Weight Loss Journey

Last week ended up being a pretty good week as far as weight loss went. I started the week at 219.5 lbs., and I weighed in today at 217.5 lbs. That’s a 2 lb. weight loss!

I also mentioned last week that I’m working on cutting my coffee consumption down to 1 cup per day and working on reducing my sugar intake.

Well, I had success with both of those goals. I only had two cups of coffee one day last week, and I have been consuming less sugar. Cutting down to one cup of coffee per day, alone, reduces my sugar intake quite a bit, because I like my coffee kinda sweet.

This week I’m going to focus on starting a strength training routine. I need to work out my arms, so I’m going to pull out my exercise band and make it happen. I’m shooting for two days of strength training this week and three days on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes each time.

A big positive this week is that I will be six-weeks postpartum on Wednesday, and I’m only 4 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight! I’ve very thankful for this. 🙂

Here’s this week’s wrap up:

Current Weight: 217.5 lbs.

Goal Weight: 170 lbs.

# of total pounds I want to lose in 2012: 50lbs.

# of pounds to go until I reach my goal: 47.5 lbs.

Are you on a mission to lose weight this year? I’d love to hear how it’s going!

It’s time to do this thing. For week 1 of my Losing the Baby Fat weight loss challenge, I’m sharing my “Before Picture” or….what I look like right now.

Here it is…

Current Weight: 219.5 lbs.

Goal Weight: 170 lbs.

# of total pounds I want to lose in 2012: 50lbs.

# of pounds to go until I reach my goal: 49.5 lbs.

So far so good with my eating this week. I’m trying to cut down on the amount of sugar I consume (so making cookies twice in the last week probably wasn’t the best idea), even though it’s almost always organic sugar. It’s still sugar.

I’m also trying to cut down the coffee I’m drinking to one cup per day. I had been at one cup per day while pregnant.

(Okay, I occasionally had two cups…but it was organic, so that doesn’t make it bad. Right? :-))

Anyway, definitely after coming home from the hospital, I started drinking two cups per day….with sugar, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, vanilla (should I stop?), and whipped cream. I enjoy making homemade lattes, and I’m not ready to go “cold turkey” with the coffee drinking, so I think cutting back to one cup per day is the answer. For now.

Someday, I’d like to end my relationship with coffee altogether.

Now is not that time. No, not while homeschooling, going to school myself, trying to running a business, and parenting five children. No, now it not that time.

I will enjoy coffee for a while longer. Just less of it.

Now back to the point of this post, weight loss.

Do you have a goal to lose weight this year? What are the small steps you’re taking to get the weight off?

I’d love to hear about it! 🙂

 

 

Now that I’m 4 weeks postpartum, I’m ready to start back in to losing weight. Many of you may remember that I had a goal to lose 50 lbs. in 2011. I started well…and I was on track to make my goal of losing all 50 pounds, but then something wonderful happened.

I found out that I was pregnant.

And all weight loss ceased the very moment I saw that positive pregnancy test. Or at least it seemed that way. But seriously, I didn’t lose another pound. I actually seemed to have instantly gained 4 pounds. Or so it seemed, because of all the bloating I experienced early in the pregnancy.

Fast forward to 9 months later. I have a beautiful, healthy newborn daughter, and it’s time to get back to losing those 50 lbs.

Here are some of my “weight stats” to give you an idea of where my weight has been the last 9 months, and to show you where I’m at today.

Official pre-pregnancy weight in April 2011: 213.5 lbs.

Total amount of weight gained during my 9 month pregnancy: 31 lbs.

Official delivery weight: 244.5 lbs.

My weight the day I left the hospital after the c-section: 248.5 lbs. (Yes, you read that correctly. My weight went up after delivery. Hard to believe considering I HAD a baby, but I’m pretty sure I actually gained the 4 extra pounds due to the massive amount of swelling in my legs and abdomen after the baby was born.)

Current weight 4 weeks & 1 day postpartum: 220 lbs. 

I’ve lost a total of 28.5 lbs. since I came home from the hospital. And I’m currently 6.5 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight.

While I’m happy with my weight loss in the last 4 weeks, I know it’s very common to drop 20-30 lbs. after you’ve given birth and then STOP losing weight. I’m pretty much at that point now. I’ve lost most of the pregnancy weight, and now I have to work hard to get the rest of the weight off and get to my goal of losing 50 lbs. this year.

Oh, and the 50 lbs. I want to lose does not include the pregnancy weight I’ve lost up until this point.

This means that being 220 lbs. right now, to lose 50 lbs. would mean I need to end the year weighing 170 lbs.

I think it’s a doable goal, and I’ll be blogging my progress each week for accountability.

I’m calling this the “Losing the Baby Fat” challenge because I will literally be losing the weight I put on from my very first pregnancy – 11 years ago.

To show you what I mean, just take a look at my “weight stats” for the past 11 years.

In 1997, I met the person that would be my husband and weighed: 125 lbs.

We started dating in 1998, and I still weighed: 125 lbs.

I became pregnant with our firstborn child in 1999 and weighed: 155 lbs.

Yes, I had gained 30 lbs. while dating my husband and before I got pregnant. Looking back, I know it was because of all the eating out we did.

Fast forward to the day I gave birth to our firstborn, I weighed: 252 lbs.

Yes, I gained almost 100 lbs. while pregnant. Seriously. I was going to school and working part-time, and fast food was very convenient. I distinctly remember getting off of work one day and going through the Burger King drive-thru, because I had to get to school. I didn’t have time to go home and make a meal, and, of course, I hadn’t packed a lunch. No, instead I went through the BK drive-thru, and I must have had a coupon or something, because I ended up getting 2 chicken sandwiches (Buy One Get One Free). I ate them both. I remember. Don’t do this, friends. Learn from my mistakes.

All this to say, I really am “Losing the Baby Fat”.

Do you want to join me? I’m going to be updating my weight loss progress every Tuesday. First up, next Tuesday, will be my “Before” pictures.

I can’t wait! 🙂

What about you? Do you have any weight loss goals this year? Let’s encourage each other!

Well, the past three months have certainly been a journey. I managed to lose 15 pounds, and I’ve completely changed the way I eat. I’ve also exercised more than I have in a very long time.

But this weight loss journey is going to be postponed for now.

Why?

Because we are expecting. I’m pregnant. Again. With baby #5. 🙂

I found out just over a week ago, although I’d been suspecting it for the past few weeks and have taken quite a few Dollar Store pregnancy tests. (So thankful for those $1 tests!)

I’m already feeling the typical pregnancy symptoms….nausea, fatigue, and bloating like I’ve never experienced with any of my other pregnancies. I’m fine with the nausea and fatigue, but I’m really disliking the bloated feeling. Ugh. I’m eating plenty of vegetables, and I’m hoping that taking more walks is going to help the bloated feeling to subside. Thankfully, it seems like the weather is finally going to be staying nice, so, those walks will be a lot easier to get in with the kids. Another zoo trip is also in our near future which helps us all get in quite a bit of walking.

Our family is thrilled that another child is going to be added to our family. I know it’s going to be a challenge – especially if we have another wild boy – but the Lord is with us and will guide us through.

I’m personally hoping to make this pregnancy my healthiest yet. I want to get in plenty of exercise and continue eating a healthy diet. I’m thinking about tracking my pregnancy weight here on the blog, but I’m not 100% sure if I want to do that just yet…..

But when our new bundle is born, I want to resume the weight loss journey for sure. Until then…I’m pregnant.