The Plan

A few of my faithful readers (ok maybe just one of you) have asked the details of how I've lost weight.  I thought I would share my thoughts on how I am doing it and just some general guidelines.

1.  Commitment is key.  I think that really you need to find what works for you and really be committed to it. It doesn't matter if it's WW or if it's calories or something else. Just make sure you do it. I've done both now and can't say that I like one better than the other. The key is just discipline with snippets of grace in there. For example, the Cadburry egg I ate on Friday, but the other 3 in the pack are in my pantry waiting for me to get back from my cruise, and even then they will be spread out over time.

2.  Write it Down.  When I did WW and my current plan both require you to write down what you eat.  When I did WW, I thought it was silly at first.  Then I realized there's a real reason why.  You are much less likely to cheat if you have to write it down.  I am religious about this.  I write down everything, even that Cadburry egg.  If you go over your allowance, that's ok.  There are days that I skip writing stuff down but they are few.  Again, it's a grace thing. 

3.  A Typical Food Day.  I've been asked what I eat on a daily basis.  Here's my rundown.

• Breakfast - One egg scrambled and coffee. Measure your half and half. It can really get away from you.  I have found that eating protein in the morning is key for me.  It keeps me full so much longer. 
• Lunch - Some sort of frozen dinner. It's the easiest for me at work.
• Afternoon snack - 100 calorie snack pack
• Dinner - Usually something around 400 calories. Usually my biggest meal of the day. Again, the key is to measure. Actually measure what a cup of pasta is and you will be surprised. Ages ago when I did WW I bought serving spoons that measure 1/2 cup and 1 cup. I use them religiously.
• Wine - I like wine.  I usually drink between 5 - 7 ozs a night.  Again, I measure and I account for it in my calories.

4.  Keeping everyone happy.  I purposely don't make "low fat" or "diet" food for dinner. My husband would kill me. The key is really just watching portions. I haven't yet purchased a food scale but it's surely on my list of things I would like to own. You need to feed the family and making 2 different dinners really isn't an option.  You need to learn to cook to where everyone is happy.  It's also good to learn how to eat "normal" so you can maintain once the weight loss is done.

5.  A Word About Fat.  Another big thing that I believe in is not cutting fat out of your diet. So many people just say, I'm not going to eat fat. Well, that's not good either. Healthy fat is necessary and important. We use olive oil on veggies (After you cook your veggies. You really don't want olive oil at a really high temp). I also take 1/2 Tbsp of Fish oil a day. Really healthy fat and really good for your vitamin D.

6.  Plan on Exercise.  I do use my 30 Day Shred video 3 times a week. If it gets above 55 on a weekend, I'll go out for a run.  Some people have more time available to exercise.  I don't.  Both of my exercise options take me about 20 - 30 minutes.  That's it.  I am doing just enough to get my metabolism going and to tone some muscles.  When I was on WW and psycho, I used to run 5 miles a day.  That's definitely not feasible now nor enjoyable. 

So there it is.  My whole plan and all my diet/healthy lifestyle ideas.  Really what I would like to say most is that this "diet" or "weight loss journey" has brought me closer to the cross than ever before.  It's impossible to have success in our lives without first finding our way to the cross.  For me, it's the realization that I can't do it on my own.  I am going to fail.  I'm going to be offered grace.  There is humility in that.  And with the Gospel, it's freeing.

Happy Dieting.  And I promise my next post won't mention weight or diets.  It might include some pre-cruising thoughts though.  Maybe some thoughts on leaving my child for a week.  Or maybe just some teaser pictures of where we will be.  I guess it just depends on where the week leads me. 

Freedom and Victory

If you are a regular reader, you know that I have been trying to lose weight for the cruise.  I had a goal of 12 pounds in 8 weeks.  Well, I'm at 7 weeks and I have hit the 12 pounds.  I'm super excited. 

And the best part about it is that I've given myself grace this time.  I have learned that you don't have to be perfect with your calories everyday to still lose weight.  There is so much freedom in that and it's something I never experienced before.  I guess that's why Weight Watchers builds in 35 extra points in a week.  For most people, that's a full extra day and a half of calories.  When I did Weight Watchers I never ate any of them.  Not one flex point in 5 months.  That's psycho.  And definitely not fun.  So this time I am allowing myself the freedom to enjoy some of the things I like without the guilt.  And I'm still losing weight.  Go figure!

Last night I started thinking about the clothes that I will bring with me on the cruise.  Well, I realized that all my summer clothes were too big.  So I went out and bought 2 pair of shorts.  Then I came home and was going to change out of my work clothes when I saw them.  3 huge bins that have been sitting in the corner of our bedroom for over 2 years.  They are my pre-pregnancy clothes.  So I pulled them out expecting to be discouraged.  There is some pretty small stuff in there.

As I began to try things on, I got really excited.  Some of the small stuff fit!  I found 2 pair of shorts, 5 pair of pants, a couple skirts, some capris, and a whole bunch of other fun stuff.  It all doesn't fit and that's ok.  It gives me something to work for.  But it gives me the hope and motivation to keep going. 

And it gives me back $45 that I will get when I return those 2 pair of shorts.

Check In

I told you a while ago that I was going to start a weight loss plan. Well, that was a month ago and here are some updates....

• I have started doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. The first time I did it I couldn't walk for a week. Now I can do it three days in a row and take a one day break. I guess I'm not exactly doing the "30 day" part but it still is kicking my butt
• I have started using myfitnesspal.com to track calories and exercise. I really like it. It's a website but it also has an app for my iPhone. There is even that fancy new badge on the right side of my blog.
• During my trip to FL I was able to run on the treadmill each full day that I was there. I did do pretty well with my food but allowed myself the treat of some Kahlua Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. Oh and it was soooo worth it.

The results are that I have lost 8 pounds in a month. I am very proud of that. I have 4.5 weeks to go until my cruise. I have a goal of 4 more pounds to go before then but am hoping to exceed that. I have 6 more pounds to go before I am at my pre-pregnancy weight. And I have 12 more pounds to go to get to my goal. I think all of those things are doable.

One of the things I have learned over my weight ups and downs is that it is possible to set far reaching goals that are attainable but it is always better to set goals that are maintainable. So that is where I am. Thanks for the accountability.

The Battle

I have always been someone who battles weight. I have never really been at a consistent weight for more than a year. I yo-yo. I am either gaining or losing. I hate this about myself.

I grew up in a family where you just don't talk about it. I married into a family where it's definitely ok to bring it up and ask questions about it. Some members of my husband's family, especially my husband, don't understand this struggle at all. They are all naturally thin or have incredible self-discipline. I have often said that I feel like a giant compared to all of them. (I have probably made them mad by talking about it too. Sorry family. And family, I don't want to talk about this with you. Again, sorry)

When I got married I was a decent weight. I lost my job a year and a half later and got bigger. We moved to NY and I was surrounded by a bunch of people who ate a lot at work. I got huge. I went on Weight Watchers and lost 47 pounds. I was too skinny, like seriously scary skinny, like they were threatening to kick me out of Weight Watchers skinny. I slowly started to get to a healthier weight and then I blew right by it. I got pregnant. I got big (and no it wasn't all baby).

So that brings me to today. I gave birth 10 months ago. I'm still carrying some weight that I don't want to be carrying. I need to seriously address in my head why. I don't want to just lose the weight and not deal with it. I need to or it will yo-yo right back on.

I am going to spend the next couple weeks really praying through this issue. While I have started running, I can't start a "diet" until my head is on right. I need to be sure I don't get back to that "scary skinny" place again and I need to make sure I don't stay here in the "baby weight" place either. I just want to be happy and healthy.