And Down I Go

I have to admit, I've only been to the gym once this week. With my MIL being in the hospital and having to prep for vacation (which we will hopefully still be able to go on), it's been a crazy week.  Not to mention when you go on vacation, you really need to have 7 outfits for the kids and some were missing shirts, other shorts and a pair of shoes or two!  Shopping had to be done. Ughh!

On a good note, I'm down to 174.8  Yup! I hope to hit 170 by the end of July!  My father-in-law  recommended I start taking green coffee bean extract.  I've not been on it long enough to give a real testimony, but I will say I think it may be having some effect.  I ate out a few times this week and have only had one day of exercise and still lost weight.  I should not have hit 174 until Friday based on how the weight was coming off.  Tomorrow I should have a good idea of if that was a fluke.  I ate Bojangles for lunch and a huge plate of fajita meat and veggies plus chips and salsa for dinner.  And lest I not be honest, I had some candy during the play! I'll keep taking the extract and let you know how it goes.  Right now I'm taking 400mg 3 times a day. I try to take it before meals but with 4 kids that does not always happen.

If I lose a few more pounds, I will move out of the obese category and into the overweight standings! Woohoo!  That is good news for my health.  On a not so good note, I saw me in a picture tonight and realized how much more work I need to do!  My arms need some serious work and my abdomen is in serious need of debulking! But it will happen.  If I keep to my plan and working out, I will have lost at least 30 pounds by the end of the year!  I can hardly imagine what I will look like.  I do look forward to getting skinny fingers again! I did not have my wedding rings resized when I gained weight because I felt it was giving in and saying I would never get that fit again.  I'm happy to say that I will be getting down to that right size and I will fit into my rings soon!

176.2

That was this morning's weigh-in!  Woohoo!  I love seeing that. I made it to the gym yesterday  but don't think that is going to happen again this week. I have a lot to do with Ian's birthday party and going to the gym wears me out!  I hate that but sometimes life steps in the way.

On a good note, I am still eating better.  We've started subscribing to The Grocery Shrink.  I love it!  She gives recipes for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.  Each recipe has "Fit Mama" alternatives to the meal that help me stick to eating healthy.  I've cut back on my carb intake.  If we have pasta it is whole grain. I try not to have carbs with dinner.  I sub in a salad when the family eats pasta or rice.  Now I still have some sweets and other things, but not like I used to. And if I do down a bag of chocolate, I don't stress about it.  Each day I start over and try and stay with my new goals.  If I keep doing like I'm doing, I could be down 20 pounds by the end of the year.  While I would love it to go away sooner, I think I'll keep the weight gone long term if I take it off slowly through lifestyle changes.

I also hope to wean Ian soon.  I've put it off because of all of his FPIE allergies.  After his birthday I'm going to try him on coconut milk.  If that works, I'll at least have something to switch him to.  Then we'll do a dairy food challenge.  Once my body stops lactating, I should lose weight a little easier.  Sadly, I'm not one of those women who drop pounds by breastfeeding.

Motivation

I did not make it to the gym yesterday. I did not do the Shred video.  I was a bum!  Actually I missed the gym because I thought the AC guy was coming to do the summer check on our unit but alas he's coming in 20 minutes.  Then I meant to go that night but Daniel reminded me that Sarah's awards ceremony was starting at 6.  And to be honest, I was thinking of skipping the gym today. Ian's party is on Saturday and I have not completed anything.  I'll spare you details on how my  house has imploded around me! LOL!

Here comes the happy part.  I was getting dressed this morning, fully planning to skip the gym and just go party shopping.  Then I stepped on the scale. Just yesterday that scale told me that I was 179.  That's right. I had gained a pound.  I'm a habitual weigher.  I weigh myself every day.  Sometimes I check my morning and night weight. Some may say I have a problem.  But this morning things were different.  That scale looked back at me with a 176.8 on it's face!  And now I'm going to the gym today after the AC guy goes.  Even if I only get in my cardio, I'm sufficiently motivated to put everything else on the back burner and forge ahead with my new lifestyle.

Praise God for giving me what I needed today to keep going and to continue to overcome my food addiction. He's faithful in all things.

30 Days of Shreddin'

I have a plan.  It's a good plan.  I'm going to the gym for some intense cardio 4-5 days a week.  I'm alternating doing upper and lower body workouts when I go.  And yesterday I came home with the 30 Day Shred DVD.  I had a copy previously, but it broke. I wish I could say it was from using it, but the kids grabbed it and cracked it!

Last night I tried to have a Level 1 Day 1 experience, but I could not make it through the first 10 minutes.  Thankfully, I'm not sore this morning.  I'm going to do my best to make The Shred my evening workout.  I'm hoping that between the two of them, I can lose 10 pounds.   I have been eating somewhat better.  Granted, my need for chocolate this week is a LOT greater than it usually is.  Overall, I'm eating healthier and moving the family towards eating "whole".  As we can afford it, I plan on moving us to organic eating as well. But that is for another post!

The Slow Road Down

Good news! I got on the scale this morning and weighed in at 177.  That is an encouraging sign. I have not dipped below 178 for a while and even though it's not a huge number, I'm encouraged.  As for the juicing, it's going really well. I have green juice for breakfast.  It's filled with kale, celery kiwi, apple, carrots, ginger and cucumber.  Oh, I can't forget the lemon!  All of that makes about 32 ounces of juice. I drink half of it for breakfast and the other half by lunch or whenever I start wanting to eat.

Yesterday I had some leftover quinoa with chicken and butter beans for lunch and for dinner I made a close to paleo orange chicken recipe.  I put in some corn, sugar snap peas and carrots a long with some onions. It was amazing. With dinner I had another beet smoothie.

Today I have to go the store for more kale or spinach, cucumbers and apples. I'm out of the first two and running low on the last.  Tonight I'm going to add some tomatoes to my juicing. It should be interesting to see what that tastes like with the beets and other stuff!  And I'm hoping to start hitting up the Jockey Lot for produce. Homegrown tends to be cheaper than the stuff from the store.

The one thing that I am currently struggling with is the desire to eat.  I want to eat more than I need to.  I'm working on identifying my eating "habit" vs. eating for true hunger.  Yesterday I had to purposefully avoid eating because I was not hungry, it was the habit.  Lord willing I can use this time to retrain my brain to only eat when my body needs it.   Even right now I'm thinking about the paleo orange chicken in the fridge and how the flavors excited my palate last night. I'm not physically hungry though and think I'm going to get some more water!

I keep running Philippians 4:13 through my mind.  God does not want me to be controlled by gluttony.  He has better plans for me!

Beets and Juicing

Last night I tried my first beet juice concoction.  I was a little nervous because as a child I repeatedly had to try canned beets.  have you tasted those things?  Yuck!!!  And a month or so ago, I tried roasting beets and that did not work so well.  Granted, I don't think I cooked them long enough.  That said, I put them in my evening fruit juice cocktail.  I had half of a baseball sized beet, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, an orange and a lime.  It was so good!  The only weird thing was that it retained the earthy beet smell.  This recipe was approved by the whole family!

Speaking of family, the kids would love it if I juiced for them.  To be honest, I would love to do it as well.  But it is so expensive to get all the veggies and stuff to do so. Right now I'm just letting them sample some of my drinks in the morning and evening.  Last night I mixed some of my juice with grape juice for the kiddos.  Juicing is expensive and I wish I could afford to juice for the entire family.  Maybe one day...

Juicing and All That Jazz

I decided that this would be the week to start changing things.  I went out and purchased a TON of produce to help things along.  Yesterday I had cake club and on the way home decided to try a pre-made juice.  I was pleasantly surprised that the green juice tasted delicious!  So this morning for breakfast, I made my first green drink.  It had kale, cucumber, kiwi, apple, ginger, carrots and lemon in it.  I was a little concerned about the kale because some people said it was strong but I had no issue with it. In fact, the cucumber was the strongest flavor in there!  I had to tone it down with some lemon juice!

For lunch I finished the leftover green drink and had homemade chicken curry and rice.  The curry was made in the crock pot without oil and with tons of onion and garlic!  Not to mention the curry and other spices.  At the end, I added a can of coconut milk.  While this is not considered low fat, coconut milk has a ton of good stuff in it.  I had a normal portion amount.

For dinner I'm going to do a fruit juice.  We have a ton of fruit and I'm going to do a bit of everything.  If you are considering juicing, I highly recommend you watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  If I were not still breastfeeding, I would do a full 30 days of juicing and not look back for a minute.  Since I am, I plan on keeping one to two meals a day.

In the end, I am hoping this helps me add a lot of fruit and veggies to my diet and to retrain my taste buds to crave them instead of the salty foods I love!

Fatty, Fat, Fat Talk

Why is that so many people have problems stating the obvious.  Over the past years, I've been very unhappy with my weight. The thing is, I knew that I had to either accept the fat or change it.  With four kids, that is easier said than done, but I'm up for the challenge.  You see, I'm fat.  Yes, I said it!  I don't see why there is an issue with saying when I look in the mirror and see it every day.  Now there is a difference in being mean about it and being realistic.  I'm realistic.  I choose not to stay this way, but if I did I would be okay with it.

So here is the deal.  I'm 178 as of today.  I want to get to 135.  I'll be happy with 140-145.  But for now my goal is 170.  Are you still following me?

Here is the plan.  I'm going to get to the gym as often as possible.  On weeks that I make a cake, it will be harder.  If I can't get to the gym, I plan to walk the dog for a few miles.  On the eating front, I'm going to juice a few meals and eat when I feel necessary.  I can't do a full juice fast because of breastfeeding Ian.  (And no.  I did not lose more than my pregnancy weight by breastfeeding. Only some lucky women lose weight while breastfeeding.  I am not in that category!)  I plan on reducing meat intake, staying away from fried foods and keeping refined food out of my diet.  Not only do I plan on losing weight, I plan on a lifestyle change.  Do you see where I'm going with this?

On top of all that, I'm going to try and blog about it all!

Family of Six Update

Wow!  It's always so amazing to add another little one to the family.  We are blessed to watch each child enjoy Ian.  I can't tell you how much fun that has been.  Sarah is old enough to hold him and walk him around as much as we let her!  We have to have to have some limits because she would willingly keep him all day!  Ashton is taking his big brother roll seriously.  He loves to hold Ian and help burp him.  Brenna thinks he's a little doll.  One of of the first things that she says in the morning is "I want to hold the baby!"  She's like her big sister.  If it were possible, she would carry him around all day.

And how is Ian handling all this attention?  He ignores them and sleeps right through it!  If I was not present at the hearing test, I'd think the kid were deaf!  Every now and then he'll open one eye and peak at them. It's so cute. 

As for me, I'm healing.  We knew that the c-section recovery would come, but can not wait until it's passes!  Sadly, healing can not be rushed.  Last night I had to skip my pain medicine because Ian was waking up every hour to feed.  He did that the night before and I was scared I was going to drop him because I would nod off while feeding him.  Big mistake.  I was in so much pain this morning.  But Daniel decided in the early morning hours to try letting him sleep in his bouncy seat and it worked like a charm. I slept for 3 or 4 hours straight!  It was amazing.

I've also been busy enjoying all the little squeaks and noises he makes.  And that baby smell and the little jerky movements that they make.  You would think that those things would get old, but they do not!  Plus, he loves to cuddle up on my chest and sleep.  He's so peaceful and laid back. I do wonder how if he'll be this calm and laid back as he gets older.  I love watching them grow!

I've also been really happy with how the baby weight is coming off!  I know, I know, I should not be worried about weight. But, I would be a liar if I said that I didn't step on the scale daily to monitor it!  Regardless, I've dropped 22 pounds since the little guy was born.  Granted Ian was 10 pounds of that!  And I retained a lot of water as well. Did I mention my feet now look normal and not like miniature blimps?  It's true.  You can even see between my toes!  As for dieting, I'm not.  I still enjoy ice cream, but am working to keep up the healthy diet that started before the little guy arrived. And in 4-5 more weeks, the gym and I will be seeing each other again. We have been apart far too long!

Enough of that though!  We've been blessed to have so many wonderful friends bring food by.  And Daniel has been doing the Mr. Mom thing so well.  I do think he may be fully gray by the time I heal up though!  The kids are really giving him a run for his money.

We are in need of prayer this week.  While we were at the hospital delivering Ian, we found out that Daniel's uncle was being prepped for emergency surgery. He had a perforated bowel and was septic.  After the surgery was finished, they could not get him to wake up properly.  Further testing was ordered and the discovered that he had three strokes, multiple blood clots in his brain and one in his foot.  If he awoke, he would be partially blind and paralyzed and would need his foot amputated.  Yesterday or today they decided he was doing better and took him off the respirator.  That did not go as well as was expected and he is too weak to go back on it.  Sadly, the news is not good and Tommy is not expected to pull through.  Please pray for our family. Tommy is so incredibly sweet. A dear friend of mine accurately calls him "The Mountain Man."  He's a good old country man with one of the biggest hearts around and this news has hit the family hard. 

It Almost Killed Me...

...but I ran half of a mile today. I came close to having an exercise induced asthma attack.  I haven't had one of those since I gave up running! Since I'm familiar with the drill, I stopped before it kept going.  But with research I've found that there is a good chance that I can train my lungs to move past that!  Feel free to pray that that day comes soon for me! 

I've posted this before, and will say it again, I'm out of shape.  No, I'm not being negative. I just  like to face reality.  And right now I'm overweight and out of shape.  In order to deal with it, I've been patronizing the gym 4-5 days a week since Sarah has returned to school.  Sadly I'm not seeing a huge reduction in the weight department yet.  I think that may be because of my focus on weight training (let's not get into me not changing my diet yet).  And that my friends has been paying off. I love feeling stronger!  And I enjoy seeing the start of definition in my back and arms.  And to be able to do 90-100 weighted crunches - well that's empowering. (Especially after having three babies cut from my abdomen!)

Well, that's all for tonight folks.  I have a date with the gym in the morning.  I'm back to weights with a little bit of stair master thrown in.  I may also try out the line dancing class.  I did Zumba the other day and it was a ton of fun.  It surprised me to know that I got a decent workout with it! 

Hell and High Water

As I've mentioned before, I've been on a weight loss journey.  Except, I'm not going anywhere.  I'll be hitting the gym 3-4 times a week for a few weeks and then something like the stomach flu hits our house.  And the gym, well it's on the back burner.  So where am I weight wise?  Right where I started.  No kidding folks. 

Well today I decided that I've been lazy at home long enough.  I pulled out my Jillian Micheals Shred DVD and popped it in. It seemed like God may have had my number on the bad back reasoning.  I checked the mail before doing the video and this new pain relief spray that I ordered was there staring back at me.  I pulled it out and sprayed down my back as best as I could and then went and started The Shred.  When Jillian said to do jumping jacks, I knew that something important was missing.  Something very, very important. 

Last year, I wanted to start running.  You could say that the plan fell through!  But on a good note, I ended up getting the best sports bra that I've ever had. There is no bounce.  There is no movement.  It's awesome.  The only down side is the whole uni-boob effect.  But I could care less what anyone thinks of me when I'm working out.  That said, I had to stop The Shred and take care of the problem.

After that, things went well.  That's not the right way to put it.  Jillian and her friends made everything look deceptively easy.  I huffed and I puffed and I moaned (not in a good way) and became even more determined to finish Level 1 and not give up. Come Hell or high water, I was going to finish that blasted tape, even it killed me!  I had to take a 5 minute break and I couldn't do as many of some of the exercises, but I finished.  I even managed to do a modified crunch when my back decided that the bicycle crunch was way more than it was willing to do!

All in all, I'm happy that I made it here and have some ability to type.  Tomorrow may be a different story!

It Begins...

Today I began a new work out regime.  You see, I'm fat. No, don't get all nice on me.  Nice does not change the size of my hips.  And no, I can not blame it on the baby. I lost the 20 pounds that I gained from Brenna not long after I came home.  Currently I sit at 182 pounds.  Don't gasp. It's a number that can change.  And, I don't give a hoot if anyone knows how much I weigh.  Too many folks get caught up on a number. Their lives revolve around it.  Mine doesn't.  That said, I'm fat and I've decide that it's time to change it. And I hope that this will motivate someone else to get a little healthier. (The above picture is not of me! I pulled it off of google. I'm not big posting images of my rolls!)

My weight has done the roller coaster thing all my life.  I'm happiest around 130. That's my long term goal.  Right now I'm aiming for a 10 pound loss by the end of the year. My friends, Randy and Tonyia, are joining me in this little endeavor.  We're hitting the gym 4-5 days a week.  It's going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to buying a spring wardrobe in a smaller size.  Buying XL's and size 16 pants are not doing much for my ego right now!

For the next two weeks, I'm going to work on being able to stay on the elliptical or treadmill for longer periods of time.  This morning I did 20 minutes on the elliptical at a lower level.  I want to increase the resistance to double the amount now.  After that, I'll be working to move that time up to 45 minutes.  My long term goal is to be able to run a few miles.  Ughh. I hate running in place, but I love the results.  And, I want to play softball this summer.  I need to be in better shape for that. 

In addition to cardio, I'm doing the weight circuit at the gym.  I made my first round this morning and my muscles felt like jello at the end. I'm certain tomorrow's workout will be tough, but I'm bound and determined to push through this tough spell.

And if I were not in for enough punishment at the gym, my loving hubby and kids gave me the Jillian Micheal's Shred DVD.  It's packed with some great workouts.  I tried it the other day and could not finish the video. I hurt for days after that.  But that's why I love Jillian.  She's tough and she knows how to get folks to lose weight. 

As far as my eating goes, I could lose a lot faster if I modified it. But, I'm not up for doing that right now. I know that for the moment, I can get off a good amount without changing my diet. That will have to change next year.  But for now I'm going to enjoy what I normally eat and not think about it!

As if that were not enough, I'm going to track my weight loss progress here. It'll probably be a post complaining about my sore muscles or something like that!  And I'll update with weight loss. It'll help motivate me to keep going!

Weight Loss 2008

Well, I haven't posted about losing the baby weight in a while. Mainly it's because I haven't lost much of it at all. See, the girl in this image is me - LOL! Just kidding. It seemed as if every time I was meant to go to the gym, some life crisis would come up. So, in addition to other things, I started praying about the weight issue. And this week I managed to make it to the gym twice. Even better, I'll be going tomorrow as well. On top of that, my abs are starting to work again and I've been able to do sit-ups! (And no, it's not scheduled to snow tomorrow!)

I've also decided to amend my goal. I'm looking to lose 10 pounds by November. Since weight loss typically happens the fastest the first few months this should not be too hard. The ultimate goal is to fit back into my pre-Ashton pants. I mean, when you dream, you should dream big... or small... right?

Tomorrow Will Be BAD

This morning I managed to get to the gym at 5:30 a.m. No, I'm not kidding. The running thing with Sarah didn't work out. Sarah getting up at 5 am is not a bad thing. Sarah getting up at 5 am and exercising is a disaster of epic proportions!

I did learn one thing this morning. Drinking a cup of hot tea (my wake up remedy) and then working out is not a good idea. By the 6th machine, I was extremely nauseous. On the drive home I wasn't sure that I could hold it in. By the time I got across the street from my house, the smell of a freshly hit skunk almost pushed me over the edge. But, I made it home with out spewing and was grateful.

Right now, I feel great about getting up. However, in a few days I know that getting up early is going to be the extremely hard. But I'm going to get through it. I want to lose 7-10 pounds by the end of next month. I know that seems like a lot, but I think it's realistic in regards to where I'm starting from. We'll see...

Working Out

It's time again to start. Ashton hasn't had an ear infection in a while and I've got some free time not that Sarah is out of school. Plus, Sarah wants to start running and guess who she expects to be her running partner. Yup, me. So, I'm hunting down a good sports bra on EBay so the girls wont knock me out and I'm going to be getting a good ankle brace thingy. My ankle is not fully back to normal after the last sprain.

We've also decided to go to the gym together. Our gym has a kids section that includes a rock climbing wall treadmill. Google it - it's really awesome. But the thing Sarah want me to do is the dancing video game. Me the non dancing diva will be trying to shimmy hips that have always refused to shimmy while trying to get my uncooperative feet to touch the right places in front of a gym full of folks. The things we do for our kids....

Anyway, it's starting to look like Ashton may be ready to be weaned. Plus, I'm ready for him to be weaned! That'll help get me back down to the pre-kid weight. That and Sarah's nagging!

Oh, the Hills

My friend Alicia came over today to join Ashton and I on our daily walk. We loaded up our little ones in the chest carrier and I grabbed the puppy. It was such fun to go around town with a friend. We decided to go to the park with the kids. While there, we let the little ones swing and it was so blasted cute! They were all smiles!

After they started turning blue (well, close to it :), we bundled them up in the chest carrier and decided to try an conquer "The Hill". For my friends in Richmond, the hill is comparable to the steepest hills in Maymont. About halfway up, I told Alicia I needed a moment. I think I'm going to add in the trip to the park 2-3 times a week, but for right now, the hill is awful! Well, maybe it's not the hill, maybe it's just that I'm so out of shape. Well, maybe...

Crazy Weight

Ughh. I haven't wrote about the weight situation in a while. It's not looking good. At Ashton's last doctors visit, I was told to add 500 calories to my diet to help fatten him up. Well, I don't think he's going to ever be a fat baby. I was talking with my family and friends and after getting some advice, I stopped the added calories and added in some extra food into his diet. He still is not increasing dramatically in weight. Since he's developmentally on target, I've been assured not to worry. Not all babies stick to the chart.

Now, those extra calories did nothing to help with the milk supply. They did however GLUE themselves to my rear end. Now I have to lose them as well. I'm having a hard time getting to the gym because of Ashton. I'm trying to be good about not taking him out when he has a fever. It seriously cuts into my time. I'm sure you're thinking that I should do my workouts at home. That just never happens.

First, have you tried doing Pilate's with a puppy jumping around or a fussy baby providing background music. It's not so great. Second, I don't like working out. You look kind of dumb if you're standing around watching people workout so I have to get involved. Third, I'm lazy. At home equals housework or rest. Now that it's spring, I'll be inspired to go transform the yard. For now, I have to talk myself into walks around the town. And that doesn't happen often.

I'm embarrassed to state my post hundreds of calories weight so for now, I'll tell you that I've lost a pound for this week - Hooray! My new goal is at least a pound a week. I have to be careful not to loose too much or it will decrease my milk supply. Losing weight is not worth losing the milk. (At least that's what I keep telling myself!)

Oh, for all those who say that breastfeeding helps you to lose weight. Well, I'm one of the minority whose body is convince that all the weight plus any additional is required until I stop breastfeeding. It happened that way with Sarah and this time it's no different - Ughhh...

The Official Status of My Abs

Officially, the muscles in my abdomin are no longer working at this time. It was confirmed this morning when I started doing my pilates tape. One of the first exercises required me to lay down and use my abs to come back to a sitting position. Needless ot say, they did not respond:)

However, the rest of the workout went pretty well. I'll keep you updated on the ab situation.

I Blew It

Yesterday, I blew the calorie limit. Yes, I know 1500 calories should give me some leeway. I blame it on the Preacher Cookies. I got bored and I ate them. Mmmm, they were good. On a good note though, I'm not feeling the need for chocolate right now. That means that it's easy for me to turn my nose up at it.

Now I'm trying again to hit the 1500 goal for today. I bought a few kinds of healthy cereals to eat also. The new heart health one form Kashi tastes like cardboard. I like a few of their other cereals, but this one is not so grand. I'm going to try adding some honey to it tomorrow. Hopefully that will help. As for today, I'm going to try chewing gum to see if that will help me pass the munching problems I have.

Battle of the Buldge

Well, with all the stress, I'm now up to 170. Yup, that's right, I'm at 170. It's awful to me right now. I hate the fact that I stress eat. Unfortunately, I can't work out until I get my heart checked on February 7th. Until then, I'm not burning many calories so the eating is doing me in.

So, I've decided to go back to what's worked in the past. I have to eat at least 1500 calories a day because of breast feeding. That's a given. I've been getting those calories in snack food and cookies. As of today, I'll be tracking all my calories and working to make the majority of those that I do eat, healthy ones. I had a great start for breakfast. This morning, I enjoyed a cup of Breyer's yogurt with a 1/2 cup of Grape Nuts mixed in. It totaled 270 calories with 8 grams of fiber. Not a bad start for the day. On a good note, that leaves me with 1230 calories to go.

I'll be trying to fill all of my calories with healthy whole grain cereals and veggies and one good hearty meal at night. If this works, I'll be heading down towards 160 again. After the doctors visit, I plan on hitting the gym hard again. I'd like to be 140 by this summer. And, I'd like to fit into my old clothes again. My wardrobe is pretty sparse at this weight.