Taking It Seriously...

I have been having a hard time taking my diet seriously this year.  All those extra calories nursing the baby has been burning have left me thinking I can eat whatever I want.  As of this week, I officially gained back all 6 pounds I managed to lose this year. I have managed to keep off the 40 pounds I had lost up to the end of last year though.  I tend to think that my eating habits are a lot better than before I started on my journey, but clearly they have room for improvement.

I think I have probably slipped back into a little bit of depression.  Al has had a rough cycle at work and I haven’t been getting out of the house much.  I probably need to call my girlfriends and make some playdates!

Meanwhile, I’ve already completely blown through my points for the week, and I have no desire to stifle this craving for the ice cream in the freezer that’s calling my name.  Why is it in there to start with?  Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry and just because something is on a good sale doesn’t mean you should buy it. :P

McDonald’s detox

OK, I admit it.  I didn’t believe people when they said McDonald’s food messes with their digestive system.  I’ve been eating there for years and it never bothered me.  I watched SuperSize Me, and was slightly deterred for a short time.  My doctor said she can’t bring herself to eat there anymore because real food decomposes.  Have you ever seen a McDonald’s French fry in your car a year later?  It looks the same.  LOL

But for some strange reason, we have not had a meal at McDonald’s for over 2 months.  I think that’s a record for us.  We weren’t avoiding it on purpose; we’ve just been eating at other places.  We do like their low-point ice cream cones, though. Mmmmmm.  And their Cinnamon Melts, but I’ve found a grocery store alternative that is waaaayyyy less points, so I can feed my cravings with that. :P  Anyway, my mom, Bethany and I ate at McDonald’s for lunch today, and my stomach has been churning for 7 hours!  Could it be?  Did I actually go through some sort of detox, and now have I joined the ranks of adults who refuse to eat there at all costs?  Maybe.  I don’t want to feel like this again. :/

Rewards! More than I expected!

I set out to go shopping for size 14 pants/capris/skirts today, because my new 16s are already too big and my 18Ws are literally falling off my hips!  CJ Banks, a plus size women’s store, has been one of my favorites for awhile now, and I was so excited to finally be shopping in the chain’s regular sizes store, Christopher & Banks, for the first time ever!  Then I discovered that all their pants/capris/skirts were Buy One, Get One FREE!!! (Usually it’s BOGO ½ off.)  So I quickly browsed the store picking up size 14s and one size 12 out of curiosity.  Imagine my shock and elation to discover that ALL of the 14s were already too big!  I ended up with a size 10 skirt and a size 12 pair of capris!  I have not been this size for 12 years; my wedding dress was a 14  I am so excited!!!

That said and celebrated, I think that store run might run a little big.  At Wal-mart, I’m still a 14.  I guess I’ll see when I go to JC Penney’s to use my $10 off coupons. :)

UPDATE: I really am a 12! I bought jeans at Penney's today. :) I'm shocked!

Still On The Wagon, Barely…

I’ve had several people ask what happened to my blog in the last couple of weeks.  I lost January to an intense househunt and then visiting my sister for a week.  But then I also watched all 4 seasons of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in a couple of weeks.  My addictive personality really shows itself with TV.  I’m so glad we don’t have cable anymore, but maybe we need to revoke my Netflix and Hulu privileges too!

So, I haven’t been thinking about my eating habits much, and I’ve blown many days in this New Year.  I did commit to losing another 10 pounds in 10 weeks, and I’m 6 weeks in.  I’ve lost…. 3.5 pounds.  I think 10 pounds is still achievable if I work hard!  I have had zero desire to exercise, and knowing that I *should* exercise doesn’t light much of a fire.  The girls both waking up at 5am 3 of the last 5 days does not help my energy level either.

OK, snap out of it Michelle!  Get back on it and quit making excuses. :P

"The Biggest Loser "

The 11th Season of "The Biggest Loser" TV show starts tomorrow!  I have to say when I first heard the title of the show and that it involved a bunch of overweight people, I thought it would be a very wrong, worthless show.  I never even considered watching it.  Then a friend and my sister started talking to me about how great it was at the same time, so we watched the Season 8 premier and were hooked.  If you are trying to lose weight, and even if you aren’t, I highly recommend this show.  It inspires me to get up and do something! The show is committed to promoting healthy lifestyles.  It is packed with tips on eating healthy (though some of them are actually commercials) and the contestants are taught how to exercise.

Here are some things I have learned from the Biggest Loser.

1. I need to figure out why I overeat.  I’ve heard that before, but it never really sank in until I started dieting.  Partly because I didn't realize that I was overeating a lot of the time.  It’s a process I’m still working on.
2. Diets don’t work.  I need to be committed to a lifestyle change.  Even if I get to my goal weight, I can’t go back to eating out 5 times a week or eating gigantic bowls of ice cream every night.  This is emphasized in a special episode where they follow up with past contestants.  Some of them have gained all their weight back because they went home and returned to their past lifestyles.
3. People need an outside motivation.  A lot of the contestants lose weight so they will be here for their kids or other family.  One of the contestants this year discovered that her daughter was anorexic “because she didn’t want to be fat like her mom”.
4. I can look thin.  I’ve seen people lose a lot of weight, but not really look thin.  I didn’t think it was possible to look thin again until I saw this show.  And then there’s the whole rabbit hole of vanity that I’m just ignore for the purpose of this post.
5. Push harder – “If you don’t puke, if you don’t faint, and if you don’t die, then just keep going.” Do it with “reckless abandon.” Bob Harper (Biggest Loser trainer)  I have always been afraid to push my body, but watching what the contestants can do on the show has given me courage to push beyond what I know I can do and do just a little more.

If you made a New Year's resolution about weight loss or fitness, here's a great tool to assist you!  Tune in to NBC, Tuesdays at 8/7c, or catch it online on NBC or Hulu, available the next day.

 

Happy New Year!

I love New Year’s Day, a time of new beginnings, new resolutions, and starting fresh on past goals. Al and I eloped on New Year’s Day. :) The Christmas season is my favorite time of year, and it is complete with New Year’s and our anniversary.

If you've been following my Facebook statuses, you know that for 10 weeks, I've been trying to lose 10 pounds.  I made it!  So, in 2009, I lost 20 pounds and found out God blessed us with our 2nd baby. In 2010, I lost all my pregnancy weight and 20 more pounds. In 2011, I intend to lose 40 pounds more, unless another little blessing comes along. I really enjoyed the 10 pounds in 10 weeks goal, so I am sticking with that plan for intermediate goals. Also, I am going to *run* (yes, I mean run) a 5K this year with Al, and complete a 10K (that doesn’t necessarily mean *run* the whole way). I’ve never run a full mile before, much less 3.2, but I know I can already walk 3.2 at a pretty good pace! I also want to develop some weight training goals, though I have no idea what those should be. Good thing my gym has trainers.

At some point, my weight (as defined by a number on the scale) becomes irrelevant. I think I was about 130 when I was in high school, but I was not fit. I think if I’m fit, my goal weight might be 120 or 125? But if I’m healthy enough to run a 10K, I don’t think I should be obsessed with hitting a certain weight.

Oh yeah, I found out a couple of days ago that Al committed to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks at the same time I did!  Anyone else want to join us?!