Picking Up the Pace
February 16, 2016The Countdown to Mexico Begins
Nothing like the thought of wearing a bikini in a few months to motivate me to put an extra bump in my step to lose this baby weight. Yep, I booked a family vacation to Mexico for my 39th birthday in May.
Mind you, this will be a VERY long overdue vacation. Our last trip was in August 2014. The day after we came home, I took a pregnancy test, and Miss Daphne was on her way. Since then, we had a baby, bought a house, started renovations and stayed at my parents’ home in Indiana while commuting to Chicago for a little over a month, and then moved everything out of storage into our new home. We are exhausted! No wonder I am still trying to kick off this weight. Time to re-energize and have some quality time together … in a bikini ~ sigh.
Two weeks ago, I joined Weight Watchers. Tomorrow will be my second week weighing myself. I actually lost six pounds the first week. Now, I did just stop breastfeeding simultaneously. As ginormous as my breasts were (seriously, they had their own zip code), I am hoping they were not 3lbs each. That would be quite depressing. I am pretty sure that isn’t possible, so I am going to be optimistic that it was fat finally falling off and my hormones beginning to regulate.
Recording your caloric intake and activity always always always helps with successful weight loss. As healthy as we try to eat, it’s always easy to add a little extra unneeded calories. Once I started recording my f
ood, I realized I was e
ating more than I should have. I would have just a little more cheese and now I am sticking to just an ounce (size of a lipstick) because it is an entire 4 points of the 31 points that I am allowed per day. I also almost flipped when I wasted a point on a Life Saver. Personally, I prefer to save my “naughty” points for wine. Five ounces of wine is four points. That means four Live Savers are equivalent to a glass of wine. Get my frustration? That Life Saver was so not worth it! Ugh!
With weight watchers, you are encouraged to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables because they are zero points. The first week, I did feel pretty hungry, but you are training your mind and body to eat less calories. This week feels much better. I also have to earn 54 activity points. So my 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength each day with one day off per week really isn’t enough as it is only 8 points per day (8×6=48). So I am bumping my cardio up to 40 minutes per day. Now I am at 10 points per workout with still allowing one day off per week. Seems like a lot? Well, I did ease into this program. I started this crazy journey on November 5, 2015. Three and a half months later and being an exercise physiologist, I am ready for the additional time in the gym. It’s actually helping me reduce stress and really feel good mentally too. I welcome the time in the gym for my mental sanity.
In addition to being on Weight Watchers, my husband and I gave up eating white flour and white sugar foods for lent, with the intention to eat healthier once lent is over. It’s only been a week, but I actually feel different. It’s amazing how good we feel when we eliminate eating crap. We really need to think of eating as fueling our bodies. But everything is behavior related or we would all be eating perfectly, right?
There are many apps out there to use to record food intake. I know it can be tedious, but it works. I like to pick a program that I pay for because I feel that I am more likely to use it because I don’t want to waste my money. It’s all about finding what works for you. Good luck!
