I know, I know, usually I only post about crafts here. I'm not usually one for long drawn out personal wordy blogs, but I was in the mood. Lately I have been crafting something a little different. I have been trying to craft myself a new and improved pre-baby body. Yup click out now if a weight loss story does not interest you.
I notice that when I post a goal on the internet I stick with it better. I know that sounds weird, but somehow when I know strangers are also holding me accountable for something I said I would do I get better results. Take for example the time I cleaned out my studio. I posted weekly update pictures and everyone was so kind to give me moral support and cheer me on. I felt obligated to post improvement pictures for everyone to see weekly. My thoughts are this, maybe if I post about trying to lose weight on my blog it will actually happen. I have been writing about it on Facebook a bit so let me fill you in.
My sister got married this fall. Remember the plastic flower bouquet I made. Well, when I saw the pictures from her wedding it was the last straw. The baby weight was starring me in the face and not going anywhere. Now given Baxter was a 10.8 lb baby, and they say it took you 9 months to gain that baby weight so give yourself 9 months to lose it. Well, Baxter is now 10 months and I still have baby weight. I can't blame it all on Baxter. I never really tried to lose weight after Tallulah since I knew I was going to have another baby. My excuse after Baxter has been that I am breastfeeding and I didn't want to diet and screw with my milk supply. I have recently learned that Weight Watchers has a program for nursing mothers so out went that excuse.
So ya, Weight Watchers. I have never tried an official diet program before. In the past when I wanted to lose a few pounds I typically just kept a food diary and exercised and that did the trick. Really it is just a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn right? Anyway, I didn't feel like counting calories and I had a good friend and some family who had lost weight on Weight Watchers so I decided to give it a shot. I started on the 1st of the year so I am about a month in and as of today I have lost about 17 lbs.
17 lbs in that short of time is not typical. weight Watchers even scolded me for losing too fast. I think it is because the further away you are from what you should weigh the easier it is to lose. The closer I get to my goal I'm sure all the pound a week losses and plateaus will start to drive me nuts.
One thing I have to say about the new Weight Watchers Point Plus System is that I get to all the fruits and vegetables I want. I sound like an ad, I swear I am not a paid spokesman. In the last month I have eaten things like fresh okra (who knew it is even better when it is not fried), beet greens (usually I just throw the tops away they are yummy in salad) and grapefruit (mmmm broil with honey and ginger on top). One day I was feeding Baxter and Tallulah and realized they were both sitting there eating organic fruits and vegetables and I had a piece of Spam in one hand and a Coke in the other. Seems silly that only my kids should eat healthy and not me and Chris. Right?
I also got the bright idea to start jogging. That part of the plan did not work out so well. I started a couch to 5k podcast and on week 2 I hurt my knee. I thought it would pass, but alas here I am a couple of weeks later on crutches and scheduled for an MRI on my knee. I should get some little weights and start doing some upper body work out stuff while I am stranded on the couch with an ice pack on my knee. I might need to think of a different exercise plan since jogging did not work out so well. Bike rides? Walking? Who knows when I can walk without a limp again I will think of something to do. The one bonus of a stress fracture is that I also can't get off the couch to get to the fridge so I lost more weight this week than I did the weeks I was jogging.
So my body is my latest craft project. I promise not to blog about it obsessively. Like I said last time I blogged about my studio clean up project all the support I got kept me going and got the job done. Sadly, my studio is a wreck and even worse than before. I'll start that clean up journey when I can walk again. Hopefully, my baby weight loss journey will stick better than the cleanliness of my studio.
What are you tips tricks and thoughts on the matter? Did you too make a New Year's resolution to shed a few pounds? Do you have a favorite low points Weight Watchers snack to share? A vegetable recipe you love? A favorite work out this gimpy lady can do from the couch? I'm all ears.
P.S. Pretty wedding pictures taken by Cory Ryan. I'll post some after soon. My mom swears she could tell in my face in the 'Put a Bird on It" Brooch post.
Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteOctober before last I decided I was tired of being fat. I had goals ( art wise) and I needed to be more comfortable dealing with the public, and I wasn't. I joined HMR...similar to what you said about Weight Watchers, with basically all you can eat veggies and fruit. I had NEVER been a fruit and veggie person. I live in the deep south ( Louisiana ) , here fried food is part f the food pyramid, right?
I have lost 55 lbs total and would till like to lose a few more, but I think I'm at the burned out stage. Now that I started adding other foods, I have stalled. But hey, I'm not gaining.
It is hard but worth it. We work this hard at our jobs it's about time we work hard at ourselves.
Great job! Congrats!
Man Tanya 55 lbs is amazing! Congrats to you.
ReplyDeleteI know how it is with the fried food, I'm in Texas after all. Luckily I don't eat a lot of fried food, but my husband and I make a lot of fancy gourmet recipes which can be just as fatty. I'm also realizing my portions are way off the charts.
The being able to eat fruit and veggies "for free" part is really nice. It has forced me to try and add new items to our menus. Sure we still have our fave Ramen Noodles, but now I add mushrooms, baby bok choy, corn, endamane and carrots to make it more of a complete meal rather than a side of fried egg rolls.
I have never been a big fruit and veggie person either. I have a few go to items asparagus, artichokes, salads - but there are many more I usually turn my nose up to. I can't expect my kids to eat it if I don't too right.
Congrats again. 55 lbs is amaze-a-balls. I am half way there since starting this year. 17lbs gone, 17 more to go!
Congrats on the weight loss so far and Good Luck on the rest. My family is a bit similar to yours. I started weight watchers July 22 and am 30.8 lbs down and a long way to go. I need to lose approx 80 lbs total. Since the holidays, my weight loss has slowed down a bit but mostly because I sorta took a break from tracking but I am getting back on track!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the weight loss so far. I am going to be starting weight watchers again next month. It works so well if you stick with it and I love that they are encouraging more fruits and veggies now. For me the struggle is being married to Mr. Bunny and his super metabolism which the little ones seem to have inherited. Plus moving to a small town I'm not as active.
ReplyDeleteSorry I wrote a novel, but the point is you aren't alone. Especially when you have little ones it is so easy to forget about ourselves. I commend you on putting you on your own list of important things. : ) I'll be here cheering for you!
Wow do I identify with this post! I just saw the photos of me from Xmas and I am ready to make some changes. Eesh.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the great start to your new project and thanks for sharing it with us!
Congrats to you and best wishes! I have been sick for the past few weeks and as a result lost about 10 lbs and now I'm motivated to keep going. I tried WW a couple of years ago but my local meeting group was weird. Unfortunately I couldn't go another day/time and the people in this one were too strange for me. So my advice is to find a group you like and stick with them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I recommend water exercise. Aqua aerobics are the best. Low or no impact (depending on how deep the water is) and you don't get sweaty and you don't "feel it" until you get out of the pool. I took a 16 week class at our local community college and it cost me something like $35 and they provided the equipment (we were in a 12 ft deep pool so we used float belts and foam mitts for resistance). It was amazing and my school kept the pool at 80 year round so rain or shine we'd be in the water.
Even if there's not a class near you, find a pool and do your own. Because of the resistance of water everything you do is something like 3x harder but because you're slightly buoyant your feet/ankles/knees/back aren't impacted as hard as doing the same moves out of the water. Try lightly jogging or walking in waist deep water and you'll see what I mean. Plus it's easier to stretch in the water so you don't pull a muscle. AND the kiddos can float alongside you and have fun splashing. :)
You are human, with problems your readers can relate to. I too have a messy studio that resists organization no matter what I do. I too have pounds to lose. I liked Weight Watchers in the past but am not used to their Points Plus program. However, you are inspiring me! Go Jen.
ReplyDeleteMiranda congrats to you and the 30 lbs. Glad to hear another Weight Watchers success story. I hear ya on not tracking during the holidays, that is why I started after.
ReplyDeleteHunny Bunny I hear ya. In past diets it seems like my husband would go through a sudden ice cream phase. Never effected him, but I might has well skipped a step and smeared it straight on my thighs. Luckily this time he is playing along and doing a little dieting with me. He is typically a meat and taters kind of guy, but has been very understanding and excepting about the new changes.
Leah exactly sometimes it takes seeing yourself in pictures to really notice it.
Giidy I do online Weight Watchers so I'm not going to any meetings. I'm not a meetings kind of girl. I love water aerobics and have done them before and loved them. That is a great idea, especially with my gimpy knee.
Thanks Cindy. I have never done WW before so I only know the new system. Seems easy enough to follow, but I'm sure it is confusing if you are used to another system. I gather it is similar except fruits and veggies are free (no points). I have an app on my phone and all that fun stuff.
Sorry to hear about your knee, that's got to hurt.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy walking & when my teens were toddlers, I'd push them all over the place in a double stroller.
Eating less and moving more really is how its done and paying attention to every morsel that slips through the lips is a great place to start. Weight Watchers works and really promotes healthy eating, phone app, makes tracking so easy.
I think its great that you are sharing your journey, most of us have been there and can totally relate.
I don't recommend artificial sweetners of ANY kind, they do NOT agree with me. there's my 2 cents.
Peace and health
A little late but my advice would have been to do ALOT of walking before you run to build a solid exercise base. People tend to underestimate the power of just walking. I think as i scrolled thru your comments someone mentioned swimming or a pool workout and now that you've hurt yourself that would be a great alternative. But the most important tip i can give you is to lose the weight for yourself....not your hubby or your kids just YOU.....Your worth it! Hugs! deb
ReplyDeleteGood Luck Jen! I've done weight watchers 3 times, and been pretty successful each time. My mom is a "lifetimer" and goes for free!!!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as my baby decides to arrive (ugh, today is my due date and I got nothin') it's right back on the WW wagon - even though eventually I'll have another, I'm determined to hit GOAL before the next one comes around. It'll make losing it (and gaining while pregnant) way easier the next time around!
So congrats on your success so far - stick with it - you'll be so happy with the results! (and yes, i've found that it does slow down eventually, but you keep with it and the numbers will follow!)
Lost 50 lbs on the double-dub (WW), and have managed to keep it off for four years now. The points were a little different, but the program is the same.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! You can do it! You already are. :)
It is so nice to hear from everything. I was scared I post about something personal and there would be crickets. I'm also glad to hear all these success stories, especially using WW. It seems like the key is to track, track and track. I have also heard that once you reach your ideal weight you should weigh everyday rather than once a week.
ReplyDeleteDonna I love walking too and probably walked 1.5 miles 4 days a week around my hood with the kids. In my mind I thought being a jogger would be cooler than being a walker and now after spending the morning getting an MRI on my knee I am rethinking that theory.
Jinxxxy I was doing a couch to 5k program when I hurt myself. It was 5 minute warm up walk, 2 min jog, 3 min walk - alternate. I was on week 2 which was 5 min warm up walk, 2.5 min walk, 2.5 min jog. I was only doing it 3 days a week with rest days in-between. Really I did not over do it I swear :) I agree about the swimming. I have done water aerobics before they are hard when you get loaded up with all the resistance stuff.
Jen that is what I should have done was lose some baby weight in-between. I was too heavy when I got pregnant with Tallulah then never lost much weight in-between and then gained 40ish lbs with Baxter. I was like 212 at my last weigh in when I was still pregnant. I always used the breast feeding lactic acid / supply as my excuse. So far I'm losing weight and he does not seem to be complaining about dinner so it must be going alright. Sorry the baby is not hear yet. Bax was so big and late they made me do a scheduled C section.
Aleta do you still do WW and track or have you just kept it off? 50lbs is awesome! I have about 35 lbs total to lose. I'm about half way there.
I know that losing weight is everyone's resolution but getting rid of the last of the baby weight is DEFINITELY my top priority right now. For me, eat low-calorie is the answer. It kind of forces you to eat well - A couple packets of ramen or a plate pf spam and you end up over on calories, so I end up eating a little bit of junk and then a bunch of vegetables and other low-calorie goodness. I know that counting calories isn't very PC and people equate it with eating disorders, but losing weight is basic math. I can do pilates and lift weights all day long and if I'm still eating more calories than I'm burning, the pounds are going to stay. Maybe I'll be strong as hell but no one will be able to see those muscles.
ReplyDeleteI do like adding in exercise, mainly to motivate and give me energy. Working out tends to make me less hungry and makes me feel like my diet is working. I'm also guilty of feeding my kid well while I eat garbage, and I try to share meals with my son when I can.
Good luck! At least you have awesome tattoos - That's another one of my resolutions: More ink!
I love that you are thinking of your body as a craft project!! You are one of the all-time clever crafters soooooo... the analogy alone should keep you motivated and succesful!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.... obsessively blog about it!!!From your comment response you should see we are all interested and it was motivating just reading everyone's comments!
I too ...am recommitting to health and fitness this year. I tell ya though...I work out regularly (hard mega-cal burning workouts) and am realizing my food intake needs to be streamlined.
PS...hee hee ..on the visual of your babes eating the best nature can provide while you dine on Spam (been there)!