Case of the Wednesdays--formerly known as "Weight Loss Wednesdays"
Well hello there friends! It's been a few days and I bet you all
thought I was jumping ship again and abandoning the blog ;-) Well, not
so much. I've been busy each evening this week as we've gotten back
into the routine of gymnastics, dance classes, a regular school schedule
and so forth. I'm always working to find balance with all of the
things I want to do, blogging included. I hope that I can continue to
make this a priority even as the weeks get busy!
Today...is Wednesday. And off and on over the past few years that has meant "Weight Loss Wednesday" was going up on the blog. I have lost weight after baby #2 turned 2, gained it all and more back during pregnancy #3 and then lost quite a bit again in 2012 after baby #3. You all have been an incredible encouragement along the way and I am forever grateful for your sharing your kind words, advice, recipes and more.
I am once again hopping back on the wagon and facing this weight battle head on. I am hoping to change some things up to make this more about treating myself well and to focus less on the scale. I am also hoping to make this about a lot more than just me. There may be changes big and small in the future and I hope you'll join me along the way!
So, where am I at today? Let's start back about 7 months ago actually. After 5 solid months of working my very hardest at the gym, tracking every bite I ate and being REALLY good to myself, I left home for a month. I left my routine, my gym and everything that had contributed to my 5 incredibly successful months. During a relatively stress-free month away (at the lake house last June!) I found very little time to work out, but I was still very good to myself, watched what I ate and gained 1 lb the entire month. I splurged over July 4th, but still got right back on track. Things were going pretty well.
Once we came home in July, I tried to jump right back into working out. After a month off, I knew I needed to get back and into my routine that had been so instrumental in my weight loss. I still wanted to lose 5-10 more lbs at that point and I was still feeling strong and mighty and ready to kick those pounds to the curb. Then...4 weeks of daily swimming lessons got in my way. Then...my gym childcare not having space for my 3 kiddos got in the way again, and again, and yet again. Then...changing gyms and going out of my comfort zone got in my way. Then...the success of my little business, B's Bows, got in my way. Then...losing electricity for a week at our house got in my way. Then...holidays got in my way. I got into a good groove working out in December, but that lasted all of a week before Bristol got kicked out of the childcare room at my new gym for having a runny nose associated with teething. Can we all say together, F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-E-D??!!
Aside from being pregnant, I've never been more than 18 lbs. above what is deemed the healthy weight for my height. But as you can see from the above, I have as many or more excuses than someone 100 lbs. overweight. Sure, some of those excuses have validity, but even more than losing any weight this year, my goal is to stay focused no matter what. If I let things get in my way, my weight will fluctuate for the rest of my life and more importantly, the way I feel about myself will fluctuate right along with it. I never fluctuated pre-kids and I absolutely don't want to ride that roller coaster for the rest of my life!! I know from my past that it is easier for me to stay on track during the first few months of the year and I get side-tracked in the summer with the kids out of school and all of the fun things to do with them. I am going to set my goals for this year based on wanting to help myself continue to be successful even when school lets out.
I have far from gained back all of the weight that I lost last year. But after keeping within a couple of pounds of my May / June weight all the way through October, I have struggled and gained some in the past two months. I was stunned and embarrassed at the scale today. But I was THERE at Weight Watchers and that counts huge. And though I have felt defeated these past few months, I am encouraged just by knowing that I've been successful before, I can identify where I've struggled recently, and I know how to make and adjust my goals accordingly.
I don't have time to share all of my goals tonight, but I will start with something small. Beginning tomorrow, Thursday 1/10/2013, I will fit in some form of exercise for at least 20 minutes every day for the next 7 days. That's do-able, right? Want to join me by setting the same goal? Let me know so that we can encourage one another!
Thank you all again for your support. Let's Dump the Plump FOR GOOD in 2013!
Today...is Wednesday. And off and on over the past few years that has meant "Weight Loss Wednesday" was going up on the blog. I have lost weight after baby #2 turned 2, gained it all and more back during pregnancy #3 and then lost quite a bit again in 2012 after baby #3. You all have been an incredible encouragement along the way and I am forever grateful for your sharing your kind words, advice, recipes and more.
I am once again hopping back on the wagon and facing this weight battle head on. I am hoping to change some things up to make this more about treating myself well and to focus less on the scale. I am also hoping to make this about a lot more than just me. There may be changes big and small in the future and I hope you'll join me along the way!
So, where am I at today? Let's start back about 7 months ago actually. After 5 solid months of working my very hardest at the gym, tracking every bite I ate and being REALLY good to myself, I left home for a month. I left my routine, my gym and everything that had contributed to my 5 incredibly successful months. During a relatively stress-free month away (at the lake house last June!) I found very little time to work out, but I was still very good to myself, watched what I ate and gained 1 lb the entire month. I splurged over July 4th, but still got right back on track. Things were going pretty well.
Once we came home in July, I tried to jump right back into working out. After a month off, I knew I needed to get back and into my routine that had been so instrumental in my weight loss. I still wanted to lose 5-10 more lbs at that point and I was still feeling strong and mighty and ready to kick those pounds to the curb. Then...4 weeks of daily swimming lessons got in my way. Then...my gym childcare not having space for my 3 kiddos got in the way again, and again, and yet again. Then...changing gyms and going out of my comfort zone got in my way. Then...the success of my little business, B's Bows, got in my way. Then...losing electricity for a week at our house got in my way. Then...holidays got in my way. I got into a good groove working out in December, but that lasted all of a week before Bristol got kicked out of the childcare room at my new gym for having a runny nose associated with teething. Can we all say together, F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-E-D??!!
Aside from being pregnant, I've never been more than 18 lbs. above what is deemed the healthy weight for my height. But as you can see from the above, I have as many or more excuses than someone 100 lbs. overweight. Sure, some of those excuses have validity, but even more than losing any weight this year, my goal is to stay focused no matter what. If I let things get in my way, my weight will fluctuate for the rest of my life and more importantly, the way I feel about myself will fluctuate right along with it. I never fluctuated pre-kids and I absolutely don't want to ride that roller coaster for the rest of my life!! I know from my past that it is easier for me to stay on track during the first few months of the year and I get side-tracked in the summer with the kids out of school and all of the fun things to do with them. I am going to set my goals for this year based on wanting to help myself continue to be successful even when school lets out.
I have far from gained back all of the weight that I lost last year. But after keeping within a couple of pounds of my May / June weight all the way through October, I have struggled and gained some in the past two months. I was stunned and embarrassed at the scale today. But I was THERE at Weight Watchers and that counts huge. And though I have felt defeated these past few months, I am encouraged just by knowing that I've been successful before, I can identify where I've struggled recently, and I know how to make and adjust my goals accordingly.
I don't have time to share all of my goals tonight, but I will start with something small. Beginning tomorrow, Thursday 1/10/2013, I will fit in some form of exercise for at least 20 minutes every day for the next 7 days. That's do-able, right? Want to join me by setting the same goal? Let me know so that we can encourage one another!
Thank you all again for your support. Let's Dump the Plump FOR GOOD in 2013!
Comments
Even when you're not having Chinese take-out, using chopsticks when eating will automatically cause you to eat less, because it forces you to pace yourself.
Plate your family's meals in the kitchen rather than bring them to the table in large platters and bowls. Doing this will prevent everyone from automatically taking seconds or overeating.
Take small bites and chew thoroughly, as it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal from your stomach that you're full. (We all know this one, from good olde Mom!)