Starting Over

Well, it's been a while. Life is busy and crazy and I'm finally at a "normal" weight. I've spent the last few months eating as a please and working out like normal. My doctor has my medicine at the right dose and is happy with my progress.
With winter fast approaching and Kenny and I living on a tight budget I'm starting the diet over. I just don't have it in me to buy bigger dress pants to get me through the winter. Everything fits me, but differently because nothing is ever "normal" again after having a baby. Everything goes back in different place and you retain and gain weight in different places also. Things are lumpy, loose and saggy so...it is time to firm up!
Day 1 stats
weight 164.0 (I know, I never reached my first goal)
goal: 155.0

Home Stretch

Well...now that all of my "vacations" are over, I can get back to business. My goal is just 13 days away, with 10 pounds to lose. Not so hard!

Now that I'm working, and I've added a couple of girls to me lesson schedule I will be busy enough to keep myself out of the kitchen!

I'm so excited for the next 13 days. Gotta make sure I fit in my bridesmaid dress :)

Start Weight: 240 (OMGosh!)
Current Weight: 165
Goal Weight: 155
Deadline: September 27

Epic Fail!

I gave myself the deadline Sept. 5 to be at my goal weight. I failed miserably. I still have 10 pounds to lose. I thought that maybe while I was in Houston I would get those last 10 pounds off. What was I thinking!?! My parents don't eat anything but sandwiches or they go out to eat. Of course my mom is making my favorite home cooked meals, they're taking me to my favorite restaraunts and getting lots of my favorite ice cream (Blue Bell). There's no way I'm going to make either of those goals. September 5th has come and gone and my Houston trip will be over 1 week from today. I KNOW I can't lose 10 pounds in 1 week while I'm here.

Since coming to Houston at the beginning of August we have had one family visit or party after another. I've almost given up on the last 10 pounds...at least for the time being. My ABSOLUTE deadline for myself is September 27. That gives me 2 weeks from the time I get back home to lose 10 pounds. I will have to be super strict and not have any cheat days. 2 weeks is nothing, I've done it for longer. I know I can do it. I will be determined to do it.

Even though I'm eating what I want to while I'm on "vacation" I have not gone crazy. I'm still being able to maintain my current weight. I'm running like a maniac and thankfully its still hot in Texas!

Back On Track

I've taken the last 3 weeks off of my diet. I lost 8 pounds while I was in Houston and gained 3 back this past week. I have 14 pounds to go and am kickin' it in high gear. I ran a 5K this morning and I'm getting myself back on this diet wagon. I'm going to be really strict on myself so that I can get these 14 pounds off and move on from all of this weight loss stress!

It's Crunch Time!

So...my goal weight is 155 lbs. I want to be there by September 5. That gives me just 20 days to lose 12 lbs. I did really good while I was in Houston, considering I ate everything I wanted. Its so hard to stay on a diet when you go home to Mama's cookin' and all of your favorite restaurants. The combination of decision making and running after my speed racer kept me out of the kitchen. My last weekend was full of getting in all of my favorite foods before heading back to Maryland. I ate at my favorite Mexican restaurant, and ate LOTS of green sauce (yum, yum), we had burgers, meatloaf and mashed potatoes (my favorite homecooked meal) and I had to squeeze in enough Blue Bell ice cream to last me a while. I gained 4 pounds back in just 3 days. YIKES! Luckily, its not hard to get back on track.
I have 20 more days of hard work. 20 more days of watching what I eat and running hard. 20 more days till my pre-pregnancy clothes fit better than before. 20 more days till I can update my wardrobe!
I'm so glad God made me a determined person!

So close!

As of 9:00 this morning, I am at 167.6. Only 12.6 pounds to go! Only 3.6 to get to my weight at my first doctor appointment with Asher. Its amazing the small victories you find joy in when you're on a weight loss journey. I'm so glad that I can put on my workout shorts and not have to let them "stretch out" before I can go for a jog.
I haven't been careful about what I eat while I've been in Houston, but I have been watching how much I eat. To top it all off, the stress of decision making has played a small part in the portion control :). I'm definitely enjoying this miserably hot Texas sun. I know that we need rain here, but man is it good to go for a run outside and be DRIPPING with sweat! There's no doubt in my mind that Asher and I are sun people!

"Vacation"

For 2 weeks I am in Houston visiting my family. It is so hard to stay on a diet when you're on vacation, especially when its in your hometown. There are so many foods that I can't get when I'm in Maryland that I "have" to make sure I eat while I'm in Houston. So...I haven't been eating that great. I'm not going crazy though. I'm trying to do really well during the day so that I have a little wiggle room in the evenings. With all this heat I have managed to lose a couple pounds since we got here. I didn't make it to my mini-goal of 168. The week before we left was so crazy with trying to pack and get things ready for Asher's birthday party. We were on the run almost everyday. I'm down to 170, so hopefully I can be just disciplined enough while we're here that I can at least get down to 168 before we leave.
I ordered my bridesmaid's dress for my best friends wedding yesterday. I tried on the 12 (which didn't fit me in June) and it was too big. So we found a similar style size 10 and I was able to get it zipped all the way. It was just a little snug, but it zipped! I was so excited that I was able to order the 10, but now I really have to committ to being back to my normal weight before October 1!
My ultimate goal is to be down to 155 by September 5. That gives me 1 month to lose 15 pounds. Totally do-able with this diet, I just have to be GOOD!!!

Small Victories

I never thought I would be so excited to put on my bra and it be too big! Kenny and I spent yesterday evening buying me a few new clothing items because most of my wardrobe is too big now. I can't quite fit in all of my pre pregnancy clothes. However, Saturday night I did wear a pair of my pre-pregnancy shorts. That was so exciting!
I still have 6 pounds to my next mini-goal. When you spend the weekend playing softball it is so hard to watch what you're eating. Thankfully I only gained a little over a pound this weekend. 6 pounds seems like a lot to lose in just one week, but I know I can do it. As I'm getting closer and closer to my final goal weight I'm getting so pumped. I'm trying harder and harder to be "good" so I can just get to the goal and start moving on with life. This weight problem has been ruling my life for the past year and I'm ready to finally conquer it.
I am so thankful for the competitive, driven, focused, determined personality that God has given me. If it weren't for that I know this struggle would be so much more difficult.
Thank you Jesus for knowing the person I would need to be to be able to handle this!

Weekend Update

I took the Saturday off! I felt like I deserved it after working so hard. From the time I went for my follow up with the endocrinologist to Friday I had lost a total of 13 pounds! I ate pizza and I ENJOYED it, I had ice cream and cake. I drank a glass of WHOLE MILK! Lucky for me I spent all weekend playing softball. I'm pretty sure I burned off most of what I ate between pitching 3 games and running bases. I think I got my exercise in.
My next mini-goal: I want to be at 168 by the time I go to Houston on the 31st. I know I can do it. It's only 8 pounds in 2 weeks. I started cycle 2 yesterday and absolutely enjoyed some brown rice. So, today is my day to get back on the horse. I have to remember that its a marathon, not a sprint. The weight is not going to come off easily, I have to work hard everyday and even when I've lost all I want to lose I'm going to have to work really hard to keep it off. I'm so glad I have such a good support system. Kenny does his best to keep me in check, my mama has always been my biggest cheerleader, and my mother-in-law is so faithful at checking in on me.
For now...just keep running, just keep running, running, running!

Drum roll please...

I did it! 175! By the hair of my chinny chin chin. Today is my last day on cycle 1, then hello brown rice! I can't wait!!!

Good Morning Day 16

Today's Weigh-In: 176.4

I didn't lose any weight from yesterday, but I cheated! At least I gained nothing :). SO what does that mean for today? BE GOOD, BE GOOD, BE GOOD!
A lot of my problem is being in the house for most of the day. I know there's junk food here, it calls my name. I should just throw it all away, but unfortunately my husband has a hollow leg.
So...In total I've lost 7 pounds. I have 1.4 pounds to lose before I start cycle 2 on Day 18. It's go time, time to buckle down!

Mini-Goal Update

I'm down to 178.4! Only 3.6 pounds to get to my mini-goal of 175 and 7 days to do it. It took me so long to get below 182. It seemed like I was stuck there forever. Even once I started taking Synthroid, I could get past that 182 plateau. I am so ecstatic that I'm finally under 180.
Here's hoping I'm able to stay disciplined the rest of the week to meet my goal!

Update Days 3-8

Today is day 9 and I am struggling! My total weightloss so far is only 2.6 lbs. I have 8 days left in this cycle and would like to get down another 6 lbs before I start cycle 2. Cycle 1 is suppose to be the fastest of the 4 cycles as far as shedding pounds go. I did splurge a little on my birthday and ate Mexican food and cake, but I didn't gain any weight.
The next 8 days I am going to be really hard on myself. No salad dressings, no sour cream, NO CHEATING! If I can get down to 175 lbs in the first cycle I will be happy with myself. That means I will have 12 lbs to get to my pre-pregnancy weight and 20 lbs to get to my "happy weight".
The hardest part about being good is having to make sure Asher is getting well-balanced meals. He needs the carbs. The rest of this cycle will be difficult, but I know I can do it!

Day 2

Kenny and I have fallen in love with frozen yogurt. We have an awesome place called 16 Handles nearby and were lucky enough to find a Groupon for it. Well, it expired yesterday so we HAD to use it. The good thing is that they offer non-fat, low sugar options and it all has probiotics. The requirements of my daily probiotic intake! So, yesterday I indulged a little on my yogurt and was very careful about the rest of my food.

Monday is my birthday so this weekend will be watch, watch, watch what I eat! I just can't pass up birthday cake!

Total weight loss: 1.4 lbs

Day 1

Yesterday was day 1 of the 17 day diet. Which should really be called the 68 day diet because its 4 17 day cycles.

This is my second go at cycle 1. I quit when I realized I plateaued and I knew that my medicine needed to be adjusted before I could be successful at it. What I struggle with the most on this diet is getting carbs. My husband and I love cooking and so many of our meals use rice and pasta. We have made the transition to whole grain pasta and brown rice, but the goal of cycle 1 is to detox your body of that craving. Grains have been our "get full" item.

So, yesterday I ate a veggie/egg scramble for breakfast, a pan roasted chicken and spinach salad, LOADED with veggies and a ground chicken taco salad minus the tortilla chips. There are so many veggies allowed on this diet that boredom is not an issue. I snack on yogurt and fruit and usually save one of my yogurt servings for my "dessert." My one true weakness is dressing. I have never been a fan of Italian or vinagerette style dressings, let alone the fat free versions of them. I've decided on this go round I will sacrifice the speed of the weightloss for a little flavor. Now, before you think I've gone rogue and its only day 1, I am measuring how much I am using in my dressings and condiments so that I make sure I'm not really getting off track. I'm cutting some of my fat in other places in order to accomodate my need for flavorful dressings.

So, end results for yesterday...I lost .6 pounds. It doesn't seem like a lot, but if I lose that everyday it will add up quickly. Every ounce is a victory at this point!

Tomorrow is a new day!

11 months ago today I gave birth to the most wonderful little boy any mother could ask for. We gave him the name Asher, which means happy and blessed. He is every bit of what his name stands for. He is happy and full of personality and he keeps me moving!

With the pregnancy I gained and unexplainable 76 pounds. I was extremely swollen, yet I had perfect blood pressure and kidney function. I ate healthy for the most part aside from my occasional pizza craving. I was doing everything I should have been doing. I exercised as long as I could, until I overdid it and pulled a muscle that didn't heal until after giving birth.

Due to all of the swelling, I walked out of the hospital 30 pounds lighter with my perfect bundle of joy. I thought to myself, "what a great start to getting rid of all this baby weight!" Little did I know that the next 25 pounds I lost would take 11 months to lose.

I have been an athlete for well over half of my life. I know what it takes to be fit and in shape. I know how to eat healthy and exercise. So I did what every mother does to get rid of those nasty extra pounds. I cut my calorie intake in half. I walked 2 miles everyday working my way up to running 2+ miles everyday. All the while the scale wouldn't budge. I started having other post-partum issues, including developing an ovarian cyst and a slightly underactive thyroid. After 4 months of visits to my gynecologist to try to get my hormones and my body back to "normal", she suggested I see an endocrinologist about my thyroid. Unfortunately, my insurance company requires referrals to see a specialist. Over the next 5 months I spent hours on the phone trying to get my primary care physician to write me a referral to see an endocrinologist. Nothing worked. I got excuses like "10 years ago your thyroid levels would have been normal" and "some people just have a hard time losing weight." These were unacceptable answers for me. I knew my body and something felt wrong. I had never had trouble with my weight. My weight was maintained whether I worked out or not, whether I watched what I ate or not, so why all of a sudden wouldn't it budge? Finally, "for my mental health" my PCP gave me the referral.

After 9 months of knowing something was wrong with my body, I finally had an appointment with someone who could give me some answers! I was sent for more lab work, only to find out that my thyroid levels were continuing to decline. My doctor took one look at me and new that my thyroid was very inflammed. After an ultrasound showed that my thyroid was swollen to 1 1/2 times its normal size and more indepth lab work, I was diagnosed with Hoshimoto's disease.
http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/Hashimoto/

Over the past two months I have been taking 50 micrograms of Synthroid (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000684/) daily. I take it first thing in the morning on a completely empty stomach with a full glass of water. I then have to wait 1 hour before I can ingest anything except water. For two months I've been waiting for something to change, to start to feel more like myself. Well, I'm still waiting! I've dieted. I haven't dieted. I've worked out. I've done nothing. The scale hasn't budged and I still feel and (to myself) look like an unhealthy, fat slob. Today, my dose was doubled and I was instructed to return to The 17 Day Diet (http://www.the17daydiet.com/) that I had previously tried.

This blog is my journey to becoming a better, healthier version of myself. Thankfully I know that my beauty is not outward; however, when you feel good you become better. So here's to tomorrow, may is better than today!

"They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you." declared the LORD.   Jeremiah 1:19