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.

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 6 - Double Digits!

Well, that's slightly misleading. I didn't lose double digits this week, but as of today, my total weight loss is in double digits. 11.0 lbs to be exact. :) My unofficial loss is closer to 15 lbs, but since I'm just talking WW loss, I'm down 11.0 lbs. I lost 2.2 lbs this week and another 3" in the last 2 weeks. I'm thrilled because the inches came off my thighs, hips & arms. Those are the harder areas for me to get losses on.

Kyle was telling me this morning that I'm looking great. I'm trying to so hard to focus on accepting compliments as they come and not focusing on all the work I have yet to do. I had a discussion on my mom's board about body image and projecting onto our children and it's all something we struggle with - finding a balance between what we feel about ourselves and what we let our kids hear about it. I did realize this morning as I stripped down to weigh in that I'm less grossed out by my reflection in the mirror. I'm getting more comfortable with the ripples and stretch marks and accepting that having kids changes things a lot. Granted, I am overjoyed that my saggy belly is slowly getting smaller, but I'm trying to focus on the fact I'm getting stronger and my endurance is increasing.

I tried putting 5 miles on the treadmill on Sunday and it went so-so. I finished, but the time was a lot slower than I had hoped and I could only run 7 mins. I finished in 87:37 while listening to an audio book. I honestly think that had a large part to do with why my time was so slow. I couldn't get into a good grove because I was listening to the story. Granted, the whole point for doing 5 miles was just to do it and not focus on speed, but I was averaging 3.4 mph instead of 4.2 mph that I have been hitting. I have to keep reminding myself that I've only been at this for 6 weeks. Plus, as the pounds come off, it will get easier to run longer and faster.

Bring it on!

So yesterday was my follow up with my ARNP. She was happy about my 10 lbs lost and that I am doing much better. It looked like we were going to leave meds as they were, but I made a comment about increasing the anti-depressant, to which she replied, "sure, that might help." Pretty standard appointment, but still love her! She's so easy to get along with and very positive.

I'm on day 2 of the increased dosage. So far, ouch! So tired and moody. Forgot about those side effects from the first week and the fact that adding more meds means more adjustments. Yesterday was rough. Today, I knew to expect it, so I am not quite as nearly impacted. Emotionally, I'm a little more steady, but basically, back to where I was 2 days ago. LOL

I didn't get a workout in yesterday, I was cleaning and doing laundry instead. I could completely tell, because I was cranky. I hit the treadmill today for 30 minutes. I walked the first 6 mins, then ran for 5, then switched to intervals of 1-2 mins of each for the remaining 19 mins. I was happy that I ran for half of the time and my mile time was 14:10, which is really good for me! The other good thing is that I can run without the song being completely fast & rocking. Yay!

Also, a mom at Em's school mentioned today that she can tell I'm losing weight and looked good. :D Nothing like a good compliment to make a girl feel good. Wondering what my friends will have to say this weekend. I'm excited about the progress I'm making and since I did say I'd do a marathon with two of them in the next 5 yrs... I guess at some point I'll have to start running for more than 4 miles. LOL I think that since we're on summer vacation, I might give a longer distance a try next week, even if Noah's up and the kids are watching tv. I think 5 miles is doable and I won't pressure myself to run a ton, just at least 20 mins. Heck, if I can run for 30 mins I will be so pumped! :)

I'm just so excited that I'm slowly becoming a runner. It felt good and I wish that I would have kept running when I stopped at 5 mins. I think I could have done at least another 2-3 mins, but I psyched myself out. I definitely noticed that the farther along I got, the harder it was to run for 2 mins, I think the last intervals were 1 min each. So I think when I do my 5 miles, I'll just run as long as I can before stopping just to see how long I can go. Granted, I'm only running at 5mph, but I have stumpy legs and I'm still 54 lbs over my max healthy BMI. I'm so excited to imagine what it will be like to be back down in the 140's and running, then the 130's, 120's & maybe even the 110's. My ARNP thinks that 120 is a good goal weight - she seemed a little shocked when I said 115-120. I told her that I was shooting for 115, but that I'm happy at 120 if that is where my body decides it's done. My healthy BMI range is 99-124, so I do have some wiggle room. The trick will be to not gain a ton if we decide to have another baby. Because I can tell you now, if I gain 30, most of it will come off easily and then it will only be 10-15 lbs to work at. Much nicer than 70 lbs!

O-M-G!

I decided to search OnDemand today for a good cardio workout. I was super psyched when I saw Kendell Hogan's name attached to one under the Get Ripped category. It was the Bootcamp Cardio Burn. It was tough. It was fast paced, but there is lot of repetition - starting with one pattern and adding on, then starting from the top, adding on, etc. for about 29 minutes. I think I was dripping sweat for a good 15 minutes post workout.

I was hoping that the charisma and motivation I got from the Crunch workout with Kendell would translate to cardio. It did not disappoint. :o) I worked so hard and I pushed myself to do things I normally would have shirked my way out of. Squat thrust and mountain climbers are just an example. I'm happy with the definition that I'm starting to see in my upper arms and my calves and slowly my thighs. I really just can't wait until my deflated baby belly tightens up some. If only the stretch marks would disappear with the fat. ;o)

I did forget to burn my relax candle during my workout today, but I didn't need it. I'll save it for a bath I hope to take tonight. I could use a nice, hot soak in the tub to help loosen up my tight muscles.

I planned a low-cost easy to do plan for us tomorrow. Since the high is supposed to top off around the mid 50's, but be sunny, I decided we should take the jogging stroller out and go for a walk around Redmond. From time to time I really miss living there, just not the having an apartment next door to the post office and down the block from the fire station. LOL I figure we'll park at the mall and walk to the park or along the river. Perhaps we'll window shop at the mall too, who knows.

At least I finally figured out some things to put on my Christmas list. Heart rate monitor & pedometer. I have a Body Bugg, but let the subscription lapse and can't really afford the cost, not to mention since I do my tracking on sparkpeople, it got kind of redundant. So since neither is super pricey, I figure, asking for one and or the other is good. Of course, I'd always be happy with a mani/pedi or a massage too. ;o)

Making daydreams a reality

I've spent a lot of time lately daydreaming. In those daydreams, I am fit, happy and on an early morning run. Many nights before I go to bed, I think about those daydreams and how I can make them a reality. However, when I wake up in the morning, I either roll back over and go back to sleep, or I am woken up by the kids. There are several opportunities for exercise throughout my day, but I rarely capitalize on them. I know that if I don't workout, I'll never get into shape, and I'll never be able to go running.


This isn't the first time I've tried to lose weight. However, it is the first time I'm doing so specifically for me and my health, not to get pregnant. I don't know if the reason I'm so reluctant to get with it is because I know it's a continual and forever process that won't end, whereas in the past, once there's a positive pregnancy test, all bets are off?


The first time I went through the weight loss process, I followed Weight Watchers and went from 161 lbs to 149 lbs. I gained it all back, plus about 4 more lbs. It did take me longer to gain it back than to lose it...the first time. The second time, I managed to get down to about 145 when I got pregnant with Emily. Gained all the weight back, but settled around 165 post pregnancy. I got back down to 158 when I found out I was pregnant with Noah, and gained the weight back again. Now I'm settled in around 165. With my height, I need to be closer to 115, so I have around 50 lbs to lose.


I have been hard pressed to find the motivation to take those daydreams and start acting on things to make them come true. I had started to workout during the kids' nap right before I got hit with mono. It's been almost 2 months since that happened. I think I finally have gotten over the guilt of letting my body rest and heal. I'm also about over the cold I had. YAY! I think a huge part of that is taking vitamin D. It helps boost the immune system, and my levels have been low for so long. So I often would daydream about my goal body and the life I want to live while the life I have is passing me by.

My point? Yes, I do have one. :o) I am finally taking a stand against my laziness, my depression, my excuses. I found a ton of fitness programs on Netflix streaming while looking for shows for Em. I was impressed with the selection and am currently going through one a day while the kids nap and blogging about it on my sparkpeople account. Yesterday, I chose to do a Jillian Michaels (Biggest Loser) workout - Biggest Winner! Shape Up Front. Um, there should have been a warning (other than that which I read in countless reviews) that if you are a beginner or out of shape, pick something else! I stuck to the workout, having to pause it once for nearly 5 minutes while I struggled to keep my lunch down and not faint in the bathroom. I also can honestly say I missed out on several reps of most of the exercises because of the break neck pace. I now understand how come Tara from Season 7 of the Biggest Loser was always throwing up. So I definitely give her kudos for just doing it and keeping on. I told myself that if I did get sick, I would try to be like Tara. As soon as the workout was over, I stripped off my socks & shoes before I passed out.

Today, after yesterday's overheating episode (it's been 80-85 degrees in our house the last two days and won't be any lower until next week at the earliest), I decided that yoga or pilates would be a better choice. I chose to do CRUNCH Candlelight Yoga. I did this for several reasons, the major being my mood as of late. I have been very high strung and increasingly irritated. It didn't help that Kyle found out on Friday that he had to work Saturday, then Saturday that he had to work today, nor did it help when he told me his coworker fell asleep 3 TIMES at work yesterday. The workout was extremely relaxing for me and I definitely could feel the fresh blood in my muscles. I think if I can keep up doing the yoga in this heat, that perhaps sometime I'll actually give hot yoga a try. Of course, given my propensity to overheat, maybe I shouldn't.

I am feeling hopeful that I will turn this into a good habit and once we get through this patch of heat, may be able to step it up with cardio and get rid of the baby weight x2, the college weight and whatever other weight I'm hanging on to. I know there is a long road ahead of me and that I won't see results overnight, nor will I reach my end goals anytime soon, but I think going into this process with my eyes open, I will succeed.

I simply need to remain consistent, make myself a priority, and stay accountable. I had planned to add some before pics, but our hard drive is offline right now, so I guess I will have to do it tomorrow. :)