Small Changes...

Got a grilled chicken sandwich today from JITB instead of a cheeseburger and skipped the fries. Not a big change, but the change was that I thought about what I was going to eat a little bit.
My treadmill now has a home again and I just need to install the outlet and I can plug it in and have a walk. Hopefully by Friday.
I'll get there.

Nothing Amazing

It's been forever since I've posted anything. And to be honest, I'm not doing anything right now. Not counting calories, not exercising, not lifting weights.
But something is changing even though you can't see it. My mind.
I feel a turning of the tide. I'm getting to the point where the fat isn't okay with me anymore. I want to see something change. I want to start taking better care of myself and being mindful about what I put in my mouth.
My motto these last few months as I've given in to the busyness of life and the reality of raising a baby and three other kids has been "I'll get there. I'll get there."
Well, I think I'm almost ready to start trying again. I'm already starting to think a little more about what I'm eating. Trying to do something besides snack all evening. Trying to find other ways to cope with stress than with a handful of chocolate chips.
Yep, I'll get there. Maybe sooner rather than later...

10 down...

Okay, I realize the scale says 172 and not 171 like it should if I really lost 10 lbs. But, I was holding the camera. My camera with the big telephoto lense, not my little pocket camera (it was out of batteries). But you will just have to take my word for it that the scale said 170.8 before I got the camera.

Yay for me! I will be posting another picture of myself soon too, so there's more than the hideous 'before' pic on here.

What's working:

1) Eating lowfat foods that are filling (berries, yogurt, even a few veggies like carrots and green beans)

2) Keeping track of what I eat on the WW e-tools

3) Knowing that I have to weigh in once a week at the meeting

4) Walking on the treadmill in the morning before Matthew leaves for work

What needs work:

1) Still need to embrace more veggies

2) Need more lowfat recipes that my kids will eat

3) Going to have to give up points gradually as my nursing decreases (which means less eating- help!)

Top Ten Reasons Dieting with Weight Watchers Rocks!

I did it! I joined Weight Watchers! Based on my first week of using their program, here's why I think Weight Watchers is better than my solo dieting attempts.

1. I get to brag about my accomplishments and people clap for me
2. They have tons of recipes online that are easy to make
3. I get to weigh in once a week at the meeting- automatic accountability
4. The online point tracker makes it super easy to keep track of what I eat
5. There are lots of 0 and 1 point foods so if I want to eat- I can! No more starving!
6. I get extra points (as in I get to eat more) when I exercise- cha-ching!
7. I get to be inspired by other people's successes
8. There are extra points each week that I can use for special occassions, so there's no reason to go off the program
9. I really feel like I can stick with this
10. I've already lost a pound

I'm Trying to Like My Veggies...

Haven't joined Weight Watchers yet. But I have been exercising.
The scale said 175.8 today. That's the least it has said since I got home from the hospital- so progress is being made, though slowly! I have officially lost 5 pounds. Woohoo!
I am now trying to learn to like vegetables. I know I need to make them the main part of what I eat. Besides the fact that they'll help me maintain a healthy weight, chowing down on the veggies will also help prevent disease.
The older I get and the more people I see struggle with health issues, the more it motivates me to embrace a more healthy lifestyle. Of course there are many things out of our control, but I'd really like to not have a lot of regret in this department. I'd like to say that I took the best care of my temple that I could. That healthy lifestyle probably doesn't include mass quantities of chocolate and ice cream.
If I loved vegetables, I could eat them all the time and I wouldn't have to worry about how much. I was reading about people who eat like 9 servings of vegetables a day. They're super healthy! I can't even imagine eating 9 servings of vegetables a day. I'm not sure I can even think of 9 vegetables that I'm willing to eat.
So, I'll try to get the schedule worked out this week to join Weight Watchers like I planned and maybe they can teach me to like vegetables. Or at least I can get some recipes to help me disguise the flavor.

Still fasting...

My sugar fast is going pretty well. Last night I was kinda feeling the pain as we went to a wedding reception with mostly just desserts. Really good ones too like cheesecake and something that looked very rich and chocolatey. But then we went to Fatburger for dinner. :)
So, the sugar fast thing isn't really making me eat fewer calories necessarily. But sometimes I think it does. Mostly because I tend to eat sweet things even when I'm full. I can't really do that with nonsweet things or I just feel gross. And I'm not eating Fatburger everyday.
I was proud of myself for not eating the Mother's Day cookies today either. That would have been an easy one to justify. I gave them to my husband. I find it easier to stick with someting like this when it's for a short amount of time.
I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do once I end this fast. It has helped me realize that I don't need a treat every single day and that's good. It also has helped me be more mindful about the nutritional value of what I eat. I've been trying to make sure that the things I'm eating have some. I will probably be joining Weight Watchers with my sister this week. I think it might help me to have another way to report my progress and get support. We'll see...

You Cannot Go Back...

I had a striking realization today. As I walked along the Riverwalk trail pushing a stroller and thinking about how I used to walk along this trail eight years ago. Then, I was pushing my now nine-year-old son when I was trying to lose that baby weight. As I walked along today, it hit me: I am not the same woman that I was then.
I'm also not the same woman I was when I trained for a sprint triathlon after having baby #2 in an attempt to lose that baby weight.
And I'm really not the diet and exercise obsessed woman that got down to 137lbs. after I had my third child.
First of all, in all three of those cases, I didn't really begin to work off the baby weight until the baby was about a year old.
Second, I had a lot fewer kids and responsibilities.
Third, I knew a lot less about food, nutrition, but mostly about how to be in balance in my life.
With each other child I suffered from moderate (to occasionally severe) post-partum depression.
This time is different.
I am different.
I can't go back to who I was then. Nor would I want to.
It's time to reinvent my relationship to food and exercise. I have to do it in a more balanced way.
Actually, I think I was the closest to getting it right when I only had one child. I tried to eat a balanced diet and I walked outside every day. But mostly, I tried to follow the Spirit in helping me overcome my weakness with food.
But, as I said, I am still a different person than I was then and not everything I did then will work now.
I have decided to make this a more spiritual journey. I can't do it on my own. And weakness is given to us so that we will seek for help from God.
So, I started a sugar fast yesterday for a week. Since I'm nursing and can't do a regular fast. So I'm not eating sugar this week to help me get refocused. And I'm trying to use more vegetables in my diet.
I want to live a balanced life and eat a balanced diet. I want to feel good and feel healthy. I want to eat foods that give me strength.
I want to treat my body like the temple it is and live in integrity with what I know is right in this particular area of my life so that I can be at peace with myself.
I want my body to support me in all the things I want to do in my life.
I want to move forward and become the healthiest me ever!

Walk for Your Lives

I walked today. That is my victory. It was only 30 minutes and it wasn't very fast. But I did it. I'm starting to get more sleep, but I'm still working on that too.
On a more fun note, let me just suggest the movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day". It's a very charming movie with some great substance. I watched it on the treadmill a few weeks ago.
Right now I'm watching "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" for the tenth time. I gotta send back the Netflix movies and get some more!
My throat is starting to feel sore. It better be allergies!

Climbing Back On...

I admit that it was overly ambitious of me to start a fitness program with such a young baby. Setbacks are inevitable even without that variable. And sleep deprivation is a difficult foe.
At the moment I am completely unmotivated to eat right. But, having said that, I know that I'm not going to feel that way forever.
I feel more motivation to exercise than I did a week ago, which is a good sign. Exercise always makes me feel better, whether or not I'm losing weight.
The other issue is that I'm not feeling especially motivated by visions of a slimmer me. Except when I go clothes shopping (which I've done a few times in the last month). When nothing looks good on me, that stinks. But exhaustion trumps all these feelings with a general "I'm too tired to care" mentality. Which also explains my choices in wardrobe of late. As much as I know I should care more about what I'm wearing, I just don't.
So, the focus right now is on getting more sleep. Once I feel like I'm back in a good routine on that front, then on to the exercise. From there, it's back to food journaling and making better food choices. Which is always the most difficult for me. But, it's best not to dwell on the difficult things in life, we just have to suck it up, right? Just do it! (As the Nike ads and President Kimball used to say.) And as my mom always says- Onward and Upward!

Stealing Candy from a Baby (well, children really)

Easter candy is stupid! Well, no, it's not the Easter candy's fault. But it's so tempting! I completely derailed yesterday. It just kept taunting me. "We're delicous! You know you want to eat us! The baby didn't cry when you ate chocolate yesterday! We're chocolate and you must have us!"
And those Peeps! Staring at me with their beady little eyes!!!!
"No!" I screamed "You belong to my children! I won't eat you!!" But I did.
Well, not the Peeps, cause I don't really like them that much, but the chocolates. I did eat some (several) of those. Then it was on to the chocolate chips because I felt bad about stealing candy from children. (Even though, technically I paid for it. See how easy it is to justify?)
At some point I became strong enough to realize I had no self-control so I threw out the chocolate chips so they wouldn't tempt me anymore.
And today I went and bought some low-cal treats because behavior modification is nearly impossible for me. (Must. Have. Treats.)
So I did better today.
And I've continued to exercise despite my food screw-ups.
I will prevail!

Intervals with Pierce Brosnan

Well, I only got 4 workouts in last week. Plus we had a birthday (read cake) and Easter (read chocolate). So needless to say, my expectations for the scale were pretty low (or high if you're talking about how much weight I expected to gain). But, lo and behold! It said 177.4!
So instead of tempting fate and checking it again, I decided to go with it and let it motivate me for this week!
This week's goals are:
1) 5 workouts - 37 min or more each
2) 2000 calories- recorded each day
3) Take vitamins every day (doctor's orders so I should probably do it)
I wonder if the weight loss is partly because of the training method I tried this week. A friend recommended it and I've heard before that it's a great method.
Basically all you do is speed up and slow down in short intervals. Supposedly getting your body going to make the short bursts of speed makes your body work extra hard. Even more so than just getting to a faster pace and staying at it.
The other cool thing is that if you're only doing it for a short time, you can usually go faster than you would otherwise. Like today, I went up to 5.0 miles an hour (= 12 min. mile pace). I used to go at that speed a lot when I was in better shape. But since I'm just starting out I was afraid to try it. It wasn't bad at all for two minutes.
Oh- one thing I forgot to mention. If you want to try this training method, it's important that you be really well warmed up first or you might pull something. I fast walked for 20 minutes first. On a warmer day it probably wouldn't have taken so long (also, the more in shape I get, the less warm up time I need for interval training).
I also finished watching Mamma Mia on the treadmill this morning. Nothing like a musical with fast-paced songs to get you going! Just don't forget your earplugs for the Pierce Brosnan singing parts. Ouch! It sorta seems like he's trying to put a cowboy twang in his singing. Maybe he thinks it sounds more soulful. Either that or he's just streining so hard to hit the notes he's not paying any attention to how he's pronouncing things. You'd think that someone British wouldn't have to work on pronounciation at all in singing though. Weird. And painful. But he's still fairly attractive for an old guy.

A Mulligan Day

This day blew! I want a do-over!

Severe sleep deprivation,
A faucet repair gone horribly awry,
A very fussy baby,
A bunch of homework to help finish,
Laundry I didn't even get to,
No time (or energy) for exercise,
No time for fun tonight- helping with the faucet until 10:15pm,
My husband's computer night,
Did I mention exhausted?

Okay, the pity party is over. Here's what was good about today-
Didn't overeat (this was quite an accomplishment for me),
Faucet did get completed,
Homework got completed,
Kids did not come home with lice,
Got to take a short nap this evening,
Managed to make dinner (simple though it was),
Got a little organizing done in the girls' room,
Didn't fall asleep at the wheel while driving

I guess it wasn't a complete loss. But I still am counting on tomorrow being better! Hoping anyway...

Enjoying the Journey!

It occured to me today that I don't have to stress about losing weight right now. Yes, I'm going to keep working on it. Yes, I'm going to keep on writing down what I eat. I'm going to keep eating the right number of calories for weight loss to occur. And I'm going to keep working out and trying to push myself to go faster and work out harder.

But, here's the thing. There's no time limit. There's no one to please but myself. There's nothing to stress about. I think I tend to get really impatient and stressed out about dieting. But there's just no need. That's one of the reasons I called this blog 'Naomi's Journey to Fitness' after all. It is a journey, not an instant change. And honestly, working on losing is much easier than maintaining.

So I'm going to focus more on direction than on speed. I'm going to accept myself how I am now, and I'm going to keep getting better. I'm going to enjoy my journey to fitness!

Reboot!

I've decided to simplify things for myself by restarting my plan.
My weeks will now begin on Monday instead of Tuesday. (I only started on Tues before because I didn't feel like waiting to start)
I'm going to do a weekly weigh in only. It's a little less discouraging (usually) because there's less of the up and down stuff.
And other than every Monday, I will just post when I feel like it. It might be every day, but I need the flexibilty to skip a day sometimes due to family needs and logistics. I'll still be reporting how I did during the previous week each Monday too, so I still get the accountability.

So, goals for this week are:
1) Eat 2000 calories or less per day
2) Record what I eat
3) Exercise 5x week for 35 minutes or more

Today was a pretty good day for food. (Still need more variety). And I had a great workout- 45 minutes, 3 miles.

That's all for now- tomorrow's post should be more interesting! :)

Oh yea, I almost forgot!
Today's Weight - 179

Day 12 - Even Dieting is Spiritual

I've struggled a bit today with eating. I eat too many carbs and too much dairy right now. I need to learn to like veggies more and give them more priority. And I just need to eat more variety in general. I get lazy sometimes and just keep eating the same stuff. Time to get out the cookbooks!
I've been thinking about how all things are spritual. Even dieting is spiritual. Well, dieting is the wrong word, but you know what I mean. Following a healthy eating and exercising plan. It's about self-mastery. It's about overcoming the natural man. The natural man would like to pork out on sweets all the time because they taste good. And because they're numbing. But, unfortunately, like all numbing substances, they numb you from the Spirit too.
The Spirit can actually tell you what to eat, if you listen. Clearly God wants us to feed our bodies well and take good care of them. Why else would He have given us the Word of Wisdom?
So, as my own willpower is starting to wane (already), I'm going to lean on God's power.

Forgot to weigh myself this morning. Walked and jogged for 30 minutes. Kept food journal

Day 11 - Exercise is Your Friend!

I knew I should have posted before I went out for the evening. Oh well, even though it's technically Saturday, I'm posting about Friday.
I had a great workout today. I walked and jogged for 37 minutes. Of that, 12 minutes was jogging. I'm amazed how quickly my body is getting used to jogging again. It helped that I had a day of rest yesterday. I always have my best workouts after a day of rest.
One thing I really love about exercising is that you can always push yourself to new limits. You can increase your speed, your time, your weights, etc. For me, it keeps working out interesting. Training for a race is another way to keep me interested in my workout because it feels more focused that way. There's a goal to be reached. I'm hoping to participate in a half-marathon next year.
The funny thing is that when I was younger I used to hate running (really exercise of any kind). I even got a 'C' in P.E. because I wouldn't even try to run the mile. Now exercise is something I look forward to (on most days). And definitely something I enjoy once I get going. Who knew?

Today's Weight - 178.6

Day 10 - Which Would You Rather Eat?

They look like different amounts don't they? But they're both just a serving (1 cup to be precise). The moral of the story is of course- eat on small dishes and trick your brain!

Tonight I ate on a salad plate. (Mainly because the dinner plates were all dirty- I can admit that publicly since I have a new baby still) I know I ate less at dinner tonight than I usually do of this particular dish, but guess what? I was still full at the end of the meal. (Instead of stuffed like usual)

I actually watched a show where they did a study on this phenomenon. Even when people were given the option to eat as much as they wanted from a buffet and go back for seconds etc.- the people with the small plates still ate less than the people with the big plates!

Eat on small plates = eat less food. Ya gotta love the no-brainers!

Speaking of no brain- I didn't make time for exercise today- whoops! So now I'm going to have to make sure to fit in a workout on Saturday so I can hit my quota. I still kept track of my calories though.

Today's Weight - 179

Day 9 - Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!

I went to a clothing store to return some shoes tonight. There were so many cute clothes there! I decided that I defintely need to have a good shopping trip after I've lost ten pounds. It's so fun to shop for clothes when you are feeling better about your body. Plus, the more I go and try on clothes, the more it motivates me to keep on my program. I've experienced the fun of being able to buy clothes in increasingly small sizes and it rocks! So much more fun and lasting than eating junk food! Okay, I'll get off the soapbox now.

I kept the food log today and stayed pretty close to the calorie budget. I also walked and jogged on the treadmill for 35 min. My body is getting more and more used to the movement so it's starting to feel better.

Today's Weight - 178.8

Day 8 - Get Busy!

Today I found it pretty easy to stay within the calorie budget because I kept busy all day. Boredom is definitely something that will drive me to the kitchen - especially in the evening. That's one reason why I love to do something crafty in the evening when I get the chance. It keeps my mind and hands busy so I'm not stuffing my face. Plus it gives me a creative outlet which also boosts my overall mood, so I'm less likely to snack to fill the void.

Goals for Week 2-
1) Keep the food log
2) Eat 2200 calories or less
3) Exercise 35 minutes or more 5x/week

Todays Weight - 179.8

Day 7 - A Few of My Favorite Things...

If Julie Andrews were dieting, here's a few things I think she'd be singing about:



L-O-V-E this lasagna! It takes 5 minutes to heat up, it tastes pretty darn close to homemade and it's very satisfying for me. I like that the vegetables aren't all over-cooked and stuff. And it's only 345 calories! I always stock up when they go on sale at the store.

These little babies are fantastic for a sweet tooth. Only 45 calories and they're equal to a serving of fruit. Okay, okay, I know all the fitness people tell you not to eat your fruit dried because the sugar and calorie content are more concentrated. But they're great if you don't have access to fresh fruit at the moment (so portable) and the portion is measured and ready to go. No brainers are good! (Also, please enjoy my dirty countertop in this picture)

Okay, I already talked about these, but just in case you were like 'huh?', here's a picture of what I was talking about. My mom used to eat these all the time (but I won't tell you what she put on them- right, Bev?). 35 calories per cracker. I love the texture. Sometimes I'm in a cracker mood, but I don't want to waste calories on crackers that are calorie dense and unsatisfying. Voila, problem solved!

Ah, la piece de resistance! This is my silver bullet. 2 tbsp = 20 calories. Basically you're eating mostly air when you spray a litte of this deliciousness on your fruit or low-fat ice cream. I'm still not sure how to measure 2 tbsp. exactly when I use it, but oh well, close enough is close enough. You can only find this kind at Costco as far as I know. Plus the price is better. Steer clear of the inferior brands, they just don't taste like real whipped cream.

Finally, this pancake mix is great! You can make two good sized pancakes for only 220 calories and they're pretty darn filling. For people with blood sugar issues like me (hypoglycemia), they're a good start to the day (fiber, low sugar, okay on protein). I eat them with strawberries and some whipped cream (pictured above). Also notice in this picture- my food journal on the right. See, I'm really doing it.

Well, that's it for now. Wow, this is making me hungry! Too bad it's way too late to eat!

Did well on eating today, had to exercise at 9pm- but I did it! 35 min., jogged at 4.0 mph for 5 minutes just to see if I could. It only hurt a little!

Today's weight - 180.6 (Hoping for better tomorrow!)

Day 6 - The Number on the Scale Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

Today when I got up I felt pretty good...until I got on the scale. It said 180.8! I checked it again- it was the same. After the third time I gave up.
One of my favorite fitness gurus, Bob Greene (Oprah's trainer) says what I named this post-the number on the scale doesn't tell the whole story.
So what is the story? Could be water weight gain. Could be muscle gain. Who knows? It's still a little discouraging.
Anyway, I know I'm doing all the right stuff with calories and exercise so I'm not going to let this derail me.
In fact, I had family over today for a special luncheon- an occasion where I would usually let myself overindulge, but I did pretty well.
Still though, if the scale keeps going up I'll have to cut more calories.
Since it was Sunday today I didn't work out. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow's workout. I'm going to keep trying to increase my speed and duration a little at a time.
In the immortal words of Commander Taggert- "Never give up! Never surrender!"

Day 5 - Victory! (Well, some small ones anyway)

Saturdays are always so busy! Today was no exception. But, I feel awesome because I took time for me and got on the treadmill today. That was victory number one.
My second victory today was a result of preparation. I took my daughter to a birthday party where I knew pizza and cake would be served so I ate dinner before I left and chewed gum while I was there. I managed to refuse all the offers for food and actually it was quite easy. I know I would have given in though if I had gone to the party hungry. The pizza looked and smelled really good!
Gum- especially mint- is one of my favorite secret weapons. If I chew it when I grocery shop I buy fewer sweets. I think that's because it just makes me feel less hungry. Yay for gum!

Other than that, I'm still going strong on keeping the food log and I walked for 35 min today up to 3.6 mph.

Today's Weight - 179.6

Day 4 - The Big Food Place

Today was going great foodwise, until we went to a restaurant for my son's birthday tonight. It's a restaurant where the portions for one person are about enough to feed a family of four. And it might have a few stuffed animal heads around for decoration. You know which one I mean.
I attempted to stick with my calorie allowance by ordering one of the four things listed on the "lighter side" part of the menu. A turkey burger- sounded pretty good. It looked good too. Now I'm sure you've guessed that it really didn't taste so good.
As a matter of fact, it reminded me of the turkey I ate at the hospital recently. Yea. Not what I was hoping for. So I uncharacteristically sent it back and had them give me half a club sandwich (I was too afraid to order off the light menu again).
I really don't know how many calories that had. Most likely too many because it tasted really good. Part of me is still wondering if it was spit on though. I always assume that my food will be tampered with when I send something back. (I've probably done that 3 times in my lifetime because I fear the spit!) So that just gives you an idea how inedible this sandwich was- that I was willing to risk the spit!
I think I'll count the sandwich I ate as 650 calories - what the original sandwich was supposed to be. Kind of like how they charged me the original price for the food I sent back even though that's not what I ended up with. (Not something I would do often, but sometimes you just have to roll with it)
Other than that, it was a great day. The baby slept and I got to walk for 35 minutes on the treadmill and finish watching Persuasion. Yay! It was lovely

Didn't get a chance to weigh myself this morning. I'll check it tomorrow.

Day 3 - Trying to be less calorie dense...

I hate feeling hungry! So I'm always trying to find the most amount of food I can eat for the lowest calories. It's kind of like shopping on the clearance rack. You may not find the hippest, cutest stuff- but it's a lot easier on the wallet.
At dinner tonight I filled up on green peas because they're only 70 cal per 2/3 cup. I know there's tons of vegetables that are even better than that caloriewise. They're just what I had in the house.
Strawberries are like when you find something you actually like on the clearance rack- and it's even in your size! A cup of chopped strawberries is only 50 calories! Can't wait until they're in season again!
And when I'm hankering for some crackers, I go for the Wasa wafers. They're pretty good sized for only 35 calories a pop. Add a triangle of Light Laughing Cow cheese and you've got a tasty snack that will actually tide you over. Wow, I sound like a commercial. Like that lady in the old snickers commercial with the sweet 80's feathered hair who says "ya know when your stomach's just pokin' at ya".

If you don't know what I'm talking about check it out here. It's truly genius in commercial writing. http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/5126/

Walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill. Kept track of calories in the food log. Stayed in the limit.
Today's weight - 180.4

Day 2 - Just Say No to Elastic Waistbands and Carrot Cake

Today was a successful day with eating (but it's not over yet!). Since afternoons are my weakest times I feel like I'm pretty much over the hump when dinner is on it's way.
The treadmill got mostly cleared today by my helpful sister. I'm so close to getting back on it! And whaddaya know- I'm actually looking forward to it. In fact, I have a great movie to watch while I walk - a Jane Austen movie- Persuasion. Good times!
I was thinking today about how awesome it's going to be to stop wearing maternity clothes! I am so looking forward to the lack of elastic waistbands! And I love the feeling when my clothes start to feel loose on me. To quote Oprah (which I hope I never do again) "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!" I'm going to keep remembering that and not bother with the carrot cake in the fridge.
Honestly, do I really eat things for the taste? Maybe for the first few bites. After that I'm usually just numbing myself. So not worth it!

For the record I will be posting my measurements and weight regularly. For some reason posting measurements makes me more afraid than posting my weight, but so be it. My starting measurements are:
Waist- 39"
Hip - 45"
Thigh - 26"
Arm - 14"
Calf - 15.5"

Today's Weight - 180.6

P.S. After seeing a full-length view of myself in the picture I posted, I was inspired to make time for a workout. So instead of sitting down in front of the TV last night, I walked on the treadmill for 30 min. It felt great! I'm not sure why it took a photograph for me to get out of "fat denial", but it worked!

Day 1 - The Journey of a Thousand Miles...

Well, I'm officially beginning again. The baby is 7 weeks old today and it's time that the scale moves down instead of up!

Goal for the Week: Write down what I eat each day and eat 2200 calories or less per day.

I know it sounds like a lot, but since I'm nursing full time subtract 500 calories and that would be what I'm really eating. That's still probably too much since I'm not exercising regularly yet. But it's better than I have been doing and to maintain is better than to gain. I should put that on a t-shirt!
So far today I have been faithfully writing in my food log. This is honestly the only way I know not to overeat. Otherwise it is way too easy to start eating unconsciously. Talking on the phone, watching TV, feeling bored or stressed and the next thing I know I've gobbled down 300 calories worth of crackers all at once. It's so easy to do!
So here's to step one! Eating consciously!

Today's Weight - 181