Memorial Day Pig Out

It is so hard to eat right when it comes to holidays!  I know Memorial Day isn't exactly as difficult as some of the big offenders like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it was still hard for me today.  As a culture, we tend to celebrate using food, and so for me, it is a learned ritual to over eat on days like today... 

Not that I completely pigged out, but I know that I probably gained at least a pound over the course of this 3 day weekend, if not 2 pounds.  Hot dogs, candy, Popsicles, hamburgers, marshmallows, wine and beer were all consumed without restraint.  I should have exhibited more self control... but I did not. 

I have said it before, and I will say it again, tomorrow is a new day.  I will not let the mistakes of yesterday effect the potential successes of tomorrow.  I will wake up with a renewed motivation to eat right, exercise and lose weight. 

My plan to jump start the week is to start the day off with a fruit and veggie smoothie for breakfast, followed by spinning class.  Hopefully an afternoon walk will happen, and lots of decaf iced tea and ice water instead of Popsicles to combat the heat. 

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.  Here's to turning the momentum around and getting back on track! 

Weekly Weigh In

Today I am reporting that at this morning I weighed in at 200 lbs., which is 3 pounds than last week!  That means that I lost the 2 pounds I gained back at the last weigh in PLUS an additional pound. It feels really good to not only bounce back after my weight gain a couple of weeks ago, but to lose weight on top of that.  I am very pleased, and I feel confident that my "three little rules" are partly responsible for my success this week.  In case you missed my three little rules from yesterday, here they are again, in simplified form:

1. Walk as much as you can. 
2. Drink lots of water. (And other decaf, sugar free and calorie free clear liquids.)
3. No eating after dinner.

Its the little successes that keep me motivated.  I feel a renewed hope that I can lose weight and changed my life for the better... 

• 5 lbs. down, 50 lbs. to go.  
• 2 lbs. until I reach my "pre-pregnancy No. 2" weight, and...
• ONE POUND to go until I am officially in "one-derland."  :-) 

Let's do this.  

Three Simple Rules...

I've noiced lately that if I stick to three simple rules I am much more likely to lose weight.  Here are my three simple rules for weight loss:

1. Walk as much as you can, whenever and where ever you can.  I persoanlly have a hard time "working out."  I find it difficult to make time to get to the gym with the two kids, and once I get there I have a hard time finding the motivation and energy to get a really good work out in.  Instead of wasting time putting off going to the gym or feeling guilty about not going to the gym, I simply walk when I can.  I take the kids on walks or walk to the bank instead of drive, if I have the time.  Its an easy way for me to get a work out in without having to make the trip to the gym. 

2. Drink water - lots and lots of water.  I try to drink as much water or decaf herbal tea as much I can.  I often drink water between meals instead of snacking, and as you already know, I love my routine decaf herbal tea at night.

3. No eating after dinner.  This last rule is very hard for me to follow, but when I can do it I usually see immediate results.  If I can resisit snacking between dinner and breakfast the next morning it is a very big accomplishment for me. 

I have been trying hard to follow these rules since Tuesday... tomorrow is the weekly weigh in, so we'll see if these three simple rules have impacted my prgoress. 

One good choice usually leads to another...

There used to be this commercial for Nurtigrain bars that I really loved.  It showed a business woman sitting at her kitchen table in the morning, getting ready to leave for work.  She chose a Nutrigrain bar for breakfast instead of many other fattier choices available in her kitchen.  Later that day she chose an apple over a doughnut at work, yogurt over ice cream, water over soda, taking a walk over watching TV, etc.  The punch line to the commercial was "...because one good choice usually leads to another."  Now, obviously this commercial is nothing more than a marketing gimmick, since we all know that Nutrigrain bars have no more nutrition than a lolly pop, and no less sugar than a Snickers bar, BUT, the main idea of the commercial rings so very true in my life! 

I find that on days when I start off with a low fat, high protein breakfast, I am less likely to snack all day.  When I have a really delicious salad for lunch I am more likely to choose a healthier dinner.  I also notice the opposite to be true - pigging out on junk food is like a cancer for me - once I make one bad choice the desire for unhealthy food just takes over and I am less and less likely to say NO to "bad" food.  It starts off with a doughnut, then leads to a a bunch of chips, then bread and peanut butter, etc.

I need to consider this chain reaction BEFORE I grab an obviously unhealthy snack.  Is it worth the risk?  A lot of people say to me, "well, its all about moderation.  Just have one doughnut instead of five," but I personally find that very hard to do.  Moderation is NOT my strong suit when it comes to eating.  Its kind of like asking an alcoholic to stick to one beer and just stop after that.  So tomorrow my goal is to start the day off right in the hopes that "one good choice will lead to another."

Crunching Ice

Something that I love to do during the hot summer months, and I know this is going to sound kind of strange, is eat ice!  I love to fill up a big cup of ice chips, put some water in just to loosen the ice up, then slowly suck and crunch the ice all evening.  It is refreshing, calorie-free, and hydrating.  As I've said before, sometimes what I really need in order to resist food is something to keep my hands and mouth occupied.  Crunching ice is DEFINITELY they way to go on a hot day like today.

Weekly Weigh In

 

Remember those 2 pounds I lost last week... yeah.  Well I gained them back this week.  When I stepped on the scale this morning I was disappointed (but not surprised) to see that I had gained 2 pounds. 

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't at least a little discouraged.  Its so hard to be getting farther away from my ultimate weight loss goal instead of closer.  However, I have to be realistic about this and realize that bad weeks are going to happen, and that's just part of life.  This past week was exhausting and stressful, and it was extremely difficult for me to stick to my guns when it came to making healthy decisions.  Like I said, I'm disappointed, but not surprised. 

Its very tempting to allow myself to feel like a victim and say, "Everything I have done is just a waste of time, I am always going to be fat, it's not fair."  However, the real waste of time is spending any ounce of energy feeling sorry for myself.  As hard as it is, as embarrassed as I am, I have to keep going.  I have to wake up tomorrow morning, take a deep breath, and jump back on the horse.

Next week is a new week... thank God.  I am choosing to see it as 6 days to get back on track and kick those pesky 2 lbs. to the curb.  And that is just what I am going to do. 

Happy Birhtday to my son, Noah Daniel

I am taking a break tonight from my regularly schedule blog entry to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my son, Noah Daniel.  He turned 2 years old today, and I just cannot believe it.  In some ways the time has flown by, and in other ways it seems like he has been in our family forever.  Being a mom to this little man is the most challenging thing I have ever done, but by far the most wonderful.  I did not know what love was until he came around. (I didn't know what exhausted was either!)  Happy birthday, Noah.  I love you so much.

Playing in the grass with Mommy after lunch. 

I love my big boy.

Out to dinner tonight for Mexican.

Noah wanted "Rai" and "Chee," which is toddler for rice and cheese.  So that is what he got.

Birthday Boy.