Weigh in, lost 3 pounds!!!!
Even though I was convinced that I was losing inches even when I wasn't losing pounds, I still made three changes last week which had to contribute to my weight loss success.
First, I cut back a bit on my beer consumption. I don't have extra nursing calories to play with now that my breastfeeding days are almost over.
Second, after getting some advice from my barbell strength class instructor, I changed my post-workout smoothie from the Ultimate Protein to an Orange Sunburst without yogurt and with only 4 ounces of orange juice. My smoothie habit is similar to a hard core Starbucks addict, so I think I have put a serious dent in those calories!
Third, I only worked out 4 days last week instead of my typical 5 days lately. I am going to try to continue this since I am adding a ski day into the mix over the next several weeks. Once ski season is over, I plan on subbing one of my crazy cardio workouts with either a LSD (long slow distance) workout or yoga to give my body a break while still remaining active.
I am counting the days until Friday when I will be reunited with Copper Mountain! Can't wait!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 23rd
Weigh in, gained .6 lb
Quote from the Weight Watchers website after I recorded my gain, "Look back at this week and see what you might be able to change; then let go of what you can't. The best thing to do is focus on is making this coming week a success."
I know that there are 3 reasons for my gain this week. First reason is food related--I went to Maggiano's for dinner on Friday night to celebrate my baby's first birthday and I ate freely in the spirit of celebration. Then on Saturday I had a piece of birthday cake. Second reason is exercise related--when I discovered my neighborhood gym was closed on President's Day, I decided to go for a jog instead of driving to Lifetime. I am still terribly sore, but proud at the same time for actually being able to jog for almost 45 minutes without feeling like I was going to die. Third reason has to do with starting the weaning process. I need to wrap my head around the fact that I will no longer have this calorie buffer from breastfeeding.
I've been thinking about that quote, and the thing is that I don't think I could have changed any of my reasons for my gain this week, so I need to let it go and concentrate on next week.
Having said that, I have to admit that I am a little bummed by my gain this week. I stayed after my WW meeting today and talked with my leader for a few minutes. We came up with a plan and I think it will get me back on track. It has been no secret that I haven't tracked points. I should be eliminating my final feeding around March 9th and the plan is to start tracking my new allocation of points (after subtracting my breastfeeding points) and re-learn appropriate portions to kick start my weight loss again.
Quote from the Weight Watchers website after I recorded my gain, "Look back at this week and see what you might be able to change; then let go of what you can't. The best thing to do is focus on is making this coming week a success."
I know that there are 3 reasons for my gain this week. First reason is food related--I went to Maggiano's for dinner on Friday night to celebrate my baby's first birthday and I ate freely in the spirit of celebration. Then on Saturday I had a piece of birthday cake. Second reason is exercise related--when I discovered my neighborhood gym was closed on President's Day, I decided to go for a jog instead of driving to Lifetime. I am still terribly sore, but proud at the same time for actually being able to jog for almost 45 minutes without feeling like I was going to die. Third reason has to do with starting the weaning process. I need to wrap my head around the fact that I will no longer have this calorie buffer from breastfeeding.
I've been thinking about that quote, and the thing is that I don't think I could have changed any of my reasons for my gain this week, so I need to let it go and concentrate on next week.
Having said that, I have to admit that I am a little bummed by my gain this week. I stayed after my WW meeting today and talked with my leader for a few minutes. We came up with a plan and I think it will get me back on track. It has been no secret that I haven't tracked points. I should be eliminating my final feeding around March 9th and the plan is to start tracking my new allocation of points (after subtracting my breastfeeding points) and re-learn appropriate portions to kick start my weight loss again.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 19th
Weigh in, lost 1.4 pounds
I have officially surpassed my first goal of losing my baby weight! In fact, after my weigh in today, I am slightly lighter than I was when I became pregnant with Rylan. I suppose it is no coincidence that I reached my goal on Rylan's first birthday and I am glad to be celebrating today.
So where do I go from here? I have had a new goal in mind for a few weeks now as I am the type of person who plans ahead so I can visualize success. Over 2 years ago, I purchased designer denim for the first time in my life based on the simple fact they buttoned. These pair of Paige jeans have haunted me ever since. There is a huge difference between being able to button a pair of jeans and actually wearing them comfortably. My goal is to wear those jeans with ease. I am not exactly sure what that equates to in terms of number of pounds to lose, but I am guessing between 15 and 20.
It has taken me approximately 6 months to lose 40 pounds and my husband remarked that I should be prepared to reach my next goal in the same amount of time. I can't be discouraged by this because he might be right--the smaller you become, weight seems to come off more slowly. I think it would be reasonable to try to lose 1 pound per week (on average) over the next 5 months to reach the high end of my goal. Figuring out how to do this might be tricky as I get through the weaning process and evaluate what I want out of my workouts once ski season is over. I have been working so hard at the gym for the athletic payoff, maybe I need to find a new physical challenge once spring arrives.
I have officially surpassed my first goal of losing my baby weight! In fact, after my weigh in today, I am slightly lighter than I was when I became pregnant with Rylan. I suppose it is no coincidence that I reached my goal on Rylan's first birthday and I am glad to be celebrating today.
So where do I go from here? I have had a new goal in mind for a few weeks now as I am the type of person who plans ahead so I can visualize success. Over 2 years ago, I purchased designer denim for the first time in my life based on the simple fact they buttoned. These pair of Paige jeans have haunted me ever since. There is a huge difference between being able to button a pair of jeans and actually wearing them comfortably. My goal is to wear those jeans with ease. I am not exactly sure what that equates to in terms of number of pounds to lose, but I am guessing between 15 and 20.
It has taken me approximately 6 months to lose 40 pounds and my husband remarked that I should be prepared to reach my next goal in the same amount of time. I can't be discouraged by this because he might be right--the smaller you become, weight seems to come off more slowly. I think it would be reasonable to try to lose 1 pound per week (on average) over the next 5 months to reach the high end of my goal. Figuring out how to do this might be tricky as I get through the weaning process and evaluate what I want out of my workouts once ski season is over. I have been working so hard at the gym for the athletic payoff, maybe I need to find a new physical challenge once spring arrives.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wednesday, Febrary 9th
Weigh in, lost .8 pound
I am feeling a little better about my loss this week. I am still pretty sure that I will need to adjust my food in order to really start dropping weight again, but that is on hold until I have completely stopped breastfeeding. So, for now, status quo on nutrition as well as exercise.
Operation Baby Weight success is so close--I can taste it! I am .4 pound away from celebration and I have already determined my next goal.
I am still hitting the gym pretty hard these days. I have been trying to workout 4-5 times per week, mainly in anticipation of skiing. Adding the strength training and increasing my levels on both my elliptical (hills plus, level 7) and bike (manual, level 5) workouts is making me stronger.
I am feeling a little better about my loss this week. I am still pretty sure that I will need to adjust my food in order to really start dropping weight again, but that is on hold until I have completely stopped breastfeeding. So, for now, status quo on nutrition as well as exercise.
Operation Baby Weight success is so close--I can taste it! I am .4 pound away from celebration and I have already determined my next goal.
I am still hitting the gym pretty hard these days. I have been trying to workout 4-5 times per week, mainly in anticipation of skiing. Adding the strength training and increasing my levels on both my elliptical (hills plus, level 7) and bike (manual, level 5) workouts is making me stronger.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday, February 2nd
Weigh in, lost 1 pound
So I am a little ambivalent about my loss this week. I feel like I have increased my level of activity significantly since recovering from pneumonia, but I am not necessarily seeing the impact at the scale. I try to ask myself if I am working out more in order to lose weight or to get into great shape for ski season. I know I probably wouldn't have added the strength training recently if the slopes were not in my future. I also realize that I was losing more weight when I wasn't exercising as much--interesting dilemma.
Further, I have been analyzing my meals and wondering if I should cut back any on that front. I have to say that I am not willing to decrease my caloric intake until I have completely finished breastfeeding and I do believe that I have healthy eating habits that I am proud of while allowing myself one nice splurge meal per week.
It seems to me that I am not willing to make any changes at the moment in my behaviors, so perhaps I am destined to plateau right now or teeter back and forth within a pound or two. Somehow this conclusion puts a kink in my plans. Sigh.
So I am a little ambivalent about my loss this week. I feel like I have increased my level of activity significantly since recovering from pneumonia, but I am not necessarily seeing the impact at the scale. I try to ask myself if I am working out more in order to lose weight or to get into great shape for ski season. I know I probably wouldn't have added the strength training recently if the slopes were not in my future. I also realize that I was losing more weight when I wasn't exercising as much--interesting dilemma.
Further, I have been analyzing my meals and wondering if I should cut back any on that front. I have to say that I am not willing to decrease my caloric intake until I have completely finished breastfeeding and I do believe that I have healthy eating habits that I am proud of while allowing myself one nice splurge meal per week.
It seems to me that I am not willing to make any changes at the moment in my behaviors, so perhaps I am destined to plateau right now or teeter back and forth within a pound or two. Somehow this conclusion puts a kink in my plans. Sigh.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, January 26th
Unofficial weigh-in: .8 lb gain
Ugh! So frustrating even though I am telling myself that good reasons are behind the gain. Last week I went to a barbell strength training class for the first time and I was miserably sore for the three days following. I know it is good to gain lean muscle...blah, blah, blah. I really could care less except I felt the need to really start preparing to ski the first week in March (by then I will be on the tail end of weaning Rylan). Two seasons ago, I really noticed that I was a better skier after working out to The FIRM dvd's, which is squat and lunge intensive. The barbell class is quite a challenge and I am determined to be an average attendee at least through ski season.
Second reason behind the gain is hormonal and should correct itself a little by next week. Enough said there.
Third reason behind the gain is food related. Not only did I enjoy a sushi dinner out with a friend, but I also went to Red Robin with my boys and ordered a patty melt. Oh, and I have to come clean about making brownies on Saturday night with the boys. I only ate one (straight out of the center of the pan!), but that is one more than I normally allow myself.
Final reason--life struck again. I had a sick twin at home on Monday and Tuesday along with a teething baby. Fun times. I couldn't workout at Lifetime, so I turned on my old FIRM friends. Cardio Overdrive is still a decent workout and I burned about 450 calories in 45 minutes on Monday. However, I did Cardio Party on Tuesday and was completely bored and uninspired. I burned about 300 calories in 40 minutes. I need a better "Plan B" when I need to adapt my workout schedule.
Ugh! So frustrating even though I am telling myself that good reasons are behind the gain. Last week I went to a barbell strength training class for the first time and I was miserably sore for the three days following. I know it is good to gain lean muscle...blah, blah, blah. I really could care less except I felt the need to really start preparing to ski the first week in March (by then I will be on the tail end of weaning Rylan). Two seasons ago, I really noticed that I was a better skier after working out to The FIRM dvd's, which is squat and lunge intensive. The barbell class is quite a challenge and I am determined to be an average attendee at least through ski season.
Second reason behind the gain is hormonal and should correct itself a little by next week. Enough said there.
Third reason behind the gain is food related. Not only did I enjoy a sushi dinner out with a friend, but I also went to Red Robin with my boys and ordered a patty melt. Oh, and I have to come clean about making brownies on Saturday night with the boys. I only ate one (straight out of the center of the pan!), but that is one more than I normally allow myself.
Final reason--life struck again. I had a sick twin at home on Monday and Tuesday along with a teething baby. Fun times. I couldn't workout at Lifetime, so I turned on my old FIRM friends. Cardio Overdrive is still a decent workout and I burned about 450 calories in 45 minutes on Monday. However, I did Cardio Party on Tuesday and was completely bored and uninspired. I burned about 300 calories in 40 minutes. I need a better "Plan B" when I need to adapt my workout schedule.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 19th
Weigh-in, lost 3.2 pounds
Well, when I really become goal-focused I am quite successful! This week I really watched what I ate, but more importantly I made sure to engage in cardio-intensive workouts. I should also point out that as a family we made sure to eat more at home over the past week.
People ask me all the time about healthy dinner ideas, so I thought I would include some that we made over the past week: Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry with brown rice (I measure out one cup of brown rice), Chili with Crescent rolls (I had one large), Chili Dogs and Frozen Fries (I had one chili dog sprinkled with a little shredded cheddar and about 15 frozen fries), Paprika Chicken in the slow cooker with egg noodles, Bacon Leek and Tomato Spaghetti (I make sure to measure out a cup of pasta--well, a heaping cup) with Garlic Toast (one slice), Salmon Croquettes with Crashed Potatoes and corn.
Well, when I really become goal-focused I am quite successful! This week I really watched what I ate, but more importantly I made sure to engage in cardio-intensive workouts. I should also point out that as a family we made sure to eat more at home over the past week.
People ask me all the time about healthy dinner ideas, so I thought I would include some that we made over the past week: Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry with brown rice (I measure out one cup of brown rice), Chili with Crescent rolls (I had one large), Chili Dogs and Frozen Fries (I had one chili dog sprinkled with a little shredded cheddar and about 15 frozen fries), Paprika Chicken in the slow cooker with egg noodles, Bacon Leek and Tomato Spaghetti (I make sure to measure out a cup of pasta--well, a heaping cup) with Garlic Toast (one slice), Salmon Croquettes with Crashed Potatoes and corn.
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