Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Fell off the wagon

Yep that's right I fell off the wagon. Today marked 24 hrs without caffeine and day 3 of a migraine. Lucky me! Lots of water today and have been eating good for the most part but no Zumba in a WHILE and not looking good for going any time soon. 9 days to vacation and I've basically given up. We shall see what kind of motivation I can find when the migraine stops.

Monday, April 30, 2012

The Last Day of April

So I am not so good at updating everyday. I was pretty good last week. I ate well and went to Zumba on Tuesday night and Friday morning. It felt good to get moving and sweat some weight off! I wrapped again on Friday evening. Here we're my measurements: waist - 40.25, tummy 40, hips 41.5. I left it on for 2 hours and my after wrap measurements were: waist - 38.5, tummy - 38.5, hips - 40.5 that was a difference of 4.25 inches total! My 72 hour results and next pre-wrap measurements tonight are: waist - 37.5, tummy - 38, hips - 39. That makes a 3 day total of 7.5 inches!!!!! I forgot to weigh this morning so I will post my weight tomorrow. I'm sure it will be heavier because I did not eat well this weekend. I am making myself a promise to stay on track for the next few weeks. I can do this I know it. I just have to set my mind on it. Tomorrow is my annual visit with Dr. Rutledge, my OB/GYN and I know she will be disappointed that I weigh almost as much now as I did at 9 months pregnant. I am convinced that I let myself get this way because it was found that my breastmilk had no nutritional value and I had to stop nursing Emma at only 6 weeks. Instead of continuing to pump to keep the weight off I gave up and got depressed just like with Noah. I have to get the weight off and get healthy for my kids and I WANT to get skinny and sexy for my hubby! As you can see from my photos, I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Pictures of me at my heaviest

This is probably the most embarrassing thing for me but I am hoping that it will motivate me to work harder. I really look awful and don't realize it every day. It broke my heart to see myself this big and I know the camera adds pounds but at this point I'm pretty sure that I look as bad as the photos show. Taken Saturday April 28th. Weight 194.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Exciting New Things!

So yesterday as I finished typing my first blog post I get a phone call from my husband saying that he has decided that he wants to lose a few pounds and do a better job of supporting my weight loss efforts! What?! He says he wants to go to the gym with me! So after work I went home and got the kids and Ryan and we headed to the gym. I did Zumba for an hour and Ryan went in the workout room to hit the cycle, the weight machine and treadmill! The kids went in the child are area and had some fun. So today was administrative professionals day. I did not have a lunch date but that was totally fine with me because I am avoiding going out to eat right now. I ate my slim down chili and a salad. I also had some fruit. I went to event sponsored by a Dow group, WIN, but passed on the Blue Bell Ice Cream Sundaes. It was good to see my fellow admins and do some networking. I was proud and sad at the same time because Blue Bell is my favorite ice cream! I got some beautiful flowers from my bosses and a jar of chocolates from Switzerland from a coworker. After work I stopped at the mall to pick up some clothes for the kiddos, new pillows and a gift for Madi's birthday party this weekend. I got a little walking in a the mall and some good deals too. I came home to put everything away and did a little laundry and dishes while Ryan mowed the lawn. Ate a Lean Cuisine Asian Pot Stickers for dinner and a cinnamon raisin snackwells cereal bar. This morning I weighed in at 188!!!!!! It felt good to finally break under 190. One more work day this week and the hard work begins Friday. Got a busy day off planned then another Ultimate body wrap at 5pm then Nosh has a Tbsll game at 6pm. Saturday will be a killer as it is my boss' going away party and we are serving BBQ which I can't eat, and drinks all around. I will be strong and eat some chicken and drink water, going to try and hit Zumba in Saturday morning in case I cave for a jello shot or two. I feel good and the results, though small are rewarding and has me wanting more. 6 weeks to go before Gulf Shores!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Let's Get It Started

So I am starting this blog to help me keep up with my weight loss journey. First, a little bit about me. I just turned 30 on April 1, I am married to a wonderful man, Ryan and we have two beautiful children: Noah (5) and Emma (1). I have never been a really skinny gal, in high school I wore a size 8 jeans but I was a cheerleader and in the marching band. I also danced 3 nights a week all year long. But now, it's been 12 years since high school and my cheering, dancing and marching days are long over. Now I am cooking, cleaning, chauffering, coaching from the sidelines, chasing kiddos, working full time and on May 2nd I will be starting my Bachelor's in Psychology program.

I work for Dow Chemical as a Senior Administrative Specialist (glorified secretary) and have been in my current role for 6 months, before that I was a contractor through Kelly Services, so I have been doing the same basic job for the last 4 years, just different pay scales and benefits. I pretty much sit at a computer all day, and I snack ALOT. My department likes to EAT at all events and it is very hard to pack a separate meal for myself when everyone else has such yummy foods like pizza, steak, BBQ, burgers, etc.

I decided that I need a change. My motivators right now are: high blood pressure - I want to get off my medication; Summer Time - A trip to Gulf Shores and another to Illinois and Michigan in June and July are screaming for me to wear swim suits, short shorts and tank tops .... not possible at this weight; I TURNED 30! - I have read that it is harder to lose weight you've gained over the years once you pass the 30 mark, so I need to jump on it before it jumps on me!

I ordered the Food Lover's Fat Loss System. So far, it looks pretty manageable. I can each anything I want, but I have to cut fried and fast food (common) and SALT my number one best friend. This program is all about learning Fast Carbs and Slow Carbs and how to plate each meal so that you get the maximum fat burning potential.

I also discovered another way to help me start getting healthy. It Works Ultimate Body Wraps. These wraps have an all natural "potion" in them that seeps into your pores and draws out all the bad toxins in your body. I had a wrap party on Saturday night and wore the wrap for 1 hour, 15 minutes. My measurements when we started were: Waist - 40", Hips 41" and Tummy 41". After the wrap my measurements were: Waist - 38 1/4", Hips 40 1/2" and Tummy 40 1/2". The wraps effects are supposed to continue for 72 hours. I will measure again tonight, and will be doing another wrap as well. They can be done as few as 72 hours apart, and most people do them about once a week. I am going to do 1 every 72 hours this week and when my order arrives I will change to once per week with the defining gel applications each day in between. Check out http://www.myitworks.com/ to see what I mean. It's pretty cool and the instant results are awesome!

Other plans for my weight loss journey include: getting bikes for my entire family, and a seat on mine for Emma so we can have family bike rides; going to Zumba at least 1 night each week - maybe I'll get Ryan to the gym too; walking during Tball practice on the track that circles the practice field.

I'm not looking to become a "trophy wife", I just want to be comfortable in my own skin...and clothes! I want to look good for my husband but more than that, I want to be healthy for my kids. I want to set a good example for them and make sure they are on the path to a healthy lifestyle! It is so easy these days to reach for a box or bag and set them in front of the television! WELL NO MORE! My kids will play outside and use their imaginations, and I will be right there with them!

Here are my starting points:
As of Saturday, April 21
Weight: 194
Height: 5' 1"
Body Fat: 25%
BMI: 36.7 - Obese
Neck: 15"
Chest: 44"
Biceps: 13"
Forearms: 11"
Wrist: 6.5"
Waist: 40"
Hips: 41.5"
Thigh: 25"
Calf: 15"

Since I am just not sitting down to type this blog, I am already on Day 3 of my Weight Loss Plan, so here's the "review" of my first 3 days:

Day 1, Sunday April 22nd:
Woke up with a migraine left over from Friday and Saturday, ate breakfast - 3 egg whites, salsa, green peppers and a banana at 8:25am. Snack on the way to church - 1/2 of a South Beach Diet Meal Bar at 10:25am. Snack after church on the way  home - 1/2 of a South Beach Diet Meal Bar at 12:25pm. Lunch - Firehouse Chili and a Slimdown Salad --- mixed greens, vegetables, chicken and home made Basalmic Vinegarette dressing, banana at 1:30pm. Nap from 2:30 - 4pm, snack of a banana at 4:15pm. Dinner of 1 piece of Meatloaf (equal parts Turkey and lean ground beef), 1.5 cups steamed vegetables and 1/2 cup mashed potatoes at 7:00pm. Banana snack at 8:30pm. Went to bed at 10pm.

Day 2, Monday April 23rd:
Still had a migraine, stayed home from work. Weighed at 6am --- 192.6!!!
Ate breakfast of egg, bacon and cheese sandwich and drank a diet coke in hopes of relieving the migraine at 6:45am. Snack of Celery with peanut butter at 8:45am, lunch of stew and 1/2 cup brown rice at 11:30am, snack of a banana at 1:30pm. Nap from 1:45 - 3:30pm, snack of 100 calorie pack microwave popcorn at 4:00pm. Dinner of Coq Au Vin (chicken with tomatoes), 1/2 cup brown rice and roasted peppers/green beans at 7:00pm. 1 Medium Jonagold apple for bedtime snack at 8:30pm, bed at 9:30pm.

Day 3, Tuesday April 24th:
No more migrane when I woke up this morning! Weighed at 5:30am --- 192.8.
Breakfast of 1 cup HEB Healthy Fit Flakes with dark chocolate pieces and 1/2 cup 2% milk at 5:15am. Got the kids and myself ready and off to school and work. Morning snack of celery and peanut butter at 8:30am. Lots of work to get done since I was gone yesterday. Lunch was supposed to be meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but when I heated it up and started to eat it, I just didn't like it today, So I had a Slim Fast protein shake instead at 11:45am and kept working. I stopped for an 80 calorie HEB cereal bar at 2:50pm. I will throw another one in my purse to have a snack on my way home from work. Noah has Tball practice from 5:30 - 6:30pm so we will be eating dinner late tonight. The plan for this evening's dinner is Slimdown Stew over 1/2 cup brown rice and a banana. I bought lots of bananas for some reason and now have to eat them before they turn brown!

Thanks for reading, I hope you are inspired to get healthy!