thank you Seasonale!). I'm feeling sluggish, tired, grumpy and unmotivated. Thankfully, I decided to wash my bedding or I'd most likely be in bed instead of in my workout clothes blogging. I need to get to my workout in a few minutes, but thought I'd post before I forgot about this week's post.

Problem 2 - The humid, gray weather. We've had some sun, but nothing that lasts very long and my SAD seems to be continuing on into the summer. UGH! It was beautiful yesterday afternoon when I went for a short trail run, and it was clear last night when I was stargazing through the sky light above our bed at 3:30 (Thanks Noah).

Problem 3 - The lingering cold. I'm still a little stuffy & runny nosed, but nothing compared to last week or the week before.

So hopefully as the week goes on, I'll feel a bit better and feel more motivated. I'm in a mental slump and just don't feel like food journaling and working out. I still do it, but it doesn't hold as much of the positive nature that it did before camp started. Granted, the slow-down in my weight loss is probably part of that - something that reigning in the stress eating and fattening, higher calorie stuff I've been eating more of would help out with. I'm just grateful I'm under 50 lbs left to goal weight. I've lost 22.4 of the 70.4 lbs I needed to lose. So 48 lbs left. I only have to do what I've done about 2 more times. That makes it seem more doable.

Well, enough talk, I better get to my workout!

Week 14 - That's more like it

I lost another 2 lbs this week for a total of 21.4 in the last 14 weeks. :) I'm really curious to see what my measurements are next week since it seems like I suddenly got skinnier in the last week.

Definitely glad to have my mojo back after being sick. That cold seemed to sap my will power and made me crave sugar like nothing else. Thankfully I'm back in control and only have 2 days left of camp food. As long as I keep my workouts up, I should be in a good spot through the week.

Back to my mountain of laundry and my coffee. I'm hoping the clouds burn off and the sun comes out soon. The kids haven't been the best listeners today, so I'm going to get off the computer for a while and see if that helps. :)

Week 13 - Um...

Yeah, so I lost 0.2 lbs this week. Wow, that was lame. I had been down over 1 lb earlier in the week, but eating camp food for more than a few days is not good for my weight loss. I vaguely remember losing 0.2 lbs after the Memorial Day work weekend at camp, so I should have expected this. Of course, I also did eat 64 activity points that I earned plus 39 of my 49 weekly points in addition to my 29 daily points. Yeowza!

So anyway, I will be continuing to workout this week and continue to drink lots of water and focus on the fruits/veggies and less on the other parts of the meal and try to forgo dessert a little more. We are having churros tonight, and that is a huge weakness of mine, since they are so tasty!

I'll probably be back later to post more.

Week 12 - Taking names

So at the end of 3 months, I've lost 19.4 lbs and 21.25". So from my dr appt 2 weeks before I started WW, I've lost over 22 lbs! I lost 1.6 lbs this week and passed my 10% goal.

I don't have a lot to say, though I do get to have 2 weeks between chiro appts, so my back & hips are improving! I ran this past week and look forward to doing it again soon, but will continue with strength training.