Hey, fat girl. yes, you.

So it’s been over a month since my last post- major slacking on my part, I know. But honestly, I have been so crazy busy this last month that I have barely had time to think! I realized yesterday (yes, sad, I know) that I hadn’t been on here in a while, and so I casually checked the date of my last post and discovered it was August 9th! So much for two or three times a week…yikes! Well now that school is back in and I am no longer babysitting and running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I think it will be a lot easier to keep to my blogging schedule.

As promised I made all of the meals that were suggested to me, and they were all FANTASTIC! Unfortunately I was unable to take any pictures because I lost my camera at the beginning of August (long story short, it spent about three weeks in the backseat of our car and I have no idea how it got there!). I have to say that the Chicken and Asparagus with Penne Pasta (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Asparagus-Chicken-and-Penne-Pasta/Detail.aspx) was by far my favorite! I did make a few minor adjustments to the recipe however: I added about 8 baby bella mushrooms-sliced, chose whole wheat penne pasta, and added about 1/4 cup of white wine, and let it reduce by half, to create more of a sauce because the EVOO cooked up and it was a little dry.

I have also begun shopping for my veggies at the Lansing City Market and I have to say that not only is the quality amazing but the PRICE is to die for! I walked out of there last Saturday with two red peppers, two green peppers, three tomatoes, a small bag of mushrooms, a bag of potatoes, four cucumbers, a head of lettuce, a bag of celery, a bundle of green onions, some fresh parsley, two carrots, and a small cup of lemon Italian ice (yummm!) for less than $15.00! Most of it has been used in cooking this week, but I did have a make a separate trip to the grocery store for a cubanelle pepper and some more mushrooms for a delicious Rachel Ray recipe, vegetable cacciatore! (http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/vegetable-cacciatore-whole-wheat-penne/) It was amazing but of course I gave it my own little spin- I added about  pound of chicken breast and I used linguini instead of penne. The flavor was absolutely delicious- the combination of the sweet peppers and red wine with the chili pepper gave it a savory flavor with just enough kick. This will be on the menu for years to come!

Anyway, back to the shopping- I did something different this week in that I decided what to have for dinner, what days, and I purchased ONLY what I needed for those meals and my grocery bill was $50 lower than normal! I have started making the big shopping trip every two weeks, on pay day, and getting everything that I “thought” we needed and returning the next weekend to pick up any extras, such as more milk or bread. On the large trips I would spend $180-$200 and on the smaller I would spend $30-$50. This put our grocery bill over $400 a month…for two people! This last trip I spent $130 at Kroger and $15 at the Market and was DONE!! It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment knowing I had saved us that much money and that I was in turn providing a much healthier menu for Josh and I for the next couple weeks.

In addition to making some healthier meals for us I have begun working on improving the quality of the meals that I already make and I started last week with my lasagna! I chose whole wheat lasagna noodles, used half the cheese called for, and used ground turkey instead of using beef. I also used fresh parsley and garlic, which gave a much better flavor, instead of garlic salt and dried parsley.

Last but definitely not least- I have run two 5k races since my last post and am proud to say that for the first time I ran the entire race (no walking!) last Sunday (the 9th) and in the most recent race (the 16th) I broke the 40 minute mark! This may not seem very fast to very many people, but for me it is very fast! I went from running/walking a 17 minute mile to running a 13 minute mile in less than two months! I am extremely proud of myself, and have set my next goal at racing in 35 minutes or less.

Also, I found this post the other day- it’s amazing motivation for me and any other fat girls out there trying to become runners. From flintland.blogspot.com

 

Hey, fat girl.

Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.

You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home.  You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.

You are awesome.

If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.

You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.

You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.

You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.

I bow to you.

I can’t think of a witty title right now…

So it’s been a week since I last weighed myself, and I’ve been feeling pretty good, so I figured I had to have dropped at least 2 pounds when I stepped on the scale this morning. Well, I did drop weight, but not what I had expected- 0.2 pounds…in a week…uggggghhhhhhhh!

When I got off the scale I was really mad! “I’ve been running my brains out the last week and THIS is what I get for it?” I thought. But then I thought some more- about what I’ve been eating- and I realized that the fact that I didn’t gain any weight back this week is a miracle! Those 0.2 pounds were sheer luck…. I went on a tubing trip with my in-laws and some of the extended family this past weekend and I ate like a pig! I also ate a ton of things that weren’t good for me and drank a ton of alcohol….sooo I guess the lack of weight loss makes sense. The thing I was thinking is that I had done really well outside of that trip, but two days of splurging and eating anything and everything I wanted obviously held me back.

I’ve also had a tough time with making dinners this week. You see, I have the best intentions and always buy lots of veggies when I do my grocery shopping. However, I don’t think I buy enough, because they are always gone by the end of the first week and I end up making really heavy meals for the second week and using absolutely everything I can think of to get us through until pay day again (chilli, spaghetti, and the like). I’ve realized that I can’t keep going like this or I am going to continue undoing all of my hard work from week 1 with the heavy meals of week 2. This calls for a different plan of attack. I have decided that I’m going to start doing a little grocery shopping each weekend instead of one big trip on the weeks we get paid and trying to make everything stretch for two weeks. I’m also going to start shopping at the Lansing city Market- I’ve never been there before but I have heard a lot of good things and some great prices. I’ll let you all know how it goes!

Along with this, I am finally going to make those healthy recipes suggested and post pictures and some feedback! I am really looking forward to making some more changes in the right direction for myself and my family. Speaking of family- my little man is getting ravenous for some dinner so I’ve gotta cut this one short- Thank you all for your continuing support and encouragement!

Vacay from weight loss

Ohhhh it’s been a long couple of weeks! I have done (and not done) so much! Where to start? I ran a 5k on July 22nd! and beat my previous time by 8 minutes! yaaaaayyy me! I also gained back about 2.5lbs and regressed in my running 😦 booo for me! But I had good reasons…really!

Okay, so maybe they aren’t good reasons, and I should have been better about sticking to my diet- but I have definitely learned something from it, which is good. First off I was sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis which slowed down my running. Second, I had Vacation Bible School last week and was eating all sorts of delicious treats while working. Third, I had family in town from out of state which included Josh’s Aunt Kathy who makes some of the best cookies I’ve had in my life….I could have easily eaten 3 dozen just by myself. It was bad.

Any-hoo the combination of these three put a quick stop and reverse on my diet/exercise plan. I was definitely not proud of myself when I got on the scale this morning and recorded my 2.5 pound weight gain. However, I learned over the last two weeks that even when the cards are stacked against me (or the cookies, rather) I still have to maintain my healthy lifestyle if I want to see any improvements. So what am I going to do about all this? I’ve decided to go back to the gym! Running three times a week is fine and dandy but I know that if I want to see drastic improvements in the way I look and feel I will need to start cross-training and doing some weight lifting.

My sister and I are in this thing together and have decided to attack the gym like so- We are going to continue running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but we are going to add a muscle group workout as well. Then on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we will ride the stationary bikes and focus on a different muscle group, such as dividing the upper and lower body workouts into particular days. Like running and upper body M-W-F, bikes and lower body T-Th-Sa. Something like that!

A big goal of mine is to be able to get pregnant again (EVENTUALLY!!!) and not get past my initial pre-pregnancy weight. So, overall, I want to lose about 20-25 pounds from my weight pre-Wyatt before I get pregnant again. I had the goal of losing about 20 pounds before we got pregnant the first time but that happened way too quickly! So now I am making up for it and will hopefully be much smarter with my weight gain on the next one and will keep up my physical activity better too. I’ve got quite a while before any of that happens- we are so happy with Wyatt right now I can’t imagine having another one yet!

Other than that, my goal is to just feel great about myself and get back looking like I did in high school! Okay, maybe not that skinny….but close! One of my biggest issues is that I like hearty meals- fried chicken, creamed corn, macaroni and cheese, roast beef, etc. So I am asking for a big favor from everyone! Please comment with some of your favorite recipes or ideas for a healthy yet delicious meal and I will try them ALL (Scout’s honor!) and will update with pics and feedback! Thank you all in advance!

Weight loss to date- 12.5 lbs

 

 

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!

It is truly amazing to me how much everything changes when you become a parent. Not necessarily the obvious things like getting less sleep and having less money, but the things you didn’t expect. Since Wyatt has been here I have changed things from what I eat for breakfast, and what kind of music I listen to when he’s in the car, to the amount of alcohol I drink, and the time that I want to spend at home. I always knew being a parent would change me, but I don’t really think I was ready for all of the physical changes that went along with it…I was horribly misinformed.

When we had our birthing class I was 7 months pregnant and we heard from the nurse that 20-25 pounds would simply “fall off” when you had your baby! “Sweet!” I thought “I won’t have too much to go after that!” (by that point I had gained about 32lbs) Then when I had my 6 week checkup with my doctor, my nurse commented that “MOST women have lost 20-25 pounds by now…that belly won’t go away on it’s own…you’re healing fine, so you should start exercising now…” and many other remarks that I took as hurtful at the time. I now know that it was not her intention to hurt me, rather, to motivate me. Hearing that I only lost a small amount of weight at that doctors office was hard, yes, but nothing made it more real than that day at Old Navy…the size 18 day…ugh.

So I had decided that I needed to lose weight and the only thing that held me back was how to do it. If I had wanted to lose 5 lbs in high school I would have stopped eating junk food and worked out at home for a couple weeks and voila! There it went! Now though I could hardly do my Jillian Michaels “30 day shred” without shaking the house (at least that’s how it sounded to me!), and having to hold my belly cause it still hurt. After two days of that I gave up working out, and decided that I should just eat “better” all around. Well, needless to say, but I will anyway, that didn’t go so well either. I had no real way of measuring how I was doing, and was still hungry all the time because instead of replacing the bad things in my diet with good, I just ate less. This lasted for ohhhh four days? I knew I needed to find something better! I started talking to my sister, who had lost 20 pounds from the time Wyatt was born until he was 10 weeks old. If she could do it, being a few years older than me and having had 3 kids, I knew I could. She had done a lot of research online and in books as to how best to lose the weight. The thing that was helping her was keeping track of her calories in a food journal, and learning to make better choices. After a few talks I decided to get a journal of my own and a book of food counts (calories, fat, etc. for those things that we eat most often) and began educating myself on what was important for a breastfeeding momma to eat while trying to lose weight.

For those of you who don’t know already, breastfeeding is hard work! Not just because you have to deal with things like engorged breasts, sore nipples, thrush, biting, pulling, pinching, pumping, milk storage, nipple confusion, low supply, high supply, and leaking (tmi? lol), but also because it changes what and how much you should eat! Trying to “diet” while breastfeeding is actually a no-no because we need those fatty foods to create fatty milk for our babies to get that “chubby baby” look. And we want chubby babies! A chubby baby is a healthy one 🙂 Now, when I say “fatty foods” I don’t mean McDouble’s and Frosty’s. I mean healthy fats like those found in nuts, yogurt, cheese, and the like. It is also important to have a lot of energy when breastfeeding, because for those first few months it’s a lot of waking up at 1, 3, and 5am to feed baby and then turning around and getting up at 7am  to clean, shower, play with baby, read to baby, nap, clean some more, cook dinner, and half a dozen more feedings in between. I’ve found that I can’t get the energy I need from just a cup or two of coffee in the morning (although it is delicious!)- it requires something with more staying power. Everyone has heard how good Whole Grain’s are for you, but I never realized how good they make me feel and how much more energy they gave me until I started actively incorporating them into my diet. So instead of cutting down on my caloric intake all together, I made the transition to replacing those empty calories with good ones. I started making sure I got the right kind of fat and adding more whole grains all the time (I’m finishing up my white pasta by mixing it half and half with whole grain pasta…your kids/husbands won’t be able to taste the difference ladies, but you’ll feel much better about eating it!). I have also been increasing my veggie intake and widening my horizons when it comes to which veggies I use.

I grew up in a house where veggies were, shall we say, not very popular? The choice was either green beans or corn when we did have veggies with our meal, and that wasn’t all too often. When I started dating my husband and had dinners with his family I didn’t eat many veggies either, simply because the broccoli, mushrooms, and onions they ate were things I just “didn’t like”. It has taken almost 7 years, and a lot of “just try it, you’ll like it” conversations with my hubby to get to where I am today. Now we are eating broccoli, onions, mushrooms (yup- I love them all!), asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes (ick!), green and red peppers, and a lot of other fun new stuff all of the time! It is truly amazing how good veggies can taste when paired with the right dishes. For example- I turned my Hamburger helper into a delicious and healthier meal last week by adding some onions, eggplant and mushrooms.

For me, this diet isn’t a short-term solution, it is establishing an eating pattern for myself and my family for the long-term. Once I started eating better I decided that I needed to incorporate some exercise so that I would be able to lose the weight faster. But more on that later 😉

 

Weight loss to date: 15lbs (and counting!)

The day I realized I was fat…

After I had my son, I knew that I was fat- well, fatter than I had been 9 months prior! I had gained 44 pounds as of my Doctor appointment on Monday and Wyatt was born on Wednesday. I wasn’t a complete idiot, but I had hopes that I had at least lost a LITTLE weight (like 15 or 20 pounds!) from having him. Once I was at home, and brave enough to step on that scale, my heart broke… Not only did I not lose a “little” weight, I had hardly lost any at all! My son weighed 7lbs 13oz when he was born, and I lost a measly 10 pounds! “Ok,” I thought to myself, “I’ve only lost 10, but the rest is going to just melt off because I’m breastfeeding, right?” Oh how wrong I was!

Since I had to have a c-section I was in a lot of pain for the first few weeks after Wyatt was born. I was able to drop an additional 6 pounds, but put 8 of it back on by the time he was 6 weeks old. I could hardly walk down the driveway, I hurt so bad. On top of that, I was starving! Making milk takes a lot out of you! Once I was able to drive again, I went shopping because I was so sick of wearing those same stinking maternity clothes all the time (I got big fast, so I  was in them by 10 weeks!). As I perused the racks, I thought I must have gone up at least a size, so I grabbed some 12’s and a 14- just in case. I tried the 14 first, thinking that it would make me feel better, knowing it was way too big…yea right! I couldn’t even get it buttoned! I was so upset that I left the store with nothing, and did not go back out shopping for a couple weeks.

I finally convinced myself that it was okay if I needed to buy a size 16, as I could always have them taken in. Again- wrong! While at Old Navy I tried on many pairs of shorts and capri’s, unable to make a SINGLE size 16 zip. “This is it,” I thought “I am officially a fat a$$”. I grudgingly grabbed a pair of size 18 capri’s from the table and bought them without trying them on. My mind was made up that day- I had to do something to lose the weight.