The Results Are In

Before I share with each of you the results of my weight loss goals, you must first enjoy this. It just so happens to be Twodles latest YouTube request, which is also very fitting for this post :)



On August 12th, 2013 I finally decided to get serious about losing baby weight. I'd tried earlier in the year, but because I was still nursing Goob, I had zero success.

Here are my stats from my first weigh in and body measurements:

144.2 lbs.                                         

Neck: 14"

Chest: 38"

Waist :33"

Hip: 40"

R. Arm: 13.5"

L. Arm: 13"

R. Thigh: 23"

L. Thigh: 22.5"

R. Calf: 13"

L. Calf: 13"

And after:

124.8 lbs.

Neck: 13"

Chest: 35.25"

Waist : 31"

Hip: 37"

R. Arm: 11.5"

L. Arm: 11.5"

R. Thigh: 20"

L. Thigh: 20.5"

R. Calf: 12.5"

L. Calf: 12.5"

In 15 weeks I've lost 20 lbs. My goal was to lose 2lbs a week, and most weeks I did.  The weeks that I didn't lose wasn't because I didn't try. I never worked out less than 5 days a week (sometimes 6 days a week, and even 2x per day) I did really well with portion control, and not eating as much sweets. It seems like I'm trying to excuse my occasional failure, but in all honesty, I did everything I said I would.  Let's just say being a woman is obnoxious!  No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't fight mother nature!   

I must thank so many people for keeping me motivated...

My sweet husband who knew it was important to me and therefore made it important to him.  My mom, who complimented and encouraged me all along the way, and even watched my boys so I could work out.  My awesome friends, who inspired me to get going again, after seeing their weight loss journeys.  And so many more!  I love you all, and couldn't have done it without you...THANK YOU! 

I'm feeling great about where I am at (124lbs being my realistic goal) I will still continue to work hard to see if I can make it to my target weight of 120 lbs. It may never be possible...my mom pooch loves me too much, but I will try.

What I need from all you lovely people is your best tips on those problem areas.  No matter how much weight I lose, I always have love handles and a baby gut.

What tried and true exercises really work?

I really like Jillian Michael's 6 week 6 pack, but it's pretty tough. I don't think I can do that AND run every day.  I fear that if I don't keep running, I will quit all together.

So what say you smart, intelligent, people?  What's a girl to do?!?!?

Setting Goals

In March I spent 5+ weeks working out every day, sometimes even twice a day.  I never consistently lost weight, just yo-yo'd up and down, never dipping below my starting weight.  At the time I was nursing and eating like a horse just to keep from having hot/sweaty/shaky/weak/irritable hypoglycemic crashes.  Basically I wasn't able to cut back my daily calorie intake without getting more sick than normal.  You can imagine my frustration and how unbelievably easy it was to give up.  So I did!

My sweet Goob is 14 months now, and he's finally more interested in other things than nursing...HOORAY!  Do I seem more excited than I should be?  I am!  Don't get me wrong, I loved nursing, but there were things that I was ready to do for myself and I knew he was close to being ready to move on too.    

So I'M BACK, and I won't stop till I've reached my goals.

A couple weeks ago I started crunching the numbers (my FIL and BIL would be proud) to see how much I needed to lose, and about how long it would take to lose that amount.  Here's what I came up with:

I had 24 lbs to lose and have found that if I stick to my guns I can lose 2 lbs per week, which is a healthy rate.  At the time my birthday just so happened to be 13 weeks away.  This would give me 1 week or 2 lbs leeway and still be able to reach my goal.  Perfect timing to get in gear! 

I planned to do a quick workout first thing in the morning, before eating breakfast, and one other later in the day if I could squeeze it in or deal with Goob crawling all over me while doing a DVD at home. 

I try to run 1 mile a day, 1 workout DVD, and then do some free weights or abs. Nothing ever ends up being more than 1 hour.  I just don't have the time for more.  

I follow a 1200 calorie diet, but not necessarily counting.  I eat a certain number of portions from each food group, which works out to be about 1200.  I also do portion control.  My food scale is my best friend right now :)

This is what the tracker I made looks like, 1200 cal of course (so less servings)

I started my second lifestyle change (the first being after I had Twodles*) 2 weeks ago on August 12th, and I've met my 2 lb goal each week.

I will be posting periodically about my progress on the blog, but plan to give a weekly weigh-in via FB.

After my favorite run thus far (it was raining)  

Fastest time for 1 mile

I am excited to feel better...and look better.  

*It's hard to imagine that the first time I went through this process I was almost 20 lbs heavier than I am now!  I'm so glad I started out right when I got pregnant with Goob, and will choose to feel blessed that I must take this time to lose weight rather than be pregnant again like I want.  

Retraining a Sweet Tooth

It's been one whole week since I indulged in a single delicious morsel of sweetness.

It was hard the first couple days, but I've gotten to the point where I am ok to say no.  I'm sure there will be moments when I really want something, but I will wait to face that challenge when the time comes rather than fret about it now.

I know in a previous post about regulating media I mentioned that it is extreme to cut things out completely, but I think I will maintain that stance for some things, but not all.  In my case right now, it is best for me to have no sweets whatsoever.  I am better able to jumpstart my weight loss goal this way, but more importantly I get to reset my palate.  I am probably as close to a treat-o-holic as one can get.  It's what gets me through tough days and brings me to my happy place. My threshold for tolerating sweets is much higher than it should be.

I cannot say how long I will go without sweets.  I may even indulge on occasion, but for now this is working well.

Not eating sweets doesn't mean I have to feel neglected from enjoying food.  Fruit is often a good replacement for me, but I'd like some more ideas.

What do you eat as a more healthy alternative to satisfies your sweet tooth?

Good, Better, Best

I've been re-committed to my lifestyle change for about a week now.  Things are going well and I'm excited to have some goals set and on my way to achieving them.

I was talking with a friend about changing your diet (his based on food allergies) and it was brought up that it becomes a challenge of finding something you can eat that still tastes good.  It's odd, but you actually look forward to tackling the task, kind of like a game!

I don't claim to be a nutritionist by any means, but I wanted to jot down something I've noticed in the process of changing what I eat.

Even, when I'm not watching what I eat, I almost can't stand to eat pancakes, waffles, or french toast in the morning.  I immediately get sick from all the syrup.  My blood sugar spikes high and then I crash really low, really fast.  It's just not worth eating them for how crumby I feel after.  Because of this I know a high protein breakfast is more beneficial for me.  Only problem with that is, there are only so many high protein breakfast meals that I can come up with so I get bored fast.

This morning Mr Medic made pancakes, and while I planned not to eat them, I remembered that I'm consistently short on carb servings almost every day (sad predicament to be in, right?) I decided I would have one small one, about the size of the palm of my hand.  Now I just had to figure out what I was going to put on top.  I knew syrup was out of the question and I've tried a few other things like yogurt or fruit, but I wanted to go for something different this time.

I wanted to include protein, but not eggs since I've had egg whites with spinach every morning in the last week.  I decided to with with cottage cheese on the pancake (sounds weird, I know) with a little something to sweeten it. My choice was strictly based on calories, so I'm sure I might now have made the healthiest choice possible. Who knows though?

Fruit would be ok, but I plan to have a smoothies for a snack later and want to save my fruit servings for that.  I decided to pull out the "sweeteners" I had on hand to see which would be the best choice.  What's your guess from the above 4 choices?

Th yogurt has 250 calories per cup, brown sugar has 15 calories per teaspoon, honey has 60 calories per tablespoon, and the syrup has 200 calories per 1/4 cup.  Putting them all on the same level:  Yogurt has 5 calories per teaspoon, honey has 20 calories per teaspoon, syrup has 17 calories per teaspoon, and brown sugar has 15 calories per teaspoon.

I knew if I chose the yogurt I would have to put more than just a teaspoon on to make it taste good, plus it has way more ingredients I'm not sure about listed.  I went with 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar, and it was delish.  I enjoyed this new combination, without feeling like I'm "dieting" and got the protein that I needed too!

I am learning that eating better is about being more conscious of what I am putting in my mouth, rather than doing what is easiest or most logical.  Sometimes what you think is best might not be, and usually you can find a better alternative that tastes just as good.  GOOD.BETTER.BEST.

Practice Makes...Better

I need a little pep talk cause I haven't exercised one lick this week.

Last week I went for a run in the wind, and of course, it stunk.  As soon as I made it to my running trail I was startled by some professional runner chic that came up behind me.  I almost had an accident, which I know is common for hardcore runners, but I had to control myself.  I'm not hardcore and don't have any excuse for peeing my pants like someone who was running a marathon might. 

My being startled was immediately overshadowed by the fact that pro runner chic was galloping gracefully along like a beautiful thoroughbred.  Her stride was incredible.  I couldn't even pretend that I was keeping pace with the horse girl.  She was long gone within seconds.  

As I watched her move farther and farther away and eventually disappear, I started to feel a little deflated.  But I kept running.  

To make the experience even more glorious, my music listening device was malfunctioning and stopped after only one song.  I knew I couldn't make it without my tunes so I fumbled around trying to get it to continue while still attached to my arm band and maintaining as much of a running speed as was possible.  I must not be good at multitasking because eventually I had to stop and get things situated.  I'm sure I lost a good 30 seconds, or more.  

By then my run was completely ruined.  I thought to myself "whatevs, I'm going home" which ironically was where my running route ended.

As I terminated the stopwatch expecting to be well over my usual time of 12 minutes and 30ish seconds, I was pleasantly surprised to see this:

With my little music mishap and the time it took to stop and correct, I am pretty confident that I ran that mile a whole minutes faster than I normally do!

I'm totally hardcore!  ;)  I've earned the right to pee my pants while running (joke)

Now if I can just get that thoroughbred out in front of me every morning.

One last success to help in my little pep talk.  Since I haven't seen a change in numbers on the scale I decided to do some measuring.  In about a months time here are the changes:

Neck-      .5" decrease
R Arm-     1" decrease
L Arm-    .5" decrease
R Thigh-  1.25" decrease
L Thigh-  .5" decrease
R Calf-    .5" increase
L Calf-    .25" increase

My goal is to see some change in the waist and hip next.  The baby fat has received it's official eviction notice.

  

Who's Counting Anyway?

Three days ago I was reunited with two long lost friends...the digital food scale, and MyPlate-calorie tracker.

If I'm in the business to lose weight it has to be done, but it's just so hard while I'm still nursing.  I can eat a meal and literally feel like my stomach is completely empty 30 minutes later.

I wouldn't say that I am on the tracking train yet, but I have wanted to see how much I'm consuming, and try to work my way down to 1800 calories. (good for nursing)  I will get there eventually, and will then work my way down to 1200/cal after I'm done nursing.

I'm pretty hungry, which is normal when decreasing calories and increasing physical activity.  I just have to remind myself not to play the "I can eat whatever I want, I'm nursing" card, which is a lot like the "I can eat whatever I want, I'm pregnant" card.

I made some forms to keep close at all times that will help me track what I am eating.  They even fit in a purse or wallet for eating out.  They are based off the forms used at the college for the weight loss program I did in 2011.  I got them laminated so I can use a marker to check things off throughout the day.

The front has how many servings you get of each food group.
The back has the serving sizes and  other suggestions

With all this effort, if I haven't lost 10 lbs come Monday when I step on the scale, I QUIT!  ;)

A Runners Life For Me

Here's how it went down today:

• 10am and I still haven't had breakfast, so I'm running on a mostly empty stomach (I know, not wise) I did eat a few dried cranberries and some almonds.  I don't particularly feel like making 'art' along the trail for others to admire from upchucking a last minute meal.
• I won't make the same rookie mistake again of having cold fingers, so I put on gloves.  They are so huge I may as well be wearing Mike Tyson boxing gloves.

Don't be jealous of these bad boys

• I swear I see more feces along the bike trail than I do in a week from the two still in diapers.
• Maybe I'm on runners crack (aka inhaler) but I know I feel less jiggle than I did a couple weeks a go.
• Rock chucks are freaky little creatures, almost as terrifying as squirrels. (I see at least 6, no lie)
• Katie Perry's 'Firework'.....WHA..????? I thought I deleted that from my running playlist.  It's got to go!  
• I'm choking on my spit, so naturally I prepare to expel it from my mouth, but as hard as I try to project that puppy outward, it makes a u-turn right back at me! That takes talent.

Guaranteed I'm the laughing stock of the running gods, but whatevs.  Better to be mocked 'admired' by the running gods than the fat gods, I guess.

Despite all my 'fun' I push myself farther than I did last time.

1.6 miles...please tell me this is excellent time!

Rookie Mistakes & Beginners Luck

I started back to the gym on campus way too late, and now I'm regretting it.  I was able to go back a few times before Mr Medic graduated and it was completely invigorating.  That specific place is where I gained my willpower 2 years ago.  I participated in a weight loss program through the college and it changed my life.  I triumphed over physical and mental limits I thought I could never overcome, so naturally stepping through those doors brought back a lot of wonderful memories.

One particular experience was when my team did a stationary cycling challenge.  We were to see how far we could bike in just 30 minutes.  Not only were the seats almost unbearably uncomfortable, but I had never really cycled before.  I spun and spun, never stopping, but several times my eyes welled with tears because I felt like I was going to die.  I was in so much physical pain I felt like I could never make it 30 minutes.  With the help of enthusiastic teammates and my own pride, I did it.  (P.S. I don't ever want to participate in a cycling class again!)

I didn't want to let go of my special place even though I knew I had to since soon neither of us would be students.  The rebel in me asked if my ID would work once Mr Medic graduated, and they assumed that it might for a while.  Rather than be thoroughly embarrassed trying and get turned away like a criminal, I decided to go for a run OUTSIDE!

The last time I ran outside was years ago.  I decided the same night of a 5K that I would run it, without previous training. (Don't laugh, I need training for even that short of a distance)

Todays run was like a double edge sword.  I made a lot of mistakes that I will hopefully learn from, and there was definitely some greatness that came from it too!

ROOKIE MISTAKES:

- While the rest of me was ok temperature wise, my hands were pretty cold
- Exercise induced asthma is way worse in the cold (I forgot since the gym isn't usually cold)
- I need more music
- Running against the wind slows my pace considerably...I may as well have been walking!
- I wish my ipod was an iphone so I didn't have to also carry a phone for safety.  There's nowhere to put that thing except in the bra (sorry TMI)

BEGINNERS LUCK:

- Despite all the setbacks, I ran that mile faster than I ever do on the track.  I think it's quite nice to have something up ahead that you can tell yourself "I can totally go to that point!" Then as you near that goal, you can look ahead and say "I can make it there too!"

My PR for the mile!  hahaha

And there's nothing like a good ol' cool down stretch

I hope to make running outdoors more of a habit.  Plus there's no gym membership required.  Who can argue with $FREE.99?

Although I do not ever intend on becoming a running pro I would like any tips on making things go a little smoother, so please share.  Thank you much!

Daily Doubles

One of my weight loss goals, to do a short morning workout and then a longer one in the evening every day- is what I will refer to as Daily Doubles.

As Jillian says, she's "TV's toughest trainer"  hahaha

Yesterday was the first of many more.  I have to be honest I didn't want to do it.  I tried to do a workout video yesterday morning, but Twodles kept yelling at me "NO MOOOOOM, WE ARN DOIN DAT!"  Apparently he doesn't realize that I've set some goals!

Today was even more difficult with Goob crawling all over me.  In order to work up a sweat or elevate my heart rate without having to stop every five seconds to fend off the "extra help" I've decided that I will have to wait till Goob is down for his morning nap.

You see, the whole idea behind doing a morning workout is to exercise before you eat.  You burn more fat that way.  There is much talk over whether this is a valid method or not.  In the articles I have seen, exercising in a "fasted state" is not beneficial for athletes (as they probably don't have much fat to lose, and need the fuel to reach optimal performance) But for those looking to lose weight it seems to be legit.

For one, as has been known for some time, exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. (source found here)

Seems easy enough right?  Well, my only problem is that Goob doesn't go down till around 9am.  That has proved quite difficult since I am up for at least an hour or more before I can even start the workout.  Not only will I be so super hungry, but it gives me ample time to convince myself I don't need to do it.

Good thing I have such an awesome cheerleader. Twodles always encourages me to exercise, and even does it right along with me most mornings, for a few minutes anyway.  He has even settled into the little routine we have of exercising first and then getting to watch a short PBS show while I hop in the shower.

Love his little tongue sticking out

The Little Engine That Could

I'm slowly making progress towards getting back to working out/ losing my baby fat.  I'm not sure why it'S taking me so long, but I do know anything I could say would only be an excuse.  I've spent a couple days the last few weeks putting on my work-out clothes in hopes it might motivate me to get there, but all that came of it was a neighbor asking me if I'd already been to the gym.  Don't worry, I didn't even lie!

I'm a bit bummed that it's just now clicking in my brain that I only have access to a FREE gym till April 13th.  Why on earth have I not got with the program sooner?  Now I'm gonna have to figure out which gym to join or how to run my jiggly bum in the great outdoors.

I will resume my usual public humiliation accountability route because it seemed to work before.

As of March 18th I weigh 144.2 lbs which means I need to lose about 20 lbs.  My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week.  At that rate I should reach my goal weight in 10 weeks.

MY PLAN:

• Portion control, track calories, monitor food groups, and keep treats to very few, if any.
• Start going to the gym on Monday the 25th.  We'll see how that goes!  I found that one quick workout every morning before breakfast followed by an hour workout later in the day or once everyone is in bed for the night, just about does the trick. 

WHAT I'VE DONE SO FAR:

• I've started gathering my running playlist, but feel free to shoot me your must-have songs.  
• I "splurged" and bought some new socks
• I purchased some good second hand running shoes since my feet have grown since having #2
• Had a friend come do my body measurements in order to track inches lost (will share later)
• I have already cut out treats, except on special occasions. (I ate my last Nutty Bar one week ago today, and ate one brownie during ladies night last Saturday) 

Now all I have to do is get going and see if my body responds the same way it did before.  

WISH.ME.LUCK