They Fit!

Remember those white skinny jeans that I hadn't been able to fit into since before I was pregnant? Well, today, on National Donut Day of all days, I decided to try them on, and as you have probably figured out by now, they fit! I'm glad I tried them on because I have been eating really well lately, but I often let myself cheat and then cheat a little more and then a little more until I am eating a lot of junk. These pants fitting were the motivation I needed not to join in celebrating National Donut Day.

As far as weight loss, I don't have much to report. I'm currently at 157 lbs, but as I said, I have just started eating really well again in preparation for our beach vacation in a few weeks. So for now, I'll take the jeans as progress and hope to see a little more (less?) on the scale soon. Also, I have been really happy with my results from our push-up challenge... at least in my shoulders and upper arms. I'm hoping if I keep going, the results will start to progress until I am ripped all the way to my elbows. I am up to ten real push-ups/30 total in one minute. The plank challenge, on the other hand, is brutal. I hate it, and if there are any results, they must be hidden way under there where I can't see them. Or maybe, my jeans fitting are the result? Yeah, I'm going to choose to believe that instead. It's much more positive.

Also, please excuse the awkward cell-phone selfies, but I wanted to show you proof... And I still need to teach Will how to use a camera.

New Kicks Mean...

...I'm at 158. I've lost ten pounds since January, not quite as much as I wanted to lose by this point, but like my mom always says, better than a stick in the eye. With birthdays and life and so many other excuses, I slowly started giving up my healthy habits for the last month or so and have been hovering all around 158 the entire time, but with the warmer weather, our pool opening in less than a month, and a beach vacation in less than two months, I have once again found the motivation to say yes to working out every day and eating (and drinking!) healthy.

Also, Jason and I are doing a plank and push-up challenge every night. I tried to do it on my own, but I am pretty horrible at motivating myself, so I asked Jason if he would do it with me. (Basically, I have made him responsible for making me do it.) So far, we are doing great! We aren't following any fancy challenge chart from Pinterest or anything; instead, every night before we get into bed, we plank for a certain amount of time and do push-ups for a certain amount of time. We started with one minute and add 15 seconds each Saturday. We're on our second week, so we are just at 1:15, and let me tell you, those additional 15 seconds are killer, but I do it! As far as push-ups go, I started out only being able to do four real push-ups (20 total), and have worked up to seven real push-ups (25 total)! My goal is to match Jason first week, 55 real push-ups (in one minute). Any bets on how long that will take me?

Are you doing anything to get your body pool/beach/warm weather ready? I'd love to hear it.

Not Quite Meeting Goals

In the Spring of 2012, I had been on the hunt for a great pair of white skinny jeans for at least two years. Every new season, I would try on the new stock at every store and leave in disappointment. The culprit was the abundant cellulite (a genetic curse that I have come to terms with since I also got pretty great skin and hair from my chromosomes) on my thighs, which most white jeans not only showed but somehow amplified through a layer of denim.  So when I finally found a pair that fit perfectly and hid all my lumps and bumps (just because I have come to terms with my cellulite doesn't mean I'm okay with showing it off anywhere besides the pool or beach), I contemplated buying multiple pairs in all different sizes, but of course, I just bought one pair in my then current size, and now (and last summer right after having a baby) I am kicking myself because I just tried them on today, and they barely fit over my hips. But there is hope! Keep reading for my monthly update on my New Year's resolution.


Starting Weight: 168 (and four weeks ago)
Current Weight: 160.2

So... I know it looks like progress, but I have actually been hovering around 161 for the entire month. The day after I posted my last weight, I was down about a pound, and then the next day, I was down another pound, which means it took me a month to lose one pound. Or more accurately, I lost and gained and lost the same pound all month long. Although I have still been working out regularly, I have not been eating all that great on a consistent basis. I have lots of excuses like Valentine's Day and parties/get-togethers (I never thought we went to that many parties until I started having to get a babysitter every time we go to one.), but the truth is, it just has been a lot harder for me not to give into my cravings this month. And so, I did not meet my goal of losing one pound a week. I was actually surprised this morning when I looked at the scale and was so close to my goal. Secret Weight Loss Tip: Posting your weight on the internet has a way of motivating you to eat well... at least, the day before you plan to post your weight.

But during this past month, even though my weight didn't change all that much, something else did, my pant size! I'm happy to report that at one of the soirees this past weekend, I comfortably sported the skinny "skinny jeans" that just barely zipped at the beginning of the month.

So... I'm pretty motivated to fit back into those white jeans by the time it's again the appropriate time of year/temperature to wear white jeans. Starting Monday, after a special dinner at Dewey's tonight and an Oscar celebration on Sunday, I am once again going to track everything that I eat on the MyPlate App, and I am going to reach all my goals and rock those white skinny jeans (even though my mind is telling me that white jeans plus William is going to equal orangish-yellow spotted jeans).

Also, just in case you are wondering/interested, I have been loving T25 and plan to dedicate an entire post to my experience with the workouts very soon.

More than Four!

Tomorrow will mark four weeks since I started making changes to live a healthier lifestyle. My goal was (and still is) to lose one pound a week for 20 weeks and then maintain that weight/lifestyle. So far, I have been relatively successful. In fact, I have lost more than four pounds in four weeks. (Yay!)

Starting Weight: 168 lbs
Current Weight: 163.8 lbs

I have been sticking with my changes about five out of seven day of the week.  Meaning, about five (usually six!) days a week, I can fit a T25 workout and shower in during Will's first nap, and about five days a week, I eat (and drink) healthy enough that I consume about 1200-1300 calories (by eating mostly lean proteins and vegetables). I feel great too, and when I look at my body in the mirror, I can tell that I have been gaining muscle and losing fat. But there have also been some downs in addition to the ups over these last few weeks. Like...

The Downs:
-Even though it's only 25 minutes, for the first week or so of completing T25, I was so sore that I had to take ibuprofen and reconsider living in a house with three staircases.
-I was really hungry in the afternoons. Even though I was eating three meals a day plus an afternoon snack, I felt like I was starving. I kept hearing the line from The Devil Wears Prada in my head when Emily says, "I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight." Instead of a cube of cheese, I ate a grape and drank a cup of warm tea, which actually works really well for me.
-I attended two birthday parties, a house-warming party, and a baby shower in the last two weeks. All of them had fruit and veggie trays, but there was also Chick-fil-A and Papa John's and cake and high calorie beverages, and I just decided, what the heck, it's a celebration, and ate Chick-fil-A and Papa Johns and cake and high calorie beverages in addition to the fruit and veggies.

The Ups:
-After two weeks of working out almost every day, I went from feeling I-can't-walk-up-the-stairs-unless-I-take-ibuprofen sore to just oh-I-can-feel-which-muscles-I-worked-out-yesterday-sore.
-After two-and-a-half weeks of what felt like starving myself, my stomach/mind has adjusted to my new routine, and I am hardly ever hungry.
-I don't really have to track every single thing I eat every day anymore on the app because there isn't a ton of variety and I can do it in my head.
-Our grocery bill has gone down by about $40 a week.
-I decided on a reward system. When I reach 158 lbs, I'm going to get myself new running shoes. And when I reach 148, I'm going to make a trip to the outlets for a new (smaller) spring wardrobe.

So... there you have it. I'm feeling really comfortable in my new, healthier routine, but it's a relief to know I can cheat or mess up (or attend parties) every once in a while and still reach my goals.

Also, don't worry. I made sure to account in my daily calorie goals for one or two pieces of chocolate a day.

My New Go-To Meal

Two words. Stir Fry.

The recipe is simple. I take whatever veggies are in my fridge (which is a lot these days), chop them up, add a protein, a little bit of sauce, and I have myself a seriously healthy and filling meal...with no carbs...for the next three days. Last night, I took all the leftover veggies from Jason's soiree with the Vitamix plus the veggies I specifically bought for stir fry this week and ended up with the spectacular (and low calorie) meal you see above.

Specifically, this mix included red, yellow, and green peppers, mushrooms, red cabbage, broccoli slaw (Thanks for that tip, Mom!), and matchstick carrots. I like to start with about two teaspoons of sesame oil and add some low sodium soy sauce while I'm frying up my veggies.  At the very end, I added in some raw shrimp and teriyaki sauce and got the amazing dinner you see above. (If you use chicken or beef, you can cook it first and remove it from the wok, cook the veggies, and then add the meat back in with the sauce.)

Also, Will eats just about anything that has been stir-fried. Last week, it was chicken, broccoli, snap peas, and those little corn thingies, and this week, it was shrimp and all of that goodness above. Don't worry. I also give him a good dose of carbs.

Weighing In

Last week, I mentioned that I was going to make some changes, and I have made them. But before I get to the changes, I'd like to address something else I wrote that is only kind of true. I wrote, "I have not lost all the baby weight and am technically overweight and really not living a healthy lifestyle."

The not-so-true part is that I did lose most of the baby weight. When I got pregnant in June 2012, I weighed 155. On the day I went in for my induction, April 1, 2013, I weighed 187. And sometime in September of 2013, I remember being delighted to see 158 lbs when I stepped on the scale. I had lost all but three pounds of the weight I had gained during pregnancy pretty easily. I was going for one to three mile walks pretty much every day and eating somewhat healthfully and wearing all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. I wanted to lose those last three pounds plus a little bit more, so Jason and I purchased T25 and completed three weeks of it before we quit for some reason that I don't remember. But I was still pretty happy with the way I looked and felt. And then something happened. Winter? Football parties? Thanksgiving? Christmas? That's when we get to the true part of my statement.

The true part is that I am technically overweight, and I was not living a healthy lifestyle. On January 2, 2014 (exactly nine months after delivering Will), when I weighed myself, I weighed 168. I had gained back ten pounds! I was barely eating two meals a day and instead, snacking throughout the day. And I had developed some pretty horrible drinking habits. Every afternoon, I'd drink a Dr. Pepper Ten. Every evening, I'd treat myself to a glass of wine or bottle of beer. And every night, after I brushed my teeth, I'd wonder why I was so thirsty and get a big glass of water. I thought I was pretty active throughout the day just taking care of Will, but I wasn't walking or working out at all. And the only thing I really felt comfortable wearing were button-up tops that were blousy enough to hide my once again growing belly. 

So on January 2nd (because on January 1st we had lots of leftover party food and drink), I started making those changes.  I made one each day until my daily routine/lifestyle seemed healthy yet doable, and it only ended up being six fairly simple changes.

1. Stop drinking a Dr. Pepper Ten every day. (Water!)

2. Drink green tea once a day.

3. Stop having a cocktail every night. (Water!)

4. Complete T25 workout every morning.

5. Track calories on MyPlate app. 

6. Eat when and what Will eats: 6:30 (breakfast), 10:30 (lunch), 2:00 (snack), and 5:30 (dinner)

So far, I am 12 days in, and I've kept it up with only a few snafus (like the day I didn't work out and my mom gave me a bag of homemade cookies), and I have been seeing results. This morning, I stepped on the scale and saw 165.6! I'm moving in the right direction. My goal weight is 148 by the beginning of June. That's approximately one pound a week.  I know I can do it because I am doing it now, and I have done it in the past. I am using that picture up there from the summer of 2009 as my motivation, but I am also planning on taking more full body pictures (not in a swimsuit, though) of Will, Jason, and me  together throughout this process because I know one day I'll be happy to have them even if I don't love the way I look at the time. So stayed tuned...

Also, I am trying to figure out some easy workout type thing I can do in the afternoon while playing with Will in his playroom. I started the Plank Challenge and the Push-Up Challenge, but I want to try to find a good short yoga workout too...because I'm usually already wearing yoga pants. Let me know if you have any suggestions or any other easy changes that have worked for you.

Christmas Card Regret

2013 was the first year I have ever sent out a Christmas card.  I've always loved getting them from people--the good ole-fashioned regular card, the picture cards, and my most favorites, the ones that include a letter that shares all the goings on in each family. My most most favorite one of all time was the one my Great Aunt Geraldine sent us in 2012 with an epic story about their transgender cat. Just try to beat that!

Anyway, I was really proud of the card I sent out this year. I found what I felt was a professional quality picture of William being his cutest self on my iPhone, uploaded it to Minted, got the cards within a week, and sent them out way before Christmas. Christmas card victory! Right? No. My mother-in-law set me straight, as mothers-in-law are wont to do.  She told me that she thought the picture of Will was cute and all but wanted to know why didn't I include a picture of all three (or four because of course we count Lola) of us. And the truth is, I wanted my card to be beautiful, and I didn't really have any pictures of the four of us that I thought would make a beautiful card. But I love my mother-in-law, and I wanted to make her happy, so on Christmas Eve, I picked out three fancy outfits for Jason, William, and me, and after church, we posed in front of the tree for a family Christmas picture that I could print out for my mother-in-law. But then... I decided that instead of ever printing that picture out, I would never show that picture to anyone because uggh I was just not happy with my appearance. And that is when I realized that I needed to make some changes. I could just get over my body consciousness and embrace my appearance just the way I am, but truthfully, I have not lost all the baby weight and am technically overweight and really not living a healthy lifestyle.

So. Prepare yourself. It might be cliche, but I have made the same weight loss resolution that many people make at this time of year. And, I am going to rock it... and I am going to write about it...which is why you see that family photo up there that I had previously decided to never show anyone. That's my before pic. Here's to a rocking after!

Also, we did not steal or adopt William. He looks like my dad. (I'll make sure to put that on the Christmas card with all four of us so that no one is confused.)