Weighty Issues: Check-In

So it has been just over two weeks since I restarted my goal of losing weight and getting healthy.

So how am I doing?!

Pretty good, I think :)

So why just "pretty good"?  Well, as those of you who are also trying to lose weight know, this process isn't easy. It is about changing your lifestyle, a lifestyle you may have kept for some time.  It is about seeing food differently and taking the time to plan what you are going to eat and being aware of what you are putting into your body.  I am learning, becoming more aware, and searching out alternatives that are both healthy but still fulfilling.  It is a process, but I am trying my best to really work at this!  Sure, it is not easy....like when your son and husband are eating a giant chocolate chip cookie and you are not (oh, the humanity!!), but I have had plenty of chocolate chip cookies...infact that is why I am here!!

I think my main goal, especially these first few months, is to just develop healthier habits.

So here is what I have been doing:

Counting calories.

I am using My Fitness Pal (which I have used previously and love) to count my calories and I have to say I am doing pretty good!  Yes, I have my days where I go over, but as I set me weekly weight loss at 2lbs a week, I do have some wiggle room.  But for the most part I have been under!!

Because of that, when I weighed myself Sunday, I had lost 3.6 pounds in 2 weeks!!

Woohoo!  It is something!!!

I am pretty proud of that and feel encouraged to keep going!

The only day I don't count my calories is Sunday, but I still watch what I eat and think I am within my count.

I have also got on a schedule of food.  Coffee and oatmeal in the morning, a salad with lean meat or a healthy choice meal for lunch, and then usually a snack like goldfish and or grapes in the afternoon.  I try to save half of my calories for the evening as 1. I usually have something more than a salad for dinner and need the extra calories and 2. I am a late night eater. ugh   So my new late night "go to" snack has been a cup of cereal and some milk.  It satisfies that need for a snack without blowing my calories on things like chips, crackers, or sweets!

Progress.

As for working out, well there has been very little of that.  Mainly because I have been fighting off a cold for 2 weeks now and Henry has been sick as well.  I am still sick, but hoping in the next week I will be able to breathe better and start working out.  When you count your calories, the extra calories you get from working out are major motivators and a huge bonus!!!  Plus, I need to work out.  Even though I don't love it, I think it will be good for me physically and mentally.

I will check in again in a couple weeks and hopefully I have some more positive status updates!

So how are YOU doing?!

Finding Time to Work Out & New Poll

One of the hardest things for me is finding time to work out.  I already HATE working out, even if I do feel good after I do it.  But during the workout, I hate every minute of it and therefore finding time to squeeze in a workout is not high on my list of things to do.....hence this blog!

I no longer seem to have the option to work out ever day and hate it at the most ideal time for ME (after work) because a 35", 28lb little guy of pure cuteness wants my undivided attention.....and I am most happy to oblige!  Plus, being home alone with him most evenings while Terry works means I am limited on what I can do.

My options are waking up at 5:45 am, working out at 9:30 pm after Henry goes to bed and the house is cleaned up, or working out over my lunch break......but I don’t think my co-workers would appreciate that last one.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, I am hoping to take a walk in the evening after work which is the ideal time.  Of course, that means Henry comes with me and keeping him in his stroller for the length of the walk is near impossible.  So the walk is not as intense as what it would be if I was by myself, but it is still something.

I am thinking that my only option if I really want to lose weight is that I am going to have to suck it up and wake up early....GAH!  I guess you always have to give up something (aka sleep in this case) to fit in everything you want need to do.

(....or am I?!?!)

So when do you work out?  What work outs do you do?

Feel free to leave comments and take part in the poll on the side!

Back Story and New Beginnings.

I am re-posting my first post for those who are new to this blog to see where I am coming from and what I want to accomplish with this blog and weight loss.  I have found that by sharing it makes it easier and part of my problem has been and is that I feel I am alone in regards to this subject matter. 

I have also added a new part at the end since this was originally posted in 2010 and a lot changes in a few years!

So here are MY weighty Issues.

From January 2010:  

So I started this blog in 2009 to keep as a private journal in an attempt to track my feelings, thoughts and progress as I lose weight. However as I encountered my own continued frustrations with attempting to lose weight I never really felt inspiration to blog, especially when there was no positive result. I am actually a pretty introverted person and do not like opening up to too many people, especially regarding something as personal as my weight. I have always been embarrassed about it and a bit apprehensive to really talk about it. But that has all changed now! I have lost 28 pounds since last August 2009 and want to lose more by my 30th birthday on April 22. Because of this progress and the encouragement to lose more I feel now, more than ever, it is important for me to put myself out there as I attempt to lose weight.

Ever since I can remember I have struggled with my weight and have been trying to reach that point where I am both happy and healthy in regards to my weight. I have had many issues with my weight over the years and it has been a constant struggle. From lacking self-confidence because I was overweight and therefore having a lot of social awkwardness/anxiety which thus resulted in me being a loner throughout high school.  To being thrown into a very social setting and losing over 75 pounds in less than a year because I ate very little my first year in college and lost it way too quickly that I was ill-equipped mentally to handle the sudden weight loss.  To finally putting myself out there and developing the confidence in myself while also slowly putting the weight back on over many years.  To now being happy with the person I have become but extremely unhappy with my weight and ready to make a permanent and HEALTHY change. 

I have yet to find a balance with just being healthy in regards to my weight and happy with who I am. It may sound silly to people who have not had serious problems with their weight over a long period of time but it can be hard to get through the mental part of losing weight. When I had lost all my weight in college, I still unfortunately saw myself as the girl before I lost the weight. I was so use to seeing just the weight and “that” person who was overweight that I could not shake that image from my head. Looking back at pictures I realize how thin I was, but at the time I truly only saw the distorted image of a girl that I had seen my entire life.

During that time I also developed many unhealthy habits like just not eating or eating the wrong foods. As I began to find out who I was and gain more confidence through the support of my family and now husband I started feeling more comfortable in my body and with people around me and started socializing more and opening myself up to new relationships with people…however I began to feel too comfortable. I was in a great relationship with T., graduated from college, had a job, had some new friendships in my life and as a result started slacking in taking care of myself due to changes in my eating habits and limited working out.

Now, as my 30th birthday approaches I know I need to make a change for myself and focus on what is good for me and I feel that it is the best time for me to make this permanent lifestyle change. I have an amazing husband, a wonderful family, a fantastic sister, caring friends, a comfortable home, a steady job but what is missing is a positive body image. I feel as I transition into this new phase in my life, I really need to take the time to become healthy in the truest form. T & I both need to eat better and work out even if it is just a little bit every day. I don’t want to have problems that are associated with being overweight for a long period of time, I also want to be healthy when I get pregnant, and I want to be a role model for my kids in every way possible. Now by no means do I think to be a good role model means I need to be “thin”, infact that is the complete opposite of what I mean as I feel a good role model is someone is comfortable with who they are, I just feel no matter how much or how little weight I lose I want to be healthy and also feel better about myself. I feel that I need to resolve any negative issues I have with my weight & body image as I would hate to project any of that on my future children. This mental “demon” has been following me around for way too long and I need to get rid of it.

Enter…this blog.

Today April 1, 2013:

By the end of 2010 I was still working to lose weight and I had managed to lose 55lbs over the year and keep it off.  Then, January 2011 our lives would change forever when I found out I was pregnant!!  Weight loss was put on hold and just making sure I didn’t gain too much weight during the pregnancy was key.  I gained about 25lbs during my pregnancy and ate well but did have some indulgences.  Then within a couple months of having Henry most of that weight had come off without changing my diet or working out….though not exactly in all the areas I had hoped.  Hello jelly belly.

I pumped until about 7 months or so and during that time, while I was pumping, I ate what I wanted and while I didn’t lose a lot of weight I didn’t gain weight either.  Continue bad habits.  This was probably the worst thing for me, because during both the pregnancy and while pumping my eating habits changed and I got into bad habits, habits that I had tried to break previously.  All of a sudden I wanted sweets every day, which I never wanted before being pregnant.  I started snacking more.  We were eating later once Henry was born and not cooking as much and eating take-out.  I wasn’t working out at all.  And these habits that I had tried to break in 2010 slowly started coming back over the next year and half.   However, I didn’t gain much weight during the pregnancy and none while breastfeeding….so I just didn’t think about it.  I really didn’t think about much of anything that had to do with myself and how I felt.

Of course I have tons of “excuses” for not taking care of myself after Henry was born.  “I didn’t have time because Henry took up so much of my time.  T & I are on such different schedules that I am alone and can’t find time to eat healthy and workout.  We can’t afford to eat healthy.  I work during the day.  I had to pump.”  Blah blah blah….   The only real excuse is that I had a rough first year after Henry was born and didn’t focus on MYSELF at all and ignored the signs that I may have some postpartum issues.  Because of that I found comfort in food, which is the worst thing you can do.

During this time I didn’t see myself as I was and saw this other person.  I think subconsciously I sabotage my weight loss.  It is weird because even though I DO NOT want to be overweight, there is also comfort in it.  Meaning, I have been that way nearly my entire life.  I am use to seeing my body that way.  I am use to thinking how people see me and what they say about me due to being heavy.  Sure, it may be all stuff I make up in my head, but I have accepted it.  I am not use to being thin.  I am not use to seeing myself that way and whenever I do lose weight, even though I am proud of it, I am also uncomfortable in my new, slimmer body.

Today my goal is to be healthy. 

Plain and simple.

While I will track my progress, the end numbers will not be what determines success or failure.

And while Terry and I make sure Henry eats very healthfully and is active, I want my son to be healthy and active not because we make him but because he is following my husband and my lead.  I do not want to project my own body image issues on him as he gets older, nor do I want him to see me angry or avoid doing things because of the way I look. 

I want to be in pictures with my family and not avoid them because of the way I look, I want to run with him, I want to take him to a water park and not sit on the side because I am embarrassed to be seen, I want to climb on the jungle gym with him without worrying if I am too big, I just want to be happy with the way I look and not even THINK about my weight.

I want to do this for him as well as for myself.

I have my motivation and what a motivation it is!!

So lets do this thang.....again.

Are you looking to get healthy?  Please feel free to share!

Commence Diet Sabotage with Halloween Candy in Three…Two…..Wait. What, I do not HAVE To Sabotage My Diet?!

(It says: what a pimp!  HAHA!)

(And the longest post title award goes to…ME!)

So this weekend, or maybe already, we will be diving into those mini sweet treats that Halloween time is known for.  Yes candy will, or is, in full force right now!  Bite-sized candy bars, candy corn, caramel apples, cookies, caramel popcorn, cupcakes, pumpkin bread….really the list could go on and on (and on).

So what is a person to do during this time to stick to their diets, or at least avoid overindulging, when sweets are everywhere?  Well here are some tips that I have found and thought of to help us all during this time of year!!!

Allow yourself a couple sweet treats. I know, GASP!  I feel like when we deprive ourselves, we end up splurging later on.  A bite-sized candy bar is about 75-100 calories.  If you have one or two throughout the day, it is NOT going to destroy your diet…plus you will not feel deprived.  Try to avoid eating too many items, like cookies or candy mixes, that you do not know the calories on as it is good to keep those numbers in the back of your mind so you do not over eat.

Stick to your healthy diet as much as possible. Don’t think that just because you may have a couple sweet treats, that means you have to blow your diet altogether!  Eat healthy lunches & dinners consisting of lots of veggies, lean meats, high fiber grains, and fruits. Reward yourself with a couple sweet treats.  And try to eat a very well-balanced meal before digging into the candy…to avoid overeating the candy.

Make a candy cut off time.  I know I need to do this.  You are watching TV and see the candies sitting out at 9 at night and then watchout….wrappers are a flying! However, pick a time after dinner and dessert are done and PUT THE CANDY AWAY.  Preferably some place up high.  Put it in the cabinet above the fridge or somewhere that is not in eye site when you are looking for an evening snack. It may not stop you, but it will make it a bit harder to get too and gives you more time to think if you really should have it.

Don’t be tempted at work!  This is the hardest place.  It is 3pm, you are tired and sluggish and ready for a treat.  If your office is like mine, there are plenty of treats available….which is awful when you are on a diet.  Bring other snacks with you to help during that time.  Or maybe try drinking a low-sugar hot chocolate during that time to give you a bit of a chocolate kick.  Try to avoid eating the treats at work, it is SO easy to eat more than what you want!

Try to do a little extra exercise during this time.  Take a quick walk around the neighborhood in the nice brisk October air.  If you are too busy to workout, park in the farthest spots when you run errands or use stairs when possible.  By working out just a little bit more, it will help to burn any of those extra calories from the candy!

Keep count and/or limit your intake.  None of us want to keep count of all the fallen wrappers from throughout the day.  But doing so keeps us accountable for what we have eaten.  Set a limit at the beginning of the day and put those candies aside.  When they are gone…then they are GONE!  No sneaking any more.

Buy some candy you don’t like.  When we go to the store we buy all the candy we like and then we eat it.  But if you mix it in with candy you are not fond of then when the “good” candy is gone you will not snack anymore.

Try other lighter sweet treat option!  Just look around the interweb for some tasty and healthy sweet alternatives to have in your house.  Examples: Pop up some healthy popcorn or air-popped popcorn.  Sprinkle with no-calorie butter powder, toss with some no calorie sugar (splenda) and add some cinnamon.  This is a healthy snack for when you are craving both the sweet and salty!  Or how about a few toasted marshmallows! They are a low calorie snack that will fill you up!  And finally, apples with a light caramel dip….really, this is just delicious.  Especially this time of year!


Good luck!!

I’m Back….And So Are Some of My Bad Habits

Oh hello folks! I am sorry for my disappearance, but in case you forgot me my name is Jenn and I have this here weight loss blog.


So you may be asking:
Where have you been?
Did you forget about us?
How is the diet & weight loss going?
Are you ever going to write a real post on this blog again?

And to that I say:
Around but life just got in the way.
No I did NOT forget about you, how could I!
Um….Diet?!
Of course….starting right now.


So first, my deepest apologies for being away. To recap, I kind of took a few weeks off (not intentionally, it just happened) as I had a lot going on between work, family, and friends around and to be honest I just have not been in the mood (but more on that in a later post). I have not been on a strict diet unless coldstone creamery cupcakes, red velvet birthday cake, pizza, and Chinese are currently items in the latest fad diet. Seriously are they, because I would ROCK that diet. And though I have not lost any weight, I have also only fluctuated about ½ a pound in the last 3 weeks which is exciting to me as that means any weight I did lose on the diet was infact permanent weight loss! YAY A fear of mine with these “fad” diets is that you lose a lot of weight and gain it back as soon as you are done. So no weight gain = true weight loss!

Also, even though I did indulge a bit over the last few weeks I did make sure to monitor what I ate and not go crazy with my food portions. YES, I did have birthday cake but only on a couple days the past few weeks. I invited many people over to eat all our sweets in the house so they would not be in the house to tempt me. A couple pieces over 3 weeks is most definitely OK, especially since it is not something I regularly eat. Plus, I have taken tips from my previous diet when it comes to eating out. For instance, when I would have Chinese I would order brown rice and no sauce. And when I order pizza I also order a veggie salad with no or low-fat dressing and eat all of that and then have a slice or so of pizza, which is way better than just filling up on pizza! So basically I have been trying to just incorporate small lifestyle changes into my everyday life, and it is working pretty well and will be good when it comes to maintaining my final weight loss in the future.

So now that I am back to blogging, what am I going to do with weight loss? Well for starters, back to my diet and weight loss programs. Surprisingly, the past few weeks were a nice little break but I did feel sluggish and ready to get back on some sort of schedule and program when it comes to eating and working out. For me personally, accountability is KEY. Just saying “oh I will workout sometime this week whenever I have time” does not push me to workout. I need to have a schedule and know that these are the days I will be working out, no questions and no changes. I also love having a diet to fall back on. It is much easier to know what I will be eating and in what amounts for the week instead of just playing it by ear and leaving opportunities to take the easy way out and eat a bowl of Ramen noodles instead of chicken breast and a salad. I also finding having this blog forces me to stay on track, and when I am not keeping up on my progress I can easily fall back into my bad habits.

So let’s talk about that little diet killer…our Bad Habits!

I have to say one of the hardest things about any weight loss program is falling back in to your old/bad habits. During my little diet sabbatical if I did nothing else I really wanted to continue exercising. Over the past few months I have made great progress in working out regularly and didn’t want to just throw all that progress away. But with absolutely no program and just kind of doing what I wanted it was very easy to fall back into my old habit of just coming home and watching TV instead of working out. Sure I worked out some days when I FELT LIKE IT, but it wasn’t every day. And with no real diet in place it didn’t take long before having a little snack in the evening while watching TV became a more regular occurrence. I know these bad habits, even after all my weight loss, are going to be the things I will always have to be aware of and focus on. However at this point my main focus is not just controlling these bad habits but creating NEW, healthier habits that will allow me to continue with my weight loss.


So what are you going to DO about it?!

I think when anyone has something about themselves that they want to change they first have to specifically identify those things that need changed. So the first thing I am going to do is write down all my bad habits. I will do this in my next blog post so I have time to think about not only my bad habits but how they are prohibiting me from staying on my diet and how I can change my bad habits into healthier habits. Hopefully others will participate, consider it your Healthier You Homework Assignment!

I will be posting this “homework assignment” on my next blog. But until them please tell me how YOU are all doing the past month? Any progress? Any road blocks?

30 Day Fitness Challenge – Completed!!!

So the first 30 day fitness challenge is officially over…..phew!


So did I workout everyday for 30 days straight? NOPE.

Am I ok with that? Absolutely.

Will I continue to exercise? Why yes, infact I have another fitness challenge I came up with that I will be participating in! (more information to come soon!)

I have to say going from no exercise to exercising nearly every day was not easy but I do feel SO MUCH BETTER! My main goal for this entire month was just getting into the habit of working out and realizing that finding even 30 minutes a day to workout is not as hard as what I have made it out to be. It is easy for me to make an excuse to not workout, but making time to do something for myself that truly benefits me should be a priority in my life and not an excuse. Though the actual weight loss may not be as much as I wanted I do feel better both mentally and physically, I have more energy, I feel stronger, I am noticing a difference in my body and I feel very motivated to keep going. Slow and steady, right?!

Remember, my whole blog is about a LIFESTYLE change. The point of this challenge was not to discourage anyone from working out but rather was more to kick-start working out regularly so that we can all continue finding time each week to get healthy. I actually really liked a comment my sister made in a previous post. She said “I believe weight loss is more than a change in your physical appearance. It's a change in your mindset. We have to believe, before we ever start a video or jump on an exercise bike or go for a jog that we can do whatever we put our minds to.” That is what this was for me, changing my mindset and now as I move on to continue losing more weight and working out regularly believing that I can, infact, do this.

I hope everyone is getting something out of this 30 Day Challenge, no matter what that may be. I can’t wait to hear how it is going for everyone!


So here are days 21-30. Yes, there were a few no workout days as I left town this weekend, but I was proud of myself for actually using the fitness room for 40 minutes Saturday so I could workout.

Day 21 – Walk on the treadmill & Yoga
Day 22 – Pilates
Day 23 –Walk on the treadmill
Day 24 – Pilates
Day 25 – No Workout
Day 26 – No workout
Day 27 – Bike at hotel fitness center
Day 28 – No workout
Day 29 – Pilates
Day 30 – Circuit Training & Yoga

Results for this month only:

Total Weight Lost: 5 pounds

Inches Lost:
Hips – 1”
Thighs – 2” off each
Calf – 1” off each
Waist – 2”
Chest – 1”
Arm – ½” off each
Total inches lost this month: 11" (Thank you pilates)

Totals since August 2009:

Weight lost – 33 pounds

Hips – 5”
Thighs – 4” off each
Calf – 2” off each
Waist – 6”
Chest – 4 ½”
Arm – 1 ½” off each
Total inches lost – 30 ½”

I still got a ways to go, but I am getting there slowly and in as healthy a way as I can!!

I Say To My Self; “Self, Why Am I Not Seeing Results Today?!”

So here I am, nearing the end of my second week of working out every day. As I said before I DO feel better and can tell a difference starting to manifest in my body (at least I hope that is what all those aches and pains are) however, lets be honest here for a minute shall we. As positive as I am and as excited as I am to be doing this process and for the first time in many many years feeling like I will actually accomplish my goal, it doesn’t come without my fair share of frustration and moments of lacking motivation. I remain positive because for so many years I was not. I would give up easily and be mad at myself and thus resorting to my old ways. I have NO choice in my mind to remain focused and confident that this time I will do this.

But I think when you start working out there can be this unrealistic expectation that just because you feel better that means the whole process is working instantly and you should lose large amounts of weight right away. That is obviously not so much the case. I didn’t gain this weight in two weeks, 1 month, or 2 months so I am very much aware that I will not be able to LOSE all this weight in that amount of time. It is this impatience that I have had all my life. I want to see results NOW, I don’t want to spend 2 hours working out, and I don’t want to wait for this gradual change that WILL come if I just stick with this. That impatience with my body is part of the reason I am here in the first place.

Plus I am trying to do this in a healthy way so it can be a more permanent weight loss, unlike the times before when losing a dramatic amount of weight in a completely unhealthy way just led to the weight coming back on. So because of that I know this is going to take awhile. I understand that the fact that I am even working out everyday and starting to feel a difference in my energy level and body is a HUGE step and though the weight and inches may not come off as fast as I want it IS something that I should be proud of. And honestly it IS something I am proud of.

I guess what I am putting out there is in this blog I am really going to try to remain positive and encourage not just myself but others to accomplish their goals. I like to see people happy and it makes me happy when I hear that people are getting the results and motivation that they need. But I also want to be honest with this blog and don’t want to overlook the fact that I know that ALL of us are going to have days, weeks, months where we just feel discouraged because we are either not seeing results fast enough or are not seeing the results we THINK we should have. I don’t want to send out this perception that this is easy and that I am not having my own frustrations and I am just positive all the time, because that is not the case at all. During the last 6 months that I have been working to lose weight and specifically during the last two months I have felt discouraged, frustrated, have cried many times, have felt like this is unfair, felt angry, but unlike so many times before I am NOT. Ready. To. Give. Up.

In the end, I believe what will make a difference is how we look at this whole process and recognizing that even adding 5 minutes to a workout, getting through a workout a little easier then the day before, working out regularly should be considered a success and that the changes in our body will come, we just need to focus on doing the best we can today to see those changes later on. Anything I have done in the past I have worked for and this should be NO exception. I know if I am willing to truly put in the hard work I WILL see results. I just need to remain focused and stop being so damn impatient.


So here is MY motivation for today – my dear friend April.

April has also had issues with weight over the years but over the last 7 months or so she has lost over 80 pounds!!! And how did she do it, she worked out and ate better. That simple. The first month or two wasn’t at all easy. She had her own ups and downs and frustrations with working out and still today, after losing an incredible 80 pounds on her own she still has days of frustration when it comes to working out. However, she knows that she can do it because she has already proven to herself that she can. And her spirit and dedication to making herself as healthy as possible is truly inspiring to me. The last few years have not been easy for her and yet, on her own, she has managed to do an amazing thing just because she decided one day she wanted to change and has been determined ever since to do so. I love her for that and over the years she has motivated me and this is no exception to that. Hopefully her story will be a motivation to others as well.