This post should have happened a month ago. One month ago, exactly, I met my next weight loss goal, my wedding weight. But I didn't have time to blog that night, and the next morning I was .2 above the goal weight so I decided to just wait until the next day or whenever I was back at my goal to blog. And then I got stuck. For the past month, I have yo-yo'ed back and forth between .2 and 1.2 above my next goal. It has been extremely frustrating. And thanks to the craziness of school work, I didn't have a chance to add back workouts or anything else that might help me get off the plateau. It was so frustrating, in fact, that I stopped weighing in.
So imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale this morning and was .8 lbs. below my wedding weight! I met my goal, even if it was a mere 9 days before my goal time frame instead of 40 days. I honestly have no idea what did it. And now that my school year is wrapping up, I will soon be able to add back some workouts and put some more thought into lunches so maybe I won't get stuck again.
My next goal is 12.3 lbs. away and my time frame is by Ethan's 2nd birthday. So we'll see how it goes!
As far as my other resolutions, I'm still 100% on flossing, and meal-planning has become a crucial part of my weekly routine. It's been so nice to not have to scramble around for dinner, and I look forward to my next dental appointment! As far as the fun projects, I've had a lot of fun playtime with Ethan, but not so much actual projects or doing anything on my own. Most of my baby-free time has been spent doing school work or cleaning, so I'm hopeful I'll get back on track with this resolution now that the semester is over. I have several projects I'd like to complete; it's just about having the time to do them!
Speaking of schoolwork, I need to get back to my second-to-last paper, but I figured I should go ahead and blog about this in case I'm back up tomorrow and have to wait a whole additional month to update!
How are you keeping your resolutions? Do you even remember what they were?
Showing posts with label Weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weight loss. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Resolutions Update
Well, I'd planned on doing my resolutions update on March 1st, but seeing as today I met my next weight loss goal, I figured I'd just go on ahead!
1) Floss every day - Kept
Yup, I've kept up my flossing routine, and I think it's finally become an actual habit. I think the stats say it takes 3 weeks before something becomes habit, but this took much longer. I had to consciously remind myself to do it each night up until just a week or so ago. But now it's finally become just another part of my nightly routine.
2) Meal-plan - Kept, mostly
I'm qualifying this one because there have been a couple of weeks where I didn't plan the second half of the week until Tuesday (waiting to see what meat was on sale) instead of Sunday and there were also a few days I didn't end up sticking with my meal plan (like the day I forgot to put dinner in the crock pot before leaving for class, got out of class late, missed my bus, and didn't get home until 30 minutes after I usually do... that night, we had Chick-Fil-A). For the most part, though, it's worked out pretty well! It motivates me to try new recipes, it ensures I don't cook the same things every week, and, most importantly, it makes sure I'm cooking from scratch every weeknight. This week isn't a great example because my in-laws are coming this weekend, and we may be going to meet them on the coast on Friday, but here is this week's plan:
- Sunday: Ate out (Ethan only napped an hour, and I just didn't have meal prep in me with a fussy baby)
- Monday: Homemade slow-cooker hummus with homemade pita (made on Sunday) - I'm having leftovers for lunch each day
- Tuesday: Roasted pork tenderloin with homemade sage butter, roasted potatoes with herbes de Provence, baby lima beans
- Wednesday: Slow-cooker BBQ chicken sandwiches
- Thursday: Sweet potato gnocchi with maple sage sauce
- Friday: Dinner either on the coast or on the way home
- Saturday: Dinner with in-laws
Every meal is made from scratch, and I'm really enjoying myself! Ethan usually is good about entertaining himself, but today he was being fussy so I strapped him on my back and he just snuggled in and watched over my shoulder.
3) Lose weight - Kept!
As of this morning, I have met my next weight loss goal, 9 days ahead of schedule! This is more notable since I gained 4 lbs. over Christmas so I have lost 11.8 lbs. since the start of the year. However, I have not kept on the Couch-to-5K plan as I had hoped. I did the first four weeks (of eight), then one workout I wasn't feeling well so I skipped it. The next planned workout, I still didn't feel great, so I skipped that one, too. Then the next time it was raining. And by then, an entire week had passed. And once it was no longer a habit, it was harder and harder to motivate myself to start back. So it's been 2.5 weeks since I last ran. I'm not sure if I'm going to try starting back or if I'm going to do a different work-out plan, perhaps one I can do inside so the weather won't be an excuse. I did enjoy the four weeks I completed, though. The last workout was run for 3 minutes, walk for 90 secs, run for 5 minutes, walk for 2.5 minutes, run for 3 minutes, walk for 90 secs, run for 5 minutes. At the start of the program, there is no way I would have been able to do that, but by then I was doing it with relative ease! So the program works, you just have to do it =)
4) Do more fun projects - Kept!
So far so good! In January, I had my crafty week, which I blogged about here. February has been all about doing things with Ethan, mostly focusing on sensory bins but also cooking and projects for the playroom. More will be said about this later once the projects are complete, but it's been enjoyable and relaxing. I'm glad I've made this a priority, and I look forward to coming months!
So there ya go. I've kept all of my resolutions thus far. The next check-in will be May 1st or when I meet my next weight loss goal, whichever comes first.
1) Floss every day - Kept
Yup, I've kept up my flossing routine, and I think it's finally become an actual habit. I think the stats say it takes 3 weeks before something becomes habit, but this took much longer. I had to consciously remind myself to do it each night up until just a week or so ago. But now it's finally become just another part of my nightly routine.
2) Meal-plan - Kept, mostly
I'm qualifying this one because there have been a couple of weeks where I didn't plan the second half of the week until Tuesday (waiting to see what meat was on sale) instead of Sunday and there were also a few days I didn't end up sticking with my meal plan (like the day I forgot to put dinner in the crock pot before leaving for class, got out of class late, missed my bus, and didn't get home until 30 minutes after I usually do... that night, we had Chick-Fil-A). For the most part, though, it's worked out pretty well! It motivates me to try new recipes, it ensures I don't cook the same things every week, and, most importantly, it makes sure I'm cooking from scratch every weeknight. This week isn't a great example because my in-laws are coming this weekend, and we may be going to meet them on the coast on Friday, but here is this week's plan:
- Sunday: Ate out (Ethan only napped an hour, and I just didn't have meal prep in me with a fussy baby)
- Monday: Homemade slow-cooker hummus with homemade pita (made on Sunday) - I'm having leftovers for lunch each day
- Tuesday: Roasted pork tenderloin with homemade sage butter, roasted potatoes with herbes de Provence, baby lima beans
- Wednesday: Slow-cooker BBQ chicken sandwiches
- Thursday: Sweet potato gnocchi with maple sage sauce
- Friday: Dinner either on the coast or on the way home
- Saturday: Dinner with in-laws
Every meal is made from scratch, and I'm really enjoying myself! Ethan usually is good about entertaining himself, but today he was being fussy so I strapped him on my back and he just snuggled in and watched over my shoulder.
3) Lose weight - Kept!
As of this morning, I have met my next weight loss goal, 9 days ahead of schedule! This is more notable since I gained 4 lbs. over Christmas so I have lost 11.8 lbs. since the start of the year. However, I have not kept on the Couch-to-5K plan as I had hoped. I did the first four weeks (of eight), then one workout I wasn't feeling well so I skipped it. The next planned workout, I still didn't feel great, so I skipped that one, too. Then the next time it was raining. And by then, an entire week had passed. And once it was no longer a habit, it was harder and harder to motivate myself to start back. So it's been 2.5 weeks since I last ran. I'm not sure if I'm going to try starting back or if I'm going to do a different work-out plan, perhaps one I can do inside so the weather won't be an excuse. I did enjoy the four weeks I completed, though. The last workout was run for 3 minutes, walk for 90 secs, run for 5 minutes, walk for 2.5 minutes, run for 3 minutes, walk for 90 secs, run for 5 minutes. At the start of the program, there is no way I would have been able to do that, but by then I was doing it with relative ease! So the program works, you just have to do it =)
4) Do more fun projects - Kept!
So far so good! In January, I had my crafty week, which I blogged about here. February has been all about doing things with Ethan, mostly focusing on sensory bins but also cooking and projects for the playroom. More will be said about this later once the projects are complete, but it's been enjoyable and relaxing. I'm glad I've made this a priority, and I look forward to coming months!
So there ya go. I've kept all of my resolutions thus far. The next check-in will be May 1st or when I meet my next weight loss goal, whichever comes first.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Plan
Well, I forgot to include this one on my "Upcoming Posts" list, so I might as well get it out of the way now. As I wrote in my "Resolutions" post, I've come up with a plan to make my less-than-concrete "Lose weight" goal more well defined. First some backstory:
It's not an exaggeration to say I've been on a diet for as long as I can remember. In my baby book, my mom was very meticulous about recording my height and weight at each well-child check. She was also meticulous about recording how much weight the doctor said I needed to lose. At 3 weeks, the entry reads "2 lbs. overweight!" At 2 months, I was a little better but still "1 lb. overweight." At 3 years, the remarks for my dr.'s appointment were "Overall good, but could lose a little weight." Yes, my friends, I've been told my weight was a problem from the start. Now, putting aside the complete idiocy of saying a 3-week-old is 2 lbs. overweight, I can understand my mom's concern in wanting to give me as healthy a life as possible.
Unfortunately, being on a diet for as long as you can remember results in a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight. You rebel against what your parents stress is important. And since my mom stressed eating right (for me, not as much for my three older brothers), I rebelled by sneaking candy and cookies whenever her back was turned. To this day, if I eat a piece of candy, I feel ashamed and try to hide the wrapper in the trash so no one knows.
So were the constant diets suc
cessful? To varying degrees. In middle school, I was 142 lbs. and my mom took me to a nutritionist to try to get me down to 125, my "goal weight according to my height." Boy, what I wouldn't give to see 142 on the scale today, not to mention only having 17 lbs. to lose to my goal weight! I don't remember how much I lost, but I know I didn't reach 125. Fast forward to my junior year of high school. I'd reached a weight that even I agreed was unacceptable. So I started another weight loss plan with a good deal of success! Over the next year and a half, I lost about 50 lbs, and I felt and looked great. I still hadn't reached my goal, but I was working hard.
Then between beginning to date my now-husband (who took me out for ice cream and made me feel beautiful regardless of the number on the scale, for which I am eternally grateful) and starting college, eating right and working out fell by the wayside
again. In March 2008, I was preparing to graduate from college, looking forward to my wedding that June, and the heaviest I had ever been.
And once again I knew it was time for a change. So I joined Weight Watchers. And it worked! From March to October, I lost 50 lbs. I still was nowhere near my goal, but it fit my lifestyle and the weight kept coming off. Then I stopped my birth control pills. And within two months, I somehow gained 20 lbs, despite continuing to eat right and exercise. Enter PCOS. Thankfully, my weight continued to hover around that new number, and there it remained until I finally became pregnant, one year later.
Sorry for such a long back story, but perhaps you can now see
what a tumultuous relationship I've had with dieting and weight. So here I am trying it all again. I'm not following any specific diet plan. I'm just eating frequently and healthily. I'm not tracking calories, and I don't deprive myself all the time. Remember, to keep my supply up, I can only lose a pound a week. For exercise, I've decided to start out with the Couch-to-5K program. It's an 8 week training course that starts out slow and builds up to, well, running a 5K. My first day was today, and, after a 5 minute warm-up, it alternated between 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes, followed by a 5 minute cool-down. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. And I'm suddenly wishing my neighborhood had a lot fewer hills. But I did it, and I'm going to keep doing it.
So what are my goals? Because I still deal with guilt and shame, I'm not going to go into exact numbers. But here's the summary:
Goal #1: Pre-pregnancy weight (Achieved 11/25)
Goal #2: Lose 9.3 lbs. from current weight (Goal date 3/1)
Goal #3: Wedding weight - 7 lbs. from Goal #2 (Goal date 5/1)
Goal #4: Next BMI level - 14 lbs. from Goal #3 (Goal date 9/13 - Ethan's birthday)
Goal #5: Lowest high school weight - 14 lbs. from Goal #4 (Goal date 12/31)
My goal dates are pretty conservative, based on about a pound a week loss. If I don't meet the goal date, it's no big deal, but it gives me a timeline.
And now that I've posted this all here, I have to be accountable, which is another part of my plan for actually achieving my resolution. This isn't going to become a weight loss blog, but I might check in from time to time. After all, one of the main reasons I'm doing this is to model healthy habits for my son. It's all part of being the best mom that I can be.
It's not an exaggeration to say I've been on a diet for as long as I can remember. In my baby book, my mom was very meticulous about recording my height and weight at each well-child check. She was also meticulous about recording how much weight the doctor said I needed to lose. At 3 weeks, the entry reads "2 lbs. overweight!" At 2 months, I was a little better but still "1 lb. overweight." At 3 years, the remarks for my dr.'s appointment were "Overall good, but could lose a little weight." Yes, my friends, I've been told my weight was a problem from the start. Now, putting aside the complete idiocy of saying a 3-week-old is 2 lbs. overweight, I can understand my mom's concern in wanting to give me as healthy a life as possible.
Unfortunately, being on a diet for as long as you can remember results in a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight. You rebel against what your parents stress is important. And since my mom stressed eating right (for me, not as much for my three older brothers), I rebelled by sneaking candy and cookies whenever her back was turned. To this day, if I eat a piece of candy, I feel ashamed and try to hide the wrapper in the trash so no one knows.
So were the constant diets suc
cessful? To varying degrees. In middle school, I was 142 lbs. and my mom took me to a nutritionist to try to get me down to 125, my "goal weight according to my height." Boy, what I wouldn't give to see 142 on the scale today, not to mention only having 17 lbs. to lose to my goal weight! I don't remember how much I lost, but I know I didn't reach 125. Fast forward to my junior year of high school. I'd reached a weight that even I agreed was unacceptable. So I started another weight loss plan with a good deal of success! Over the next year and a half, I lost about 50 lbs, and I felt and looked great. I still hadn't reached my goal, but I was working hard.Then between beginning to date my now-husband (who took me out for ice cream and made me feel beautiful regardless of the number on the scale, for which I am eternally grateful) and starting college, eating right and working out fell by the wayside
again. In March 2008, I was preparing to graduate from college, looking forward to my wedding that June, and the heaviest I had ever been.
And once again I knew it was time for a change. So I joined Weight Watchers. And it worked! From March to October, I lost 50 lbs. I still was nowhere near my goal, but it fit my lifestyle and the weight kept coming off. Then I stopped my birth control pills. And within two months, I somehow gained 20 lbs, despite continuing to eat right and exercise. Enter PCOS. Thankfully, my weight continued to hover around that new number, and there it remained until I finally became pregnant, one year later.
Sorry for such a long back story, but perhaps you can now seewhat a tumultuous relationship I've had with dieting and weight. So here I am trying it all again. I'm not following any specific diet plan. I'm just eating frequently and healthily. I'm not tracking calories, and I don't deprive myself all the time. Remember, to keep my supply up, I can only lose a pound a week. For exercise, I've decided to start out with the Couch-to-5K program. It's an 8 week training course that starts out slow and builds up to, well, running a 5K. My first day was today, and, after a 5 minute warm-up, it alternated between 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes, followed by a 5 minute cool-down. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. And I'm suddenly wishing my neighborhood had a lot fewer hills. But I did it, and I'm going to keep doing it.
So what are my goals? Because I still deal with guilt and shame, I'm not going to go into exact numbers. But here's the summary:
Goal #1: Pre-pregnancy weight (Achieved 11/25)
Goal #2: Lose 9.3 lbs. from current weight (Goal date 3/1)
Goal #3: Wedding weight - 7 lbs. from Goal #2 (Goal date 5/1)
Goal #4: Next BMI level - 14 lbs. from Goal #3 (Goal date 9/13 - Ethan's birthday)
Goal #5: Lowest high school weight - 14 lbs. from Goal #4 (Goal date 12/31)
My goal dates are pretty conservative, based on about a pound a week loss. If I don't meet the goal date, it's no big deal, but it gives me a timeline.
And now that I've posted this all here, I have to be accountable, which is another part of my plan for actually achieving my resolution. This isn't going to become a weight loss blog, but I might check in from time to time. After all, one of the main reasons I'm doing this is to model healthy habits for my son. It's all part of being the best mom that I can be.
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