New Diet for Momma... almost time to wean.

Pregnancy was the best diet I've ever been on. I know there are those that are cursing me right now, but trust me, I would gladly trade a pound or two for puking at least one... or three times less a day.

After Cora was born I lost a fair amount more... obviously the almost 9 pounds that made up her little body, and about 10 more after that. 

Breastfeeding has helped some. Not as much as I was hoping it would... not having that handy HCG hormone coursing through my body and eating enough to produce the milk but not eating too much has proven to be a harder line to walk for me than anything nutrition wise was in pregnancy. 

Don't get me started on what exercising seems to do to my supply. I didn't think there would be enough fenrugreek in the world to repair what I did to my supply when I thought I could take up jogging. Granted that was months ago, but I sure haven't tried again since!

Back in April I suddenly gained about 8 pounds. I swear it happened in like a week. At the time I didn't understand why and figured I'd drop it right back off. Not so much... and in hindsight I know why I gained the weight. That was right around the time we started feeding Cora solids, thus reducing the demand on my milk supply and that handy built in calorie burner. 

I'll be honest, vacation was not nice to me in regards to the scale. So for the first time in 20 months (I can't believe it has been that long! 20 months of either pregnancy or serious breastfeeding!) I'm back on the calorie counting bandwagon. 

I'm still breastfeeding but we're about a month and a half away from introducing Cora to milk in a sippy cup to prepare for weaning... maybe. I get sad when I think about weaning her, but in that same thought of sadness I also know it will be time. Ugh. I just don't know - but what I do know is that I really don't want another 8 pound surprise gain when I stop being a milk cow! ;)

Calorie Counting became a way of life for me once, second nature to mentally add up what I'm about to eat as I consider a meal. I'm sure that skill will return, but I sure will miss "eating for two". The difference between Calorie Counting then and now is that while I'm not "eating for two", I am preparing food for two! What I eat, Cora eats... both milk and solids. So, adding to the challenge is that handy cheats like Smart Ones meals and such aren't nearly as practical. 

I can't be the only mother that has gone through this? How did you make the change?

How hard was weaning for you?

I don't even know where to begin? Intellectually I do, but emotionally I have no clue.

Biggest Loser {2}

Well with any challenge it has it's ups and downs right?

Last week I weighed in at 197.5. Before last week I hadn't weighed in for about 3 weeks and before Christmas I had been weighing in around the low 190s. This week I ate well, did some exercising, I was successful with not having cokes(!!!), but unfortunately I weighed in this morning at 200.0 :(

Difference:+2.5 lbs.

I'm really disappointed that the numbers weren't in my favor, but I'm trying to look on the bright side. My pants are fitting much better! I feel much better than I did even a week ago. I have had repeated compliments that I am looking thinner - so ideally, I would like to think that I actually am becoming more fit, even if the pounds aren't dropping how I would like.

I'm trying to get back in the groove of logging my meals into My Fitness Pal - do any of you use MFP? I would love to make some new friends! Accountability is the best for me!!

I did a pretty decent job of logging my breakfasts and lunches into MFP this week, but then I would get home and be busy with things and forget to log dinner. I hope to do better with that this week.

I'm hoping to cut out a few more carbs this week, and possibly start the 30 day Shred. Hopefully that will help with that whole + sign in my weight log. I really considered not even bothering to post this week, but I really want to be honest and realistic with my blog. Sometimes things don't go as planned.

Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments last week! It's great knowing I'm not alone in this journey!!

 

Biggest Loser {1}

{I apologize for this post being so late, I had one heck of a Monday...}

I weighed in this morning at 197.5!
 I'm honestly pretty happy with this. It isn't where I want it to be, but I haven't gained all the weight back that I've been working to loose.
(Also pretty sure that I've been retaining some serious water)

Since New Years, I've been working to give up cokes. The first few days were pretty tough, but it's a cake walk now.

This week I want to talk a little about my inspiration that I haven't discussed before. A big part of the journey for me is more than watching the numbers drop on the scale, it's about becoming healthier and having a strong body.  It isn't a secret that we'd like to start a family.

I have a pretty good picture of what that means for me.
I'm realistic that things may not go exactly as I want, but I fully intend to have a completely natural delivery.
{the idea of an epidural scares me more than labor - a story for another time}
Every time I talk to someone who has had or attempted a natural delivery, their biggest suggestion is to be in good shape. The better shape my body is in when I go into the pregnancy the lower the risks are for complications during gestation or delivery.

Not to mention, the better shape I'm in before pregnancy, the better chances I have of dropping the baby weight!

You should join us! Link up with the Java Mama for Biggest Loser Mondays!

On Wednesday, I'll also be linking this post up with Lacey at They Call Me Mommy for Weigh in Wednesday

5 lbs a month...

I haven't written about my on going diet attempts recently.

I'd love to say that everything is going amazingly well - but that would be a lie.

I lost about 10 pounds when this journey started and I have successfully kept it off!

I'll occasionally gain a pound or two, then loose it - but I haven't broken past that original 10 pound mark.

Some things I have done well - My month of no fast food really paid off!

I don't crave that junk any more and when I do eat it out of convenience, I pay for it!

My body doesn't appreciate consuming fake food anymore!

I've gone back and forth on sodas, BUT it's easy for me to drop them when I'm off-again in my on-again/off-again love affair with caffeine.

Without necessarily counting calories, I have gotten much better at learning to control portion sizes and recognizing good choices over bad choices. I have learned general calorie counts for things I eat often, and learned to avoid or reduce some of my snacking that packs on the pounds!

Over Thanksgiving we booked our 2nd Honeymoon - we're going to Hawaii in October!!

This was a wedding gift from John's grandparents, so we've known for a while that we're going and generally when we're going - I'm so excited to actually have it on the books!

 Even though it's December, I have this trip (& swimsuits) on the brain, so of course I'm fretting about the diet! As I was freaking out about this to John - he reminded me that I roughly need to loose 5 pounds per month between now and then.

When you break it down like that, it seems like nothing!

I'm so happy that my goals are in reach and I can get back on track!

{I even bought salads for lunches this week - if you know my hatred for veggies, you understand how big of a step this is for me!!}

 

To see more from my less than thoroughly documented journey

go here

here

and here.

WIWW - a monumental accomplishment for me!

I'm pretty awful at posting my What I Wore Wednesdays...

but this week it is more than that for me!

It's a big enough deal, I'm even willing to post an AWFUL picture of myself for it!

OKAY, so for the monumental accomplishment part!

I got this dress last December maybe early January. I had gained quite a bit of weight, but I'm not sure exactly how much because I was adamantly ignoring the scales. : )

I bought the dress because I really liked it but it didn't really fit... at all.

it was on sale - and it was already a very frustrating shopping trip so I wanted something to show for it. 

That miserable shopping trip has been in my mind since then. 

And I never even took the tags off the dress, much less wore it until this morning.

I decided "what the hay" and gave it a whirl

(I seriously need to do laundry in other words!)

It not only FITS, but it's a little too large!! : ) !! : )

(In this picture I was *trying* to demonstrate the "wiggle" room in the dress by pulling my hand forward in the pocket... all that accomplishes is making it look bad.)

Sometimes it takes time! It takes a chance to step back and look at all the work you've accomplished!

I had NO idea I had lost this much weight

(especially since I didn't know what I weighed this time last year)

 

I intellectually understood I was smaller although I'm great at beating myself up because it doesn't seem like I make great big huge strides in the weight-loss department.

But it is so great to be shown the success you've had!

Ironically enough, I'm also so sore I can hardly move from yesterdays workout!

It's Very PINteresting (Buffalo Chicken Love)

                           Hello, my name is Rebekah and I am addicted to Buffalo Chicken.

Check out My Kitchen Apron & all the great recipes!

       A few months ago when I was in the midst of my past addiction/love affair with my crock pot (I still love it, I've just learned to balance it out with other forms of food prep...) I stumbled across this pin on Pinterest.  The next trip to the grocery store I picked up some Franks Buffalo Sauce. It has been true love since the first night when I smelled this delicious recipe cooking as I walked in from work!

      My current philosophy with food prep is that if you have time to cook one meal, you probably have time to prepare two.  I either double the recipe and we eat the meal again in a day or two, it becomes left overs for lunches or in the case of this Buffalo Chicken, it can become several different meals with a singular theme.

      Since we are being diet friendly around our house right now caloric intake is a big factor in meal planning. I am a big believer in changing habits (which I'm working diligently on right now) rather than "dieting", at 267 calories per serving (according to the recipe calculator on My Fitness Pal) - you can easily adapt portion sizes and side dishes to fit in to your daily calorie goal.

Day 1: Buffalo Chicken Burritos - I just mix up whatever box of rice we have in the house, (if I'm really planning ahead I break out the rice cooker) I serve up some chicken, mix it with the rice and we eat it in a tasty tortilla.

Day 2: Buffalo Chicken Pizza - I break out a store bought pizza dough crust and sprinkle it with shredded cheese, the buffalo chicken and I drizzle buffalo sauce and ranch across the top.

       I am thinking that next week will be a Buffalo Chicken kind of week and I'm planning to break out a couple of these new recipes I found on Pinterest.




Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.  I'm going to have to play with this recipe. Unfortunately, the Pin links me to a long and complicated version, and while I'm sure it is delicious, I very rarely spend that much time prepping a single meal and certainly not one focused around mac & cheese.





















Buffalo Chicken Taquitos - The recipe looks pretty tasty and I'm sure the creamy flavor of the Cream Cheese blends well with the spicy tang of the buffalo chicken sauce!

A diet friendly lunch idea is to wrap up some of the chicken topped with veggies and a little ranch all wrapped up in a large piece of lettuce.

 

And, lastly - for the last of the left-overs: Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas. It's such a simple concept, I can't believe I hadn't thought of it myself already. Just add cheese (and since we like spice - maybe a little more Buffalo Sauce) to a tortilla and you're set!

Check out my Pin Boards for food & crock pot recipes!

My new favorite blog!

     In my quest to keep having success with my new diet and fitness routine I have been on a search for another blog to use as inspiration (like this one that helped me start the journey) that has a "normal" person dealing with daily struggles just like I am.  I think I have found it!

     May I introduce you to "Lovely Little Things"

Some of my favorite posts she has done (and I haven't even finished checking all of them out!) that you may want to look at:

~ check out the chicken salad she made with avocados instead of mayo - couldn't be more perfect, I've been craving those tasty green veggies!
~ One of my favorite things about her blog is that when she talks about an exercise, she includes pictures. I can honestly say that she has educated me as to what a "burpee" is! (check out her abs! I can only hope to one day have abs like that!)
~ She eats like a real person! I eat many of the things she eats & she is honest about what she consumes!

My fitness Pinterest board

I try to remember that each day is a new beginning with my diet. Sometimes John has to remind me that these things don't just happen over night and it takes time. I posted this on my refrigerator (and bathroom mirror and my desk...) today. I'm hoping that it will remind me that diet isn't going to be the only way this gets done. I think it also helps to know that I'm not blindly blundering along - it is an actual science, there is a formula... for calories at least.

 

This is my current Cardio Workout... I will admit that I'm not quite able to do the full counts of all of these... but I'm working on it!

It's amazing where all you can get inspiration if you want to find it! I just hope that now that I've started and it has become a part of my routine - it will be harder to quit than to keep going! 

I'm optimistic, for example, let me eat over about 400 calories and then you will get to listen to me complain about how badly my stomach hurts from eating too much! : ) (= success in my book!)

My personal growth moment from this past week was when for the first time ever that I can recall - I had too much sugar! I love cakes (I really enjoy baking and cooking for others too) and sweets - so I was having a cupcake. Yes, I had worked hard and had a hard work out later to make room for the cupcake in my diet. One cupcake later my shrinking tummy had consumed too much sugar! Ah!! I don't think I've ever been so happy to have an upset stomach!