12/14 Weigh In Week 67

Loss for the week: 1.2 lbs.

Original weight: 208.4

Last weeks weight: 144.8

Current weight: 143.6

Total loss to date: 64.8

I was pretty relieved to see a loss this morning. I was struggling a lot with sticking to my diet and finally caved in over the weekend and just had at it. I even had a very lazy day on Saturday and stayed in bed all morning instead of getting my planned 3 hr. workout in and I was also so busy on Sunday that I didn't get a workout in as well. Guilt was really starting to settle in that I had totally ruined my good week. It did make me feel much better that my weigh in day wasn't until Wed. so I had Mon. and Tues to do a little damage control and get back on track. So glad my minor setback wasn't a complete derailment and I can keep chugging along now. I can only imagine what my loss might have been if I had stuck to it completely. I'm still very happy with my 1.2 lb. loss and it's good to know that even with a litttle (okay, ALOT) of cheating I can still manage a decent loss.

12/7 Weigh In Week 66

Loss for the week: 2.8 lbs.

Original weight: 208.4

Last weeks weight: 147.6

Current weight: 144.8

Total loss to date: 63.6

Well I'm excited to say the least! I'm very happy with my loss and hope the weight keeps coming off as well as it has been. I have been struggling with some cravings the last few days and I think I can blame hormones for that. I did go all out and eat a whole bunch of Hershey's kisses yesterday (30 I think) but then I made sure I got on the bike and worked all those calories off to make up for it. Christmas season is in full swing now with various events coming up like cookie exchange parties, Christmas parties, etc. so I'm going to have to fit in lots of extra workouts here and there so that I can allow myself a little wiggle room for those. I will still try to maintain some self control and not go all out. I'm getting so close to my goal and I don't have much longer. It's a great feeling to be able to look back at where I've been and then look ahead to where I'm going and be soo much closer to the end than the beginning. I still feel so strong in my willpower and I know that I can do it. It is within my reach! Here's to another good week and hope I can pull out another 2 lb. or more loss (although hormones, etc. could be messing with me again next week so we'll see).

My workouts for the past week:

Tues- 30 min. bike, 30 min. elliptical, 30 min. yoga

Wed.- 20 min. bike, 20 min. elliptical, 20 min. push up/sit up/ etc. 30 min. weights

Thurs. 20 min. bike, 20 min. elliptical, 30 min. yoga, 40 min. kickboxing class, 60 min. boot camp class

Fri.-20 min. bike, 20 min. elliptical, 20 min. push up/sit up/etc. 30 min. weights

Sat.-30 min. bike, 30 min. elliptical, 30 min. yoga, 45 min. zumba class, 20 min. run

Sun.- 60 min. walk, 30 min. bike, 30 min. elliptical

Mon.-20 min. bike, 20 min. elliptical, 20 min. push up/sit up/ etc. 30 min. weights

So about 13.5 hrs. of exercise for the week so my 2.8 lb. loss makes sense with as much exercise as I was getting in. When I set my mind on a goal I am determined!

11/30 Weigh In Week 65

Loss for the week: 4.2 lb.

Original weight: 208.4 lbs
Last weeks weight: 151.8 lbs
Current weight:147.6 lbs.
Total loss to date:60.8 lbs.

So I'm back into it. I really feel like fall/winter time is the ideal time for me to lose weight. It's more of a mental thing I guess. I think I'm bored having to be stuck in the house with the cold temps so I need something to put all my focus and energy into. Anyway, it's been going good. This was my second week back into it and I didn't want to post again until I knew I'd be able to stick with it this time around. I'm trying a little more drastic approach this time around with a 1200 calorie diet and atleast 60 min. of exercise a day but usually I get in anywhere from 90-150 min. a day. I'm lifting weights three times a week to ensure that I'm not losing muscle mass. I had my body fat tested this morning to see where I was at and get an idea of how low I could expect to get. Right now I'm at 21.6% body fat. I was kinda shocked by that number because based on (those dumb) BMI charts I have a pretty high BMI and am just barely in the healthy range. I've always know I was built more muscular so just goes to show that sometimes those charts aren't an accurate way to measure things. As always, I will take a wait and see approach but I do like to set my sights high so even if I don't reach them I should still land at a pretty decent spot. Based on my current body fat, I think I will see if I can get down to 132 which would be another 15 lbs. lost and would put me right around 12.5% body fat which is just about as low as you "should" go based on those charts. Again, I'm really more concerned about my tummy fat which is apparently where I must store almost all my fat (that measurement was definitely the highest of all in the 7 site body fat test) so if I get to a place where I feel comfortable with the flatness of my tummy and I haven't reached that magic goal weight I'll be okay with it. I just like to set my sights on a goal so I have something to focus on. I'm hoping by Valentine's Day (which gives me 11 weeks) I'll be enjoying a dinner out at The Cheesecake Factory! Last week I lost 2 lbs. and this week was 4.2 so I'm off to a very good start. I have cut my calories to a point where I "should" (if my body cooperates with the math of it all) lose around 2 lbs. a week.

Measurement Progress

Waist(I measured my "true" waist which is about where my mom jeans would lay if I wore those)- THEN: 38.5 in. Before: 32 in. NOW: 29 in.
Stomach(I measured across my belly button)- THEN: 48 in. Before: 36.5 in. NOW: 33.5
Hips- THEN: 46 in. Before: 38 in. NOW: 38 in.
Thighs- THEN: 27 in. Before: 23 in. NOW: 22 in.
Biceps- THEN: 13 in. Before: 12 in. NOW: 11 in.
Body fat- THEN- 57%Before : 36.6% NOW: 30%
Muscle- THEN- 30% Before:36.5% NOW: 40%

So that's another 10 inches I've lost since I last updated my measurements. Not too shabby! You get use to what you see in the mirror every day so it's helpful to look back and see the actual numbers and the progress you've made. So if only I could get that stomach measurement down a few more inches I could be content.

10/11 Weigh In Week 58

Loss for the week: 1 lb.

Original weight: 208.4 lbs
Last weeks weight: 149.0 lbs
Current weight:148.0 lbs.
Total loss to date:60.4 lbs.

This weigh in is a day late because yesterday was my birthday and I enjoyed it a little too much! I had cheesecake, cupcakes and doughnuts and I spent the day shopping. I think I got all that splurging out of my system and am ready to get my head back in the game. Shopping was motivating because I felt like I looked really good in the clothes I was trying on so I know that in a few more lbs. I'll look awesome. Really mostly that tummy area is where that fat is just hanging around. We took the kids to a park the other day and I tried doing a pull up. No way! I think that is going to become a goal of mine-do be able to do at least one, maybe 5 pull ups. I've found a few exercises that I can do to help the progression. Also, another thing I really need some work on is doing a sit up. For some reason I can't seem to keep my feet on the ground. I know I do a lot of other ab work so I do have ab muscles but I must not be use to using whichever muscles you use for sit ups. It's always good to have some specific things to workout and aim for. So this week I'm kicking it up just a tiny bit to make up for the extra calories I consumed in birthday mode. Just one more year in my twenties and I'm in the best shape of my life!!!

10/3 Weigh In Week 57

Loss for the week: 3 lbs.

Original weight: 208.4 lbs
Last weeks weight: 152.0 lbs
Current weight:149.0 lbs.
Total loss to date:59.4 lbs.

So last week was my first week back into it. I feel like I've done this a few times and I think that this time it will stick. I hadn't really budged much since summer and I think mentally I just hit a wall and wanted a break. Summer was a time to just enjoy myself and I did that. Now that fall had begun and I have been able to settle into a routine with the kid's school schedules and my work schedule, I want to get rid of these last few lbs. I have no real idea if it will end up being 10, 20 or even 30 lbs. I will take somewhat of a see when I get there stance. Here is what my workouts looked like this week:
Mon- 90 min. walk
Tues.- 50 min. cardio fusion class, 30 min. stretch & strength class, 60 min. kickboxing class Wed.- 120 min. walk
Thurs.-60 min. boot camp class
Fri- 50 min. Jillian Michaels dvd
Sat.- 30 min. biking machine, 30 min. lifting weight, calithetics, etc.
Sun.- 75 min. walk
All week I aimed for about 1350 calories. I stuck with it most days but I did go out for a two drinks Sat. night so I have no idea how many calories those were. Overall I'm very happy with my week and hoping that by the end of October I can be out(or almost out) of the 140's and finally break into a number that I haven't seen in years.

8/22 Weigh In Week 51

Loss for the week: 3.8 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:150.0 lbs.
Total loss to date:58.4 lbs.

Getting back down there. I feel like I've just been stuck at this low 150's/ upper 140's for months now and for whatever reason can't seem to get past it. I'm really hoping in a few weeks to break the barrier and get past this slump. 6 more weeks left, I just have to keep telling myself I can keep doing this for just another 6 more weeks. School is starting up soon and life will get crazier. I think I will try to slow things down as best as I can and Mondays will be a day off from going to the Y. I will still try to get in a little workout at home and go for a walk but wanted to give the kids a break for atleast one day a week from having to go anywhere(since the older two are in school 4 days a week and Monday is their off day). Today I got a solid 3 hr. workout in at the Y doing 3 hr. long classes. Phew! The only downside to that is that I'm gone from my family for more than 3 hrs. and I miss them. I love exercising but that is that one thing that gets to me sometimes is being away from them so much. I try to walk with them as much as possible to include them in the workouts and once I'm done trying to lose weight I can take it easy and spend more time with them.

8/15 Weigh In Week 50

Loss for the week: +5 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:153.8 lbs.
Total loss to date:54.6 lbs.

Did you miss me last week? Something came up the week before that didn't allow me to exercise for a few days so I kinda took a break and then since we were having a staycation with family last week I took an extended break. This was kinda bad timing since I had another triathlon at the end of the week and didn't get hardly any workouts and ate out a lot. I was so worried that I'd do terrible and not have the endurance to get through it. I was wrong. It was a great experience(well, aside from the organization of the whole thing but that's another story). Not sure I'll try that approach in the future before races but nice to know that I have it in me to do it despite my training or diet. Today I'm back to reality and starting back up again. I'm sure I've said it before but it is SO hard to stick to a diet during summer when there are parties all the time. I want to be able to enjoy my summer so I hold on loosely to my diet when those things come up. I'll have all winter when I'm stuck indoors and bored to diet and exercise my brains out, I'm going to enjoy the fresh air, company of friends, and of course yummy treats. I've got 8 more weeks left that I've committed to. My schedule is looking pretty crazy in a few weeks once school starts and my new(more hours) work schedule starts. I'm wondering if I might need to re-evaluate once I get to that point. I've been at this for 50 weeks now and I don't want to miss out on life and I want to enjoy rainy days at home with the kids or other things that I would normally press on through to reach my goals.

8/1 Weigh In Week 48

Loss for the week: +1.4 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:148.8 lbs.
Total loss to date:59.6 lbs.

WTH!!!!That about sums it up for me. I started seeing this gain very early on in the week and I was baffled. I had been very diligent with my workouts and I was getting even more workout time in sometimes up to 5 hrs. each day. I was in serious kick butt mode and my body apparently was not having it. I guess you've gotta take the good with the bad but I would have seriously rather had a smaller loss last week and then another smaller loss this week than a big loss and then a small gain. I'm really hoping that next Monday's weigh in will go better. So since I had already seen a gain I kinda leaned into yesterday and went off the diet for the day since there were birthday cupcakes in the house. My last baby turned 1 on Saturday. I believe after leaving the hospital one year ago I weighed 220 pounds. I have come a long way in one year and that alone is enough to be proud of. So this small bump in the road is just a part of the journey and it will make me stronger by enduring the mental struggle and continuing through it. I have 9 more weeks of this diet and I know I can keep doing it.

7/25 Weigh In Week 47

Loss for the week: 4.2 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:147.4lbs.
Total loss to date:61 lbs.

Wohoo!!! So many good things to report for this week. I finished my first official triathlon and it felt great! I wanted to finish in under 1:30 and I did it in 1:23 so that was awesome and I felt great the whole time. I have done a practice one about a month ago and I felt terrible for the run part of it. I hadn't been on my diet and getting as many workouts in so I think those were a few good changes I made this time around. I also got all my workouts in every day(at least 2 hrs.) and mostly stuck to my diet. There was an after party for the tri so I splurged a little on some cheese curds(yes, I'm from Wisconsin) and a few other goodies. I was so happy to see this number on Saturday and glad that despite my splurging I was able to maintain that loss. I'm pumped and ready to continue on this journey and maybe next week's number will be my lowest yet(145 had been the lowest so far). I'm pretty sure I'm committed to do this through Sept. so despite the number on the scale I'm ready to give it a full 12 weeks. That's not too long of a time and I believe that is usually when I tend to hit a plateau anyway. So it's been a great week and I have a positive outlook for the weeks to come. I'm going to sign up for another tri in a few weeks so I'm pumped for that one. It was also really special to be able to do that with my husband. It was a great shared experience! The weather is beautiful so hopefully I can get in a good long walk with the family today.

7/18 Weigh In Week 46

Loss for the week: 2.6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:151.6lbs.
Total loss to date: 56.8 lbs.

Last week I started back up again after taking pretty much a 5 week break. I enjoyed freedom and didn't worry about a thing. I rarely checked the scale which was a freeing feeling. I've got another triathlon coming up this Saturday and since my last one didn't go so well I wanted to get back on the diet so that I'd be eating better before the race. I have also decided to go farther than 140 and see if I can maybe even get myself to 125. I'm holding onto that number loosely though because I really won't know until I get closer what my body is capable of. I have been aiming to get atleast 2 hours of exercise in every day and if at all possible 3. This week is gonna be a hot one so I'm not sure if we'll be able to get out for some walks. I also plan on buying a trainer for my bike so that I can do that at home or even just in the backyard while the kids play. I got up to swim this morning and plan on doing that every day this week in preparation for the race. I'm very nervous about the heat. I don't like hot temperatures. I would be very happy and content with upper 60's to very low 70's. That's my ideal. These 90's are killer! The race is at 7:15 am so hopefully time of day will help me out a little. I had a busy weekend so that way hard as far as sticking to the diet. We had a wedding reception on Friday, a class reunion on Saturday and then an outdoor get together with friends. I feel like I did pretty good on Friday, Saturday I might have gone over a little and yesterday as well. There was chocolate cake there. I would have done great had it not been for the chocolate cake. It was yummy! I'm wondering if maybe the days of me dropping 3+ lbs. a week are over. I guess 2.6 lbs. a week would still be a good rate to keep up. I'm excited to continue on my journey and keep my focus on something for awhile. I want my body to match the way I feel and the amount of energy I have.

6/12 Weigh In Week 41

Loss for the week: +.4 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:151.4lbs.
Total loss to date: 57 lbs.

TAKE 2! Okay, so midway through last week I had to take another break. I was having such a hard time sticking to the diet. I couldn't figure out why I suddenly had so little willpower. Then I dawned on me that most of the time I was dieting I had been nursing so fluctuating hormone levels each month hadn't been an issue for me. About 4 weeks ago I had this same issue with struggling to stick with the diet. I felt really bloated and fat and just craved junk food. I put all that together and realized that for my own sanity every 4 weeks I will just have to take a break from the diet. I think I'm finally really ready to get back into it but I also feel like the clock is against me if I only have 4 weeks before my momentum will have to stop again. Kinda sucks, but what can you do. At this point I'm not sure where my stopping point will be. It's not as much about the number on the scale as the fit in the clothes. I'd like to see if I can melt away some of the pounds that are hanging around my midsection. Other than that I think I look good and can be happy with where I'm at. I was glad to see that I barely gained despite all the gorging I did this past week. I kept up with my exercise so that was good to see that I can maintain pretty well just by sticking with my exercise. Well, that was not a very exciting weigh in but hopefully next week I'll be closer to where I had been.

6/6 Weigh In Week 40

Loss for the week: +6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:151.0 lbs.
Total loss to date: 57.4 lbs.

I'm ready to get back into the game after almost 2 weeks off. I started back on the diet yesterday. I really hope that by next week's weigh in I can be right back where I was at two weeks ago. It might be a tall order but I'd rather set my goals higher and push myself more. So for this week, my plan is to eat 1700 calories and get 3 hrs. of exercise in each day. That last hour of exercise will probably end up being a nice walk with the family pushing a double stroller through town and up and down hills. Today I did a 45 min. cycle class followed by a 5.7 mile run outside and then another 1.6 miles on the elliptical. I'll just have to fit in a walk later. For now I'm thinking I can try for another 6 weeks and maybe, just maybe I could get to 133 which would be a 75 lb. loss overall. If I did that, that would be just about a year after having baby number 4. Pretty big accomplishment I think. Plus, if I can get down that low it would give me a little more wiggle room for when I go off the diet. I've also thought that when I'm off the diet I need a plan. I've thought of possibly assigning 1 or 2 days out of each week that would be my low calorie days and then the other 5 or 6 days I could eat like normal. Maybe this would help keep me in check. It's a learning process figuring out what will work best for me. I'll just have to see when I get there. I'm so excited because these next two weeks I don't have to work so that means I can take all the classes at the Y that I want to. Yay!

Not What You're Expecting

So this is a first in 39 weeks, there will be no weigh in. Last week was a hard week all around. It started out not too bad and I was expecting that I wouldn't get as much exercise in due to having the garage sale and being busy with that. Something else came up that prevented me from exercising all together. It's a bit too personal to share with y'all but let's just say it was a bit painful and I was very worried that exercise would make it worse. Things seem to be doing better but I'm going to ease back into exercise. Because I wasn't working out, it was very hard to stick with the eating part. I'm an all or nothing girl. When I get into something I like to do it all the way and put 100% into it. It's a lot harder to only put 50% into it and stick with that. So the reason I'm not going to weigh in is that I don't want to see a gain and let that get to me. I'd rather take a little break and when I'm able to get back into things fully start up again. This deadline I put on myself was getting to be a lot of pressure and really what does it matter? It's not like I needed to fit into a wedding dress or a swimming suit for a vacation. It was just a date that I set 10 months ago so that I had some accountability. I feel like even though I haven't hit my 68 lb. loss yet(and probably won't in time for next Mon.) that my 63 lb. loss is pretty darn close enough. I was struggling with feeling like I was coming up with all these excuses but then I had to tell myself that that I made it this far so I know that I can do it. It's not like I was 3 weeks into this thing and then threw in the towel. I lost 63 freakin' pounds and if this thing that was out of my control happened and I am unable to exercise that's not my fault. I think specific goals are great for setting your eyes on something and reaching for them but it's okay if you don't quite reach them. I feel like mine have served their purpose in motivating me. I really kicked it into high gear last week and the timeline was what motivated me so much. I so wish I could have been just that into it this week and also for next week. I'm sure I would have lost those last 5 pounds. I have been thinking that I was going to take a break anyway and try to lose a little more beyond my goal-somewhere in the 130s. I still intend to do all of that but I'm just going to take a little break. I'm not exactly sure how long. Maybe a week or two. It's something that I need to just let happen in it's own time. When I'm fully recovered from this physical thing and I've kinda gotten the eating splurging out of my system then I'll know. It'll get that itch to get back in it. For now I'll try to focus on what I have achieved. I can't wait to get back into my normal exercise routine though. With the holiday weekend and also having the garage sale again this week, things will be out of whack. The lack of exercise has been the hardest part. I've felt so guilty about that but I just didn't want to make anything worse than it was.

5/23 Weigh In Week 38

Loss for the week: 4 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:145.0 lbs.
Total loss to date: 63.4 lbs.

Yeah baby! I rocked it this past week! I aimed for 3 hours of exercise each day but I actually didn't do any exercise on Saturday and Sunday due to the rain and the fact that my shoulders were sunburned so bad I didn't want to do any intense exercise(today there are blisters, ouch!). I'm going to try to get in as much exercise this coming week as well but I know I might not get 3 hrs. each day since I'm having a garage sale at my house so that will take up a lot of my time. It feels so great to be so close to my goal. I feel like I just might make it to my goal in time as long as my body cooperates. Along with the increased exercise I also aimed for an average of 1700 calories per day but since one of those days I ate at The Cheesecake Factory, the other days I was consuming 1350 calories so the weekly total would still be the same. It was a very busy week and weekend and we enjoyed a lot of eating out (still mostly staying within calorie limits) and then had a family gathering. I kinda lost myself on the deserts and splurged a lot on Sunday so because of that I'll aim for 1500 calories daily the rest of this week. I am already seeing the changes in my tummy that I was hoping for. It is slowly but surely getting smaller.

5/16 Weigh In Week 37

Loss for the week: 3.6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:149.0 lbs.
Total loss to date: 59.4 lbs.

Yay! I'm in the 140s! Last week I upped my calories to 1800 but also increased my workouts to 120 min. every day. I was also right about probably retaining water at last weeks weigh in because it was that time of the month. I had just been feeling bloated and in a funk. I'm feeling better now and ready to push through these last three weeks. When I originally set my goal I wanted to be at 140 by the end of May and I gave myself 39 weeks so even though May ends in the beginning of the 39th week I'll go that full week. That means my last weigh in will be on Monday June 6th. I will be ready for a break. I can't believe I'm 9 lbs. from my goal. It feels so much better to have less than 10 lbs. to go! This mornings workout was a 45 minute cycling class followed by a 5 mile run( in about 44 min, wohoo!) and then another 30 min. on the elliptical. I have a fun girls night out planned on Wednesday night to The Cheesecake Factory. I already have my meal planned out(and no it will not be healthy) so I changed my calories for the other six days of the week so that my weekly total calories will be the same. Mmmm, I can't wait! Of course my favorite slice of cheesecake happens to be the one with the highest calories in it... Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple(over 1300 calories, yikes!). I'm not sure if I'll hit my goal in three weeks (I'd have to loss 3 lbs. each week for the next three weeks) but even if I'm very close that is still good in my mind. To finally be at a healthy weight and to have muscle definition that I didn't have before feels great!

5/9 Weigh In Week 36

Loss for the week: -1.6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:152.6 lbs.
Total loss to date: 55.8 lbs.

I'm going to try not to focus on that number. It was another holiday weekend and I again fell off that diet wagon. I enjoyed my Mother's Day a little too much. I've got a pretty good feeling all that and then some is just water weight because my scale tells me along with my body fat and muscle my water percentage and that was a lot higher than it normally is. I'll make that excuse to myself and I'm pretty sure by tomorrow or the next day it will be back down. I feel like the closer I come to the end, the harder it's getting to stick with it. Since I can almost smell freedom(from the diet) I keep stumbling more. Hopefully this week I can stick with it faithfully because we have nothing out of the ordinary going on. I'm not sure if I'll reach my goal by the end of May but even if I get pretty darn close that's awesome. I didn't feel like going to the Y this morning so I did my workouts at home. I did 45 min. on the elliptical, a 20 min. Jillian workout, and a 45 min. Jillian workout. I was busy all morning spring cleaning throughout the house. I'm not even close to being done and getting ready for my garage sale in a few weeks. I pretty much have to start from square one with clothes because most if not all of my clothes from the last time I lost weight are too big. It's nice on the one side to get new clothes but it's not so nice on the budget. Oh how I hope to be in the 140s next week!!! Looking back at my weigh in 4 weeks ago I was only 1 lb. heavier. Time for my body to start letting go of some more fat(preferably belly fat)! I've been at this 153/152/151 weight for a month now and it's getting old. Here's to a better week!

5/2 Weigh In Week 35

Loss for the week: 1.2 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:151 lbs.
Total loss to date: 57.4 lbs.

Phew! I was happy to see a loss at all. I was feeling so good about my size 6 jeans that I fell of my diet and enjoyed lots of yummy food like chocolate chip cookies and dining out at places like Applebee's, The Olive Garden & Culvers. I was beginning to feel guilty at the end since I'm getting so close to my goal and didn't want to waste another week getting back to where I was. I have 11 lbs. to go and I just might be able to reach it in time. It won't be the end of the world if I don't. I'll just keep going. I'm also unsure of where I'll stop. The only area I'm concerned with is my tummy. That is my major trouble area and I carry all my extra weight there. I guess if these last 11 lbs. don't all come off my tummy I'm going to have to keep losing. Hopefully if I can still maintain a decent rate of loss I should be able to stick it out a few more weeks in June to get down a little more and burn off that belly fat. I'm not sure if I've ever posted my goals for after my weight loss but I'll be competing in a few triathlons this summer. I think it will be good to have something to focus on once I'm done dieting. I still plan on sticking with my same exercise routine but it won't have to be quite as rigid as it is now. If I need to skip some every now and then it'll be fine. I hope next week to be in the 140s!!!

4/25 Weigh In Week 34

Loss for the week: 0 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:152.2lbs.
Total loss to date: 56.2 lbs.

Well it was Easter weekend and since I was feeling so great about my size 6 body I let myself enjoy some goodies. I'm not sure that was the whole reason I didn't lose anything. I was checking my weight and still on Sat.(before any splurging) I was only down 1 lb. I think my body is slowing to a plateau. I think I've reached that point where I have a few pounds to go and I'm really going to have to work for them(as if I haven't been working my butt off this whole time anyway)! I feel like such a broken record saying this but I really hope to get outside as much as I can for walks to add in more exercise. It's not that I haven't tried, it's just that we've been dealt a really crappy spring filled with snow, sleet, rain and cold temps. I might try to get out today for one though. I did my 45 min. cycle class and then ran about 3.5 miles. Since the kids are going down for a nap and I haven't showered yet I may get some more time on the elliptical as well. I'm not too down about my lack of a loss this past week. I am still on a high from my clothes shopping trip the other day. I got a few really cute tops to go with my "new to me" jeans. It was so exciting being able to try on size 6s, smalls and even a few extra smalls. What a change from these last 5 years where it's been mostly extra larges and larges! It's great to see all my hard work and determination paying off. I will keep chugging along! I've gotta start seeing some big numbers again if I want to make my goal. I wanted to be at 140 by the end of May so I have 5 weeks left to lose 12.2 lbs. Come on body, get on board again!

Size 6!

Just had to post about my exciting news! I got a pair of size 6 jeans from my friend and hoped that someday I would fit into them and I just tried them on tonight and they fit and look really good!!!! Can't wait to wear them out in public!!! YAY!!!

Ready to Get Back in the Game

I'm feeling back to myself and actually getting my hunger for food back. Tomorrow I will get back into my normal exercise and diet routine and we'll see how the rest of this week goes. I'm so glad that I'm done with that nasty bug. Even though the scale showed more of a loss this morning, I'd much rather take diet and exercise any day over spending my days and nights in the bathroom-NOT FUN! I hope these last 3 days of no exercise don't make it too hard to get back into it. Trying to look on the positive side of things, I was hoping for a bit of a break from all the dieting and I guess I got that from about Sunday afternoon until Tues. afternoon. I didn't have much of an appetite at all so I wasn't even thinking about food. That was a needed break from feeling so consumed by all my calorie counting. I'm feeling refreshed and ready to attack those last few pounds!

4/18 Weigh In Week 33

Loss for the week: 1.4 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:152.2lbs.
Total loss to date: 56.2 lbs.

I'll take what I can get this week. I had been watching the scale everyday last week and it wasn't budging from 153.6 until Sat. when it showed a .8 gain! I was getting frustrated to say the least. It was really hard maintaining the 1200 daily calories. I also had a few events that I wanted to save some calories for so that meant stealing from other days to save them up and putting in a few extra workouts to buy some more calories. After seeing that .8 gain I just cracked under the pressure. That night I ate how I wanted. I have a medium fries from McDs and a few other sweets(Nutty bars, Snickers eggs, etc). Then Sunday was busy and I just had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a few slices of pizza at Pizza Hut. Then this nasty bug hit me. My tummy wasn't feeling all that great and I started getting body aches. I went to bed at 4 in the afternoon and had chills. I also started getting those nasty burps(they kinda taste like sulfer or rotten eggs) and I knew I was really sick. All of last night was spent waking up to go to the bathroom. It was not pretty! I'm guessing that is what I have to thank for this 1.6 lb. loss. After I'm feeling better I'll be returning to my 1 1/2 hrs. of daily exercise and upping my calories to 1500. 1200 was just way to hard to maintain without totally wanting to lose it. I was really expecting to see no loss at all today because I think my body was hitting a plateau. Maybe I was pushing it too hard with the 2 hrs. and 1200 calories. Hopefully returning to 1 1/2 hrs. and 1500 calories will let my body relax a little and let go of more of the fat. I'm getting so close and it's great to see how my body has transformed.

Gloomy Day

I think the weather must be getting to me(it's been a cold, rainy spring so far). I'm having one of those roller coaster days. Most of the time I feel like I'm on the downward spiral, ugh! I'm working so hard and I've been stepping on the scale every day and it is refusing to budge. Still at 153.6! Usually I will see the numbers move around a little bit each day up until official weigh in day. I've got a feeling I will see a low number next week which feels like such a low blow! I googled what to do when you hit a plateau and it's strange that I'm already doing all those things. I lowered my calorie intake this week and I had upped my exercise time last week. I feel like I'm doing all I possibly can and my body is just not cooperating. I know I will do it but I just feel like venting {whining} right now. I do hope my body is just playing a joke on me and come Monday I will see a big number again. Either way, I will still press on but it will be much harder on me mentally if I see only a 1 pound loss or something. Just goes to show that you can do everything "right" and it still doesn't always go as according to plan. I've got willpower and time on my side though and my body can't keep holding those pounds hostage forever.

Pictures

So someone asked for some recent pictures. Well, here you go:
This first one is my before picture. I never actually got around to taking a decent before picture so this is the day I left the hospital after having my 4th baby. Ugh, I look so bloated! I'm actually a little heavier here at about 220 lbs. since those first 13 lbs. came off without me having to do any work.

Here I am today at 153 lbs. (I had to take these myself so they aren't the greatest but you get the idea)


Wow, 67 lbs. makes quite a difference! Can't wait to get those last few pesky pounds off which are mostly in the tummy area(and yes I did suck in for the picture :P )

4/11 Weigh In Week 32

Loss for the week: 3.8 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:153.6lbs.
Total loss to date: 54.8 lbs.

It'll have to do, LOL. I was hoping for maybe a teeny bit more than that since I upped my workouts by 30 minutes a day. I'll keep up the 2 hrs. every day and maybe sneak in a few walks every day as extra. I'm also going to cut down to 1200 calories for this week just to keep my body guessing a little. I'll go back to 1400 calories next week but just wanted to try something different this week. If I can keep up this rate of loss then I should be able to reach my original goal of 140 in about 4 weeks. After that I was thinking that I'd slow things down a bit and up my calories to 1850 but still maintain my exercise and hope to lose those last 5 lbs. in the few weeks to follow (that plan is always subject to change). I'm definitely ready to be done and I just want to sprint it out till the end. I feel like I'd love to dedicate 3, 4, or 5 hours to exercise every day just to get these last 13 pounds (or 18) off as quickly as possible. Unfortunately I have 4 little ones to take care of so that just isn't possible but I will try to sneak in as much as I can. I'm almost there and I know I can do it!

Finally!

Yesterday my husband weighed himself and I weighed myself and.......I weigh less than him!!!! Finally! It feels good to weigh less than my husband as it should be. It's a weigh loss milestone I'm happy to have accomplished.
This week I'm really trying to put it into high gear in an effort to get to my goal faster. I'm working out for atleast 2 hrs. every day(sometimes even more if I can get out for walks). If at the end of this week, I see big results I might just make this a new habit for the duration of the weight loss. Also as I approach my goal, I am reconsidering the number I've set for myself. I recently starting getting caught up in the numbers of it all and getting greedy. What if I could lose more, could I get down to 125?!? I looked more into what would be a reasonable number for me to get down to. I have a scale that gives me my body fat percentage(but there is also found a handy link that gave me just about the same number for those of you without a special scale) and based on how much I have now I'm able to find out what I could get down to and still maintain a healthy body fat percentage. If I got down to 125(like I was dreaming about) I would only be at about 12% body fat which is WAY too low(10-12% is essential fat) so there is no way I could/should ever get down to that weight-just unhealthy for me. I could however manage to get down to 135 and still be at 18% (14-20% is the range for athletes and since I'm training for a triathlon it seems fitting). I will play things by ear on how hard it is to get down to my original goal of 140. If I feel like I could keep going for another 5 lbs. I will. Otherwise I may take a needed break and in a few weeks pick back up again and try for those last 5. It was so helpful for me to do that research to know what would be good for my body type. It's so easy to get caught up in the numbers of it all and to start setting unreasonable goals.

4/4 Weigh In Week 31

Loss for the week: 1.6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:157.4lbs.
Total loss to date: 51 lbs.

Not too bad. There were a few days where I cheated with the diet but no worries. I didn't feel too guilty about it. I still got in all my normal exercise every day. Today was the first time in years that I got outside to run. It felt great. I ended up doing a little shy of 6 miles after my cycle class. I'm also looking forward to it warming up a little and getting out for some bike rides. I just had clipless pedals put on my bike so now I'm ready to go(hopefully I don't fall too much). Spring sure is taking it's sweet time arriving. I love going for walks and it's something we can all do as a family. As soon as it warms up enough, you'll be seeing me all around town pushing the triple stroller and holding the baby in the backpack carrier(in addition to my other workouts!).

3/28 Weigh In Week 30

Loss for the week: 3.6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:159.0lbs.
Total loss to date: 49.4 lbs.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!! I'm obviously very happy with my number this week. I wasn't sure what it was going to be actually because I didn't do all that well eating wise. My husband was home all week and it was his birthday too so we ended up eating out a lot and there were a few days where I didn't get as much or even any exercise in. I feel refreshed and ready to take on another week. I have less than 20 lbs. to go to reach my goal. Sweet!!!

3/21 Weigh In Week 29

Loss for the week: .8 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:162.6 lbs.
Total loss to date: 45.8 lbs.

GRRR! I'm very frustrated with this number. I did over 2 hours more of exercise this week than last week and managed to lose less! I'm now done nursing so we'll see if that hurts or helps me in this process. I'll be cutting down to 1400 calories per day now that I don't need those extra calories for milk production. I'll have to test and see how this amount works for me. There isn't too much else to say except that I'm going to keep chugging along and hopefully I'll start seeing bigger results.

3/14 Weigh In Week 28

Loss for the week: 1.2 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:163.4 lbs.
Total loss to date: 45 lbs.

Well I'm a little disappointed with my number but I am glad to see a loss at all. I was weighing my self just about every day and I wasn't seeing a drop at all which was really frustrating. I even slipped up for a day on my diet but I certainly didn't do that much damage. Maybe next week will be a bigger number. I'm just so use to my 2 or 3 lb. a week number and would really like to get back to that. Oh and my knees are starting to hurt again this morning. Maybe I'll take some ibuprofen and hope that helps. I think the running & biking are fine but it's more of the strength workouts that are hurting it like squats and such.

Here were my workouts for the week:
Tues.-nothing(i did a few laps during my swim lessons but it was a day to take a little break after doing the idle ironman)
Wed.-1 hr. step class, 30 min. stretch & strength class
Thurs. 50 min. kickboxing class, 30 min. stretch & strength class, 1 hr. boot camp class
Fri.-30 min. on the elliptical
Sat.-45 min. of zumba (i was 15 min. late to class) 30 min. on the elliptical, 1 hr. circuit training
Sun.-1 hr. body combat class
Mon.-45 min. cycling class, 25 min. on the elliptical, 20 min. on the treadmill

3/7 Weigh In Week 27

Loss for the week: 5.2 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:164.6 lbs.
Total loss to date: 43.8 lbs.

WOHOO!!!! I'm not sure which I'm more excited about: the 5.2 lb. loss or the fact that I finished my Idle Ironman in 1 week. The past 7 days were spent biking 112 miles, swimming 2.4 miles and running 26.2 miles. It took a lot more time than I originally was thinking. I spent ALOT of time at the Y and often at odd times such as this morning I was there at 5 am swimming. I'm so glad to be done with it and have accomplished it. It feels great to know that my body could handle that and the 5.2 lbs. is an awesome reward for all that hard work. It was so exciting watching the numbers drop so fast throughout the week. What a jump start after having a bad week last week. I only have about 24 more pounds to go. I'm so close to my goal!

Feelin' So Good

I'm sitting here at 11:20 at night eating a big bowl of strawberries & grapes. I had quite a day at the gym! Today marks the start of the Idle Ironman that I signed up to do. I want to get it all done as quickly as possible(maybe even all in this first week but we'll see) so I didn't waste a moment. I did a 30 min. spin class followed by another 30 min. class(well it was a 45 min. class but I had to duck out 15 min. early to get ready for swim lessons), then I had swim lessons and did laps afterwards. After, I went on the elliptical to complete my workout. Today's totals are: Swim 600 yards, bike 16 miles, run 3.75 miles. The sprint triathlon I want to do this summer is swim 440 yards, bike 13 miles, run 3 miles so know that I can do that! I'm so proud of myself for doing all that today and setting a high goal for myself that is achievable. This will definitely help the pounds melt away! Hope this is motivating to you all :)

2/28 Weigh In Week 26

Loss for the week: +.6 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:169.8 lbs.
Total loss to date: 38.6 lbs.

Last week was just a BAD week!!! It did start off great with my awesome weigh in on Monday and my usual cycling and running workout. Then it all went downhill from there. My knees started to hurt. My right one was pretty bad and I couldn't move without the pain getting unbearable. I decided I'd try taking a break from exercise until it got better(thinking that would only be a day or two). Tuesday I had my swimming lessons so I did manage to get in a tiny workout of a few laps in the pool. BTW-I am very afraid of the water, mainly putting my face in the water. Every time my face would touch the water the panic would set in. I'm really not sure more practice will every make me feel comfortable in the water. The knee pain was still just as bad if not worse by Wednesday so I didn't work out then either. I also woke up with a sore throat. Thursday was much of the same so again no workout and by now I was off my diet because my husband was out of town and I was now on my own with 4 kids for the next 4 days and not feeling so well. It was a very stressful next few days. Then fever, body aches, watery eyes, running nose, etc. set in. I was a wreck! I'm still nursing so I didn't take anything on Friday because I just figured I couldn't. After a restless night, I headed to my trusty Google to see what things I could take even if they had a low risk. I really needed some relief and was desperate! I took some Benedryl and that helped a lot. I also called in some help to watch the kids while I rested. Finally, I woke up on Sunday morning feeling a lot more like myself. I am so bummed that after having such a great weigh in week, that I had such a bad week. I feel like I'm never going to move past this 170/169 mark. I decided to focus on my measurements to see how much I've improved since the beginning. Here it is:

Waist(I measured my "true" waist which is about where my mom jeans would lay if I wore those)- THEN: 38.5 in. NOW: 32 in.
Stomach(I measured across my belly button)- THEN: 48 in. NOW: 36.5 in.
Hips- THEN: 46 in. NOW: 38 in.
Thighs- THEN: 27 in. NOW: 23 in.
Biceps- THEN: 13 in. NOW: 12 in.
Body fat- THEN- 57% NOW: 36.6%
Muscle- THEN- 30% NOW:36.5%

So I've lost 24.5 inches over all those areas. I didn't bother with my bust measurement since I'm nursing and probably wouldn't lose much in that area yet(plus that isn't an area where I really want to lose it, LOL).

So even though it was a bad week exercise and eating wise, I'm ready to get back to it and start losing some more. I'm getting so close to my goal and I can't give up now.

2/21 Weigh In Week 25

Loss for the week: 4.8 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:169.2 lbs.
Total loss to date: 39.2 lbs.

WOHOO! I am back in business. Feels great to be back in the 160s. Not too much else to report. The diet is going well and exercise is great! I'm feeling sore all over but it's a good sore. I was very happy to see the number on the scale today and that should help carry me through this week.

2/14 Weigh In Week 24

Loss for the week: 0 lbs.

Starting weight: 208.4 lbs
Current weight:174.0 lbs.
Total loss to date: 34.4 lbs.

I maintained from last week. Today is my first day back on the diet. I'm making sure I'm loading up on fruits and veggies so I don't get hungry. Here's what today looks like:

Breakfast-Oatmeal 130

Egg 70

Banana 100

Lunch-1 c. Cauliflower, carrots & peas 65

Yogurt 180

1 c. strawberries 50

1 c. cheesy rice 210

2 pickles 10

Snack-Pear 80

Apple 80

15 pretzels 80

Dinner- 1/3 Turkey Roast, 1 c. rice 540

Apple 80

1 c. pineapple 80

15 pretzels 80

I'm excited for next week to see how much I can lose this first week back. Also, starting in the month of March, I'm participating in an Idle Ironman. I will have the whole month to complete the 2.4 mi. swim, 112 mi. bike and 26.2 mi. run. Even though I have the whole month I'd like to get it done in the shortest amount of time, we'll see how that goes. I'm wondering if that will help boost the weigh loss even more. Still nursing the baby but she's getting more and more comfortable with formula so maybe in the next month or so I will stop. It's going great but since my last three babies didn't nurse well I assumed this one would be the same and started to stock up on formula. So since I already have about a 3 month supply, I'll stop nursing just to use that stuff up. Then I'd have to cut down my calories. Wonder how that will affect the weight loss as well? I'm thinking the body holds on to a few extra pounds for that so maybe it would help me see more results. Who knows!