Friday 31 October 2008

Working (Out) Hard!

At Monday's weigh-in, I went up half a pound. I am in my last weeks of pregnancy, and yet it still really bothered me to gain that half pound because I had worked so very, very hard to lose something that week, even just another half pound, NOT to gain it!

I really feel as if I am doing enough to lose slightly more than the baby is gaining right now. Yet it didn't happen. Which is probably why I dreamed last night that the baby is going to be born weighing a whopping 12 pounds! LOL!

This week, I stepped up my exercise regimen even more. Last week, I spent an hour on the elliptical 5 days out of the week. This week, I have, so far, done 4 days at 80 minutes on the elliptical trainer, and tomorrow, I plan on doing at least an hour on it, and maybe another hour on Monday early in the day (my weigh-in is in the evening).

I am sticking to my calories for each day and trying to eat mostly healthy, so I really, really need to see a loss this week.

I think my biggest worry is that, once this baby arrives, I will still be working just as hard for minimal losses.

Tuesday 28 October 2008

Success!

I feel better now. I was able to get back on the elliptical crosstrainer and exercise for another 60 minutes. That gives me a total of 80 minutes (13.3 miles) on it today, which is 20 minutes longer than I was doing daily last week.

My stomach is still achey though.

Cramping!

Yikes! I tried to do my 60 to 65 minutes on the elliptical crosstrainer today and struggled painfully through a mere 20 minutes. I started cramping within the first couple of minutes, but instead of the cramp going away after a few minutes, it continued throughout the entire workout. It really, really hurt!

It could just be because I haven't had enough fluids today. It could be because I am pregnant, or I could have gotten the cramp because I'm coming down with the stomach virus my youngest three kids have been suffering with for most of the week. Or maybe it's just bad luck.

No matter what the cause, I am resting now, drinking water, and when the cramp goes away, I will get back on my elliptical and try again to get my workout completed. I don't feel right anymore when I don't get my exercise for the day.

Monday 27 October 2008

This Week's Weigh-In

Extra exercise was not enough to counteract the Chinese food I ate on Saturday. I went up half a pound at the weigh-in. However, I am due to give birth in 3 weeks and 4 days, so a half pound gain this week is not as horrifying as it would otherwise be. I am certain I will lose at least one more pound before this baby arrives. I will just keep working at it.

And I'm still down a total of 41 pounds.

No giving up!

Cooking for Slimming World Meeting

Today is another day at Slimming World where everyone is supposed to bring a low-fat or low-syn dish to share. Last time, I made a cheesecake, and everyone liked it, so this time, I made a chocolate cheesecake. Robert made two things. He made a vegetarian pizza and a Spinach and Herb Fritatta. I will share the recipes with photos of the dishes later, once we've had a chance to try them and see if they are any good. The chocolate cheesecake was made with the same recipe I used for the last cheesecake, but instead of adding a teaspoon of cinnamon, I added three tablespoons of Hershey's Cocoa Powder. I won't know if that was the right amount or how good or bad it tastes until the meeting when I get a chance to try it.

Sunday 26 October 2008

Is Exercise Enough?

I have had an okay week. Lots of my kids have fallen ill with this stomach virus that is going around, and I've had a lot of sleepless nights taking care of them. Being tired has made me feel more likely to munch on stuff that's unhealthy. I've given in a little bit, but I've also upped my exercise to compensate.

We had Chinese last night. Will the extra exercise be enough to counteract the extra calories and fat? Barring me falling ill, I will find out tomorrow at my Slimming World meeting.

Thursday 23 October 2008

Not Giving Myself Any Excuses

I have trouble believing it too! LOL!

I was up all night with my 3 year old Isabella last night. She woke up crying at ten minutes to 1:00am because she'd thrown up all over herself and her bed. I showered her, changed her clothes and rinsed all of the bedding and clothing in the shower while Robert put new sheets on her bed and found her another blanket.

20 minutes later we went through it all again, depsite having given her a bowl. She used the bowl, but then said she was done and threw up more while I took the bowl to rinse out.

So, prepared with TWO bowls, we put her back to bed. After she threw up 15 minutes and 20 minutes apart again, I went downstairs with her and cuddled with her on the couch. By this time, she was mostly dry-heaving with a bit of bile at the end.

I was up with her all night. She went back into her bed at 7:00am this morning, and threw up again at 8:15am, which was the longest stretch she has gone between bouts. I am hoping she sleeps even longer this time before being hit by it again. Or better yet, doesn't get sick again. Poor, poor Bella!

But, I'm mentioning all of this to point out that I am exhausted and the fatty, sugary foods are really calling to me! I have even considered not doing my work-out today because on top of my hips hurting, I am just so completely tired. But I told myself I would not allow any excuses, and I am not. So I will do my workout today, and I will avoid the sugary, bad-for-me food that is really calling to me right now. (Seriously, I am so tired and stressed, I just want to stuff my face! But I won't!)

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Why Lose Weight?

Sometimes, especially when motivation is lacking, it helps to make a list of the reasons why you want to lose weight.

For me, losing weight has many benefits. One big benefit is looking better. I really want to look better and be able to wear the styles of clothes I like. Right now, at my current weight, those styles are not very flattering.

Another benefit is health. Diabetes runs in my family, and being overweight makes it even more likely that I will end up with the same disease. Also, I don't like feeling out of breath when I do simple things. I suffer from back pain regularly, and carrying around the extra weight makes it worse. I used to suffer from plantar fasciitis (painful, inflamed heels). It made it painful for me to stand or walk, and I hobbled around as if I was arthritic. That has already gone away just since losing the little bit of extra weight that I already have.

In my last two pregnancies, I developed high blood pressure. Both times it became dangerous and with one of those pregnancies, it became life-threatening. So far, in this pregnancy, my blood pressure has remained low. In fact, it is even better than it usually is when I'm not pregnant! Seeing the obstetrician and midwife yesterday was a good thing as I heard from them how good I have been doing to lose all of this weight and in keeping my blood pressure down.

Yet another benefit is energy. I have teenagers and small children. For the small children, a lot of energy is required. I have found that I do not have as much energy in dealing with them as I had when my teenagers were small. But when my teenagers were small, I was ten years younger and weighed almost 100 pounds less than I do now. My age might have something to do with having less energy, but I am more inclined to see it as caused by my weight. Being overweight, not exercising and eating unhealthy, high carb and high fat foods is known for making people feel sluggish and tired.

Another benefit is sleep. Since starting to exercise regularly, I sleep better. Getting better sleep helps me in so many weighs. I have more patience with my kids, I crave less sweet, sugary food and I have more energy.

Another big benefit is self esteem. My self esteem is better when I am thinner, and even before getting to my goal weight, just knowing that I am able to do this, that I am able to lose the weight and overcome many obstacles in order to do so, helps my self esteem.

There's also the benefit of being a good and healthy example for my children. I really do not want them to struggle with their weight the way I have. I want them to see that exercise is a good thing and that eating healthy is so much more enjoyable and desireable than eating sweets and other junk.

Gaining control. That's another benefit. My eating can and has in the past been out of control. I would occassionally binge eat, and I always felt badly after doing so, but never felt like I could stop myself. There were days when I would make up a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough and, instead of baking cookies for the family, I would eat the whole batch of cookie dough! I was completely out of control! But now, I wouldn't dream of doing that. I am able to control my cravings, to an extent, and in so doing, have taken control of my eating habits. In taking control of my eating habits, I am helping to show myself that I am just as capable of taking control in other areas of my life.

The list of benefits to losing weight can go on from here. There are so many reasons to lose the excess weight and so few reasons to keep it. Why not make your own list?

Monday 20 October 2008

Another Weight Loss

I lost another 1/2 pound. It's not much, but at this stage of pregnancy (4.5 weeks to go), I'll take it! I'm now down 41.5 pounds total.

Here in the UK, they measure a person's weight in "stone." One stone equals 14 pounds. So I had only one more pound to lose to reach 3 stone lost (42 pounds), and I made that my next mini goal. I really thought I had reached it this week, but I only dropped the 1/2 pound, so I still have 1/2 pound to go.

I worked so hard at it that it gets frustrating to see the weight coming off so slowly, even though, rationally, I know the baby's growth inside me is why it's coming off so slowly. I still feel like I should be seeing bigger losses.

Sunday 19 October 2008

Weigh-in Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my weigh-in. I've been eating well and exercising, so I should lose some weight, even if it's only a little bit. I've been craving sweets lately though. It's been a real struggle not to stuff my face with food that is bad for me. I'm not sure what is causing the cravings.

Still, I should be down at least another pound at tomorrrow's weigh-in. And because my husband has already reached his ideal weight, we are taking the whole family out on Friday to a favorite restaurant of ours to celebrate our weight loss. I feel fairly confident that I will be able to choose a healthy menu there, despite the naughty cravings I have been having.

Saturday 18 October 2008

Will It Be Enough?

I spent around 60 minutes (10.6 miles) on the elliptical crosstrainer for 5 days of this week, but the pain in my hip is getting to be too much for me, so I'm taking the weekend off from exercising.

I have eaten healthy and low-cal all week, and all I need to lose to hit my next mini goal is 1 pound.

I weigh-in in two days. Will my efforts this week be enough? I guess we'll all find out on Monday!

Friday 17 October 2008

Pain but Getting On With It

My hips and pelvic area, due to the pregancy, are in so much pain! Yesterday and today, I could barely walk! I still managed to do my workout today, but, for a while, it looked like I would have to forego it. My pace on the elliptical machine was much slower than usual, and in the beginning, I felt like crying. I had shooting pain in my hip with every movement. But I managed to do 65 minutes and 10.6 miles.

I am determined to keep this up, despite obstacles.

Thursday 16 October 2008

Sick

I've finally caught one of the many viruses that have been sweeping through the population here. I have a stuffy nose and a scratchy throat, and I am so very tired! Still, I managed to spend an hour on the elliptical crosstrainer yesterday despite feeling like rubbish, and I will do the same today, regardless of how poorly I feel. I had no voice when I woke up this morning, but it has partly returned now, though I am very rough-sounding at the moment. I am beginning to cough. I'll have to make sure not to push myself too hard while exercising today, but I can't let a little cold virus keep me from my dedication to getting myself as fit as I can be.

Tuesday 14 October 2008

A Loss Is Always Good, No Matter How Small

My weigh-in at Slimming World was last night. I lost a pound. I worked out extra hard this week, because I was hoping to lose 2 pounds, but it was only a pound. Still, a pound loss at this point in my pregnancy is still a good thing! I am down a total of 41 pounds so far!

I am trying so hard not to be disappointed with only losing 1 pound. The prior week, I lost 1.5 pounds, and I really wanted to lose 2 this week, so I upped my exercise and ate even better. I really thought I had managed to lose at least two this week. Everyone is telling me that I will probably see the results of last week's hard work this week. I hope so! Still, I am almost 35 weeks pregnant, so I have to keep reminding myself that the pregnancy has an effect on my weight loss.

My husband was only 4.5 pounds away from his ideal weight and final target weight. When he weighed in yesterday, he was down 8 POUNDS!!!! He's below his ideal weight now at 213.5 pounds and being 6'8" tall! I think that is an incredible amount to lose at this point in his weight loss, and I am so happy for him!!!

Monday 6 October 2008

20 Weeks Weight

I keep saying that I am happy to maintain my weight at this point in my pregnancy, but, so far, I still seem to be able to lose! I lost another 1.5 pounds this week for a total weight loss over 20 weeks of 40 pounds! Now of course, 42 pounds, which equals 3 stone in UK measurements, is looking tantalizingly close! I am over 33 weeks pregnant now too.

Loss this week: 1.5 pounds!!!
Total loss over 20 weeks: 40 pounds!!!!!!!

Quick Sweet Snack

Sometimes I am craving something sweet, and I really don't want anything high in calories. What I make is this:

Peel two green apples. (Any apple will do, but I prefer green.)
Core and slice thinly.
Put in a bowl.
Sprinkle cinnamon over apple slices.
Mix it up a bit.
Microwave, covered, for two minutes.
Cool and eat.

If you want it even sweeter, you can add a teaspoon of sweetener before microwaving, but it's sweet without any sweetener.

The Importance Of Mini Goals

I think that when you have a lot of weight to lose like I do, setting mini goals for yourself is an important thing to do to help with motivation. You might have days when you feel as though you'll never reach that big ultimate weight-loss goal, but if you have a mini goal set that you are almost at, it's easy to think, I can do it! And in this way, by achieving one mini goal at a time, you find yourself closer and closer to your ultimate goal.

And it's time to confess my actual weight. (I always try to avoid admitting what I weigh, but if you are to read about my mini goals, then you need to see my actual weight.)

Here are my mini goals (mine are all about weight, but they don't have to be. You could set mini goals for how easily you do a set of exercise moves or how far you walk each week or getting into different sized clothing; there are lots of other ways to measure your success):

May 12th Starting Weight: 272.5 (WOW! I hadn't realized just how big I was getting!)
June 16th: 1st mini goal - 257.5 - 1st stone lost - REACHED (257)
June 30th: 2nd mini goal - 252.5 - 1st 20 lbs. lost - REACHED (252)
July 28th : 3rd mini goal - 245 - 10% body weight lost - REACHED (244.5)
July 28th : 4th mini goal - 244.5 - 2nd stone lost - REACHED (244.5)
Aug. 18th : 5th mini goal - 240 - weight on wedding day - REACHED (238.5)
Sep. 29th : 6th mini goal - 234.5 - less than 100 pounds left to lose - REACHED (234)

: 7th mini goal - 230.5 - 3rd stone lost -
: 8th mini goal - 222.5 - 50 pounds lost -
: 9th mini goal - 220 - weight after Gabby's birth -
: 10th mini goal - 216.5 - 4th stone lost -
: 11th mini goal - 204 - 25% body weight lost
: 12th mini goal - 202.5 - 5th stone lost -
: 13th mini goal - 199.5 - ONEDERLAND!!!! -
: 14th mini goal - 190 - weight when met Robert -
: 15th mini goal - 188.5 - 6th stone lost -
: 16th mini goal - 177 - weight after Kayla's birth & 35% body weight lost -
: 17th mini goal - 174.5 - 7th stone lost -
: 18th mini goal - 172.5 - 100 pounds lost!!! -
: 19th mini goal - 166 - weight after Angelica's birth
: 20th mini goal - 160.5 - 8th stone lost -
: 21st mini goal - 155 - weight after Victoria's birth
: 22nd mini goal - 148 - high weight in high school
: 23rd mini goal - 146.5 - 9th stone lost -
: 24th mini goal - 140 - average weight in high school -
: 25th mini goal - 136.25 - 50% body weight lost
: GOAL WEIGHT - 135 (9 stone 11.5 lbs.) - healthy BMI of 24.7 -

(1 stone is an English way of measuring a person's weight and it is equal to 14 pounds.)

Only 3.5 pounds to my next mini goal! and I am over 33 weeks pregnant right now, so I still have all of this baby weight to lose with the birth too! (I also have another weigh-in tonight and am hoping to have lost another pound or two.)

If I look at how far I still have to go to reach my ultimate weight loss goal, I would probably feel overwhelmed and discouraged by the sheer enormity of how much I still have to lose. But by taking my weight loss one tiny step at a time and having small, easily-reachable goals, I feel successful each step of the way! I know I can make it to my next mini goal, so it's easy to stay motivated.

Robert told me yesterday that he has trouble believing I have as much weight to lose as I say I do, because, to him, I don't look like I need to lose 99 pounds still. I'm glad he feels that way and sees me that way, but this weight loss is about getting my body into a healthy BMI, and that means I still have 99 pounds to go. *sigh*

But I will be looking better and better along the way, even way before I reach my ultimate weight loss goal!

Sunday 5 October 2008

A Good Day

Today was a good day, and by "good," I mean "healthy." I ate within my calorie range and ate lots of fruit and vegetables. I exercised for 51 minutes (9 miles) on the elliptical crosstrainer in the morning, and then went back on it in the evening for another 21 minutes (3.7 miles).

And best of all, because I know I was taking care of myself today, I feel good about it!

Saturday 4 October 2008

Regular Soda is a No-No!!!

Since I've been dieting, I've been drinking diet sodas. I know that it would be healthier not to have soda at all, but I really like it and am just not ready to give it up yet.

Unfortunately today, my husband found some regular Dr. Pepper cans on sale and bought them. He figured it wouldn't hurt just this once. Well, I had a can at lunch and another at dinner. Then at the end of the day, I figured out my calories for the whole day, and they came to 1,715.5! I have been really good about never going above 1,500 calories for each day, so that number looks huge to me! If I took away the calories from the two cans of Dr. Pepper (137 calories per can), my calories would have been only 1,441.5.

The sad part of it is that I didn't really even enjoy the Dr. Pepper that much. It tastes a bit too sweet for me now. I am really kicking myself for having those two cans of soda. *sigh*

Friday 3 October 2008

Birthday Cake and Exercise Obsession

I have been upping my exercise this week, and getting depressed if I think I might not get to it. I feel good when I exercise, but I don't want to feel bad if, for some reason, I have to miss a day of exercise. I have already gone from doing 30 minutes a day for four to five days a week on my elliptical crosstrainer to doing 45 minutes to an hour a day for 5 to 6 days a week.

Today, I have decided NOT to exercise. I even let myself have a piece of chocolate birthday cake in celebration of my daughter's 6th birthday today. (It was really yummy!) I managed to stay within my daily calorie range despite having the cake.

I had a lot of walking that had to be done today, so my day wasn't completely devoid of exercise. And I find it refreshing to take this one day break from exercise. I do not want to be obsessive about my diet and exercise. Overall, I am still doing really well.

I think it is important for all of us to allow ourselves a little slack once in a while. Dare I say it is even healthy?

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Busy Day

Well, it was starting to look as if I wasn't going to find the time today to get my workout in. This morning I had an ultrasound at 10:30am. (The baby is doing fine and growing well. I have another ultrasound in 3 weeks.) Robert met me at the hospital from work, so after the ultrasound, we caught the bus into town and went to lunch (at Subway - I had the turkey breast sub on wheat with no cheese). Then I caught the bus home with my two youngest kids, and put them down for their naps. Five minutes after getting home, Robert showed up with Angelica (15 year old) in tow. She had thrown up at school. So I sent her up to bed with a bowl.

Robert took the puppy for a walk before leaving to go back to work.

Isabella (3 years old) had gone straight to sleep, but Connor (2 years old) kept climbing out of bed and refusing to go to sleep, so by the time 2:00pm rolled around, I gave up. Within about 15 minutes, he had grabbed a blanket, pillow and teddy bear and curled up on the couch and fell asleep. Once I was sure he was asleep, I realized that I only had 15 minutes before I had to leave to go pick up Gabby (5 year old) from school.

Because Bella and Connor were still asleep, I let Angelica know that I was leaving to get Gabby and walked the 2 blocks to her school and back. By the time we got back, the puppy had pooped in the back room. So, I cleaned up the mess and realized I still had dishes to do from the night before. I washed the dishes and it was already time to start making dinner, so I got dinner going.

Isabella and Connor woke up and they were hungry already, so I made them some scrambled eggs and beans and fed them. I had just enough time to go on the computer and check my e-mail, and then it was time to get dinner served up for the rest of the family.

I ate dinner, and realized that if I waited 30 minutes before doing my workout, Connor would already be in bed (it's in the same room as the elliptical crosstrainer). I decided he should stay up a little bit later tonight since he had such a late nap though.

I actually managed, despite all of this, to fit in 50 minutes on the elliptical crosstrainer! Kayla (14 year old) had been home from school since 4:00pm, and she agreed to keep an eye on Connor while I worked out, but she was doing homework at the same time. Fortunately, Connor spent the whole time I was working out just outside the safety gate to the room I was in singing and dancing along to the music I was playing.

And for the first ngiht in many, he went to sleep within minutes of being put to bed.

:)

Angelica is already feeling better, and Robert and Kayla took turns all evening taking the puppy for its walks.

So, despite being really busy and really tired and really achey in my hip from this pregnancy, and despite having to battle a stubborn toddler and deal with a sick daughter and puppy poop, today turned out to be a pretty good day.

LOL!