Now You Know What I Wear Under My Day Clothes, Lucky You

Guess what?  I got me some Spanx!

Yes, I purchased a Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Body Suit.  I will admit that I was very very excited waiting for it to come.  And it got here last week.  Or I should say it was at the gas station over the border waiting for me to pick it up since last week.  I've only had it in my actual possession since Tuesday.

I think that in my thoughts, or more like my dreams, I figured that the Spanx would change my life.  Not like drastically or anything, but I think I was hoping it would make me look at least a size smaller.  Because I've sort of given up on the diet thing for the last few weeks.  But that's a sob story to be told another day.

So this new body suit was to make me look and feel good.  And it actually does make a bit of a difference.  Just not the huge one I was hoping and crossing my fingers for.  So I was a little let down with the actual results.  And that just serves me right for being lazy and hoping Spanx could do what I wasn't willing to do (exercise).

I was actually going to take some pictures for you all to see of me in my glory.  Don't worry, I would be wearing clothes, not just Spanx!  But I just haven't gotten around to it so you'll have to wait with patience.

So the point tonight is that Spanx is great and helps smooth over you lines, but get off your lazy butt and just exercise once in awhile Erica and you would be happier and most likely a few pounds lighter too.  (That line was solely for myself so please don't think I'm yelling at you)

The Great Combo Post - Only 99¢

I have missed the last two Friday Weigh-In posts.  Just because I'm too lazy to do anything.  Not because I am giving up dieting or that I have binged so bad that I have gained 20 more pounds.  Actually, I am doing quite well and I am so very pleased with myself.  I have lost 10, count 'em 10, pounds since I started as of today!!!  That is a huge victory in my opinion.  There was a part of me that didn't think it was such a huge deal at first since this is actually 10 pounds that I have put on on top of what could be called pregnancy weight.  I have no little children to blame on this.

But that doesn't make it less important of celebration-dance worthy!  Now I am 163lb, and about 40 inches in the waist.  But I'm not confident on my waist measuring skills.  I know it should be easy, but I get different readings almost everytime.  Obviously I made the right choice in not becoming a tailor.

Abby started preschool this week.  She was supposed to start on Friday, but she woke up with a bad chest congestion.  On the first day of school!  Sick days aren't supposed to happen until at least October.  So I was slightly panicky because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to get ahold of the support worker.  But it all worked out, obviously.  I worry for nothing.  And I sent her on Monday, even though she was still a little stuffy.

She had a great time, from everything I can gather.  She isn't the easiest to understand, right, but she wasn't upset when I picked her up so that was a good indication.  And another miracle, was that she didn't throw a fit when we left!  She just let me put her shoes on, grabbed her backpack, and headed out the door with me.  I was amazed, and SO thankful.  That was my biggest worry, that she would have a huge tantrum because she didn't want to leave.

I am so glad that it all worked out.  Oh and something else that made me happy was that, totally by accident, I stumbled across a site of a Christian home schooling group that is in a nearby city.  They do enrolling or registering, and even if I enroll I still can pick our own curriculum, at least for the first 9 grades.  I just feel like it was God leading me because I never found anything about them before or even heard about them here.  But I think that they are what I was looking for.  There is a home group here in town, but they aren't Christian based.  Not necessarily a big issue, but if I had to choose, it's always nice to have people who are on the same page as I am.

So this is my sort of catch-up topics that I've thought about for the last week.  All in one convienent place.

The Day of Accountability has Come!

Summary of my week:

• I can't remember past Sunday, but I know I had a bad give in day (it might have been last Friday after I posted! Oops!)
• Sunday we went down to the lake in the US and afterwards went to Pizza Hut.  I totally don't like Pizza Hut.  I went at least 200 calories over my limit that day, and I completely blame the gross and greasy bread sticks.  Why on earth did we order them?!
• Because of poor eating I had gained a couple pounds.  I don't know how it happens so fast!  Frustrating, to say the least.  I was now 175 lbs.  
• The rest of this week, especially the last three days, has been Great (totally with a capital G).  I had a couple days of over my limit, but only by 60ish calories.  These last few days I have been at the end of the day with over a hundred cals left.  And last night I didn't even use them up with ice cream.  (Ok, so I like ice cream, but don't love it so it's not super hard to turn down)

So because of this I am now 172 lbs.  I think.  We have one of those scales with a needle, and it's kind of hard to read exactly where it is.  But I'm going for 172! My waist is I think 40.5 ish, maybe even 40.  But I think that it isn't due to drastic weight lose, but simply just bad measurments.  Who knows.  I'm not too particular.  So that is my week.  I am still feeling very motivated about it, even that I am starting to think about exercise.  But just thinking!

And Again (AGAIN!!!) with the Dieting

I know that I haven't posted tons on my weight loss journey, but I think that's because I feel like I have the same thing to say EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Nothing seems to change, least of all my waistline.  But I am going to try posting something once a week, probably a Friday, to maybe keep myself a little more accountable.  Because there is maybe nothing more embarassing than posting your weight online for the world to see and having it constantly go up (well, actually, there are maybe a few more things embarrassing than that but still).

I am still using My Fitness Pal, and these last two days have been good.  I have two friends that have used this to count their calories and both have lost over 50 lbs each!  If they can do it, so can I!  Right? 

I have also figured out that just using a calorie counter doesn't actually make you lose weight.  Weird, I know.  You actually have to not eat over your calories and also eat better.  Who would have thought.  And that is my trouble.  But I do feel more determined this time (yeah, I know, I said that LAST time). 

So, I guess I will dish out my information, just to keep it all out there, no turning back, ok, here it is, just wait for it...

I am currently 173 lbs.  Darn, I was hoping that the smallest font was smaller than that!  Well, no point in using it anymore I guess.  

My waist is 41.5ish inches, though it is closer to 41, but I thought I should be fair and give it to the higher length.  Plus once I lose inches it will look like I lost more, wink wink.

My hips are 43.5.  

So now you know.  This is my body for now, but I hope to improve!  If you think of me ever, say a quick prayer that I am not eating anything chocolate at that time!

And...Again With the Dieting

I haven't written about weight-loss of dieting for a bit now.  There is a very good (or I suppose bad) reason for that.  I haven't been sticking with it at all.  In fact, after my last post, in January I think, about counting calories, I gained weight.  So much for that!

But now I am sort-of on track again, with what feels like more motivation than I had before.  No, motivation isn't the right word, since I've always had the same motives to move me.  More like, determination.  Yes, determination is the word.  I am determined to lose this weight because I am just sick, sick, SICK to death of being overweight.  I am losing most, if not all, self-respect that I ever had for myself, and I didn't have much to begin with anyways!

I am using the online tool My Fitness Pal to track my calories.  I inputed my current weight and what my ideal weight would be and it gave me a daily total number of calories that I am allowed to eat.  I can keep a food diary online, so that it keeps track of how many calories I am eating and (more importantly) how many I have left for the day.

Most of the foods I love, are super-high in calories.  Bummer.  But I am really trying to stick with it.  I did go over my daily "allotment" yesterday, but who can say no to cheesy double baked stuffed potatoes?  Well, maybe you can, but yesterday I couldn't.  Today I only had one though.  So that is a miracle in itself since I looooooooove potatoes.  Always have.

I am finding that by disciplining myself to enter my food online and see how much I am actually eating, it is helping me to say no when I want to snack or eat more.  I am really realizing that I am a bored eater.  I eat, just because I have "nothing better to do."  Though that is a lie because I have a whole house full of better things to do than eat some more crackers.  (Funny thing, it is crackers, not sweets, that are my weakness.)  I have also decided that I will try to post more on here, in an effort to keep myself honest.  Because I hate having to admit to anyone, even online people I've never met, that I have once again failed.

Oh, and I am trying to exercise more.  Wait, I should rephrase that.  I am thinking about exercising more.  I am planning to go for a walk everyday.  But so far I only went for a walk on Tuesday this week.  But I have been sick so I'm giving myself a break.  I figure that walking will be a good calorie burner for me since I am pushing Abby in the stroller and carrying Leigh in a toddler backpack.  And if the info I looked up about backpacking is right, that's a very excellent calorie burner.  Plus I live around hills.  Even the "level" streets aren't actually level, they are subtle hills. 

So that's where I am. 

Back on the Dieting Wagon

I have been on and off of the dieting wagon for the past...well probably since I have had my first daughter, 3 1/2 years ago, but mostly since October.  I have to honestly say that before that I think I was just waiting for the pounds to drop off by themselves.  Lame, I know.  I don't seem to have an kind of stick-to-it-iveness.  I quit the Atkins diet because it was costing me too much in meat.  I am now just plain counting my calories, while trying to make sure that I eat the good calories and don't waste my calories on the bad (but oh-so-good-tasting) foods.

I have been doing the calorie counting for at least a month now, but haven't lost weight because I will count every food for about 3 days, and then I stop.  Then I start again after a few more days.  Back and forth, back and forth!  So maddening!  Sometimes I feel like it mirrors my relationship with God.  I will keep focussed on Him for a few days and then stop.  Back and forth, back and forth.  Hopefully I can stop both of these issues! 

I feel like I have been given a refreshing from God, so hopefully I keep with it, and don't get discouraged again.  We'll see.

I Have Decided and It Will Begin in the Morning

I have needed a big kick in the butt to start losing weight, and tomorrow morning I am self-administering that kickstart.  I have wavered with tons of indecision and been tossed between this diet or that one.  I debated Weight Watchers, Weighdown, the Special K diet, Atkins, low-fat diets, and possibly all other ones.  And this indecision has caused me to not stick with anything, and therefore to not lose any weight.

Well no longer.  I have decided that I just have to pick something and run with it.  So tomorrow I start running (figuratively) with the Atkin's Diet.  I didn't pick it because it would be the easiest for me; far from that, actually, it will probably be the hardest one for me.  Cutting out carbs, since a LOT of food that I like (or love) come into that list.  But it seems like a good fit to me.  When I think of it, I think that this is where I am hung up, with carbs.  So I am bravely attempting it.

I will (again) start attending the deep water aqua fit class.  I have been to classes before, and I enjoy the workout I get.  I feel invigorated and happy at the end.  I will try to take up walking more again with the girls, but since winter is approaching that probably won't last long.  So I will keep updating on how it goes, and hopefully I will have something to show for it (or rather a loss of something).

Challenges

While pregnant with my first daughter I gained about 50 lbs.  (Yikes, that sounds huge!)  After her birth I only dropped down 30 of those pounds (mostly from the initial birthing of her, about 10ish afterwards) before I became pregnant with my second daughter.  I didn't gain as many pounds with Leigh, even though I surpassed my top weight from Abby's pregnancy.  I gained about 30ish lbs.  So all of this has combined to create a scenario in which I am about 30-35 lbs heavier than I was pre-pregnancy. 

So I have been trying to lose weight.  For the last 9 months.  And do you know what my sucess is?  I'm in the negative.  I have gained more weight.  Pathetic.  I had actually come down about 8ish lbs, and was maintaining there, but over the summer I totally gained it all back!  I can't believe it, isn't summer when people are supposed to be the most active?  But I became less active since my activities like Biblestudy and stuff were shut down over the summer, so I didn't have anywhere specific to walk every week, so I just didn't walk as much.  That definately didn't help.  Neither did the fact that I acted like I was on eating vacation, just kept eating without caring.

Throughout this whole time that I have been trying to lose this weight, I haven't done any actual diet programs like Weight Watchers, etc.  I have just tried to limit my portions, not eat sweets and junk, with the occasionaly exercise evening thrown in there.  It obviously hasn't been working.  My friend did this for a month and lost around 15 lbs!  I felt quite upset at my body for not being like that.  But I know that it isn't totally my body's fault.  I haven't stuck with my 'rules' long enough for it to have any effect.

Therefore I have decided that I need to try some kind of 'diet' plan.  I browsed through the Weight Watchers website, and seriously considered signing up for the online plan since I am not always free to go to meetings in the evenings.  But I have a hard time justifying spending $30 a month.  We are not exactly rolling in the dough at the moment.  But it would be worth it if I lost the weight right?

So I looked into the Special K Challenge, and right now I am seriously leaning towards this.  My reasoning is this: I am an admitted picky eater.  I have gotten much better over the years, especially since I married my husband and had to cook things that he would like, but there is still quite a bit that I just don't like.  Most of the food that I would get with a diet service I would probably not like, or not like as much.  So if I'm not going to be able to eat what I want to, I would rather have a strict plan involving specific food items, such as the Special K challenge, with the protein meal bars and drinks and cereal and such. 

I know that I can discipline myself.  I have fasted before, so it is possible.  But it seems almost impossible for me to curb my eating by myself.  I am getting very frustrated and depressed that all my efforts continually fail.  So I am looking for some good plans that will work.