weight loss wednesday: post-3 babe body

i haven't posted about my weight loss journey which is kind of weird because it consumes so much of my life. i am CONSTANTLY thinking about it, which isn't necessarily a good thing but it's what it is for now. not for always.

on black friday i got a fitbit which has been so fun for me. i like the reminder to keep active during the day and the challenges you can have among friends. i have one friend who does an unbelievable amount of steps per day so i'm always trying to top her- i'm coming for you molly! i love seeing how hard my workouts were and how my heart can spike during the day. it really has been worth the $100!

working out for me has never been a challenge. i love the gym! i LIVE for the gym! the other day i went to pick up my kids after a workout and porter was cradled in ms. yvonne's arms, obviously sick. i told her she could have come and gotten me but she told me 'i know how much you need this time and i could sit and hold him' [it was a teething fever]. she is too good to me. seriously though, when i don't get my hour of gym time, everyone suffers. i've always loved exercise and sports. i believe it's been a huge reason why i've been able to stave off the depression that runs so deeply in my family. recently i've gotten better at running which makes me proud. i've gotten faster and can do more. not that i have aspirations of running a marathon but it's nice to be in shape- because i am.

my weigh in for diet bet

i tried journaling my food and doing a friend's fitness challenge earlier this year but it wasn't sticking. that's when i signed up for the diet bet through our best bites. i enlisted the help of my BF kayla and together we knocked out some pounds! we were texting each other throughout the day with victories, losses, and hilarious fitness memes. it brought us closer and winning some money was a HUGE incentive! it only turned out to be our entry fee + $4 but still, i needed to get my money ba

ck! and i did! [for our game, we had to lose 4% of our weight in 6 weeks]. we are doing another one together right now and i've already met my goal.

i officially signed up for weight watchers after going to a gym class and seeing my reflection. i have a pretty good self esteem. even being overweight, i love my body and i love who i am. still though, seeing my reflection just hit me and i knew my challenge was really food. the current promotion was pay for 3 months [$50- no sign up fee]. if you lose 10lbs in that amount of time, you could get a $50 visa card or another 3 months for free. i could do 10lbs. and i did before my first month was up. i'm not sure if i want to do another 3 months or get the gift card [last time i had lost motivation after 3 months but we'll see how this time goes]. i'm a purely online member which works for me. they have a message board [think intstagram] where people can post pictures and encouragement. i don't post but i love reading success stories- it keeps me going. the food diary collection is hands-down the best one i've ever used, and i love the bar code scanner. i know it's not for everyone but it works for me.

because of my couplecation, i weaned griffin around 9 months. that was hard for me emotionally because i had worked SO hard to get him to breast feed in the first place! it was SO painful and i love that bonding but it wasn't feasible [or fun] to pump while i was gone. i don't think anything is wrong with formula, it's still just hard. and more expensive. i miss my ww breastfeeding points too. my hunger is just insane when i breast feed and i couldn't really get down to the weight i wanted while doing it. plus i couldn't take this medicine i had my eye on...

i have two friends who had used an appetite suppressant to lose a significant amount of weight and my curiosity was peaked. i know what to do, i know what to eat, but i still wanted a little extra help! especially when it came to my appetite. after i weaned griffin the dr prescribed me a medicine that works similar to ADHD medicine. the first day i took it i felt fantastic! the upper was instant and fantastic! i went to the gym and felt like i was flying on the treadmill! that feeling doesn't last forever but it does work as somewhat a mood enhancer. and i didn't feel hunger. i still ate but those deep pains and urges were gone. i didn't feel uncomfortably full- just satisfied. it's not for long-term use and you have to meet certain criteria but i've liked it so far.

so far i've lost 15lbs and i'm really proud of that. i don't have dreams of being a skinny minny. i enjoy food and i LOVE eating but i just want to be healthy [which i am. a recent blood test and dr's visit proved that]. i just want to feel sexy and comfortable in my skin.

weightloss wednesday: my ww journey

we'll call this my before
i have a true 'before' pic but you don't
get to see that until i'm truly fabulous
and skinny

ww: weight watchers, weightloss wednesday, woman-crush wednesday- too  many names. remember when i wrote this piece about doing ww for free? i have since updated it so make sure you check it out if you're interested in losing weight. things are finally settling down for me, emotion-wise and so i've decided to kick this weight loss thing into high gear again! i started with ww. i had a 10lb success with it last time so i'm hoping for better results this time because i actually signed up. for the online version, i paid about $60 for 3 months so nothing too terrible. having done both versions, i really enjoy using the app. i still haven't decided if i will pay for it again in 3 months time but we'll see.

i am no expert but in two weeks i've lost 5lbs so i'm happy with my journey so far. i haven't really exercised those two weeks either. this week i'm signing up for the ymca again. with my mom gone, i am in need of something to do and i loved the classes there. hopefully landon will keep his biting under control we don't get kicked out again!

so where i'm at: i am 25lbs over my pre-pregnancy weigh. i struggled with post-partum depression more with porter so it has taken me 4 months to get out of this haze. i really am happy and find ww to be pretty easy so far. i've found some things i like, others i don't. since i am still exclusively breastfeeding i [started with] 50 points with 49 weekly points. i never use all of my points but it's a nice cushion. i don't feel deprived; i've just been making better choices. here are some ideas that have helped and others that didn't work for me.

i always start breakfast out right: since it's my first meal, i use less points so i can splurge later. no donuts for me! i am not an egg person so that's been rough. typically i eat oatmeal or cream of wheat with some brown sugar then fruit. this keeps me full all morning but i'll usually eat another piece of fruit before lunch. most of my cereals are high in points and don't fill me up but every once in a while, i'll have a bowl. and be hungrier. i bought light english muffins and i really like those too.

for lunch, my go-to is these sandwich thins. only 100 kcal and 2 ww points! i don't miss the extra bread at all. i pair it with lettuce, light miracle whip and turkey and i am satisfied! i tried the special k bbq "chips"- don't like the aftertaste. right now i've been loving my salad made with sunflower seeds and craisins with balsamic vinaigrette- a pretty low point meal! i'll usually have a piece or two of my dove dark chocolates after as well. i am a chip girl so when i want those, i'll just portion them out or i bought some light cheetos that satisfy some cravings.

dinner wise, i've done pretty well. i've made healthier options and just eaten smaller options of less healthier ones. the other night justin brought home a costco pizza. looked up those points- 17 points for ONE slice! 690 kcal! i can easily eat 3 pieces in a sitting. so instead i had a sandwich and used the other points for some splurges: rice krispie treats [4], 2 servings of ruffles [10] and a slurpee [8] and still didn't go over my points. go me! adjusting to the ww mentality isn't hard, especially with the app. i've even had cafe rio salad twice. again though, i'm nursing so i have more points. when i quit nursing we'll see how that goes.

i've told several people i'm on ww and have had several
people i've been able to talk to it about. i think it's important when you're trying to lose weight to NOT be ashamed, not be shy and to ask for suggestions. sometimes you need someone to tell you that you're awesome for not eating cookies at a party or for only having one slice of pizza. i've also taken to twitter. even though i'm sure only my sister reads my tweets, it's nice to send those messages out into space. check out my tweets to find products i like.

i am still on the search for products that people like. one treat i love is drizzling chocolate on apple slices. i've tried a few frozen tv dinners and have not been impressed at all. i feel like summer time is the best time to lose weight because there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available. if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them!

weightloss wednesdays: ask the audience

this post is a bit discombobulated but that's just how i'm feeling about this weekly segment lately. i want to keep the posts up but i've hit a roadblock on what to talk about. i don't want to post specific exercises to do because i feel like if you want to do that, you'll find great posts somewhere else [and i don't have that much time to dedicate to a blog a few of my friends read].  you all know i'm not a huge fan of nutrition so i'd feel like a hypocrite who doesn't take her own advice. i kept thinking about what the people who actually read this blog want. and i think it's motivation and recognition. we all need help to keep active, someone to remind us to exercise that day or someone we can share our successes with. now anyone who knows me can attest to the fb creep i am so i thought, why not start a group on fb where we can do our workout shout outs without feeling trite? where we could post articles that interest us or suggest healthy recipes we love. what do you think? nothing makes me feel better then to post some success i've had then have other people acknowledge that. like this post i did last week. it made me feel bombtastic and want to work harder. i think that's what we all need more then another post about working out every time barney says legendary.

i think i'm gonna cool it on the workout segments until i get back home. i want to dig through some of my old school notebooks and pass on that expensive knowledge onto you. until then, request away. or join my fb group and invite your friends who need motivation. then we'll all get skinny together!

if you want to join my fb group let me know and i'll invite you - but i only want people in there who will actually comment and motivate others, by commenting on their posts or post articles and such. feel free to invite other friends who need motivate to move!

non-greek couscous salad

here is one of my new favorite recipes from the book "our best bites"- blog found here. it is literally [said is a chris traegel voice] my favorite recipe book ever. best $20 i spent of justin's money to get me a christmas gift from him. there's a recipe in it for greek couscous salad- but i hate all the things in it that are greek [olives and feta] and it needed some chicken to make it a meal. it has a lot of ingredients but worth the work. nice, cool summer salad. justin is not a fan, he calls it pre-chewed food but i love couscous; its a nice alternative to rice. enjoy!

non-greek couscous salad

serving size: 1 cup

ww points+: 7

calories: 278

forgot to add in pic: onion, lemon, and chicken

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp dry rosemary
1 1/2 cups original couscous [10 oz box]
1 cup tomatoes*
1 cup cucumbers*
1/2 cup diced red onions
4oz mozzarella
1/2 cup parsley
4oz grilled chicken breasts
*you can add more for zero points! i'd add more but i was out- lame

dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp diced garlic
salt & pepper to taste


boil the chicken broth, oregano, basil and rosemary on the stove. bring to boil and add couscous. cover the pot then remove from heat. let it sit for 5 minutes then fluff and cool to room temperature.

combine couscous with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, chicken, mozzarella, and parsley. set aside. in a small jar, combine the dressing ingredients and shake. pour over salad, stir, and chill for 2 hours. 

season with salt and pepper to taste. garnish with more parsley, cheese, or lemon slices. then oink it out.

the long dark road to skinny

bc my blog can do with more cat pictures

you know the saying 'those that can't; teach?'- i've found that for me, that's particularly true. i got my degree in exercise science [not pe- that actually would have been practical in the workforce], expecting to go to physical therapy school in case things didn't pan out with justin. i absolutely loved it. i love science, i love anatomy, i love exercise, i love sports [playing- not watching]. ideally, if justin and i did work out i planned on being a stay at home mom and coaching lacrosse [still plan to do- once i can be flexible once again- who knows when that will be]. so in a nutshell, i know all about exercise, weight loss, nutrition- i know all that jazz. yet i'm fluffy.

granted, i've always been fluffier then the next girl and i've been ok with that. as long as i'm healthy and active, i could make peace with the fact i would never be nicole richie [post-"the simple life", pre-harlow].  then i got pregnant and life got grand bc i could eat WHATEVER i wanted - and it would be legitimately ok with me lounging about and drinking 3 slurpees in a week. honestly, i was never too bad. i worked out  almost every day my first 5 months of pregnancy and i watched what i ate [somewhat- i was no jessica simpson people] but my body wanted to gain 50 lbs of baby comfort. so i did - and i was ok with that.

until now.

landon is 7 months and i've lost about 25 lbs of baby love but i've got 25 more to go. plus the weight i gained when i got off bc [who knew!]. post-baby i've somewhat watched what i ate and worked out when i can [love my walks] but it wasn't going nowhere. one of my mommy friends recently started weight watchers and she inspired me to pseudo-join as well. my mom is a lifetime member so i've known about it my whole life but i've always associated it with fat, old stuffy women. well folks, i am fat and old [to justin- he told me i was 25 years and 6 months so i'm considered late-20s]. i was super intimidated by the whole idea. #1- we don't have extra money for me to spend #2- i can't workout like i used to pre-landon to keep my weight in check #3- mama bear gets her cravings worse NOW then she did pregnant. granted, i'm still pseudo-breastfeeding but i swear cravings are worse now. i guess they're not cravings...just fat girl moments. so with the help of my hs friend melissa & her journey through ww [check it out here!] and some random websites- and my mother's immense knowledge- i am unofficially a ww gal.

ok- this only makes me crave mcnuggets.
and to kiss landon's cute wrist rolls

the first week was tough trying to figure out the whole points thing, how that works, what i can eat and how i can cut corners- i'm proud to say in 2 weeks i've lost 5.5 pounds! yaya! i think ww is successful because it makes you more aware of what you're eating. for me, i think 'of course celery with slabs of peanut butter and raisins is a healthy snack' but it's completely loaded with unnecessary fat. you'd think i know how to eat better? nope- i HATED my nutrition class. i would proudly proclaim to my professors that i'd rather run 5 miles to eat a twinkie then sit on my butt and eat celery all day. still do- i LOVE hostess snacks [thx dad]. i workout to eat- simple as that. now i've learned i can't do that.

food is essentially fuel- that you poop out. you can poop out hoho's and cheetos or something healthy. either way, it's all coming out. it will either leave you a few pounds lighter or with the nutrients that you need. for me, that hardest part is boredom and severing the emotional ties to food. i'm not a dog, i shouldn't be rewarded with chocolate [please keep in mind, during that time, ALL RULES about food get abandoned. it's only right. don't worry, it's all negative-calories that week]. so i've been making better choices. and writing down EVERYTHING that i eat- even if it's a cookie [or six] that i sneak in when justin's back is turned. even when i go off the handle a day [weekends are so hard!], i write it all down and resolve to not let that happen tomorrow.

i don't know about you, but i'm more appalled by her hair.
and improper use of the headband.

granted, this is my third week so i'm no ww expert. that's what google is for [bc the internet doesn't lie]. i just need to publicly declare that i'm on the ww wagon bc i'm sick wearing a size larger then i was before landon. and i hate my new mommy-stomach roll [aka- the coochie poochie]. and i want to feel sexy in lingerie. i'm not being a monica about it - i still am going to go out and i realize i'm gonna eat like crap a day or so. but it's about lifestyle changes.

i remember a few years ago my mom said she saw one of my old childhood friends at a ww meeting and i was SHOCKED- she was gorgeous, thin, rich [not that that's relevant to weight- but seriously loaded]. i couldn't understand why she was there- until now. it's just about making better choices to feel better about yourself. it's not like i'm depressed with who i am now- i just want to have confidence again. and no back rolls.

so j-hud, lets do work.
ps- a 40oz coke slurpee is 10 points+. so one a week for this fluffy gal.